Winter owls, of course, but a swallow and oriole?

The St. Clair National Wildlife Area Christmas Bird Count is behind us, and I will provide an overview in the next post. But since that count on Jan 1, I've been out trying to catch up with various lingering birds. The lack of any real winter in the last few weeks has likely made it a lot easier for some of them to survive.

First off was to check out the Northern Rough-winged Swallow that was found by Blake on the Wallaceburg CBC back on Dec 27. The bird has survived, but on both of my trips to check it out, there were few if any insects flying about, so I'm not sure how successful it has been in getting enough to survive on. Although it flies quite well, when it lands its wings are typically drooping, and some of the chest feathers look a little dishevelled. With the prospect of some cooler weather on the way, it will be interesting to see how long this bird survives.

On my way back and forth to Wallaceburg, I keep an eye out for Snowy Owls. They don't seem to be quite as plentiful this year as some, but there are still 4-5 around between Chatham and Wallaceburg. I always check this gas pipe enclosure, and so far this winter have not seen any owls using it. That changed on this last trip. At first it doesn't stand out, blending in with the various white pipes.

 Once you get a bit closer and with the sun at the right angle, the Snowy is quite apparent. The sun was really bright, making the white feathers of this bird a little overexposed.

A couple of other vehicles with photographers came along just about the time I was finishing up, and they got some photos as well.

Being the beginning of a new year, I was hopeful in getting the Barred Owl at Rondeau on my list. This species is so rare in this part of Ontario that there are only 4 other records for the park, and none since the early 1980s. However even though it is still around and being seen intermittently, going out to look for it is not usually successful. But on Saturday, just as I was heading out the door, I got a text from Steve that it was in campsite 6. By the time I got to the park it had moved very close to the parking lot just outside the campground. It was almost impossible to see unless someone pointed it out. This first photo is taken at an equivalent of about 12-16X.

 It doesn't really jump out, but this next very cropped photo is the equivalent of about 40X.

The dozen or so other birders eventually left, on the search for other avian targets. I watched and waited for a few minutes longer which paid off. In just 10 minutes or so, it decided to move to a lower and closer branch. I think it had heard something in the leaves, as it looked quite intently at the ground, lowering and moving its head to pin point a sound.

A few minutes later it dropped to the ground and grabbed something in the leaves. It almost immediately flew up onto another branch a bit farther away and began tugging on whatever it was in its talons. The leaves it had grabbed along with its victim dropped away and there was a small critter remaining. I pointed it out to three others who had just come by, and at that point the owl flew off towards the south and out of view. I hoped it hadn't gone too far, and perhaps it didn't, but in spite of several of us looking in the direction it flew, it was not seen again. It is quite likely it saw us, however. It is interesting that Barred Owls seem to be more plentiful in Ontario and elsewhere these last few weeks. Certainly several Christmas Bird Counts have had them, with some reporting a higher number than usual. And a recent item by CBC News, which you can read here, indicates this phenomenon is occurring farther east as well.

Satisfied with seeing my owl target, I decided to try for birds at the north end of the campground. I had seen the Baltimore Oriole tucked away in a dense tangle the other day, and in spite of my best efforts, this was the best photo I could get.

I certainly wasn't satisfied with that, so thought it would be worth another look today. Jim and Quinten and I got a brief look at the oriole high up in a cottonwood tree, but it disappeared. Mike B was in the area, and after a bit of a chit-chat, the four of us headed off in different directions. A few minutes later I got a message from Jim that he had an Orange-crowned Warbler, so I headed his way. The bird was in a large tangle and although we saw Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Carolina Wren, several Black-capped Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos, the warbler was well hidden. As I circled around the tangle, I inadvertently stepped on a small branch and the crack of it startled a bird larger than a warbler. It flew up into a small vine tangle and it was apparent it was the oriole! It flew up into a red cedar and although the light was quite poor, a bit of work with the photo on the computer made it reasonably identifiable.

There was the usual mix of other birds in the campground, including Yellow-rumped Warbler.

One of the park's other inhabitants met its demise not long ago. I saw this deer carcass floating at the edge of the bay. No doubt it ventured out on the thin ice a few weeks ago, and broke through, perhaps breaking its leg. Perhaps a coyote or a Turkey Vulture or, if it stays around long enough, a Snapping Turtle will have a feast of venison.