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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