Early January 2026 outings

 New Year's day dawned clear and cold. It was the date for the annual St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count. As usual, my territory started at SCNWA, along the northwest berm that is normally off limits to visitors which I have permission to access. It is very much out in the open, subject to wind. Since the day started off at about -13C and a wind chill making it to about -23C, it was not easy going, especially since I have to hike about 2 km or more, carrying a tripod and 'scope along with binoculars. 

This is what I encountered from a landscape perspective:

...and this was the adjacent St. Luke's Marsh a bit to the north.

 The vast majority of the wetland was frozen, not surprisingly given the recent weather, but as is often the case, there is a small area at the extreme NW part of my route which has open water. And  there are many individuals of waterfowl making use of it, hence the need for the 'scope. The birds were packed in so it was difficult to pick out anything unusual, but there were many hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese with a few Tundra Swans and American Black Ducks there as well.

Some readers will be aware that the NWA was closed to public access for three months while some trail/bridge alterations were made. It re-opened just before the end of December, fortunately for the CBC. Here is the new bridge structure...

...and the view from the bridge looking generally south:

After covering this part of my territory I went elsewhere, and fortunately came across a few more things, such as a few Dark-eyed Juncos coming to a feeder....

...a few Northern Cardinals along a roadway...

....and four Wild Turkeys scattered well out in a field

An Eastern Screech Owl was cooperatively sitting out in plain view.

At another spot, a small amount of corn was present at the roadside, and the birds found it. There were several Horned Larks, which are sometimes hard to get photos of. As it turns out, the American Birding Association has declared the Horned Lark to be its featured Bird of the Year.

A few other winter birds were also making use of the corn availability, including a species that is always fun to see.

Snow Bunting

 

Mourning Dove

Elsewhere, there were always crows to see!

 I 'managed' to get to Rondeau on a couple of occasions a few days later. While birds were not abundant where I hiked, I got a few photos of things. This sub-adult Bald Eagle was surprisingly tolerant along the east South Point Trail on my way out...

...but on my return had decided to move a little farther away, on a white pine branch right at the edge of the forest.

A Fox Sparrow is not common at this time of year, but I got a few photos of this one along the north end of Harrison Trail.

 Northern Cardinals are scattered about....

...as are Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

On another occasion I walked the west side of the SPT. A wind storm had knocked over a dead American Beech tree across the trail. No doubt as American Beech trees continue to be affected by the deadly Beech Leaf Disease, this will become a more regular occurrence. I brought this to the attention of park staff, and was advised the next day that the trail had been cleared.

The view from the very south end of the trail is always intriguing as the shoreline with ice and waves are constantly causing change.

A quick trip to Erieau had a fair variety of water birds to see, but most were too far to attempt a photo. However American Coots are usually fairly close by.

 

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Late autumn, early 'winter' birding in prep for the Rondeau bird count

 I had been out a few times, looking to see what might be around in preparation for the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count on Dec 14.

In spite of the wintry weather, it is surprising that there is as much diversity as there is. Of course there are the usual things, including:

American Coot

Bufflehead

Lots and lots of Canada Geese!

A few Hooded Mergansers, mostly in the unfrozen areas around the Erieau harbour.

A pleasant surprise was to hear, and then get out and see some Ross's Geese. At a distance they look like a smaller version of Snow Goose, and this photo was take at quite a distance. Fortunately the head was visible enough to see the smaller stubby bill, and lack of a 'grin' patch, as well as the typical black wing tips.

In the same field with the Ross's Goose, were a couple of Tundra Swans, and lots and lots of Canada Geese.

In a field near the Blenheim Landfill, there were as many as 27 Wild Turkeys out roaming around on the lightly snow covered harvested field.

My territory for the bird count has almost always been inside Rondeau Park. I have been on this count for ~56 years. In the past it has included both the south beach all the way to Erieau, and then driving up to the Marsh Trail where I walked at least the south half. That typically involved walking a total of about 15-17 km, while carrying a tripod and scope, along with binoculars, and sometimes camera equipment as well. But that was yesteryear, and the Marsh Trail has been inaccessibly by vehicle for several years due to erosion, And while I could do the south beach, there is a much younger generation of fellows, in their 20s, who have more energy and better eyes and ears, so I have passed that area over to them. Instead, I roam around some of the roads and trails in the wooded area of the park, which is a lot less conducive for bird diversity, but there are some things around.

I checked several of the deer feeding stations that had been regularly stocked with cracked corn. (As a result of the two weekend deer culls in late November and early December, there were exactly 50 deer harvested, so the ongoing deer browsing will be reduced, much to the delight of saplings and shrubs, I am sure.) 

Birds immediately flushed even as I cautiously approached, but waiting patiently and quietly caused them to return. I guess their hunger won out!

Some would approach carefully...

...and after a few moments, drop down and start feeding.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Fox Sparrows are rather uncommon this time of year, but will hang out with other more abundant birds, and join them in their feeding frenzy.

Dark-eyed Juncos are quite abundant now.

And American Tree Sparrows are fairly abundant, and widely scattered. 

The bird count was held regardless of the cold, wintry weather, as usual. The day started out at about -14C but warmed up to a balmy -8C. The brisk westerly wind made the wind chill more like about -20C! Not exactly late autumn weather, but every year is different.

 White-throated Sparrows, named appropriately, were scattered here and there, and certainly the feeding piles were helpful.

I saw at least 5 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, mostly in the vicinity of these feeding stations.

Pileated Woodpeckers are never abundant, even though they are year-round residents, so just getting one is sometimes a bonus.

Cardinals are always to be found, near a feeding station or wherever, along woodland edges.

A bit unexpected was to see this Hermit Thrush. We don't get this species on every count.

Blue Jays have been in migration mode for several weeks, with some lingering, and likely will be here all winter. There are lots of acorns for them to find and feed on!

And lastly, this American Tree Sparrow was present at a few feeding stations on the day of the count.

Overall it was another successful count in terms of numbers and diversity. I don't think it is official yet, but at this point it seems that there were 101 species seen. Getting 100 or more is quite a feat! Of course there were many, many energetic and highly capable birders out scouring the entire count area, and that makes all the difference. 

There were lots of Bald Eagles seen, along with a couple of Golden Eagles. Sandhill Cranes, Short-eared Owls, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and even an Eastern Phoebe were counted. Some shorebirds were even found to be sticking around, including Killdeer and Wilson's Snipe. A couple of warbler species were counted, including Yellow-rumped, which is to be expected, as well as a single Orange-crowned Warbler. The Ross's Goose was found; it was trapped in the ice at the sewage lagoons, but was freed by a couple of birders, and the goose was able to fly away!

 

If you are still looking for a Christmas gift, both of my two books, Life On A Sandspit, and Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent, are available locally at:

Book Brothers, King St E Chatham

Mindful Market and Eco Hub, Main St, Blenheim

Mitton's Jewelers and Gifts, Main St, Ridgetown

Bayview Market, just outside the park gates of Rondeau (open Thursday-Sunday) 

 

 

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(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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