A rush of rarities

This last week or so has been great for birders looking for unusual species. As you may note, the bird on the header is new, as I decided to give that Great Egret a rest. Now the header features a new species for Chatham-Kent, and indeed quite a rarity anywhere in Canada. It is a Gray Kingbird, found near the entrance to St. Clair NWA. It is relatively common in the southeastern states, and sometimes along the east coast, but records for Ontario are few. These first two photos were taken on Friday, October 24.

Since the bird was quite accessible for viewing, there were many dozens of birders from many parts of Ontario, and even from Michigan, who made a special trip to see it. At times the viewing area was quite crowded, making parking a challenge for birders, and also a challenge for traffic. I didn't go back on the weekend, as it was even more crowded.

The bird continued to at least yesterday, Oct 29, when I took these next two photos, although the angle of light wasn't as good as I would have liked.

With the weather of late, it seemed to be finding enough to eat, but who knows how long that will last. At any rate, it is species #352 that I have seen in Chatham-Kent.

Another rarity, but not quite of the same scale as the previous one, is a juvenile Little Blue Heron. A juvenile is white, whereas an adult is mostly gray-blue. It was found by birders returning from looking at the kingbird, and was seen along the north shore of the Thames River, a bit upstream from Prairie Siding.

According to a local source, this bird may have been in the area for a few weeks.

Another rarity, although not on the same scale as the first two, was a Western Cattle Egret, found in a pasture a bit north of Erieau. Almost all the time this species is found, there are cattle quite close by.

 

  

 Still with the heron/egret group, there are a few of the fairly common, at least locally, Great Egrets remaining. They nest in limited places near wetlands associated with Lake St. Clair, and will persist well into the autumn season. I took this first photo from the Mitchell's Bay North Trail, and looking across the water to the south end of Walpole Island, I could see some egrets in a tree. I think it was a hunting day, so they may have decided to wait the hunters out and then return to their favourite feeding area when it was quieter.

The second photo was of a bird much closer, right along the trail.

This next photo shows the view towards Walpole Island, from the trail. The birds were visible when I took this, but clearly the first photo of the egrets was taken with a powerful telephoto lens to even capture the first shot above, and the photo was greatly cropped.

 The dead trees fairly close to this trail are popular with a late season bird species: Tree Swallow. Most swallows have been gone for a few weeks, but Tree Swallows seem to be a lot hardier. A day or two ago I estimated at least 250 of them swooping over the marsh, looking for insects, or taking a rest in the trees.

 Last, but not least are two Bald Eagles I captured on their migration flight.

 Bald Eagles used to be a legally endangered species in Ontario. According to those who were keeping track, in the late 1960s there was only one active pair along the north shore of Lake Erie between Long Point and the Detroit River. That pair was at Rondeau, and even it was only irregularly successful in raising a single young. With the great reduction in certain chemicals, especially DDT, the eagles are no longer endangered. There are about 30 active nesting pairs in Chatham-Kent alone. And they are more common elsewhere in Ontario, as the local hawkwatch at Holiday Beach has already recorded 460 eagles migrating past over the past few weeks. Clearly a significant success story!

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