Wetland area action!

 This is a great time of year to explore wetland areas. I've made regular visits to both the SCNWA wetland, as well as the public trails through or adjacent to wetland areas in the Mitchell's Bay area. The camera has been busy!

Here are some of the things you can expect to find at either spot, with the exception of one species which I will point out.

Bald Eagles are much more plentiful than not that many years ago. Most of the time they are seen at a distance, but I managed this photo from my vehicle. 

Black-crowned Night-Herons are regular, but not frequently seen. This next photo show one in its juvenal plumage.

In fields nearby, sometimes there are hundreds of geese feeding, before getting ready to fly out to the lake for over night.

Double-crested Cormorants can be fairly abundant.

One of the highlights of my recent visits was to see this shy Eastern Musk Turtle right on the trail. When it saw me it withdrew its head.

I turned it over briefly just to get a photo of its underside. Musk Turtles are a Species at Risk, as are several turtle species, but this one is extremely rare. They do occur in the wetlands adjacent to Lake St. Clair, but are rarely seen.

Great Egrets are, of course, pretty reliably seen in most wetlands in the area, as they nest in the cattail islands as well as Walpole Is FN.

It's always enjoyable to capture a good flight photo!

A smaller heron type, even more abundant than the egret, is the Green Heron.

Along the Mitchell's Bay trail are quite a few tallgrass prairie species nicely visible over the season. One that was doing quite well was one called Cup Plant. It has been planted, as the area historically had lots of tallgrass species in this part of Chatham-Kent. It is quite rare and is one of the very few locations I have seen it in C-K. It had several Monarchs feasting on it...

Along the trails, Leopard Frogs are periodically seen out in the open.....

...and Northern Harriers are on the prowl for something to feast on.

Sandhill Cranes are seen in small groups around the fields or flying over the wetlands.

Ducks are increasing, although they are getting shyer. The regular booming in adjacent fields to scare off the blackbirds, etc., are getting the ducks wary of the upcoming duck hunting season. But for now, things like Wood Ducks are quite common and occasionally quite visible for the photographer :-).

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Wetland explorations and significant forest changes

 I have been exploring various things in forests, but most of that will wait for a future post. Wetlands, especially those in a couple of places along Lake St. Clair, are my favourites. They are open, and mostly free of mosquitoes! Although deer flies can be a bit of a nuisance; nonetheless, it is often still worth it.

Eastern Kingbirds are occupants of a variety of habitats, including wetlands. 

One of the highlights of these wetlands along Lake St. Clair is the frequency of Great Egrets. Of course since they nest at nearby Walpole Island First Nation as well as some of the outer cattail islands in the lake, gives them good reason to be nearby. Sometimes they are using the dead trees along the edge of the lake to perch in.....

...or on some of the fallen shrubs at SCNWA.

They seem to think that being up in a dead tree is safer than actively feeding in the wetland, so are more tolerant of hikers.

Green Herons are becoming more abundant, as the young have fledged. In the early summer it was unusual to see even one, but now it is common to see 3 or more, mostly in flight.

Midland Painted Turtles are less frequently seen basking, as they have already laid their eggs.

 Swamp Rose Mallow is always something to be on the lookout for. It is a rare species in Ontario, but can be quite abundant in wetlands in C-K.

Sandhill Cranes are quite regular, often in flight...

...and sometimes very close to the trail. Here a family of 4 was feeding in an open area. The two adults, with the red caps, are on the right.

Another frequently seen plant is Purple Loosestrife. It is not native, but is colourful nonetheless, and is frequently visited by bees and other insects seeking a bit of nectar.

I'm certainly not a big fan of non-native species, but can appreciate the colour they add to the wetland landscape, and the usefulness they provide to many insects.

As most of this part of Chatham-Kent was historically tallgrass prairie at the time of settlement, which has almost entirely been destroyed for the sake of agriculture, it is fortunate that in a few places such as the drier wetland edges, some remnant species have survived, or been restored. This next plant is Prairie Dock, and is a species at risk.

Of course visiting whatever herbaceous plants of shrubbery there is along the way, Monarchs will make use of it.

 

Forest Changes 

On the topic of forest changes, it relates to Rondeau, which is greatly influenced by water levels of Lake Erie.

Spicebush Trail has long been recognized as one of the best places in the park to see the wonderful diversity of spring wildflowers that flourish under the American Beech/Sugar Maple canopy. This first photo shows an abundance of Mayapple on a ridge between two sloughs with the Am Beech canopy overhead. It was taken in May of 2008....

 ...and in more or less the same spot in May, 2010.

High water levels have been an occurrence since then. This next photo was taken in early June of 2021. There are still some Mayapple showing, but the predominant plant is Horsetail, a species that thrives in very wet areas. 

And here is the same ridge in June of 2026. Mayapples persist a bit, but are being crowded out by the Horsetail. What adds to the overall problem is that the Emerald Ash Borer has invaded, killing most of the Ash trees that add to the canopy, and even more recently Beech Leaf Disease has affected many of the American Beech trees. In all of my travels in the park, I have found that BLD has affected to one extent or another, every single beech tree. Some are completely dead, but other seem to be more resistant.

 

As for the impact on the other wildflowers as the beech trees decline throughout the park, it is hard to predict, but will be worth watching.

 

At the same time, in the last ~3 years, another problem has affected the Spicebush, which has always been a dominant and important species in the shrub layer especially throughout the western side of Rondeau. It is not 100% certain as to the actual cause, but is likely something called Laurel Wilt. Normally Spicebush is so plentiful that it is almost a solid wall of greenery along the roads. However this next photo, taken in June, 2026, shows the lack of greenery on the almost solid array of Spicebush, some of which are completely dead and others just show a few leaves lingering. It was taken along Rondeau Road almost across from the entrance to Spicebush Trail.

Laurel Wilt was first detected in North America in the state of Georgia, back in about 2008. It has since spread throughout the northeast, and is spread by a small insect known as a thrips. I first noticed  the die back of Spicebush at Rondeau about 3 years ago, and thought that it was a result of changing water levels since it is a species that likes quite moist woodland habitat although it probably was present in a small way before that. However it is becoming more noticeable at Rondeau, especially in the northern part of the park. Apparently there is no cure, so it is a wait and see situation as to what the under storey will look like in the future.

 

In case you are interested, both of my books, Life on a Sandspit, and Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent, are still available. They are both available at:

Book Brothers, King St. E, in Chatham

Mindful Market and Eco Hub, Main St, in Blenheim

Bayview Market, just outside the gates of Rondeau Prov Park

Friend's of Rondeau Bookstore, in the Visitor Centre of Rondeau
 

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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