More Christmas Bird Count news, and the ABA Bird of the Year

 The Wallaceburg/Walpole Island Christmas Bird Count was last weekend, and as usual I joined in on the fun. My territory includes a long section of the St. Clair River north of Walpole Island as well as some inland areas. Usually the river is quite productive for waterfowl diversity, although this year wasn't one of those banner years. There was no ice on the river at all, not surprisingly given the warmer than usual weather. Overall there was an average diversity, and some were even close enough to get a few decent photos in spite of the gloomy light conditions. At least there were no harsh shadows caused by the bright sun!

While most ducks are generally well out from any access point, the protected area downstream from the former ferry access at Sombra never disappoints. There are always several dozen ducks to be seen, and are often quite close to shore where one can photograph them from a vehicle, with a little help from a good telephoto lens.

Redheads were one of the more common species to be seen.

Mallards were also in good numbers, as usual.

A duck closely related to Mallard is this American Black Duck, shown next. It used to be much more common than Mallard in Ontario, at least at the time of settlement and shortly afterwards. Their preferred breeding habitat is wooded wetlands, which are far less available in the past century or more.

Scaup were in good numbers as well, with the Greater Scaup, shown first, the most plentiful. Even at rest, they are easily separated from the Lesser Scaup by the rounded shape of the head.

Another feature to use, when visible, is the width of the black tip of the bill. This next photo shows the narrower black tip on a Lesser, compared to a black tip almost twice as wide on a Greater.

When the Lesser Scaup is resting, note the more peaked top of the head with a slight notch visible....

...the notch is also visible when the bird is not at rest.

Canada Geese are often quite abundant somewhere in my territory, but not so much this year. I saw a few out in a field, and a few in flight, but not nearly as many as usual.

One of the highlights for me was not so much a rare bird, but an opportunity to watch an adult Red-tailed Hawk in action. Most of the time when a vehicle approaches a hawk on a post, the bird leaves quickly even before the vehicle comes to a stop. I saw this bird on a post and decided to approach slowly to see what would happen. Instead of flying off, the bird dropped to the ground beneath it and proceeded to investigate the grassy ground cover. It was not perturbed enough to leave, and in fact even after I got a bunch of photos, I left and it was still probing the grass with its talons, probably hoping to grasp on to a mouse or vole that it had heard scurrying around.

The road I was on was not busy at all, fortunately, and the bird allowed me to get so close that I had to change my lens down to my 100-400 and even zoom back to about 300mm in order to get these photos. They are hardly cropped at all.

I'm not sure if the hawk was successful or not, as I went on my way after a few minutes and the bird was still hunting.

Photographing birds against the sky was not nearly as successful. I did manage to get a couple of shots of a somewhat wary Northern Flicker, but against the very bland grayish white sky the result was not wonderful. Even after a fair bit of processing, this is the best I could do.

My total for the day was a mere 32 species, quite a bit lower than my usual total of around 40 for this area. But land birds were few and far between and, as mentioned, even the water birds were less abundant than usual. The final total overall was 82 species.

A day or two later I went back out to Keith McLean Conservation Lands, hoping to have a more successful result in looking for the Nelson's Sparrow and Least Sandpiper. The previous two times I was out, the wind was much stronger than I had hoped, and had zero success at finding either of these birds. On this day, while it wasn't totally calm, it was much improved. On the way, I had a couple of Bald Eagles fly over, including this 3rd year bird which at one point almost flew directly overhead.

Again, the type of sky did not make photographing it any easier.

A muskrat was scurrying around at the water's edge before it realized a human was quite close by, causing it to scamper for deeper water.

I finally came across the Least Sandpiper, and it gave me some very good views and photo ops. I'm not sure how it will fare over the next few days with the weather forecast being what it is.

I did not see the Nelson's Sparrow, although there were a lot of sparrows moving through the cattail vegetation and disappearing before I could get a good look. There was the usual mix of American Tree Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows, but I could not pick out a Nelson's.

Just east of Shrewsbury, I came across a flock of 27 Sandhill Cranes feeding at the edge of a field.

In other news, the American Bird Association has announced its annual choice for Bird Of The Year. Usually it is a species that has more relevance to Ontario than this particular choice, and in the past it has included such species as Green Heron and Cedar Waxwing. However the BOTY for 2022 is Burrowing Owl, an impressive little owl with its piercing eyes, no question.

There has been the occasional record for Ontario, including one back in the late 1970s showing up at McGeachy Pond Conservation Area just outside of Erieau. A few years later one showed up briefly on Pelee Island. I saw the McGeachy Pond one, but did not get any photos. The bird shown here was scanned from a slide I took of one at the Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, back in 1986.

Tomorrow, January 1, 2022 is the 43rd St. Clair National Wildlife Area Christmas Bird Count. We've averaged slightly over 82 species over the last decade, with a high of 93 species in 2019. It will be interesting to see how this count fares, but given the deteriorating weather over the course of the day, won't likely set any new overall records. The record for Snowy Owls, currently at 18, may be in jeopardy, however. I was out yesterday and saw 12 different birds in a small, but important part of the count circle. There could easily be twice that many overall, but the question will be, will they be sitting out in a visible location if the forecast rain comes to pass?

Yesterday they were sitting up nicely, with 4 of them on poles or grain bins close to the road, while the others were well out in a field, or beside a post.

Happy New Year!

If you want to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to prairietramper@gmail.com

Scouting around for the next bird counts

 One Christmas Bird Count is over, as you will note from my my most post. The final number of species was 124, a full 9 species better than our previous three bests. And there were at least a couple of count week species that were not seen on the count day, but either 3 days before or following the count day. One of the ones we always hope to get is Purple Sandpiper, a somewhat rare species this late in the season. One was found on the Erieau pier a couple of days later, and I went out yesterday to see if I could find it.

It wasn't immediately visible, and I concluded it had moved to a more sheltered spot given the windy and wavy conditions. After a few minutes I moved on to look across the channel over towards the south beach of Rondeau, scanning the ducks for a possible Harlequin Duck. But no Harlequin. I was prepared to move on altogether when I decided to again, scan the sheltered side of the pier, and there right out at the end of the pier was a dark little bird looking just like a Purple Sandpiper. I quickly returned to the spot and ventured out on the pier. All was okay for the first little way, but it was windy. Then I got to where some water had splashed over the pier, and it was very much frozen and quite slippery. So with lots of extra caution, I got closer and managed a few photos, one of which is shown above. I put the word out and a few others came by over the next hour or so, and by that time the bird had moved closer to the base of the pier, giving closer and safer views.

Over the last few days or so, I have been scouting around elsewhere in Chatham-Kent, just to get an idea of what might be around for the upcoming bird counts. For example I had been roaming around the former Dover Twp, to see how many Snowy Owls might be around. There have been a few, but most often are seen well away from roads. This next photo shows one near the top of a tree, about a kilometre from the road. Even after taking it with a long telephoto lens, and greatly cropping it so that it is the equivalent of about 45X, it still is pretty small.

I have occasionally seen one on the rooftop of a house......

....and just a few days ago, I was scooting down a nearby road and saw something white on a pump house nearby another road. A look through the binoculars confirmed that it was a Snowy Owl, quite close to the road. I immediately turned around and drove carefully by so as to not disturb it.....

....and it cooperated quite nicely. The amount of white in the feathers would indicate it is likely an adult male. I got lots of photos, and decided that since the Rufous Hummingbird was long gone and it is now Snowy Owl season, it was time to change my header, which made it an easy decision when this bird cooperated so well.

Also in Dover Twp have been lots of Tundra Swans, although the numbers may be dwindling slightly from their peak of a few weeks ago.

They are often scattered about in fields if there is a bit of corn stubble left for them to forage in, but the St. Clair NWA is a more reliable spot to find them at any time of the day.

There has been a dozen or more Snow Geese around, as this next photo shows. There are two Snow Geese and on the far right, is the 'blue' colour form of a Snow Goose.

A good mix of ducks is usually visible, although not always easy to photograph. Given that it is hunting season, waterfowl are a bit nervous this time of year when a human is anywhere close by.

Ruddy Duck trio

Sandhill Cranes have been around in fields, but again, well away from the road.

Sometimes when you catch them a little closer, and the light is good, one can get a better photo.

I was out near the mouth of the Thames River a couple of days ago, hoping to see something as unusual as a Great Egret or two. Three of them were quite unexpected almost exactly a year ago, and I managed to get some quite good photos. On this visit, however, there were none to be seen, and I only saw a single Great Blue Heron, a much more likely species. Again, perhaps the hunting season spooked the birds and some others may have taken refuge in a safer spot.

An adult Bald Eagle was perched on a grounded bit of driftwood a few hundred metres out into Lake St. Clair.

It was a really windy day, as you can tell by the white caps and the flags flapping straight out at Mitchell's Bay.

Even though the Rondeau/Blenheim bird count is over, I often spend a bit of time there as well. On one occasion I was out looking for a couple of specific tree species for a tree identification book I am helping with, when I noticed this adult Bald Eagle land atop a White Pine. I only had to take a few careful steps to get the branches out of my focus to get these next two photos.

I came across a nice showing of this late season fungi, known as Splitgill Mushroom.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are scattered here and there in the woods....

...and a few small flocks of House Finches are often seen, especially at the north end of the park.

I had stopped by the Keith McLean CA to see if I could catch up to the Nelson's Sparrow and Least Sandpiper which were on the bird count. It was very windy, and if they were around, they were hunkered down in a more sheltered spot.

Squirrels are continuing their busy life, gathering and storing nuts and other goodies to tide them over the winter. Some are more curious than others. Maybe it was sizing me up as a nut???

And finally, and much more importantly, I wish for you a Merry Christmas! It is the season when so much activity is going on, along with the additional world chaos, causing much distraction from the real meaning of Christmas when Jesus came to earth in human form to be the Saviour of the world, for anyone who asks Him. So peace be to all of you in these busy, and often stressful times. 

Here is one of my favourite Christmas hymns, sung by one of the most impressive gospel vocalists of these last few decades. The pitch and range she has is about as good as it gets. You can listen and watch this hymn here. It is an older, live recording in front of an audience, so not studio quality, however. Listen until the end, if you like super high notes!

If you want to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to prairietramper@gmail.com

Rondeau/Blenheim Mega Christmas Bird Count

 Yesterday, Dec 19, 2021, was the annual Rondeau/Blenheim Christmas Bird Count. It started way back in 1939, making this the 83rd count.

We've come a long way since the start. Only 42 species, and a little over 3000 individual birds were tallied back on the first one. Of course the number of birders, not to mention the quality of optical equipment and other birding materials has increased immensely. I don't have the exact number of participants in those beginning days, but typically they numbered in the low teens, and participants often worked in groups. So not a lot of the total count circle was likely covered very thoroughly. The number of species often ranged from the low 40s to occasionally approaching 60 species in the years up to about 1968. 

I started participating on this count in 1969, at the invitation of some really keen birders who were seasonal staff members of the Rondeau Prov Park Naturalist group. Therefore the count yesterday was my 52nd. For the first few years, I participated with my dad and a neighbour, and we covered woodlots, creek systems and farmland within a few kilometres of home. But it was interesting to note that beginning that year, the number of species jumped to the mid-70s and except for an occasional year when nasty weather was a factor, has not been below 80 ever since. It wasn't just because my dad and I joined, although I like to think we helped; I firmly believe that the organizers of this count got a lot more serious in the number of birders participating, and put a lot more effort into the count. And that level of interest and organization has held steady over the decades, resulting in this count being one of the premiere ones in Ontario, at least going by the species totals.

Snowy Owls were always a highlight, and were the exception rather than a regular species during the first few decades.

As organization and efforts persisted, we finally broke the 100 species barrier in 1994, and with the exception, again with poor weather or for some reason fewer birders being available, we have seldom gone below 100 species ever since. It seemed that 115 species was the plateau, a number we reached on three separate occasions, with the first time being in 1997, and from then on we were greatly disappointed if we managed to 'only' account for fewer than 110.

And that brings us to 2021. We didn't just nudge the record of 115 species a bit higher, we smashed it big time. As of today, with a couple of people yet to submit their findings, the number stands at a staggering 123 species! No, that is not a typo: 123 species of birds were observed yesterday. New species for the count included Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Least Sandpiper.

Of course there were a good number of experienced birders. Most years we have between 20-25 birders, and this year it was about the same. This count is often in the running for the highest number of species of any Ontario count, and that is likely part of the reason why birders from well beyond Chatham-Kent decide to include it on their CBC events.

The weather cooperated as well, which is always a critical factor. It was cold, but no snow or ice really hindering anyone, and it wasn't raining. The northerly winds brought birds down nicely.

Beginning in the mid-1970s when I became the permanent park naturalist, my territory shifted to inside the park. For many years, it meant starting owling before day-break, then heading out to the south beach and walking out to Erieau, roughly 8 kilometres round trip, carrying 'scope and tripod, binoculars, some basic camera gear and with lots of winter gear because that trek is wide-open. About half the time I would go out by myself, although I enjoyed the company of others when available. There have been some serious wind and ice conditions, sometimes raining, but always worthwhile. 

 

This is what it can look like, once you get past the jungle at the beginning. A great spot for birds and birding!

After completing the south beach part of my territory, I would drive up to the north end of the park, drive part way down the marsh trail, and then walk or bike several more kilometres there. It was typically an exhilarating, but exhausting day, and often with some very unusual birds. I have had about 33 species of waterfowl, and 11 species of shorebirds somewhere on that route over the years. Highlights included Harlequin Duck, American Avocet, Western Sandpiper and Red Phalarope among others.

South end of the marsh trail

 My territory shifted a fair bit this year. For various reasons, I thought that someone with a lot better eyes and ears, not to mention stamina, should cover the south beach area. It can be rather challenging at times due to lots of downed trees and ice along the shoreline even getting to the open beach area. So although I drove to the south end of the western side of the South Point Trail, that is as close as I got. From there I set up at an open area and did a lake watch for about 1.5 hours. Then Jim B, almost 30 years younger, came to pick up his 'scope, etc., and he did the south beach.

My lake watch proved worthwhile, to be sure. I got the usual open water ducks and gulls. But the highlight was a massive movement of loons, mostly Red-throated. There had been a few reported along the east beach from time to time over the previous few weeks, but with the weather change over night resulting in brisk northerly winds coming off of Lake Huron well to the north, the loons were on the move. In that hour and a half, I counted an amazing 234 Red-throated Loons! And probably missed some as many were a long way out, and likely beyond my 'scope views. I also tallied 7 Common Loons, a good number as they typically pass through earlier. These photos of Red-throats were not taken yesterday, but were taken in a previous December.

 

 

Observers along the east side of the park saw good numbers of Red-throated Loons as well, and likely some were the same. But the timing of our respective lake watch periods did not always overlap, so undoubtedly there were well over 300 Red-throats that passed through the count circle. Our previous high was a mere 70.

Eventually I decided to go north in the park, as I was getting cold standing on the lake shore with brisk northerly winds, and fully expected there would be a different diversity of birds in the other habitats. I checked out the lake side at the north end. No loons of any kind that I could see, but there were at least a couple of hundred Ruddy Ducks floating around a little way offshore. Here are a few.

The woodlands can be fairly quiet, but there are things around. I didn't catch up to the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on this day, but have seen it other times. There was a good variety of the expected species, although this Ruby-crowned Kinglet is considered rare for the time of year. Most of these next ones were taken during the count.

There were lots of Northern Cardinals.....

....and a few White-throated Sparrows.....

....and House Finches.

 Black-birds were noticeable by their absence, at least in my area. I did see a single Common Grackle hunkered under a lawn chair at one cottage lot.

And sometimes you see other forms of wildlife, such as this well-known Rondeau inhabitant.

At one point as I was in the woods south of the log pond, I decided to try 'pishing' for birds, which worked a bit. But then I decided to give some Eastern Screech Owl calls, and that got some birds more stirred up, anxious to find this owl and harass it. I got a mix of White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and even two Hermit Thrushes coming to check me out, thinking I was an owl. 

This Eastern Screech Owl is fairly reliable this time of year.

I ended the day with 45 species for my area, about average and not a bad total considering I didn't have any marsh habitat.

One count done, three more to go.

If you want to subscribe, or unsubscribe to Nature Nuggets, send an email to prairietramper@gmail.com