(Mostly) Water creatures and a memorial marker

 Most of my outings of late have been out where there is a bit of open water, since woodlands and non-wetland areas seem to be fairly devoid of birds, at least those that are able to be successfully photographed. So places like the Erieau harbour and immediate area with at least some open water, is one where ducks and other waterbirds collect. 

American Coot can be found, sometimes by the hundreds, but they are usually well out in open spots too distant to photograph. Some will hang out in the main channel.

Canvasback are regularly seen.

A comparison between Canvasback, in front, with a Redhead, behind.

Common Goldeneye are relatively few, but regular.

Scaup, primarily Greater Scaup, are well represented. There are strong similarities between the two, but the Greater Scaup, shown here, has a fairly rounded head. It also has a wider black tip of the bill.

Hooded Mergansers, the smallest of the three merganser species in the area, are around in small numbers, such as this female.

A bit similar to the scaup is the Ring-Necked Duck, with its more pointed head, and a distinct white area on its frontal flank as well as across the outer part of the bill.

Mute Swans, next, are not native to North America, and are not well regarded by birders or wildlife biologists, as they are very domineering over native waterfowl. They were introduced to North America by Europeans after settlement. But one should realize that in themselves they are impressive and beautiful birds. There are often a dozen or more scattered around Erieau.

 

There isn't much open water in the Thames River these days, given the extent of cold weather in recent weeks. But where the warm-water outlet occurs, there are usually a few ducks. American Black Ducks, shown first, are much fewer than Mallards which follow. At Erieau, there are often quite a few Am Black Ducks.....

....and an occasional female Red-breasted Merganser will be seen.

Not a duck, obviously, was this Beaver swimming through the open water, carrying a branch to its burrow, likely in the side of the river bank.

Northwest of Chatham, there is very little open water on Lake St. Clair or adjacent rivers, but where there is some, one can find a few birds. This next, somewhat distant, photo was taken from the very north end of Bear Line, looking in a small area of open water along the Chenal Ecarte, a.k.a. the Snye, which separates Walpole Island First Nation from the Ontario mainland. Most birds were Canada Geese, with a few Mallards, scaup, and Hooded Mergansers mingled within. A closer look just to the right of centre shows one of the four Great Blue Herons hanging out with the waterfowl.

 One of the herons was off by itself on the ice.

Elsewhere in a few spots were some Tundra Swans in some corn stubble. At first glance, due to the lack of the yellow patch on its black bill, one might figure it is a Trumpeter Swan. However some Tundras lack the yellow patch, and the black gap right in front of the eye is narrow like a Tundra. Also the swans that it was associating with were all Tundras, so it was an easy decision.

Elsewhere I came across a couple of Wood Duck boxes, which maybe in the spring will have a Wood Duck family occupying it, but at the moment, there is an Eastern Screech Owl making use of it.

On a sad note, I came across this marker along the road not far from St. Clair NWA. It marks the location of where a murder victim was dumped over the road bank and into the adjacent channel. It was in early January of 2024 when I was out looking for Snowy Owls that I came across this victim from Tilbury, and reported it to the police. I waited until they arrived, gave them the details of my discovery, and then left so they could get their investigation underway. Three people all known to the 54-year old victim, were charged with murder, and the case is still before the courts. Certainly unfortunate in so many ways, but such is the reality of society. This is the first, and hopefully the last, time I encounter this type of thing. It is along a road that I regularly drive, so there are unfortunate reminders of this every time.

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Winter waterfowl, Sandhill Cranes and Eastern Bluebird

 For a change of scenery, I went up along the St. Clair River a few days ago. At this time of year it is typically a significant overwintering area for ducks, and this year was no exception There are thousands scattered wherever there is suitable open water. There is often lots of ice on the river, and that concentrates the ducks, which is especially good for photographing them, as long as one of the open spots is close by, but isn't always the case.

 One of the most productive spots for me on this day, was near Fawn Island. I could stay in my vehicle and photograph from there.

Wide angle phone photo

Getting out to get a bit closer, only caused the ducks to move farther away, which I observed happen when another photographer walked out onto a ramp. And with the steady cool breeze and freezing temperatures, it was certainly more comfortable inside with my telephoto lens!

Redheads, with a few Canvasbacks mixed in, were by far the most numerous where I was.

Canvasback stretching its wings

Common Goldeneye were not common, but scattered here and there.

Female Common Goldeneye

Bufflehead pair

Hooded Merganser female

Red-breasted Mergansers, next, were not common.

A highlight for me is to see Long-tailed Ducks. This river is one of the better places to see them here in southwestern Ontario, although they are often not very close. If one scans the open spaces that are well out in the middle of the river, they can be much more abundant.

Mostly Long-tails, at a distance

Occasionally one or two will be closer, in proximity to the other ducks. This first photo shows the male, where the 'long-tail' is evident.

These next two photos are of a female.

Due to the concentrations of ducks, not all of which will stay healthy over the course of the winter, there are usually a few Bald Eagles ready to pick off a susceptible duck. Sometimes one can spot as many as 7-8 from one vantage point! I saw 4 from the Fawn Island locale during my time there.

 There were a couple of adults such as this one.....

 ...and a sub-adult, probably about a 2 or 3-year old.

 After leaving the river, I headed inland along a quiet gravel road. Much to my surprise, I came across not one, but 50-60 Sandhill Cranes!

A vehicle passed by quickly, and a bit noisily, causing the flock to take to flight, but only for a short distance before returning to the snowy field.

Finding Sandhill Cranes used to be quite a rarity at any time of year; they definitely have been more abundant in recent years. However given the cold and snowy conditions over the last few weeks, it is a bit surprising to see so many lingering this late into the winter.

Yesterday, I headed in a different direction, on the search for eagles, and especially Golden Eagles which are sometimes known to overwinter in the southeastern part of Lambton and adjacent Middlesex counties. I roamed the back roads for a bit, but only saw a single eagle. I only got a quick look, and it was a bit backlit, before it disappeared over a forest adjacent to the road. I cannot be sure which species it was, but perhaps was a Golden. However I have left it as an eagle sp.

But while I was out roaming, I came across a flock of 5 Eastern Bluebirds on a wire!

The second photo of the same bird appears to show some damage to its left eye. However it didn't seem to affect it in any way.

 

 

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Early January (mostly) birding

 Certainly one of the most sought after local birds over the last couple of weeks is the Harris's Sparrow. It is a species that shows up quite irregularly in this area, so as this one has been predictably popular, there have been many dozens of birders out to see it. On one occasion there were so many vehicles lined up, it was hard for local travelers to pass through.

It hasn't always been easy to photograph. On my first attempt, it was a sunny day, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the bird was almost always along the fence row at the side of the road, and behind grasses that were in a constant state of movement due to the wind. Therefore the camera's focus as well as the backlit conditions made it almost impossible, and this next photo was the best I could get.

Fortunately on another day, it was cloudy bright, and the sparrow sat up on a rail for long enough to get the first couple of unobstructed photos.

It was accompanied by a good mix of other winter time sparrows, including White-crowned Sparrows and others.

Before it got too snowy and cold, I managed to capture a few other things, such as one of four American Robins I saw on an outing at Rondeau....

....the Barred Owl at a nearby conservation area, which has been there for several weeks but roosts unpredictably and is often not found by the searchers.....

...from 1-6 Killdeer hanging out at a small unfrozen area at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands....

....a few Sandhill Cranes...

....and a Snow Goose. All nice things to add for the season.

As is usual for the time of year, in spite of the colder than average temperatures, a bit of the water in the Erieau vicinity remains open. Lingering waterfowl continue to hang out, at least for now. At first the birds are well out in the open water, as they are undoubtedly still cautious in being too close to human activity due to the continuing waterfowl hunting season. This first photo shows a mix of typical ducks, including Ring-necks, Scaup sp, Redhead and a good number of American Coot, the latter of which technically is not a duck.

Mostly American Coot

As the cold continues, waterfowl are forced to be closer to shore, much to the delight of viewers and photographers.

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Greater Scaup

Certainly one of the primary ducks to look for in the Erieau area in the last week or so has been not one, but three Harlequin Ducks. Finding them is no easy task, as they are often across the channel and sometimes tucked in with the rocks out of view. These three are females, so not nearly as colourful as the males, but still a great species to find and photograph. I had been out looking on a couple of different occasions, including one time when there were hunters set up across the channel amongst the rocks, and the only 'ducks' I could see were decoys. The other real ducks were widely scattered and the Harlequins were not visible. However on my most recent attempt, I managed to see all three close together where the marina joins the main channel.

Among other species were Redhead....

...and Ruddy Ducks.

While out looking for Short-eared Owls, I found one or two, but was not able to get a photo. But I did manage to get a distant photo of this Rough-legged Hawk busily hunting in the same area....

....and some Wild Turkeys were feeding in a field near the Ridge Landfill. Backlit a bit, but salvageable.

I will finish up with some odds and ends. For anyone who is a regular hiker at Rondeau, you will notice that the Tulip Tree Trail has been partially closed for several weeks. The park staff have been busy making some much needed repairs in some sections. But now as one approaches the trail, parts of it look like this:

And a closer look:

For anyone interested, the American Birding Association has selected what species will be its 'Bird of the Year.' It is the Common Loon, a species well-known to Canadians!

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