Some of the even rarer migrant birds of the Rondeau checklist area

Before I get to the mega/ultra rare migrant birds of the Rondeau checklist area, there is still a group of birds that are merely quite rare, and in fact I expect a number of relatively keen birders of Ontario have seldom if ever seen them. As in the past post, the ones on this list below are based on my opinion, not on any official list. Some will be on the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC) list of birds requiring documentation.

This first species could arguably be in the previous post. It wasn't that long ago when seeing one in southern Ontario was quite a noteworthy event, and it still is to some extent. However the population in Ontario has been expanding from its more limited northwestern Ontario range, and in the last year or so has been documented nesting on one of the islands in the western end of Lake Erie. Both of these birds were photographed in the Erieau area.

Harlequin Duck is still quite rare, although once in awhile one or more can be found staying around for a few weeks such as these two that were off the tip of Rondeau and quite visible from Erieau in the winter and very early spring of 2016.

 Hudsonian Godwit is a pretty impressive large shorebird, only seen occasionally on migration. It nests in the north as well as the northerly prairie provinces. It is most frequently encountered at sewage lagoons later in the summer as post breeding birds are more likely to wander. It could also be included in the previous post of rare migrants, rather than in this post.

The Hudsonian Godwit's larger relative, the Marbled Godwit, shown next, nests regularly in the lower part of the prairie provinces and is not as commonly seen here in southwestern Ontario. The species is very seldomly seen in the Rondeau area. This bird was one I photographed from a kayak at Mitchell's Bay on September 24, 2013.

Staying with the shorebird group, the Black-necked Stilt is a western species found most often in the vicinity of prairie potholes. It seems they are most often seen in southwestern Ontario during the spring migration when they get blown off course. They don't stick around for long, however. There have been a few records over the years, and the pair shown next was photographed at the Keith McLean Conservation Area just outside of Rondeau in 2019. Most records are at sewage lagoons, but the high water and excellent shorebird habitat at KMCA was beneficial for birds and birders last year.

 A rare shorebird due to the decline of its migration and wintering habitat is this next one, the Red Knot. The one shown in the foreground of the next photo is an immature bird I photographed from my kayak along one of the sandy islands at the south end of Rondeau on Sept 27, 2012. It has a chunky body like a dowitcher, but with a relatively short bill. That is a Black-bellied Plover in the background.

 A small shorebird that may be more common than reports indicate is this next one, a Western Sandpiper. It migrates late in the season, and without careful study, could be passed off as the much more common Semiplamated Sandpiper. It was photographed at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoon in mid-November, and I had one on the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count at a mud flat at the south end of the marsh trail a few years earlier.

 Barred Owl might seem to be an odd one for this category. Nonetheless although it is not rare in most of Ontario, it is quite rare in the very southwestern part of Ontario. It shouldn't technically be classified as a migrant, although this one moved well south of its normal Ontario range and wintered at Rondeau. There hadn't been a record for Rondeau for more than 20 years until Josh, my birding partner, and I encountered this one on the 2018 Christmas Bird Count. It stuck around for a couple of months around the northern part of the park where the local squirrel population kept it well fed. Numerous birders attempted to track down this individual, and were mostly successful in finding it.

 Black Vulture used to be a considerable birding highlight in Ontario, but in the last decade or so this species has been seen in the eastern end of Lake Erie/western end of Lake Ontario on a fairly regular basis. I am only aware of 3-4 records for the immediate Rondeau area. The first one I came across was feeding on the carcass of a Virginia Opossum, so this generally southern species of vulture probably felt quite at home feeding on a familiar carcass. This bird was seen just northeast of the park boundary, but only for a couple of days. I photographed it on March 3, 2009.

 Bohemian Waxwings are more common in the Boreal forest region, and seldom have any need to come as far south as the Rondeau area. I have only seen them here on a couple of occasions in the winter. This bird was photographed along the McGeachy Pond trail, on Dec 3, 2016.

 Cave Swallows are somewhat erratic. If they are going to be encountered in Ontario, it is most likely to happen in the mid to late autumn when the weather conditions help them along. For awhile they were on the OBRC list requiring documentation, but for a short time were taken off due to the regularity of them being seen in the autumn. Their occurrence has dropped off so one again the OBRC is requesting documentation. This bird was photographed flying over Erieau on Oct 31, 2010, where a few had been seen the day before and they spent the night under the docks of the fish tug harbour area.

 Eurasian Collared-Dove shouldn't really be called a migrant. It was introduced from Europe a number of years ago and has been gradually expanding its range in North America. Nonetheless, it has only been recorded in the Rondeau area on a couple of occasions. This one was photographed at Rondeau along the southern end of Lakeshore Road on September 24, 2017.

 Fish Crow has sort of the same story as the Black Vulture, above. A small population of this more southerly crow has become established in the Niagara peninsula area and a bit beyond. On occasion the species will show up elsewhere. I only know of a couple of records for the Rondeau area. This one I photographed at the south end of the South Point Trail on May 29, 2011.

 Laughing Gull, shown here in the lower middle of the photo, is quite irregular. The bird here is a first year bird which showed up with a large group of summering gulls out along the south beach of Rondeau, back in the early 1980s. It is scanned from a slide, so not the best clarity, and it does blend in with the gravel beach making it even more difficult to see clearly. There are a few records for this species over the years.

 Neotropic Cormorant has been showing up a bit more in the last few years. One might get caught up with a movement of the very abundant and larger Double-crested Cormorant, and end up well out of its normal range. It is more abundant along the southern and eastern shores of the Atlantic. There are at least 3 records for the Rondeau area. The one shown here, on the left of the two Double-crested ones, was in the Rondeau/Erieau area off and on for a few days in May of 2019. I photographed it on May 23.

 Townsend's Warbler is a western species that occasionally gets blown way off course. For some reason Rondeau is a place where it is most apt to show up in Ontario, as there are 5 records, more than any other location in Ontario. I found the park's first one in the spring of 1983, near the west end of the old Dillon Trail. Only a handful of birders who were in the park got to see it, as it was before any kind of bird alert was available and cell phones were non-existent. Word of mouth was the only way to advertise its presence. All of the records are either in the early spring or the late autumn. The one shown here I photographed on Nov 11, 2017 in the Bate's subdivision just north of the park. There were a lot of birders that came to see it, and since it stayed into December, a lot of birders arrived again to get it on their winter list. The bird even stayed around long enough to be added to our Christmas Bird Count list.

 Townsend's Solitaire is a species that is relatively common in the montane region of western North America. On occasion, one ends up heading east rather than southward or northward on their migration. There have been very few records at Rondeau, but when it shows up, will be found either in spring or fall. This one was photographed along Lakeshore Road just north of the Visitor Centre on April 30, 2010. It was first recorded about a week earlier at the south end of Lakeshore Road, but was not seen during the in between days.

Even rarer birds will be featured in a future post!

Rare, Regular Migrant Birds of the Rondeau Area

In my last post I featured quite a few rare types of birds that are known to breed, or have attempted to breed, within the Rondeau Provincial Park Checklist Area.

This post will feature some of the rare but regular migrants that have not yet demonstrated any evidence of breeding. While the previous post required some evidence of breeding to be included, I don't have as clear-cut a definition of rarity. Therefore this list is somewhat subjective.

Generally anything included here will be out of regular breeding range and always an extra highlight to see. Undoubtedly an observation would be posted on a rare bird alert of some type. However they are almost 'expected' rarities, in my opinion, as they occur most years, or at least likely once every 4-5 years. I didn't go into all the Rondeau records to see if a species fits that definition exactly, so take this definition with a grain of salt. If you don't see something on this list that you think should be included, it might be on the next list if I felt it was a bit rarer, or it may be because I don't have a good enough photo yet :-).

They will be featured more or less alphabetically rather than in any checklist order.

First up is American Avocet, a striking large shorebird that shows up briefly every year or so, typically at sewage lagoons, flooded fields, or sometimes along the shoreline.

Next is Cattle Egret, not a species that is considered native to North America, but arrived as a result of major storms bringing a few of them across the Atlantic in the middle of last century. They show up irregularly, and have bred in southwestern Ontario on occasion. The closest places are at Fish Point on Pelee Island back in 1976 where breeding was confirmed (I saw the nest), and another time at Walpole Island in the early 1980s where it was in breeding condition near some appropriate habitat, but never confirmed.

 Eared Grebe is a common nesting species in the innumerable wetlands of the prairie provinces, but only seen in the Rondeau area from time to time on migration.

 Eurasian Wigeon usually appears in the spring and/or fall when huge numbers of puddle and diving ducks show up on places like Rondeau Bay. It can be a challenge picking one out amongst the thousands of ducks at those times of year, especially if there are a lot of Redheads. They often are only well seen through a 'scope. This particular individual was at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands in 2019, on 'Lake McLean'.

 Franklin's Gull is pretty unusual, and I almost put it into the rarer category. However there are enough records over the years to indicate it fits here, at least during those years when masses of the smaller Bonaparte's type gulls are passing through.

 Along with large numbers of geese, one might find the occasional Greater White-fronted Goose. They are seen almost annually, but are sometimes harder to find when mixed in with large numbers of the larger Canada Goose.

 Henslow's Sparrow used to be more regular than it has been. It is an Endangered species in Ontario, and it is doubtful that any nest in the province now.

 Nelson's Sparrow is a regular breeding species in the far north, and when it migrates is very challenging to find. It is a very furtive sparrow and it probably passes through annually in small numbers. It occurs primarily in the fall and may linger, presumably when the urgency to reach their wintering ground isn't quite as strong as it is to head north in the spring.

 Purple Sandpiper is typically a very tolerant shorebird, enabling one to get some good photos. However it doesn't occur all that regularly, and can sometimes go undetected for several years in a row. Usually when it does appear, it may do so for only a very few days.

 Red Phalarope is another shorebird that nests in the far north, and is seen very irregularly in the Rondeau area. Both of these shorebirds definitely get a lot of attention when word gets out that they are around.

 Red-throated Loon was always considered a fairly rare migrant. However in the last few years, they have been documented much more regularly in the fall and early winter on western Lake Erie, and can be seen from good vantage points along the Rondeau shoreline. It was first recorded on a Rondeau Christmas Bird Count back in 1981, and not again until 4 years ago. On the 2018 count we had a huge number flying through conservatively estimated at 70 individuals.

 Ross's Goose was considered a real rarity in eastern North America not that long ago. But the numbers have recovered recently, in part due to the major increase of the similarly looking Snow Goose population in the northeast. It was first recorded on a Rondeau Christmas Bird Count in 2001 and we have had it on 5 other CBCs since then.

 Snowy Egret is a species much more common south of the border, and erratically seen in Ontario. Most often they appear in mid to late summer, when post breeding wanderers may show up and stick around for a few days, depending on the weather and the feeding opportunities.

Trumpeter Swans aren't really a migratory species in the sense that most of the rest of the birds on this post are. They have never nested in the Rondeau area that we know of, and it is only in the last couple of decades where they are seen somewhat erratically.

 Western Kingbird shows up periodically, which follows a general pattern that some members of the flycatcher family are known for. You will hear more about that in the next post or two. There are a few records for the Rondeau area, but several years can go by in between records, and they don't stay long.

 Worm-eating Warbler is one of those southern warblers that gets a lot of attention when one is reported. They appear most often in early May when the weather conditions are such that a strong warm front comes up from south of the border. In the last few years, however, it seems that one of the dominant wind directions in early to mid May is from the east or north east, which holds back good movements of the more southern specialties like this warbler.

That is it for this post......come on back for a future one which will feature what I consider to be much rarer migrant species, with another post featuring mega rarities at some point after that.

Rare Birds of the Rondeau Provincial Park area

Things are a little quieter in the middle of winter. Since birds are not so plentiful at the moment, I will discuss birds from a different perspective: rare birds of the Rondeau Provincial Park checklist area. This area covers the equivalent of the Christmas Bird Count circle and includes the entire park in addition to local areas such as Erieau, McGeachy Pond and both Blenheim and Ridgetown sewage lagoons, as well as places in between. Part of the rationale is because the park's official boundaries have changed a bit over the 125 years of its existence, and much of the surrounding area is likely influenced to some extent by the presence of the park. Also it enables the park checklist to include all of the CBC records; the CBC has been going since 1939, and it would be too difficult to separate all of the CBC records from the park specific ones.

Given that there are so many rarities that have been recorded, my current plant is to break it down into four categories/posts: rare breeding birds; rare migrants; very rare migrants; mega migrants. Other than the first category, the others are somewhat subjective as you may note as these posts unfold.

The bird records for Rondeau go back to well over a century. It has been birded heavily for many years, and not just for migrants, but also for breeding species. In fact if it hadn't been for the presence of that 'other' park along the shoreline just a few kilometres west of Rondeau which has been recognized nationally and internationally to a much greater degree, it is quite possible that Rondeau's status would be elevated much higher than it has. But most people I talk to are quite happy with the much smaller crowds to contend with at Rondeau.

With such an array of habitats in the most southern part of the country, it is not surprising that there is a large diversity of breeding and migrant species that have been recorded. At the moment, there are 365 species on the park checklist, one for every day of the year except for the current leap year. Hopefully we will get at least one new species in 2020! At least 148 have been confirmed breeding, with another 16 species that have shown evidence of 'Probable' breeding based on Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas criteria, but have not been confirmed. It is interesting to note that during the first Atlas of 1981-1985, one of the atlas squares that took in a large part of Rondeau recorded the most species with some breeding evidence, 146 species, of all of the atlas squares in the province! Another partial Rondeau square was also in the top ten, with 134 species.

Some of the photos I am including are taken from scanned slides back in the day when film was the only option. Clearly they are not up to the same quality as current digital images, as you will see. When film was king, the best photos were taken with ASA/ISO of 25 or 64, both Kodak products. If the photographer needed a little more 'push' to allow for faster shutter speed, he might step up to ASA/ISO of 100 or 200 with decent results. On rare occasions, film of 400 ASA/ISO might be used, but that was for record photos only. Publication editors frowned on anything greater than 64-100. But for these posts, if slides were all I had, that is what I used.

On to the rare breeding birds of the Rondeau area.

Acadian Flycatchers have had a sort of stronghold at Rondeau for decades. The abundance of American Beech, their preferred tree species to build their nest in, is certainly a main factor. While surveys have not been done for the species, it is fairly typical to find a few pairs even along the trails and roads, so who knows how many will be nesting in the much more extensive area beyond the travel of most birders. It is currently list as Endangered.

 Bald Eagles were considered Endangered in Ontario up until a few years ago. As recently as the 1960s the only active pair between Long Point and the Detroit River was at Rondeau, and for several years they were unable to fledge any young. The species has experienced a much improved outlook especially in the last couple of decades. Even in Chatham-Kent, there are currently about 18 known nests. It is now listed as Special Concern.

 Barn Swallow is currently listed as a Threatened species due to habitat loss, decline in insects, etc. That subject might be the focus of a future post.

 Black Tern is Special Concern, due to the decline in wetlands, and the ongoing deterioration of them due to invasive species. It used to be nesting in small numbers at Rondeau and area, but has declined considerably.

 Bobolink does not nest in the park proper, but does on some of the surrounding pasture lands and the grassland habitat around sewage lagoons. It is Threatened.

 This is the nest of Brewer's Blackbird, a very rare species at any time of year in the Rondeau area. A pair decided to nest in a small tree along the ditch just to the east of McGeachy Pond back in the '70s. This is our only known nesting.

 Cerulean Warbler is a Threatened species that used to occur in small numbers at Rondeau, especially where there were tall trees with large crowns along portions of Harrison Trail. They have declined throughout their Ontario range, and have only been seen on migration here in recent years.

Cerulean Warbler female

Cerulean Warbler male

The Chimney Swift is listed as a Threatened species. In recent decades it has nested almost entirely in chimneys, hence its name. There are very few chimneys at Rondeau that would be suitable, but I have seen them entering large, old hollow trees. Clearly before humans provided artificial structures, old hollow trees of old growth forests were undoubtedly the main nesting structure. With the ongoing loss of forests in general and especially the loss of old growth forest types, their future at least in parts of the province where forest cover is extremely low is not too bright.

 Common Nighthawk is listed as Special Concern. They would nest naturally in forests with partially open ground cover. They have adapted to flat roofed buildings, especially those with a tar and gravel base. There are old nesting records for Rondeau, and I have heard them calling in the early evening during the late spring and early summer from some of the ridges along the west side of the park.

 Dickcissel has been present as a breeding species in very small numbers for a few years. In 2017 there was a huge influx of them across southwestern Ontario especially, but certainly were also found north and east of this area. I wrote an article about this phenomenon in a recent issue of Ontario Birds, and you can read about it here.

 Forster's Tern is more of a western species. It was not known to nest at Rondeau until the later 1970s, when the marsh was quite attractive to them. It was a reliable nesting species for a few years, but in the last decade or so the habitat has declined due to water levels and invasive plant species, so Forster's Tern has not been documented nesting in recent years.

 King Rail is an Endangered species. It is secretive and difficult to detect unless it is calling from the depths of the large marshes where it occurs. The difficulty in accessing such marshes by birders hampers their detectability. Nonetheless there have been a very small number recorded in suitable habitat during the breeding season most years in the Rondeau area. The most recent confirmed nest was actually back in 1978, when a bird photographer friend and I photographed this bird and its nest at McGeachy Pond, near Erieau. As far as I am aware, it is the last time an actual nest has been found in Ontario, although other breeding evidence exists, such as fledged young running along berms, road edges or at the edges of marshes. A future post dealing with King Rail in more detail is in the works.

 Another marsh nesting species is Least Bittern. It is difficult to detect, but may be heard on a quiet night, or seen briefly as it flies low over the cattail and bulrush habitat it prefers. It is a Threatened species.

Little Gull is less common around the Rondeau area now than it was in the 70s and 80s. However as rare as it has always been, the first successful nesting of this species in all of North America occurred here, back in 1970. It actually attempted to nest in 1962 at the Oshawa Second Marsh, but was unsuccessful. The species had been seen at the southern end of the Rondeau marshes sporadically, but in 1970 there were two pair that fledged 8 young. It has not been known to nest at Rondeau since that time, but there are both adults and sub-adults seen at various times of the year in small numbers. It is always a highlight.

 Louisiana Waterthrush is a southern warbler species that is a Threatened species. There has been the occasional breeding record in Rondeau, which is a bit unusual since they prefer nesting near running water. I came across this nest in 1996 while doing a Prothonotary Warbler survey on a ridge west and south of the west end of Tuliptree Trail. It was in an upturned tree root right beside a large slough.

 Northern Mockingbird is generally considered to be a southern species, but it has occurred with some regularity across southern Ontario. There are a very few breeding records for the area.

 Orchard Oriole is another southern species that in the last couple of decades or so has become a more regularly seen species across southwestern Ontario.

 Piping Plover is an Endangered species that nests on open/grassy sandy beaches along the lake shore. Not surprisingly, it has nested at Rondeau in the past, but not for several decades. With the slightly improving numbers of this species throughout its range, maybe it will again be a breeding species at Rondeau, especially if the water levels recede a bit.

 Rondeau's and indeed the Carolinian Zone's, flagship breeding bird species is the Prothonotary Warbler. It is Endangered as it was never very common even in the Carolinian Zone, but has declined since the 1980s. The first breeding record for Canada occurred at Rondeau back in the very early 1930s. Since it likes mature forest with pools of water, Rondeau was ideal with its mature deciduous forest and the abundance of sloughs. In fact depending on water levels (and before Phragmites took over some of the better sloughs), it has been estimated that Rondeau had about 70 kilometres of available habitat. I did surveys for them at Rondeau back in 1983 and 1984, and even covering less than half of the best habitat, I came across about 24 singing males or actual pairs in a single year, so there could easily have been 50 pairs at Rondeau back then. The species does occur elsewhere in southwestern Ontario, but Rondeau has been the stronghold. Sadly, for various reasons, the Prothonotary Warbler has declined to the point where there is likely fewer than 20 pairs in total in Ontario.

 In the 70s and 80s all of the nests were observed in natural cavities. Since the early 1990s when efforts were made to assist the population, nest boxes were installed in some of the better habitat at Rondeau and elsewhere. The Tuliptree Trail of Rondeau has a couple of boxes which fortunately have attracted a pair annually so that it is one of the most reliable spots in Canada for birders to see this spectacular bird.

 Another spectacular breeding bird is the aptly named Red-headed Woodpecker. Its numbers have declined considerably across southern Ontario for various reasons. As a result it is listed as Special Concern. I can still remember on the 1983 CBC my territory included the southern end of Rondeau, and my colleagues and I counted more than 100 Red-headed Woodpeckers scattered in the trees at the very south end of the trail. It is unlikely that anyone will ever see this species in those numbers on one day again.

 White-eyed Vireo is not officially listed as anything on the species at risk list. It is just too uncommon a species which is normally found south of our border. Nonetheless it does appear as a periodic spring migrant, in very small numbers. And it was in 1971 when the first nest of this species in Ontario was discovered in the Bate's subdivision just north of Rondeau. Unfortunately the first nest was abandoned due to a cowbird egg being laid in it, and the subsequent nest, although it got to the stage when two vireo eggs were laid, also had a cowbird egg deposited. The vireo pair abandoned the nest and left the area.

 Wilson's Phalarope has nested in the Rondeau area on at least one occasion. It was at the Blenheim sewage lagoons, back in the day when cattails were allowed to grow in some of the cells, making the lagoons appear like a marsh. In some of the taller grasses on an adjacent berm was this Wilson's Phalarope nest.

 The females Wilson's Phalarope are the more colourful of the pair, as shown in the middle of this next photo.

 Wood Thrush has long been a regular nesting species at Rondeau. The deciduous woodland provides excellent habitat, although when the deer numbers were as high as 600 in the park, it changed the under storey to the point where it was less attractive to the thrushes. It still occurs, albeit in smaller numbers than before since the species overall numbers across its range has declined. It is listed as Special Concern.

 Yellow-breasted Chat is an Endangered species. It has nested at Rondeau on very rare occasion, and the nest shown here was the first one for the park. It occurred back in 1980, in a place off of the old Dillon Trail which had experienced a major blowdown from an ice storm. After a year or two, the ground layer grew into extensive stands of raspberries, much to the chat's liking. It has been around during the breeding season on occasion since then, but is a rarity even in migration let alone during the nesting season.

 On one occasion when I was photographing the nest, a Brown-headed Cowbird came by, presumably to consider removing one of the young and leaving one of its own eggs....or perhaps it stopped by just for a 'chat' :-). It must have detected my presence, as it left hurriedly and I only got this one photo of it at the chat nest.

There are some other quite rare birds that have shown evidence of breeding at Rondeau or in the area, but nesting has not been conclusive. Nonetheless they would be at least at the Probable level, based on the Atlas criteria. Here are some examples.

This first one is Blue Grosbeak. A Blue Grosbeak even on migration is noteworthy to birders, and it doesn't happen very often. However in 1995 a pair of them showed up in some good habitat a little west of Rondeau. There were several of us that tried to confirm its actual nest location but were unsuccessful, in part because it was on private land that was inaccessible. However we watched the male singing regularly as it patrolled its territory; we watched it interact with the female on several occasions, including copulation. After a few weeks of regular observation, the female seemed to have disappeared. It is possible that a fairly major storm event caused damage to the nest site or even the female itself. Or perhaps a marauding cat or raccoon found the female to its liking. Regardless, it was never confirmed with a nest or young, although a nest with eggs likely was present but beyond our access.

To add to the interest of this event, a male showed up in exactly the same place the following year, but without a mate. I have several pages of field notes from both years describing the encounter, as I was hoping that it would be the basis for an article in Ontario Birds, describing the first successful nesting of this species in Ontario.

  Hooded Warbler was considered a Species At Risk up until a few years ago. The Norfolk County area was its stronghold during the bleakest years for this southern species, but it has expanded to many other areas in southern Ontario. It has not been confirmed yet at Rondeau, but birds present in suitable habitat during the breeding season have been documented on occasion, and it likely has nested or at least attempted to nest.

Summer Tanager is a more frequently encountered southern species than Blue Grosbeak. Usually it is young males or females that appear in southern Ontario during spring migration. Even then it is rare when more than one individual shows up at a time in any place like Rondeau. In 1985, there was an influx of several Summer Tanagers at Rondeau, including adult males and females. A pair proceeded to exhibit various aspects of definite breeding behaviour along the western side of the South Point Trail. In spite of repeated visits and searches, it was never confirmed as the first nesting of this species in Ontario. I did write an article for Ontario Birds, and if you are interested, you can read about it in the December, 1988 issue, at this link.

 The White-winged Dove has been a showpiece at Rondeau for several years now, giving numerous birders their first look at this species in Ontario. The male, shown here, has attempted to build a nest on more than one occasion, perhaps with the intent of attracting a mate. Eventually one year, a female did appear, and there was breeding behaviour shown. However it might have been a little later in the season than it should have been for a successful nesting, as a nest was never found. Therefore while nesting was 'Probable' it has not been confirmed. Will 2020 be the year?

 Another reliable southern species was this Yellow-throated Warbler, which showed up for several springs and remained into the nesting period. A female was observed on occasion and there was evidence of an attempt at nesting, including copulation and the male carrying food (possibly to an incubating female). However in spite of experienced birders watching closely on many days, there was no conclusive evidence to confirm nesting. And sadly this bird has not been present for several years now.

There are other rare nesting species for the area, such as Northern Bobwhite (Endangered) and Eastern Whip-poor-will (Threatened) and Barn Owl (Endangered) but I have yet to get photos of them.

Next in this series will focus on some of the rare migrant species.