Purple Sandpiper Plus Other Bird Photo Highlights

 Birds continue to be one of the highlights of this time of year. There is the continuing migration in effect, and the relatively fine weather, has resulted in some individuals lingering a bit longer.

Waterbirds in particular have not been forced to flee southward due to encroaching ice. The availability of food is typically the deciding factor in causing birds to migrate. A recent somewhat dramatic example of this is the ongoing movement of winter finches, whose food source farther north has diminished more than usual, resulting in good, even large, numbers of northern finches passing through southern Ontario. My previous post expanded on that somewhat. But on the waterbird front, shorebirds in particular continue to be present, albeit in smaller numbers than a few weeks ago. Where there is shallow water, there likely will be shorebirds, and the Keith McLean Conservation Lands continue to attract several dozen shorebirds. By far the most common has been Dunlin.....

.....with one or two Greater Yellowlegs as well.

A Semipalmated Sandpiper has been present on occasion. One or more Great Blue Herons will continue for awhile.

On a recent visit to Erieau, it is always worth checking the pier for gulls and shorebirds. While I was moving into position to get the best angle of light for these Sanderling, shown next, I heard a 'kwit' call that I didn't recognize at first. Upon turning around, I saw a chunky dark shorebird fly in and land on the lower side of the pier behind me.

It was immediate apparent that this was a Purple Sandpiper, a rather rare, but somewhat regular, species in the area as it passes through from its high arctic breeding grounds. We don't get to see them every year, so it is always nice to have one in the area, however briefly. In a relatively mild winter, one may stay for weeks, or possibly the entire winter. Last year there was one around and seen intermittently up to about the middle of December, then wasn't seen again. But one was present along the south beach of Rondeau in early March. Given how open that winter was, perhaps it was the same bird that was able to stick around?

When I saw this one, I got some photos, and put the word out on the local bird alert. However being that it was a nice day, there were non-birders enjoying the walk out the pier. Although this species is relatively tolerant of people, I watched three non-birders continue to the end, and the bird kept moving on. When I last saw it, it had flown out over the lake, heading for the south beach.

Within minutes of observing this, I noted that the first local birder had arrived, with a few others shortly after. Disappointment was obvious, not surprisingly, so we 'scoped every other location within view, including parts of the south beach, but without success. I had to leave, but the others decided to check the pier again, and before I got too far out of Erieau, I got a text indicating that the bird had returned to the pier, so persistence paid off! Since there were several out-of-town birders in the area or passing through Chatham-Kent, they decided to try for this bird, and were successful. So all's well that end well.

I did manage to see and photograph an American Pipit on the pier during this time as well.

Hiking around Rondeau is always worth the effort. Even if there aren't many birds to see, or photograph, the hiking and enjoying the ambience of this remarkable provincial park has untold benefits. Seeing and photographing birds is the added bonus!

I have been there a few times of late, and the birds and fine weather have resulted in the following highlights: 

A trio of Carolina Wrens were vying for territory, vocalizing frequently and chasing one another.

A few flocks of Cedar Waxwings were around, usually in the vicinity of berry bushes such as this Multi-flora Rose bush.

It is always fun to watch their antics, vying for these berries.

The birds above are adults. The one below, is a first year bird.

Most of the warblers one might find this time of year would be Yellow-rumped, some of which may even stay the entire winter as long as there is a food supply. So finding a non Yellow-rumped is a bit more exciting. I had this Orange-crowned Warbler pop out of a clump of goldenrod in the campground. Fortunately it remained in the open for a few seconds while I managed to rattle off a few shots.

I liked this next one, with the bird giving me a somewhat quizzical look, wondering what I was up to and perhaps also wondering what that frequent clicking noise was.

Black-capped Chickadees have not been very plentiful these last few weeks. This one paused briefly, although against a very bright background, and it required a fair bit of tweaking to get it to even look like this.

With the sunny and warmer than usual weather, even a few butterflies have been out. I've seen several Eastern Commas.

When the winds are in the right direction, it is often worthwhile to be somewhere along the lake shore to hopefully see a few raptors on the move. In Chatham-Kent, places like Morpeth Cliffs or the Craford Road are two of the best vantage points. The raptors that are seen are all too often too distant for good photos, but once in awhile they may come within range of the camera. A fair bit of cropping is required nonetheless. 

Red-tailed Hawk