Outings in mild mid-winter settings

 I've been out a few times since the last post. The mild, open winter conditions certainly make it easier to get around, and there have been very few other people out and about, so it is easy to keep a distance.

 I did want to check on the Great Egrets that have been hanging around the mouth of the Thames River, and in particular the Jeannette's Creek boat launch area. Sure enough, there were at least three birds still there, as well as one or two Great Blue Herons and a few Bald Eagles. The egret was in the canal right beside the boat launch, and the heron was on the far side of the river. No eagles were within photographic distance on this trip.

 A drive around the former Dover Township can be worthwhile, and with no snow on the ground, the Snowy Owls are a lot easier to find even if they are well out in the fields. A fair bit of cropping is usually required.

I haven't been to Rondeau a lot in the last couple of weeks, but a couple of times. Woodlands are fairly quiet, and one can go for long walks without seeing many species, or even birds. I did manage to see and photograph a few, including the Bird of the Year highlighted in the previous post.

This American Tree Sparrow seems to have something not quite right with its eye.

The cardinal was more intent on feeding on something on the ground than it was in avoiding the stare of my camera lens.

The cavity in this American Beech tree has been a popular spot for a roosting Eastern Screech Owl. However I only see it there about one time in ten, so it must have multiple roosting cavities, or it can sit down and out of sight.

With no ice along the shoreline, and lots of wave action along with the high water levels, shoreline erosion continues unabated. This concrete slab is associated with the former south campground office, which was in operation from the late '50s (I think) until the early '70s when, record high levels at the time, caused flooding in the campground and it was closed. Depending on the wind and wave action, sometimes there is enough deposition of sand and gravel to cover the concrete, but at the moment, it is quite visible again, and a definite reminder of the constant of change.

At one point just before returning to the parking lot, this Virginia Opossum scampered across the road in front of me. It disappeared in some thick shrubby undergrowth, so I was not able to get anything different.

Yesterday I decided to take a drive to Erieau, since I hadn't been there for several weeks. There was the usual gull mix, but not many duck numbers. A bit of this and a bit of that, but no large numbers of anything. However the entire bay as far as one could see was open, so waterfowl had lots of area to choose from to avoid the wind and waves. The more protected area of the marina harbour did have a few things.

Canvasback

Redhead female

I was pleased to find the previous two species, as well as a couple of scaup that I couldn't get photos of. I was especially glad to have caught up with this Horned Grebe hanging out in the main marina slip. It is in its full basic, non-breeding plumage. A closer look at the first photo shows the position of the legs, towards the back of its body. This is typical of the grebes and loons, and it makes it difficult for them to walk on land. Hence you almost always see them on the water, unless you happen to find a nest which is close to the water's edge to minimize the requirement for walking on land.

House Sparrows aren't hard to find, but it has been a long time since I have bothered to photograph them. This one was in a group of about 60 birds all huddled in some dense shrubbery. It was quite open, obviously, but the sky background was not exactly what I would like. But you have to take what you get and make the most of it.

A side trip to Shrewsbury did not turn up much other than lots of Canada Geese and at least three Bald Eagles. These two were at the edge of the ice, while a third was in a nearby tree and was camera shy.

Now that the colder weather has arrived, and with it a little bit of snow, it will be interesting to see what turns up at feeders, or a few open patches of water that will be slowly decreasing in size. Winter has arrived, at least for the moment.