Another cattle egret, a snake, a millipede and more

 If the forecasts are accurate, we will be experiencing another blast of winter in the next few days. Fortunately I was able to get out to a few places, including Rondeau, to continue some exploring of late November and enjoy some lengthy walks. I hadn't caught up to anything out of the ordinary regarding birds.....just wasn't in the right place at the right time. But there were a few of the expected species that paused long enough for my camera.

American Goldfinches are present most of the year, but many from farther north have been migrating through in good numbers over the last week or so. 

Dark-eyed Juncos are quite common, and at least some will be around all winter.

Of course Downy Woodpeckers are present all year.

I always look forward to seeing Fox Sparrows in late autumn. This vividly patterned sparrow likely will be present in very small numbers over the winter, but are often hard to find.

Northern Cardinals are another year-round species, fortunately, especially for those with winter feeders....

...as are Red-bellied Woodpeckers. They have been busy storing some of this year's abundant acorn crop in crevices in trees, in case feeders don't meet their needs.

Wild Turkeys are permanent residents and get a little more bold in wandering around open areas in the autumn when the park is quieter, looking for acorns.

There are often a few other creatures out and about. Of course Eastern Gray Squirrels are also looking for acorns and such. I enjoy watching their acrobatics, etc. This one is suspended by its two hind feet while the two front feet are handling something it is nibbling on.

It is getting late in the season for cold-blooded creatures, but just yesterday I came across this Eastern Garter Snake sitting at an open spot along the trail.

Another cold-blooded creature is this Common Pink Flat-back, a type of millipede, roaming across Gardiner Ave.

Certainly a bird highlight of recent days is yet another Western Cattle Egret, seen by many on several occasions at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands. I have seen it on at least three different days from the road, but on one occasion I decided to park there and try and get some decent photos. Here are some of the results.

This is the second time I have seen one in the last month or so. It may be the same one that moved over from its previous spot just north of Erieau where it disappeared from after a few days. Unfortunately for this individual, some recent observers have reported that it was seen to be limping, and wondered if it could be captured and taken to a wildlife rescue place. I'm not sure if that is possible, as when I got these photos, it was walking okay but more importantly it could fly quite well. So unless it ceases to be able to fly, and can survive for a bit longer given the wintry weather forecast, it will probably not be rescued. It is a juvenile, and is clearly well beyond its normal range, so it might just be a victim of its unfortunate wandering well beyond safe habitat.

In addition to Rondeau, I have been meandering around parts of the former Dover Twp, which is actually closer to home, and I always enjoyed exploring St. Clair NWA. However the NWA is closed for trail repairs until early January, so my exploring in Dover is more random elsewhere. But there have been things of interest even though the Gray Kingbird featured at the heading, is long gone somewhere. 

Tundra Swans are becoming more numerous, but often are feeding so far away from the road I didn't bother trying to photograph them. This small group was a bit closer.

 This Red-tailed Hawk remained on the pole long enough for a photo or two. While the species is a year-round resident in C-K, there are lots migrating through from their more northern range.

Sandhill Cranes are hard to find these days. However I came across a couple at the edge of a corn field just north of Mitchell's Bay on one occasion, where I was able to put my long lens with teleconverter to use to capture this one digitally.

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Two books done, one to go......

 Most readers will be aware of the first two books I have produced. The first one came out in early 2023, and was entitled Life on a Sandspit. It features lots of photos and some habitat description of Rondeau.

Earlier this year, the second book was completed, and is entitled Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent. It features a broader array of natural habitats that formerly occurred in C-K and where some remain, as well as listing where such habitats are publicly accessible.

Both books are available at the following places:

Friends of Rondeau bookstore, Rondeau Park

Bayview Market, just outside of Rondeau Park

Book Brothers, King St E, Chatham

Lavender and Honey, King St. E, Chatham

Mindful Market & Eco Hub, Blenheim

Mitton's Jeweler's, Ridgetown

The Gift Cabin, Erieau (update: The Gift Cabin is closing, so the books are not available here)

The Five-Eau, Erieau

I do envision making them more available across Chatham-Kent, but marketing is not my strong point, and I have been, of course, more involved with other priorities in the last few months.

The third book which has been initiated and is in a first draft, will focus on the Prothonotary Warbler. It is probably the most iconic and popular bird species in the Carolinian Life Zone and most certainly at Rondeau, where it was first discovered nesting in Canada back in 1929. It has been discovered nesting elsewhere in Canada, mainly along the north shore of Lake Erie, but Rondeau has generally been considered the primary stronghold for this species ever since.

I have been following this species at Rondeau at various intensities, for 51 years, and have been able to get some wonderful photos. This current year, I spent far less time due to Marie's ill health and eventual passing, which of course changed my priorities considerably. On the rare occasion that I was out this spring, I only managed to photograph the female, shown next.

I do hope to get back to completing this book over the next few months as time and my energy dictates. It will be a much smaller and shorter book compared to the first two, but there is lots to show and tell about the Prothonotary and its relevance to Rondeau.

I did manage to see a few other birds during my occasional outings, along with a few photos, including the following, such as this female American Redstart building a nest.....

....this female Black-and-white Warbler searching for insects to gain the energy it needs to make it to its more northerly breeding territory...

and this Great Crested Flycatcher, perched high above the slough where I was watching and waiting for a Prothonotary to show.

My previous post mentioned that I had been to places other than Rondeau during the month or so after Marie passed away, where I could get some quiet time, focus on nature and refresh my soul. Some of these places included St. Clair NWA as well as the lakeshore nature trails both north and south of Mitchell's Bay. All of these places are along Lake St. Clair, and with their spacious and wide open nature, gave lots of photo opportunities and the usually gentle breezes helped to keep mosquitoes and deer flies in reduced numbers.

American Goldfinches were plentiful, picking away at the mature seed/fluff of Canada Thistle for some nest building material.

Barn Swallows were mostly concentrated near the observation tower at the NWA, as they had built a nest in the upper corner of the tower.

Black Terns used to be quite abundant near large wetland areas, not only feeding but also nesting. In recent years, however, they have been on the decline. They are always nice to see, but due to their rather erratic flight, can be a challenge to photograph!

The Common Snapping Turtle is not all that common, and is on the Species At Risk list. This large female was on the trail looking for a spot to lay her eggs.

Common Yellowthroats are fairly common, and this male was carrying some food item to the nestlings at its well-hidden nest.

Great Egrets nest at some of the offshore islands, but are frequently seen nearby foraging at the coastal wetlands for food. They seem to be more tolerant of hikers once they depart from the shallow marsh and perch up in a tree.

This next one was actually well away from the coastal wetlands, since with all the recent rain there were many flooded fields.

A much smaller heron type, is a Green Heron. As with the egret, it seems to be more tolerant of hikers once it can get safely up in a tree....

...but even then, they have their limit of tolerance.

Northern Leopard Frogs are abundant....

...as are Red-winged Blackbirds. There are many hundreds of them along the coastal wetlands, as well as elsewhere.

Sandhill Cranes are becoming more and more regular and in greater numbers. Before the crops get too far along, they can be seen foraging in fields adjacent to the NWA.....

....or in flight between the fields and the wetlands. A small number of them may be nesting in some secluded area of the marshes.

Tree Swallows are frequently seen foraging for insects over the wetlands. Hopefully they are finding lots of mosquitoes!

In the earlier part of the season, Wild Turkeys will be more often encountered, as the young of the year are prowling around becoming familiar with their local landscape. In the case of this one, it was with a couple of others at the edge of the field along a wide shrubby creek adjacent to the NWA. As the season progresses, there will be fewer and fewer, most likely due to the predatory habits of Eastern Coyotes. Only the strong and wary turkeys will survive.

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Cattle Egret, Purple Sandpiper and more common birds to enjoy

 Undoubtedly the highlight bird for me in recent days, is the presence of a Cattle Egret. There has been the occasional report of one somewhere in southern Chatham-Kent over the last couple of weeks, but this one stuck around for at least a few days, giving many birders a successful outing.

It wasn't always easy to find, and usually it was patience that made it successful. The bird could be quite well hidden for great lengths of time, and then all of a sudden be seen in flight heading to one of its preferred feeding areas. As far as I know, it was either at the edge of a pasture with cattle, or more likely to be in a hay field with rather short vegetation, or on occasion, even on a lawn nearby. On more than one occasion, a Northern Harrier that was hunting close by gave the egret cause for alarm, and it would fly off to another spot, but given that the hay field was large enough, would stay within sight of the road side where birders congregated.

I saw this egret on several occasions as I was going back and forth from home to either Rondeau or Erieau, and came across several birders while doing so, all of which happily saw this bird.

At Rondeau, there was always something to see and photograph, although at times one had to be at the right spot at the right time, or cover a lot of area. I did not go after the very distant Western Grebe that was present off the east beach on the weekend. I have seen this species at a much closer range, several years ago, and got some satisfying photos at that time. I haven't caught up to a Red-throated Loon this fall yet either. Maybe on one of the coming days. But the influx of one of my favourite sparrows, the Fox Sparrow, has been fun to see. It seems they often travel in small bunches, and this is prime time to see them. I counted approximately 15 in a couple of bunches along the Black Oak Trail a few days ago. I find that they often respond well to 'spishing', and come in quite a bit closer to investigate.

Cedar Waxwings continue to be fairly common, at least where there are berries of Red Cedar to be had.

On one sunny and not too cool day, a couple of Eastern Commas were still flitting around along the more sheltered part of a trail.....

.....and it seems the local Eastern Screech Owl has returned to one of its regular tree cavities. It is the first time I have seen it there in several months.

At Erieau a few days ago, the highlight was a Purple Sandpiper. As many as three had been seen a couple of days earlier, but when I checked out the end of the pier, there was only one that I could find. The bird was back lit, so it required a bit more processing to get it to this condition.

It is a fairly regular occurring shorebird in very small numbers, but not always easy to catch up to. Depending on the year, one may even overwinter in some relatively out-of-the way location, such as the far reaches of the south beach of Rondeau. They are discovered fairly regularly on the Christmas Bird Count if there is adequate coverage of such area.

There are some good mud flats at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands, which has attracted large numbers of some species of shorebird. Dunlin is the most abundant by far at this time of year, with sometimes several hundred birds being reported.

Much less common is Semipalmated Sandpiper, a little smaller and with a shorter and straighter bill.

Here is a side-by-side view of those two shorebird species.

A stop at St. Clair NWA can be rewarding for bird photos. The Tundra Swans are on the way back, and will number in the hundreds or even thousands in the near future. Some will likely even stay the winter, depending on the open water and field conditions. They are often seen at a distance.....

....but some may fly right overhead!

There are lots of ducks at the NWA, including Ruddy Duck, shown next..

...and Northern Shoveler, the less colourful female of the pair which is next.

American Coots are plentiful.

Again, the presence of many Fox Sparrows were indicative of the time of year....

...as were American Tree Sparrows.

An American Goldfinch decided to check me out from this grass stem, rather than fly away like its fellow goldfinches did. It is clearly in its non-breeding plumage.

The Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail can be worth checking out, depending on the light and the wind. Here, as in many lake shore areas, are exposed mudflats, and with the above freezing temperatures, are popular with shorebirds. As is often the case, Dunlin is by far the most abundant shorebird. There were well over 100 of them on my most recent visit, often seen in flight....

...and occasionally landing fairly close by.

This next one was not part of the larger group. It seemed to prefer hanging out by itself, although it didn't look quite the same as the others, and may have suffered a slight injury.

A single Greater Yellowlegs was in the same area....

...as were several Killdeer.

This adult Bald Eagle was noted at the lake edge, surveying the lake itself.

A visit down the Thames River towards Jeanette's Creek turned up several Great Blue Herons....

....and Great Egrets. Will some stay for at least the early part of the coming winter and be counted on the upcoming Christmas Bird Count? It has happened before, so stay tuned!

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