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!

 

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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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