More interesting mid-winter birds

An assortment of interesting birds continues in spite of the cold and snow and that we are now into the middle third of official winter. A short while ago I went up to northern Chatham-Kent to check out the open water along the Chenal Ecarte. This is the channel, also referred to as The Snye, between Walpole Island First Nation and the mainland. There is a good flow of water, and the bridge connecting Walpole with the mainland tends to block some of the ice, leaving some open patches downstream. It was there that I wanted to look, as less common water birds may be found. Last year I had a Horned Grebe. On this day, I had two Pied-billed Grebes.

There was the usual mix of Mute Swan, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck as well as Mallard, Canvasback, etc.

 I couldn't see the closest part of the channel due to the density of Phragmites. So I went to the Walpole side and there were two Pied-billed Grebes, a little distant for a good photo, but you take what you get.

 After a few moments both of them started drifting over to the side I was on and came right up close.

It is nice when birds cooperate!

I ventured southwards again, on the lookout for Snowy Owls among other things. Just west of Winter Line and between Mallard and Marsh Lines, I noted two Snowies but about half way between the two roads so binoculars were needed to even see them. As is often the case, they will sit on the ground beside a marker or tuft of grass. This photo is cropped to probably at least 35X.

At the Rivard Line pumping station there is open water. And as is sometimes the case, a Belted Kingfisher may be hanging around looking for a small fish to chow down on. They always seem to be skittish, and this one certainly fit the bill. I'm not sure if it is just by accident or design, or if it means anything at all, but in my experience it seems the kingfishers that attempt to linger in the winter are almost always females.

Yesterday I decided to go out to Rondeau since it was a nice day for a walk, if nothing else. There were a few birders hunting in the campground for the Barred Owl. Garry S arrived and we started out from the parking area. Almost immediately we came across a Hermit Thrush, my first of the year. It was actively skulking and then feeding, but we got a few shots of it nibbling on European Guelder Rose (sometimes referred to as Highbush Cranberry, but it is the European variety and not nearly as tasty to birds as the native variety) and bittersweet.

We continued on, checking for the owl in likely trees in the north part of the campground when another birder came along with news that he had been given details of where the bird was situated. It was supposedly at campsite 187, and he even had a rough diagram indicating what tree the bird was in. However something didn't seem quite right, as the diagram didn't seem to fit the situation as well as it should, and there certainly was no owl to be seen. The three of us kept spreading out trying to find the elusive owl. Eventually Garry and I wandered north of the campground, went along Centre Street and then Lakeshore Road but without success. Just as we returned to the campground, I got a text from Blake indicating the owl was at site 182. A few minutes later we were at site 182 and without too much trouble, located the owl right where it was supposed to be (and the diagram fit). Unfortunately for us photographers, it was partially hidden by branches of the red cedar tree it was in, but it was in partial sun and out of the wind, so the bird no doubt was looking out for its own interests rather than any photographers in the area. But we made the best of it.

With finding the owl accomplished, we went our separate ways, and I headed for the Visitor Centre to see what might be hanging around the feeders. The feeders themselves were not well stocked, but there were birds in the area. There was the usual mix of about a dozen species, but I didn't get many photos. I did have a cooperative male Northern Cardinal, that I have no problem trying to photograph when I get the chance.

But I concentrated on capturing photos of one or more of the pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that were working various pine and oak trees in the immediate vicinity.

I got a few shots before they both took off south of the Visitor Centre, and I decided to head off elsewhere. Outside the park, I wanted to check the Stefina Line area, where a Wilson's Snipe is often seen in a creek that never freezes up totally. I had one there in December but it has been really elusive in the last few weeks. It was seen on Friday, but earlier on Saturday several people, including myself, had stopped by in the morning without seeing it. Maybe mid-afternoon would be different. And it was. The light had softened but there was still a lot of contrast. The first shot was with the bird quite close to the road.

 After a few minutes it decided it needed some distance, and promptly headed southwards, ending up almost to the bend in the creek. This next photo is taken at about 14X

I meandered along various back roads hoping for a Northern Shrike, but without success. Since I was eventually in the Ridgetown area, I stopped by the sewage lagoons. The ones on the south side of the road were completely frozen. Those on north side of the road were almost completely frozen over except for a small open are where the water flows in from the treatment centre. A few days ago there was one Canada Goose and one Tundra Swan. On this day there was only the Tundra Swan, looking healthy enough but presumably weakened from illness or injury.