Autumn warmth continues, as does the bird migration

 The unseasonable warmth continues, but birds are migrating nonetheless. Bald Eagles are both resident, and migratory. Here an adult is passing through, visible from the Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail...

...while this sub-adult is also on the wing.

The water levels of Lake St. Clair are down considerably over the last couple of months. This first photo shows the view from the observation point closest to the lake, in early August.

This next one shows the same area, but on November 2.

Clearly there is a lot more exposed mud, which can be attractive to shorebirds. Normally I wouldn't consider this trail to be especially good for shorebirds, but they are making use of it this year. I've shown a few species seen on previous visits, in previous posts, such as Wilson's Snipe and Lesser Yellowlegs. Killdeer are fairly common, of course, and a few Greater Yellowlegs have been noted.

Great Egrets are usually fairly reliable throughout the season. I had at least a dozen on the last visit, but they were a little way up the shoreline, so not the greatest photo of individual birds....

...unlike the much closer proximity they were earlier in the season.

Turkey Vultures are still going through on their migration out of the province, but in much smaller numbers than even a week or so ago.

A visit to St. Clair NWA is always worth while, although the birds are often a challenge to get good photos of. Northern Harriers dip and dive fairly low to the marsh, so are hard to grab and maintain good focus.

This adult Red-tailed Hawk swooped by, but then hung out in the trees along the edge of the NWA. It was suspicious of me sticking my telephoto lens out the vehicle window.

Swans are building in numbers, such as these Tundra Swans. Soon there will be hundreds, even thousands in the area.

Here are a few things I have 'shot' with my camera in other locations. This first image shows a Black-bellied Plover feeding on the mud at Keith McLean Conservation Area, with a Killdeer for size comparison.

 A lone Ruddy Duck was in the more open water at McLean's. There are lots elsewhere!

 

With the warmth continuing, butterflies are still around feeding on flowers that continue to have blooms. This is a Clouded Sulphur.

Next is a Dunlin I photographed along the Erieau shoreline. I had hoped to see a Purple Sandpiper, but it was too windy and wavy on the pier where it had been seen the day before. It had probably escaped to the more sheltered side of the South Beach of Rondeau, a short distance away.

This Great Blue Heron was nicely posed on a dead tree overlooking the marsh along the Erieau Rail Trail.

I've been hiking in a few places at Rondeau, mainly to enjoy the autumn colours and get some fresh air and exercise, as well as remember times here with Marie . The colours are quickly winding down, as the windy conditions especially of late have blown a lot of the leaves off.

I came across this Northern Brown Snake sunning along the same trail. It is also known as a Dekay's Snake.

And working their way in between cottage lots, were a couple of Wild Turkeys. They seem to have had a productive year this year, as 3-4 are seen fairly regularly

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