Winter shorebirds, etc.

 One doesn't expect the words 'winter' and 'shorebirds' to go together very often, especially in mid-winter after quite a few days of colder than average temperatures and a bit of snow. Yet it happens, as was the case yesterday.

There is a creek not far south of Blenheim where it is fed by some underground springs coming off of the ridge, a feature left over from the last ice age. And it is here, where a Wilson's Snipe can usually be found in the winter at some point. In some years it can be quite predictable, whereas in other years, such as the current one, it can be hard to catch up to. Most local birders, myself included, have stopped by on several occasions trying to see it, but without success. It seems that the colder and snowier the winter gets, the more likely it is to be seen closer to the road.

Here is a photo that I took several years ago when it was relatively close to the road. 

Yesterday I stopped by and initially didn't see any sign of it. An interesting looking dark clump way down the creek prompted me to get the scope out to check. It wasn't the snipe. But since I had the scope out, I began checking out other spots, and then it came into sight, about 75 metres away. This next photo is at the equivalent of a 15X binocular. While most birders use something at about 8X, one can assume that such a well camouflaged bird would not show up very easily. When one knew exactly where the bird was, one could see it.

And here is a highly cropped photo, at about 105X. That explains a bit of the graininess of the photo, but at least it is an identifiable record shot.

This 'snipe' creek, with its open water, has attracted other birds as well. An American Black Duck has been there on several occasions, but well away from the road. A Rusty Blackbird was there on one occasion......

.....and a Great Blue Heron on another.

Along the grassy roadside quite close to this creek were three, and occasionally four, Eastern Meadowlarks. They were very skittish, and one had to attempt photos from the vehicle. Any hint of something outside the vehicle caused them to fly well out of camera range. So as to not stress the birds any more than necessary as a vehicle passes, photography was limited to distant shots, greatly cropped. On one occasion I at least had the sun more or less in my favour.

A subsequent trip and the closest bird was not well lit, especially with a bright snowy background.

While I have seen a Northern Mockingbird in the area immediately adjacent to the creek on a couple of occasions, I have not yet been able to get a photo. Maybe next time....

It was a two species shorebird day. A short distance north of Rondeau is a seepage spot right along the road. Most winters will see a Killdeer show up here, at least for a few days. One wonders where this bird has been, as the past few days and even weeks have been mostly below normal temperatures and there hasn't been any open water to speak of. Obviously this bird had survived up until now.

Traveling back roads can turn up a few other things. Raptors don't usually cooperate, but this Rough-legged Hawk did allow a relatively close approach, with photos through the open window.

Horned Larks were mostly absent a month or so ago, but in the last couple of weeks they have been fairly abundant along roadsides and adjacent fields.

Snow Buntings have also been commonly seen along roadsides.

I haven't spent a lot of time at Rondeau in the last few days, but when I am in the vicinity searching out some of the above mentioned birds, I stop in for a walk and look around. White-tailed Deer aren't normally out and about in the middle of the day, but this one, along with two others, were out in the open along Lakeshore Road on a relatively busy Sunday afternoon.

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