Spring birds and other fauna

Such a busy time of year shaping up as spring is unfolding. I won't deal with spring wildflowers on this one, but will do so in a future post. For this one, there is lots of fauna, etc., to feature!

A recent trip to St. Clair NWA was fairly productive in seeing things, although the heavy overcast made photography a bit of a challenge.

American Tree Sparrows are still around, but dwindling in numbers. 

Beavers are well established, although not always easy to find and photograph.

Out towards Lake St. Clair, this tree regularly has a few Double-crested Cormorants using it over the course of the day.

A Great Egret or two can be found.

Sandhill Cranes are often in good numbers, sometimes up to about 14, with some even hanging out on the main trail.

It was heavy overcast, as mentioned, so it influenced some of my photo efforts. This was taken from the observation tower, looking eastward.

I try and get to the Mitchell's Bay North trail regularly. Great Egrets are becoming more common, which will likely continue until well into the autumn.

There is lots of shorebird habitat, but most of the time I am only able to find a Greater Yellowlegs, shown next, or a Lesser Yellowlegs.

Midland Painted Turtles are out to enjoy the sunshine, and help out with their egg production phase.

 Heading south, a recent trip to the Erieau Marsh Trail was a worthwhile stop. Right at the beginning of the trail was a Blue-headed Vireo, the first one I had seen this year. Unfortunately it was so busy moving around the branches, or up against the white sky, this is the best photo I managed.

There were several Blue-winged Teal in the sheltered part of the wetland, along with some geese.

I saw a few Chipping Sparrows, just becoming a little more common these days....

...as are Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Of course Rondeau is a favourite destination, and I managed to track down a few species of fauna. Butterflies are becoming more common. This first one is what I would call a Spring Azure, and it fits the description in the fairly recent Butterflies of Ontario book. However there is someone in the Ottawa area who tries to convince people that the only way to tell whether it is this species or one of several others, is to look at it under a microscope, so he lumps them all as Holistic Azures. It's too bad, as that means one has to collect and kill it to identify it! I think I will stick with what the book says.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are becoming quite common...

..as are Mourning Cloaks.

Killdeer have been back for awhile, and I came across this nest a few days ago.

I managed a nice close-up of this House Wren, singing its heart out to attract a mate.

These Green Darners were busy along the trail.

And Brown Creepers are fairly common these days.

If you go to Rondeau these days, you may notice that the spring, prescribed burns have occurred in a couple of places. It will be interesting to watch how the flush of prairie vegetation responds!

 I haven't been out birding quite as regularly or intensively as I used to, but some of the younger more dedicated local birders have come up with some good sightings. What follows are of species that have been recently seen, but I had to dig into my archives to feature them. I might catch up to one or more of these species yet over the next week or so if they stick around, but in the meantime, I will showcase these this way.

Several Marbled Godwits were noted flying by the lake front. This is one I took from my kayak at Mitchell's Bay a few years ago. 

Piping Plovers have historically nested in the area, but due to their overall decline over the decades, are seldom seen other than on migration. One or two have been seen from Erieau looking at the south beach of Rondeau, but only seen via a 'scope. I photographed this one along the south beach several years ago.

Willets are migratory, nesting farther west, as are the Marbled Godwits, but occasionally show up in the area. Several were seen recently along the lake front. I photographed these three at Shrewsbury several years ago. It is a real treat to see any of these three species, and I hope an indication of things to come!

 

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A bit of an influx of (mostly) spring arrivals

 In spite of the cool down of late, reflecting more normal weather conditions, birds continue to trickle in. Of course some may never have left, but more of their kind seem to be showing. For example, Northern Flickers were hard to come by over the winter, but now it is not unusual to see a dozen or more in a single outing.

Likewise are the Golden-crowned Kinglets.

Chipping Sparrows are definitely new for the season on the bird front....

....as are Eastern Phoebes. They are notably hardy considering they are a flycatcher, but can survive in the cold by feeding on spiders and such, tucked under the eaves of buildings if necessary, at least for awhile.

They are quite active, on the hunt for small flying insects and don't often give the best view, but you take what you can get!

On the water bird front, the diversity of ducks continues, with more and more of each species to see. Many will be leaving for their nesting grounds soon, if some haven't already, but there are still lots around.

Canvasback

Common Merganser pair

Northern Shoveler

While the female Northern Shoveler has the same body style, the plumage is vastly different!

 

Horned Grebes

 

Shorebirds are beginning to appear. While Killdeer have been seen frequently in recent weeks, I came across this Greater Yellowlegs feeding along a muddy edge of a recently drained down channel not far from St. Clair NWA. Its smaller relative, the Lesser Yellowlegs, has been reported recently but I haven't caught up to one yet. It won't be long, I am sure.

Turkey Vultures are increasing in numbers, most often seen in flight.

But later in the day, or when the soaring conditions aren't what they like, they will come to roost.

Horned Larks are frequently seen along the roadsides and field edges. Some are paired up, and likely are in the early stages of nesting in the un-tilled fields.

Regular bird residents sometimes give a good photo op, which I may take advantage of.

On a nice sunny and partially warm day, this Eastern Grey Squirrel was tolerant of my presence, as it soaked up the sun on a convenient branch and didn't seem to move a muscle.

As mentioned in previous posts, the nesting season for some is already well underway. This next photo is of a nest that can be seen, with some difficulty, along the west South Point Trail at Rondeau. At first I wasn't sure if it was an occupied nest or not, but after taking this photo with a good zoom, and greatly cropping it, I noticed the white tail feathers sticking out towards me. They are a little difficult to see against the bland sky background. It isn't as nearly as visible as the subsequent photo, taken several years ago along the Marsh Trail.

This nest came tumbling down a couple of years afterwards, due to some high winds that took the whole tree down.

And the Black-billed Magpies continue along Fargo Road. Some observers have photographed them with nesting material in their beak, heading for the nest tree.

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October wind, waves and more birds!

 October can be one of the windiest months of the year. When strong east type winds occur, I like to get out to Erieau and watch the power of the waves hitting the pier.

It can be impressive, to say the least. One must be careful with the camera to protect it from wind-blown sand and spray. The first two photos were not taken this October, but on another occasion when the conditions were just right for these photos. Maybe later this month, or when the gales of November arrive, I will be photographing there again.

I did get out to the southern part of Rondeau a couple of days ago, and the wind direction was from the south, and brisk. This next photo shows the wildest ones I was able to get. Nice, but nothing like a strong east wind at Erieau.

Rondeau is the place to be almost anytime of the year, but I particularly like it in the autumn. The changes happen steadily. It was only a couple of weeks ago when most of the forest looked like this next photo.

Just a couple of days ago, the changes were quite obvious, as shown next, but in the next week or two, the colours will be much more dramatic.

Birds have been steadily arriving, and departing, as they should. Blue Jays have been passing through in large numbers, and making good use of the abundant crop of acorns on many oak species this year.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are by far the most common warbler species now, and with a good crop of berries on things like Red Cedar, have lots to keep them happy while they build up reserves for the next leg of their southward journey.

White-throated Sparrows are increasing in abundance......

...as are Rusty Blackbirds. It is a species at risk overall, but can be reasonably common for a short time in the autumn.

One of the most common members of the thrush family is the Hermit Thrush, next.

There are some lingering species, such as this Eastern Phoebe, a flycatcher that has to deviate from flying insects once the cold weather arrives. However with the impressive hatch of midges in the last week or so, there is lots of food for flycatchers in the short term.

Lots of the summer sparrow residents have gone, to be replaced by the autumn/winter species, but sometimes some of the summer ones linger, such as this Chipping Sparrow. Of course the weather conditions haven't been all that bad yet, so there will be a few species and individuals reluctant to move any farther south than necessary.

Robins, with their diverse diet, will stick around for quite awhile yet, even well into or over the winter.

I had intended to stop at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands to look for, and hopefully photograph, one of the Nelson's Sparrows that is currently there. However since I neglected to return the flash card to the camera after having downloaded the images from the day before, my camera was not functional! Oh well, live and learn (I hope!). Maybe this coming week I will have my act together better, and it will coincide with a cooperative Nelson's Sparrow or two. One can always hope, since this species can be quite elusive even at the best of times.

I've been to St. Clair NWA and the Mitchell's Bay lakeshore trails a time or two recently, partly because they are closer to home than Rondeau. With much of the habitat in these areas being wetland, it is not surprising that quite a few Swamp Sparrows can be found.

An occasional Eastern Phoebe may be lingering in the shrubbier areas close by.

Rusty Blackbirds, a species that prefers wet woodlands and similar habitat types, will be around.

Sandhill Cranes continue to be in the area. Their yodeling calls can be heard from quite a distance, enabling a photographer to get ready if they come close enough.

On one occasion I saw at least a dozen in the area in about an hour's time in the late afternoon. Overcast skies do make it a bit more challenging to photograph.

A few Great Egrets continue to be seen. Their numbers are diminishing but as long as there is open water, a few may continue to be in the area. I have even seen up to three in early January in the past!

The Lake St. Clair Marshes are well known for attracting waterfowl, and therefore hunters. In fact it was in part due to hunt clubs of the past to protect some of these wetlands over the years, and we are enjoying the benefits of those efforts nowadays, even while some private wetlands continue to be used by hunters from both sides of the border. Due to no hunting at St. Clair NWA, it is a great place to observe the huge numbers of ducks and geese making use of this protected wetland. On one occasion recently, I saw anywhere from a few dozen to a thousand or more birds in the air all at once, and it was like that continuously for most of the hour and a half I was walking the dyke trail.

I will be out again, to be sure!

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