Birds, of course!

 The month of May is exciting for many outdoor folks. Wildflowers are becoming abundant, trees are coming into leaf and flower, and of course it is prime time for large numbers of birds to arrive here in southern Ontario. And while the migration depends quite a bit on the weather, resulting in some days early in May being rather birdless, at least to the liking of most birders, some days can be fairly good for abundance and diversity. I always say that the middle two weeks of May are on average, the best two weeks for abundance and diversity, but that isn't always the case.

If one is able to get out regularly regardless of the weather, one will usually catch up to a lot of species. My last post focused on wildflowers, and I will get back to more of them soon, but this post will show a wide variety of birds I have been able to catch up to and photograph over the last few days.

This first bunch will be ones I encountered up along Mitchell's Bay or St. Clair NWA. Sandhill Cranes are always fun to see, and not always easy to photograph, but I keep trying! 

With the slightly lower water levels of Lake St. Clair, there are more mudflats than most years. This first photo shows both a Lesser Yellowlegs on the left, and a Greater on the right, illustrating a reasonable comparison of overall size and bill.

Next is a Greater Yellowlegs up a bit closer.

Great Egrets are frequently seen in these open wetland areas, and often cooperate reasonably well for the camera, as long as one has a good telephoto lens.

An anchored log just off the shoreline edge is a great spot for gulls and terns to rest. It is hard to tell from this photo, but I determined after I took this photo that these are Forster's Terns. 

And a Bald Eagle or two can often be seen passing by.

American Coots are often seen either singly or sometimes in a group.

The road on the south side of St. Clair NWA can sometimes be a great spot to see a variety of birds, depending on the wind direction and speed. On the hydro wire were a few swallows, such as this Barn Swallow.

In the shrubbery, I encountered an Eastern Kingbird....

...a Gray Catbird.....

...several Palm Warblers....

....and lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Nearby were, of course, Red-winged Blackbirds.....

...and this Tree Swallow was checking out a potential nest cavity.

On another trail, there was a good number of White-crowned Sparrows....

...and a few White-throated Sparrows.

Of course Rondeau has always been one of my favourite places for a whole lot of reasons most of the year-round. However I don't like it as well in May, as it is quite crowded with birders! It seems more and more people who used to go to Pt. Pelee NP got fed up with the crowds there, and have decided Rondeau is the place to be for their spring birding. I can't say that I blame them, but.....I try and choose times when the park is a little less crowded, so I can enjoy the relative peace and quiet and still see a good variety of birds.

 

This Black-and-white Warbler was constantly on the move in its search for something tucked away in the crevices of the bark. 

 

A Blackburnian Warbler paused long enough for this photo.

This Chestnut-sided Warbler was bouncing around in some shrubbery, so the photos weren't as good as I was hoping. Maybe next time...

A Great Crested Flycatcher was trying to figure out how to consume this insect it had managed to get hold of.

Northern Flickers are fairly abundant, and can be found working on a nest cavity.

A Philadelphia Vireo stopped by for a moment. It looks a lot like a Warbling Vireo, but has a slightly more contrasty appearance, and a dark spot at the lore just in front of the eye. It also has a slight yellowish wash to it belly.

Purple Martins can be found in abundance where martin houses occur.

The number of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are increasing, and some will remain to nest.

This pair wasn't wasting any time!!

And there were lots more Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Closer to home, at least for me, is this family of Great Horned Owls. There are two young, and they have left the nest. Often they will be found resting on a branch, in the company of one of the adults, but not always.
 

More birds will be coming in a future post!

 

If you would like to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to: prairietramper@gmail.com

 

Winter Kiskadee

The Great Kiskadee adventures at Rondeau continue. This mega rarity has gone AWOL before, and had last been reported on Nov 9. In spite of local birders being on the lookout for it on regular visits to Rondeau, including at its usual haunts, the bird eluded us. That is until Dec 2, when two birders were walking down the Marsh Trail a bit before noon and saw it at the usual former canal along the north end of the trail. The discovery was reported to the staff at the Visitor Centre, which fortunately was open that day, and the word got out to others almost immediately. It was seen for a short period before going into its disappearing act once again, but this time only for a few hours. It was heard by several of us towards the end of the afternoon in the vicinity of the maintenance compound. Then it went silent, and we had no idea exactly where it went.

Bright and early the next morning, well as bright as a heavy overcast day with a hint of precipitation can be, several birders were stationed in what we thought were the most likely places it might appear at. After about two hours, we heard it, then saw it briefly as it flew north east over the maintenance compound. It continued by wing as we pursued it on foot, continuing in its northward trajectory. Then we briefly lost it, only to find it again heading into the campground. Was it looking for a vacant campsite? Probably not, but this was the first time any of us had seen it this far north in the park, even though it was only a short flight from its usual area. Is it possible that it had spent some of its time there after it disappeared in early November? Possible, but considering the amount of time that local birders had spent combing the campground in recent weeks for late migrants, or early wintering species, it would be a bit surprising. Regardless, there it was. But it was almost constantly on the move, rarely spending more than 30 seconds in one spot before moving on in what was a large circling route. We did get some distant views of the bird, and even fewer photos, also from a distance. This first one is cropped to the equivalent of about 60X, and with the bright, bland background, is nothing more than a record shot.

It eluded us for awhile longer, but we all thought that the best chance of re-finding this bird was to stake out the area immediately south of the maintenance compound. As the afternoon arrived and then wore on, there was likely a bit of uncertainty felt by the dozen or so birders who were committed to the task of waiting the bird out. And then it was heard, and seen where we had hoped. First it was down low over a slough and then it went and sat fairly high in an open deciduous tree branch facing us. The bright yellow belly was quite visible even against the bland sky, although binoculars were a necessity to truly appreciate it. At this point, it sat relatively motionless for about 30 minutes, and never made a sound.

It was apparent that being as motionless and silent as it was, and so high up, it would have been easily missed by even the most careful and observant birders. Who knows how often birders had walked by within view of it over the past several weeks when it was not reported?

After awhile, the bird flew downward and off towards the beginning of the Marsh Trail, and a few of us followed it as best we could before losing it again. It was seen briefly along Water Street feeding on berries before flying back towards the maintenance compound, presumably getting ready to enter its still unknown overnight roost.

It will be interesting to see if this bird can be found for the upcoming Rondeau/Blenheim Christmas Bird Count in less than two weeks. Given the weather that it has survived through already, and its omnivorous diet of berries, tadpoles, dragonflies, leeches and undoubtedly a few other things, we have no doubt it can survive. But will it be seen?

While on the lookout for the kiskadee on this day, a few other noteworthy birds were seen, including White-eyed Vireo, (Western) Hermit Thrush, Eastern Towhee, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Gray Catbird. Most were seen by only one or two others who happened to be at the right spot at the right time which is all so typical of birding. I was only able to catch up to the sapsucker and catbird, the latter species noted skulking amongst the dense honeysuckle shrubbery across from Lot 17240.

May migration is finally here!

The spring bird migration has been a little slower than most birders would like. But us birders always hope for more action!

As May began, winds swung around to the south and southwest bringing numerous birds up from points farther south.

Shorebirds are building in numbers and diversity. In this first photo are two Lesser Yellowlegs and a female Wilson's Phalarope, just two of several shorebird species seen at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons recently.

Wilson's Phalarope

As the diversity of birds increases, the number of birders does also. It wasn't that long ago that one might not encounter another birder hiking around the trails of Rondeau. For the next few weeks, it will be a lot busier!

On Thursday of this week, I spent much of the day at Rondeau. It was windy and wet, but the birds were there in good numbers. My initial target was to catch up with the Kentucky Warbler which had been seen the previous day by quite a few, and gave some incredible views and photo ops to some. When I arrived I didn't see anyone else, which did not bode well in my mind. I walked the maintenance trail loop, and it was when I got to the very south end when I saw someone I knew. It was Josh (J.B. on eBird). He caught my eye and pointed off to the east. The Kentucky was there, and in typical Kentucky Warbler fashion, spent most of its time on the ground, hopping from behind one bit of vegetation to another, and occasionally hiding behind some brush. It did perch in decent view on a few occasions, but at a bit of distance, and I only got one photo which was not worth keeping. But I have the image in my mind....I just can't share it with anyone! I found out that Denise, a fellow photographer friend, had an incredible experience with this warbler the day before. The bird essentially followed her around the very open section of the trail, giving clear, full frame photos of this rare bird. Maybe it was the camouflage clothing that Denise is known to wear......

The north end of the park was the place to be for warbler activity, especially along Water Street and the north end of the Marsh Trail. I managed to see 18 species of warbler altogether, including the likes of Cerulean, Blackpoll and Blue-winged, all of which are 'good' birds. Most surprising were three Blackpoll Warblers, usually an indication of the end of the warbler migration. Just more evidence of this spring migration being less than normal. Due to the wind and rain, I left my camera in the vehicle, so I missed the opportunity to get photos of some of these birds, in spite of them being low down and relatively close. I did get a distant shot of this Blue-winged.

Feeders are often effective in attracting birds as they first arrive in an area. The feeders at the Visitor Centre were busy, with several first year male Orchard Orioles. The second photo shows a young male a little farther along in its plumage transition, as some of the feathers are changing from yellowish to rusty brown.

There were several Baltimore Orioles....

....and several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, both male and female.

With all of the rain, some of the grassy areas were flooded. This Solitary Sandpiper seemed to enjoy this spot.

A walk through part of the campground was uneventful but I did see this Mourning Dove on a nest. The nest was unusual in that it built its own flimsy nest on top of last year's robin nest. The light wasn't great, but a close look revealed a partially grown youngster.

Other wildlife was out and about. This Common Snapping Turtle was crossing the main road.

While talking to Denise (the Kentucky Warbler photographer mentioned earlier) along the roadside from our respective vehicles, I noticed a critter scampering up a small tree. It was trying to access the shed we were beside. We managed to get some photos of this Long-Tailed Weasel in various poses, but the back-lit conditions were a challenge.

Earlier this week I went over to McKerrall Woods, just a bit northeast of Chatham. I got my first of the year Gray Catbird skulking through the tangles.

A male Wood Duck kept an eye on me but didn't flush from its high perch.

The resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks were there, with one of the adults soaring overhead letting me know it was not happy with me. This woodlot is seldom visited by anyone, so was probably surprised by my presence.

Spring wildflowers were in good display. This first one is Dogtooth Violet, a.k.a. Trout Lily, a.k.a. Adder's-tongue.

Spring Beauty

Red Trillium

 I was pleased to see this next one: a yellow form of Red Trillium. It is quite rare. I only know of four locations of it in Chatham-Kent.

The weekend is here, and it looks promising for birds and other things.