Black-headed Gull, Autumn colours, and Seeds

The title may seem a bit eclectic, but there is so much to see in nature!

The great fluctuations in the weather at this time of year is perfect for putting birds on the move. And that means species not normally seen can show up, however briefly. Certainly in the last day or so, with the brisk north to north east winds, raptors continue to be on the move. Bald Eagles, shown first, continue to be frequently be passing through, while Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks are building in numbers. They are often too high for great photography, at least when I have seen them, so this image of a sub-adult Bald Eagle will have to suffice.

The bonus for watching for raptors along the north shoreline of Lake Erie is that waterbirds are seen as well. Common Loons, the occasional Red-throated Loon, grebes and scoters are seen but often well out from shore. On occasion some unusual gull may be found, such as the adult Black-headed Gull that showed up along the shoreline just north of Rondeau this past Friday. Steve C put the word out that both a Sabine's Gull and Black-headed Gull had been seen there within a 30 minute time frame. As I was already on my way out to the park, it was easy to stop by. The Sabine's Gull had gone from view awhile before (it was reported later in the day, but well away from this location), but the Black-headed was still in the vicinity, although it had moved down the shoreline a bit. Garry S and I struck out down the beach, noting two other birders intently looking through their scope. Kevin G joined us and by the time we got to where the birders were scoping some gulls, the Black-headed Gull flew into view and joined a small group of other gulls already resting at the shoreline. Although it was still a distance away, the light was good and the telephoto lens worked well. This first photo shows the Black-headed at the left, showing its characteristic red bill with a dark tip and red legs, and the black dot behind the eye. Several Ring-billed Gulls and a single Herring Gull in the group made for an easy comparison.

Although we wanted to get closer for better photos, we hesitated since there were other birders on their way to see this quite rare vagrant. But there were non-birders walking along the beach, some with dogs, and it was only a matter of time before the gulls flushed. We went a bit closer and then waited. But a dog was getting too close, and the gulls were getting restless. Then all of a sudden the Black-headed took to flight, and fortunately flew in our direction. With the nice light, it made for some good photo ops. This is only the third Black-headed Gull I have seen in the Rondeau vicinity in over 5 decades of birding!

I headed into the park, wanting to photograph some of the golden autumn colours before the forecast wind and rainstorm in a few hours, blew most of the remaining leaves off the trees. Bennett Avenue is one of my favourite places here. The colours aren't as vivid as sometimes, but were still nice to see,

Here are the trio of Tuliptrees along the Tuliptree Trail.

A slug of some sort was crossing the path. At first glance it looked like a species I photographed earlier in the year, which turned out to be an endangered species. I'm not sure about this one, though.

I also like to get to Clear Creek Forest Provincial Park for some autumn colour photography. Here is one of my preferred vantage points, a couple of weeks ago. It was still looking quite green, and the creek itself was totally dry.

  This is from the same vantage point, taken yesterday, two weeks later.

And just to provide a different perspective, this is a lower angle from the stream edge.

A few days ago I got a message from Fred, a retired OMNR colleague, about a white goose associating with the large flock of Canada Geese hanging out at Mud Creek, here in Chatham. Knowing that Snow Geese are arriving in the area these days, Marie and I decided to check it out.

 

This was one that we saw along the creek system.

But it wasn't the one that Fred was referring to. We also saw this one, which turns out to be a hybrid of a Greylag and domestic goose. Who knows where it came from, but hybrid geese involving the Greylag, native to Europe, are widespread.

This is also the time of year when the fruiting bodies of many plants are visible, although maybe not for long as some are highly sought after by wildlife. Big Bluestem is one of the most common grasses in a Tallgrass Prairie. The seeds will be a source of food for songbirds, especially sparrow types.

 

Seed of the Common Milkweed are quite photogenic, and they are often abundant, which bodes well for the species in the future, as well as for the endangered Monarch butterfly which relies heavily on the availability of this plant.

The seeds of the Swamp Milkweed, shown next, are very similar, not surprisingly, and the plant is just as important to the Monarch.

Although this next seed head is not that of a native plant species, it is photogenic just the same. It is that of Green Foxtail.

 The bright red berries of Winterberry will not last long. When they are found, they are consumed quickly by some of the thousands of migrating songbirds.

 

 This next photo shows the fruiting body of another member of the plant kingdom. The part of the fungus we see is just a small part of the extensive living fungus that is growing underground, inside the trunk of a tree, or wherever. I'm not sure what species this is, but thought it was photogenic.