Back to birds, mostly

First of all, a Life on a Sandspit update: it is currently available from the Friends of Rondeau bookstore at the Visitor Centre. The selling price is $27. Part of that, of course, goes to support the Friends. I am working on having the books also available at other local outlets in southern Chatham-Kent. There may be an option to make them available by mail, so stay tuned.

So many cooperative birds to photograph! I likely will have another wildflower post in the near future, as they continue to appear on the landscape, but this is prime birding season, so it is back to birds for this one.

I've spent a bit of time at St. Clair NWA, as it is fairly close to home. One of the highlights of my most recent visit was seeing about 7 Palm Warblers right along the trail. They aren't always the easiest bird to photograph so I was pleased with this opportunity. Most of the time they were on the ground, but on occasion they would get up and grab on to a plant stem.

Chipping Sparrows were here and there.

A few goslings were out exploring their wetland with their parents.

There is often an American Coot or two seen....

....and always a few Red-winged Blackbirds which pose for a short time.

I have heard Soras there from time to time, but they seldom show themselves. I'm hoping that Virginia and King Rails might be heard on a future visit, and also see or at least hear American and Least Bitterns. They are undoubtedly there now, but aren't easy to see.

A little farther up the edge of Lake St. Clair, there are good spots to see terns. This pair of Forster's Terns were getting right into the mating season.

There were lots of Painted Turtles, as usual, but I only shot this Northern Map Turtle, a species at risk.

I stopped at the Blenheim lagoons briefly on one occasion, in between showers. Lots of Ruddy Ducks were there although most were well out from the edge......

....and due to the cold weather, there were hundreds of swallows, mostly of the Tree Swallow type, but a few Barn Swallows, one of which is shown next. They are always a challenge to photograph as they swoop erratically in their chase for an insect to devour.

A short visit to the Erieau Rail Trail turned up a few warblers and others things. I did not get to see the Yellow-throated Warbler that showed up for a day, but I did see some dowitchers. The only one I got a photo of was a Short-billed. The other one that was a little farther away might have been a Long-billed. Both have been reported over the last few days.

Tree Swallows are always around, and occasionally take a rest on a branch.

Rondeau is where I have spent a little more of my birding time. There is always something to see, even if sometimes there is lots of distance between birds, and even more distance between birds to photograph. Black-capped Chickadees were quite abundant not that long ago, but most seem to have moved on....

....and most Dark-Eyed Juncos have also moved on. I was surprised to see three along Tulip Tree Trail recently.

Downy Woodpeckers are less vocal via tapping than a week or two ago, so they must be into nesting mode.

While an occasional Brown Thrasher had been seen not that long ago, it seems to be more abundant lately.

I managed a shot or two of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as it flitted continuously and erratically at ground level searching for bugs in the rain.

Eastern Phoebes are scattered around on established territories.

Eastern Towhees are more often heard than seen, but this one cooperated for a few minutes in a tree by the trail.

House Wrens are fairly common, singing loudly and frequently.

Killdeer are in nesting mode, and sometimes faking it.

Northern Flickers are common, but are skittish when a birder is around. I guess they feel safer high up in a tree.

A Northern Waterthrush entertained a few birders near the Log Pond on one occasion.

The feeders at the Visitor Centre always attract birds and birders....and sometimes even in broad daylight this normally nocturnal critter just couldn't resist.

Along the trail, there are still some Hermit Thrush, although they are dwindling in number....

...a few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are always enjoyable to see....a real crowd pleaser!

A recent highlight was to see this Red-headed Woodpecker at a distance, but at eye level.

 Another highlight was while I was exploring a little used trail. I noted a Pileated Woodpecker fly in nearby. It seemed a bit more silent than usual and I watched it fly to a dead tree that was full of holes. It gradually moved up and poked its head into one that looked fresh, and then backed out. Almost immediately the male dove out, and headed straight towards me before veering off! I don't think it was intentional.

The female then headed back to the hole and got in.

I plan to keep an eye on this nesting pair, as the several pair that call Rondeau home are not often nesting in somewhat of an accessible location. Fingers crossed!

This Solitary Sandpiper was busily hunting for food in the vicinity of the Log Pond.

White-breasted Nuthatches are always fun to see as they meander up a tree trunk.

As I was walking down Harrison Trail, I heard an unfamiliar chirp. I eventually tracked it down to this Wood Thrush. Every year one has to re-familiarize oneself with bird calls, songs, etc.

Yellow Warblers will soon be by far the most numerous warbler encountered at Rondeau and area.They are always fun to see.

Not that long ago a Black Vulture was seen at a couple of places just outside of Rondeau. I wasn't there that day, but I have seen that species on several occasions over the years. But I have paid a bit closer attention to vultures I have seen, including this pair of Turkey Vultures perched on this tree trunk just outside the park, which lent themselves nicely for a photo op.

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(Mostly) Wetland Wanderings

 Birds returning, wildflowers blooming, turtles sunning, butterflies flitting....there is lots to take in as spring develops! 

I recently stopped in at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons to see what was happening. There was a good variety of waterfowl, as expected, with Ruddy Duck taking top honours in terms of numbers. There were anywhere from 800 to 1000 or more scattered across the various cells. Many were in fine breeding plumage. Perhaps they have memories of the last hunting season, however, as they were not eager to be within good camera range.

The water in all of the ponds was about as high as I have ever seen it. Even two of the sprinkler cells had lots of water, which bodes well for the upcoming shorebird season if those sprinkler cell levels remain. On this day, however, I only saw Lesser Yellowlegs and Killdeer, but it is a bit early.

There were many hundreds of swallows, mainly Tree Swallows, and due to the cool temperatures, some were low down or even on the ground.

A small number of Purple Martins, like the female shown next, were mixed in on the wires and on the wing....

...I only saw a single Barn Swallow.

A couple of Savannah Sparrows were skulking around.

I next went to the Erieau Marsh Trail. It can be quite birdy, and due to the narrowness of the trail, at least some of the birds are not far off. Ducks are becoming fewer, although there are still many out on the bay but well beyond camera range. Close by the trail are the usual Canada Geese and Mute Swans nesting. This pair of Blue-winged Teal was scrounging around....

...and nearby were up to 9 Dunlin. This one is a long way from full breeding plumage, but getting there.

Blackbirds of various types are typically plentiful, and occasionally a Common Grackle was busy enough with something else that it let me get this photo. I love the iridescence of its plumage in good light.

Along the trail was this Groundhog. At first I wasn't sure what it was up to. But watching for a few minutes indicated it was on the prowl for something to line its burrow with.

It scampered back and forth several times while I watched. After it went down into its burrow, I kept moving along, and when I got to its burrow entrance just a metre or so off the trail, I could see its head at the top keeping an eye on me, to make sure I moved along.

Just as I left the trail, I noted this Osprey perched on a pole. It was apparently quite comfortable and secure, as it let me turn the vehicle around and pull into a driveway to get this photo. There are very few places to pull off along this stretch of road, so I was glad it was close by one of them.

I have been to Rondeau a couple of times lately, although the birding has been erratic. I always find other things to enjoy if the birds aren't plentiful, but I have to decide what camera/lens combination to take on my route. On one of the days, I had a wide-angle zoom intending to photograph some of the emerging wildflowers, so it was a bit of a challenge to get this Azure species. Not so many years ago, most butterfly people would be content to call this a Spring Azure but in recent years the butterfly specialists have re-configured the Celastrus genus and some of them get quite indignant if one puts a species name to the genus. I just call this an Azure species.

I also had several Red Admirals go by.

The resident Eastern Screech Owl shows up in its usual spot on occasion, but is not predictable. It was quite visible on this day.

I've also spent time at some of the wetland areas along the Lake St. Clair shoreline, and for good reason: there is always a variety of things to see there as well! At the NWA, I had this American Kestrel perched on a branch well away from the trail, but at least it stayed long enough for a distant and heavily cropped photo.

There were many dragonflies flitting about, including this pair of Green Darners 'in wheel'.

A young Painted Turtle was along the road side, but clearly it was dead.

More Red Admirals were around.

Up in the Mitchell's Bay area, I had several Forster's Terns, but most were well out over the lake. I got a single photo of one perched on a rail, just as it was getting ready to take off.

Great Egrets are often within camera range. I had about 11 on this most recent visit, and a couple were within shooting range.

There were numerous turtles out, with about 95% of them being Painted Turtles. I saw 5 of these Northern Map Turtles, the first ones I have seen this year.

Pied-billed Grebes can be heard hooting and hollering out in the marsh. I had a pair of them swim by fairly close, before they realized I was not a tree or something, whereupon they quickly made their way elsewhere.

One of my target birds for this outing was to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird, which are known for nesting in the cattail islands close by Mitchell's Bay. I did get a couple of quick glimpses of one, but it was very skittish and did not allow me to photograph it. So I include a photo of yesteryear.

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