Common Gallinule, Snowy Owls and Virginia Opossum!

Christmas Bird Count season has been in full force lately. The Blenheim/Rondeau one was at the beginning of the count period, and I reported on that a couple of posts ago. More recently has been the Skunk's Misery (SM) count, and yesterday was the Wallaceburg/Walpole Island count.

The SM count was slightly below average for me and my area, but overall the count tallied 53 species. My area is north of the Thames River and although I had my camera with me, I didn't photograph any bird highlights. However at one point I was driving the back roads looking for birds when I noticed a 'clump' of something out in some corn stubble.

Obviously it wasn't a bird, but deserved a second look. A cautious approach allowed me to get the following photos of this Virginia Opossum.

Normally opossums are more nocturnal, although sometimes they will be seen out in broad daylight as this one was. And normally they are quick to scurry away, so I really don't know what was up with this individual. Other than its behaviour, it looked fairly healthy, so at least I managed to get the best photos of a live 'possum I've ever had.

Waterfowl are not very plentiful on the SM count, even if the Thames River is open, as it mostly was on this day. The only waterfowl I got were a bunch of Canada Geese, a bit outside my territory.

It was a few more days before the next count, the Wallaceburg/Walpole Island count. However in between, some out-of-province birders had spent a fair bit of time roaming numerous roads between Wallaceburg and Tilbury, and come up with an impressive 21 Snowy Owls! I had seen 5 in one day a little while ago without a lot of searching. I suspect there had been a mini-invasion of the owls as prompted by some weather events. So when I had a chance to get out and do a brief search just after Christmas, I came up with 4 snowies, and three of them were sitting on poles or some other thing very close to the road. The first one I saw, either a first year bird or a female, was on a steel silo near the corner of Winter Line and Mallard Line.

 Two of the birds I saw were very white, indicating they were adult males. They wouldn't stand out very well if they were sitting on a snow covered field.

Yesterday was the Wallaceburg/Walpole (W/W) Christmas Bird Count. I was one of the ones who started it back in 1986, and if it doesn't conflict with family Christmas gatherings, I participate in it, so most years I have been on it. As for most counts everywhere, the weather dictates how successful a count will be in terms of species diversity and overall numbers, and this count is no exception. With some major wetlands included as well as the St. Clair River which can at times harbour an enormous number of ducks, geese and gulls, the overall numbers of individuals can be impressive. On the other hand, with almost no ice to concentrate water birds and the river being completely open, water birds are very spread out and not always within the count circle. Such was the case for this count. The weather was about as perfect as one could hope for, at least for the participants being out in the field counting birds. There was no snow or ice to contend with, the skies ranged from cloudy first thing to bright sun as the day went on, and the wind was very light and mostly from the south. The temperatures were above freezing all day.

However, that made the birds very spread out. There were pockets of birds here and there. Certainly the counters on Walpole Is had a good diversity, as usual. It helps that the counters covering that area are excellent birders, some of which have excellent hearing.

The territory that I cover is spread out from about the north end of the Snye Channel north to almost the former Lambton Generating Station, and from the St. Clair River east to Hwy 40. The best spots are the river itself, as well as some areas not far inland. Woodlands are typically fairly quiet, and that was certainly the case this year. Also a lot of habitat is industrial, and off limits, so although it is a huge territory overall, access is limiting. One wonders what else might be out there!

I had 14 species of waterfowl, although much of the river was devoid of them. The area just downstream of the defunct Sombra ferry dock had the best concentration. There were only a couple of Canvasback...

 ....and a handful of scaup of both species.

Lesser Scaup

 Mallard was the most abundant species....

 ....and there were a few Redheads.

Gulls were not plentiful either, and I only saw two species: Herring and Ring-billed.

Some areas a bit inland were surprisingly good, although the birds were scattered in small pockets here and there. There were a few raptors such as this American Kestrel.

 Raptors are often wary of vehicles stopping and having things pointed at them, so only heavily cropped photos from a distance are obtained.

I missed seeing a Northern Shrike reported by someone else, but it likely saw me.

Sparrows and others were not abundant, but represented by a few species, some of which even cooperated briefly for the camera.

American Tree Sparrow

Downy Woodpecker

 A somewhat unexpected species for this area was this single Rusty Blackbird, which flushed up from a group of sparrows and juncos in a combination spruce plantation and prairie restoration.

One occasionally comes across other critters, as per the example of the opossum above. I saw a mink out on a thin bit of ice at the edge of a wetland, but was unable to get a photo. Not all encounters are of live animals, however. Along the trail from where I saw the Rusty, I came across this dead critter. It is a Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda), a very abundant little mammal, and a voracious eater and active all year round, but mostly underground.

Certainly the Rusty Blackbird was a less common bird to encounter, but the most surprising bird of the day for the whole count was one that area resident and birder Mike B found in a sewage lagoon in our territory. It turned out to be a Common Gallinule, Normally they are long gone from Ontario by mid to late autumn, but for some reason, this one didn't get the memo and apparently decided to stick around. According to eBird, this is the latest record for Ontario in at least the last decade, and one of the few ever for winter. Mike saw it and photographed it first, and then Steve checked it out and got some distant looks and photos. I came along a bit later. It was elusive at best, and only after I got well past the area where it had been last seen did I get a glimpse of it scooting across the water. The photos I got were only possible by quickly shooting into the hazy sunlight. Even by looking at the screen on the back of the camera, I knew I was not going to be satisfied with these.

It quickly disappeared into the cattails. I decided to go down behind the dike and out of view, then get around to the general area where it disappeared and where I would have a much better angle of light if it chose to re-emerge.

While waiting for the gallinule, I watched and photographed some of the other wildlife close by. Photographing Mute Swans is quite easy given their relative abundance and tolerance of people.

 Muskrats are a little more wary than the swans, but if you sit quietly they kind of forget you are there.

It took awhile before the gallinule re-appeared, and even then it was only for a short time. Although it was a bit closer, it did not really get out from under cover for very long, and very few photos were obtained. Sometimes something else was in the way.....

 ...and often it was facing the wrong way for my liking. But that is bird photography!

I ended up seeing 43 species in my territory, so not too bad. The overall count had a total of 83 species, a bit higher than average.

 One more Christmas Bird Count to go: the St. Clair National Wildlife Area count on January 1, 2020!

Christmas greetings!

This time of year can mean different things. For example, many think there should be white stuff on the ground now that winter is officially here. In my youth, it seems that a white Christmas was the norm. This first photo was taken in early December of this year, but a long way north of where we live. In our area, it looks like it will be a green Christmas.

 Wildlife is still out regardless of the weather.

Red Squirrel

It is a time of Christmas Bird Counts, with many keen birders taking part in up to 4 or more in the short bird count season.

It may be a time of decorations and lights, whether it be artificially placed on trees or other things.

There are things out in the natural areas, which are decorative in their own way, such as the red and orange berries of bittersweet...

....or the bright red winterberry.....

...or maybe the year round green of Christmas Fern.

It may be a time of feasting with family and friends, and then going on a long hike or getting some other kind of exercise to knock off all of those extra calories.

These are all well and good, and I enjoy them all. However amidst of all the holiday busyness, I try to remember that the real reason is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Saviour. And as in past years, one of my favourite Christmas songs is this one.

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas to all!

Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count: my perspective

Bloggers like to tell stories about the exciting things they saw or did recently. Otherwise, why write, right? So when my recent day on the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count was one of my less exciting days on this count, I wrestled with what to say about it. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided there were things that were important to share even if there weren't lots of exciting birds. No White-eyed Vireo or Barred Owl, like last year.

If memory serves me correctly, and as one ages that is less and less likely to happen, I have participated on this particular count for almost exactly 50 years. My first few years were with my dad covering farmland and woodland outside the park, not far from the farm where I grew up. Once my career began with Rondeau in the early 1970s, my territory to cover was park based. And for about the last 35 years or so, it has included some of the most remote parts of the park.

My starting point is at the south end of the South Point Trail, and striking off along the south beach intending to go all the way to the Erieau channel. It is one of my favourite parts of the park, but it can be quite challenging in winter. While this past count day was not the worst conditions I have had to put up with, it was not exactly easy. The temperature wasn't that bad, being just below freezing, but the wind was quite brisk. The trek out was facing straight into the wind which varied between 30-45 km/hr, and the south beach is quite exposed.

Last year I had two friends join me, and they were intending to join me again this year, but on my way out to the park that morning, I got a text stating that due to some health conditions they were not quite over, they would not be making the trek to Rondeau for the count. So I was on my own. That put me at an immediate disadvantage since more eyes are better, and their younger eyes and ears would be very helpful in pin pointing any little bird that was out there. However given the constant noise due to the wind and wave action, I suspect that even their ears wouldn't have been able to hear any birds.

It can be a little risky on the south beach. The first part of the area has very spotty cell service, so if you run into a problem, you are on your own. Cell phones and being able to be in touch with the world at any given moment is a relatively recent phenomenon, of course. It wasn't that long ago that you just ventured out into the wild with no contact and never gave it much thought. How the technological aspects of our times have changed.

At any rate, out I went. I didn't take my camera with me, as I was already loaded down with binoculars, scope, and a few snacks in my heavy winter parka. I scanned the lake regularly with both binoculars and scope, hoping for some goodies such as Red-throated Loon. While that species was seen in much smaller numbers this year compared to last, it seemed that all were along the east beach, and instead of following the shoreline, kept going south and not within my view.

There was an average diversity of waterfowl and gulls, but nothing all that unexpected. The best bird I got was a Green-winged Teal which turned out to be the only one on the count. There were some hunters at the far end of the tip, presumably along the sheltered side of bay/marsh, so I didn't go all the way. I did scope as far as I could see and there weren't any ducks at the end.

One of the stories of anywhere along the lower Great Lakes of late is the high water and the subsequent erosion. Certainly on a sand spit formation such as Rondeau, the effects are fairly significant. This next photo shows what part of the south beach looked like on the bird count exactly 5 years ago.

This is looking towards Erieau. The grasses are predominantly Little Bluestem, a pioneering grass species often found on beach dunes. Fast forward to 2019, and this next photo is what it looks like today, more or less from the same vantage point.

As stated earlier, I didn't have my camera with me on the day of the count, so I decided to go out again today and leave my scope in the vehicle and take my camera instead. It was a bit colder today, and every bit as windy. There was a bit of ice forming along the shoreline, and the bay was totally frozen over. But if I am dressed for the weather and prepared, I really enjoy getting out into the elements to see the forces of nature at work on this dynamic sand spit. Go out regularly and the changes are subtle. But comparing photos over a longer period of time, and it is really evident there are some major changes. This next photo is at the beginning of the break in the south beach that was evident for quite awhile earlier in the year. It was probably the most extensive break in this narrow south beach that I have ever come across in my 50 or so years of exploring this feature. The distance between where I took this photo, and the trees at the far end of the sand spit that locals call "Gull Island" but which really isn't an island, is probably almost a kilometre.

This portion of the south beach has been migrating northward for well over a century. At one point the Erieau part of the peninsula and the Rondeau part of the peninsula were in alignment. The only thing that separated them was the channel at Erieau. Since boat access to Rondeau Bay was important back in the day, a pier was constructed at Erieau in the late 1800s. And that began the changes. The prevailing water currents came from the west, and when they encountered the pier, slowed down and dropped their load of sand, slowly building up the west side which is now known as Laverne Kelly Memorial Park. But when the water currents got around the end of the pier and continued eastward towards the south beach, the resumed velocity caused the currents to pick up sand and move it either along the shoreline, or moved it northward, into Rondeau Bay. It is interesting that a geological consultant in the early 1970s determined that part of the south beach a bit east of Erieau had moved northward ~550 feet from the early 1930s to the early 1970s. With the continued high water level, less ice to protect the shoreline and increase in wave action, it is clear that the south beach has moved quite a bit farther north in the last 40+ years. This next photo was one I took in April, 1989. It shows how even at that time, the Erieau sand spit on the left of the pier had developed so much farther south than the south beach side, on the right. I wish I had taken one just a little farther east, showing how much the south beach curved northward at the time.

While my main intent of today's trip was to capture shots of the south beach to compare it with 5 years ago, I took advantage of some other winter type scenes.

 The ice is really starting to build up on the fallen trees along the shoreline. But with the warmer weather forecast until after Christmas, I expect this new ice will be short lived.

Just to finish up a bit about the bird count. I did see a few Tundra Swans flying over the South Point Trail on my way back.

At the end of the day, I came across a flock of about 350 swans scattered across a field just north of Hwy 3/Talbot Trail.

An Eastern Screech Owl is periodically seen in a cavity of an American Beech tree along Bennett Ave, although it is often only partially visible.

One thing of interest I noted a couple of days before the count was this Northern Brown Snake lying along the north section of Rondeau Road.

It didn't have a mark on it that was noticeable, but it was very dead. Perhaps a bicycle went over it, or perhaps it just succumbed to the cold. It was still there today.

After covering much of the south beach, I checked various other parts of the park that wouldn't have been covered by other bird counters. And then I went to the next major part of my normal territory: the Marsh Trail. In past years, I have driven out to the big parking lot about half way out the Marsh Trail and then walked the rest of the way to the south end, checking out the Long Pond area along the way. However as many readers will know, the Marsh Trail is closed due to being washed away in places, so parts of it are barely passable even on foot at times. The water is down enough to make it more easily accessed on foot, but the trail is officially closed. So instead of driving out, I walked to the parking lot. However with the intensity of the wind, any of the smaller birds that were out there were keeping under cover. Other than a few Bufflehead on the bay and a few Ring-billed and Herring Gulls drifting by overhead, there wasn't much to see. It was a long walk for all I got. I did see this non-birdy thing along the trail, however.

I'm not sure what the intent of this wildlife cam was, but I got a photo of it taking a photo of me, if in fact it was working.
In spite of the overall low numbers of birds, the results were quite satisfying, totalling 102 species at last count. We have only missed hitting the 100 mark three times since 2000, so everyone was pleased with the results. My total for the day was only 34 species, one of the lowest I have ever had, but with the weather being what it was, and the fact that many of the smaller birds left the area with the intense cold spells in the last few weeks, I couldn't complain. But by the end of the day some of my leg muscle were complaining, having walked an estimated 17 kilometres in those conditions and carrying all that gear!

Only three more bird counts to go in the next couple of weeks.

A Significant Decision to be made regarding Rondeau Provincial Park

It is no secret that Rondeau Provincial Park is one of my favourite places. It is a favourite place of a lot of people, and for many reasons.

Rondeau has been a provincial park since 1894 and in fact is the oldest park to have that designation. While Algonquin lays claim to that title, for its first few years it was legislatively identified as a national park, as per the Algonquin National Park Act of 1893.

Rondeau hosts a huge biodiversity, and has the greatest number of Species At Risk of any Ontario provincial park. The diversity of habitat, including beach dune, oak savanna, pine-oak forest, beech-maple forest, slough, cattail marsh and the bay is nothing short of amazing, and they all contribute immensely to the park's biodiversity. Some of the main habitats themselves are provincially significant, especially the oak savanna and Great Lakes beach dune. It is one of the best examples of a cuspate sand spit in the world, according to my geomorphology professor. Add the old growth forest and there truly is no other place remotely like it in all of Canada.

Here are just a few representative photos as well as some of the species at risk.

Carolinian hardwood forest

 The cuspate sand spit is formed by wave action, bringing currents together.

Oak Savanna

Oak Savanna

Rich hardwood forest

400 ha marsh

Birds are a well-known feature at Rondeau, with over 360 species recorded for the area, and more than a few species at risk (SAR) that breed here.

The Prothonotary Warbler is Rondeau's flagship bird, as it has been the stronghold for the species in Ontario since it was first discovered nesting here in the early 1930s.

 More breeding SAR include the following.

Red-headed Woodpecker

King Rail

Bald Eagle

Hooded Warbler.....maybe has nested

Wood Thrush

Lots of non-SAR species occur as well. During the first Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, Rondeau had the highest number of species recorded with at least some breeding evidence.

Scarlet Tanager

Pileated Woodpecker

Orchard Oriole

Eastern Bluebird

American Redstart

Gray Catbird

Great Egret; not nesting but regularly seen feeding

 Numerous species migrate through, or spend a lot of time in the area in both spring and fall, but have never been found nesting.

Blackburnian Warbler

 

Golden-winged Warbler

 

 

 

The ground cover is rich and luxuriant, with many ferns, indicating a high quality forest.

Cinnamon Fern

 Red Mulberry is an endangered species, and Rondeau has one of the highest quality populations in Ontario. Hybridization with the non-native White Mulberry is rampant in some of the other populations.

 Tuliptree, the unofficial flagship tree of Rondeau and indeed, the Carolinian Forest Zone.

Old growth forest is currently very difficult to find anywhere in Ontario due to the impact of harvesting in so many forests, not to mention outright clearing. Rondeau has some good examples of old growth forest.

158cm diameter Eastern Cottonwood

135 cm diameter Red Oak

Three-bird's Orchid is endangered, and is the only place in Canada where it has been confirmed in the last 25+ years. The only other location where it has been found has not been seen since the late 1980s.

Showy Orchid...has been considered as a SAR but not formally designated yet

Ragged-fringed Orchid

There are many other SAR, including several species of reptiles (e.g. Eastern Fox Snake, Ribbon Snake, Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, Spotted Turtle) and amphibians (e. g. Fowler's Toad).

There are countless invertebrates. For example it is quite likely that 1500-2000 species of moths occur here, as much smaller sites elsewhere and with considerably less diversity have documented over 1000 species.

Chestnut-marked Pondweed Moth

One would think that with the provincial, even national, significance that Rondeau has, the provincial government would give the park the highest level of protection. And while it does to some extent, the bigger picture shows that there is clearly an attempt to ignore this responsibility, at least in part.

Today I received an email message that explains this concern, and you can read about it at this link.

Read it, if you will, and make your thoughts known to the provincial government. The deadline for comment is December 18, so there is no time to waste!