Kayaking with a camera through some Lake St. Clair wetlands

 Earlier this week, I finally got around to doing something that I had planned to do for quite awhile. Procrastinating, for whatever reasons, is a human trait, I suppose. I won't bore you with the various reasons I was unable to or did not get out. At any rate, after about a 5-year hiatus, I got my kayak out and explored an area I had had my eye on for quite some time. It was the mosaic of cattail and phragmites islands out in Lake St. Clair, a bit southwest of the village of Mitchell's Bay.

Mitchell's Bay is immediately north of this image. The complex of islands at the left hand side of this photo are just about a kilometre or so off shore and have always intrigued me. Anytime I scan them with binoculars or 'scope from the end of Angler Line, more or less where Waterway Camp is shown on the above photo, it seems there is a lot of bird activity going on out there: herons, egrets, gulls, cormorants, etc, etc. Is there a heronry there, and is that where a Cattle Egret has nested in the past? One or more has shown up on the mainland sometimes over a period of several weeks, in years gone by. And what happened to the colony of Yellow-headed Blackbirds that used to nest in the wetland right along Angler Line? They are still around somewhere. 

Time to find out.

This past Monday looked like ideal conditions for venturing out: moderate temperatures, light NE winds so this side of the lake would be quite calm (I'm not a white water kayaker, especially with expensive camera gear!) and sunny skies. Off I went. I would suggest that the little islands are more abundant and a bit larger now, I believe, than during the higher water levels when this aerial photo was taken. So there was more to explore. There was a constant streaming of water birds in view, as usual. Even while I was on my out, I could see an occasional one or two Yellow-headed Blackbirds heading for the mainland, so I went in the direction they seemed to be coming from. And bingo....it was only the second patch of vegetation I got to where I heard, and then saw this sought after species. 

They seemed to be fairly unconcerned about my approach, and I have often found that boats and kayaks are much more tolerated by wildlife than if I was walking by. So I paddled closer, and this is one of the first photos I got, just in case they got nervous and wouldn't let me get any closer. It is the equivalent of about 13X.

Not to worry, however. The males were busy giving their distinctive, raucous calls, and it appeared they were clearly more concerned about neighbouring males than my bright yellow kayak floating below.

I carefully paddled closer, taking advantage of the light wind propelling me a bit, and also managed a bit of directional control with my rudder. I eventually got so close that with my other lens, I probably couldn't even focus! At any rate, one or two of the males were right at the edge of the phragmites, and quite nicely displayed.

From time to time one of the females would be visible, shown below, but most of the time I expect they were busy tending to a nearby nest with eggs or young. I estimated I saw at least 20 of these birds, and the vast majority of them were males. There could easily have been twice as many. It was certainly a delight to finally get up close to where this more westerly bird species was nesting.

While I was approaching the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, I heard a Common Gallinule calling. Following the sound, I noted that one adult was at the very edge of the vegetated island, and seemed intent on something a little farther along that edge.

And here is what the adult was focussing on. A fourth bird was just out of the field of view.

Perhaps the adult was warning the young about an approaching big yellow thing, and tried to get the youngsters to get back into the vegetation. But not being fluent in gallinule-speak, I can only guess. At any rate, it didn't take long for the youthful gallinules to disappear into the vegetation, although I could track them to some extent by hearing the constant chatter of this family.

 I continued on. There was no shortage of birds to aim my camera at. Mute Swans, not surprisingly, were abundant. What was surprising was how intolerant of me and my kayak they were. Even though there were probably at least 100 birds scattered about, some with families of cygnets to look after, most of them took flight even while I was well away from them. Perhaps they have had experience with boats approaching aggressively. As photogenic as they are, this non-native species is a real menace to native waterfowl. One or two would stick around, enabling me to get this almost full frame photo.

Double-crested Cormorants were plentiful as well, with well over 100 in the area. Most were in a large raft quite a distance off, and I didn't bother spending much time with this abundant species. On occasion one would fly by, tempting me for a photo, and I occasionally succumbed.

Gulls were not plentiful. Once in awhile a Herring Gull would fly nearby, but there was no sign of any of them nesting at this island complex.

There was even an occasional Common Grackle....

....and of course a few Red-winged Blackbirds.

I noted a fair number of Black-crowned Night-Herons in the area, and along with even more Great Egrets, seemed to be coming and going to one of the larger islands.

I paddled closer, and found a way to get at least partially into the island. The water was calm, and I sat here for awhile, watching the herons and egrets come and go. This next photo was taken with a very wide angle lens. A closer look will show a couple of white birds in the blue sky. These were Great Egrets flying around, and were actually much closer than the wide angle lens would suggest.

There was even an occasional Green Heron and Least Bittern flying around the area. It seemed like there were at least two heronries, based on where the herons and egrets were coming from and going to. Add to that, there was quite a cacophony of sound, made both by the adults but even more so by the young in the nest that were clamouring for food. The thick phragmites and cattail vegetation made it impossible to see what was going on, or how many nests there might be. If I only had a drone......

A smaller island had some of the phragmites dead and knocked down providing quite a bit of potential nesting habitat for another more western species. I noted quite a few Forster's Terns flying about, with some setting in the downed mat of phragmites, so I went to investigate.

Some individuals were missing their long streamer tails.

There were several that seemed to be setting on a nest, and only got up and left when I got too close. I couldn't get close enough to see over the dead vegetation and find out whether they were setting on eggs or young.

Clearly some were exhibiting an aerial defense, and dive-bombed me frequently and at relatively close range.

Others were busy bringing food, either to a mate or to the young.

All in all, it was a very fun outing, and certainly well worth the effort. I am so glad I didn't let more time slip by before exploring this wetland complex. I didn't see any evidence of a Cattle Egret, although I never could see right into the heronry due to the height and density of the vegetation. Maybe next time.

A few years ago, I wrote a piece in OFO News, the newsletter of the Ontario Field Ornithologists, about the usefulness of a kayak in birding. Check it out at this link.

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

Some Natural Areas of Chatham-Kent, Part 3

This post will describe two areas that are publicly owned per the federal government and administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada: St. Clair National Wildlife area and the Bear Creek Unit of SCNWA.

St. Clair National Wildlife Area
Many people may have heard about this place, but it is surprising how many times I come across residents of C-K who don't know where it is, let alone having visited it. This first photo shows the location of the NWA along the east shore of Lake St. Clair relative to the surrounding landscape. There are quite a few wetland complexes along this east shore. Before settlement, the water of the lake would vary and during higher water levels, the area of wetland moved inland quite a bit. During periods of lower water levels, the wetland would be tallgrass prairie. The soils here are extremely productive from an agricultural perspective; hence much of the area has been drained and turned into farmland. Fortunately some big business corporations recognized the value of some of these wetlands for duck hunting, and acquired significant tracts of the wetlands before they were drained and converted to farmland.

 This next photo shows a closer look at the ~240 hectares (~600 acres) that are outlined in blue, which make up the NWA. This wetland is contained within a dyke system, making it less subject to the adjacent lake levels. Water levels inside the NWA are controlled by a pump system.

This was owned by executives of the Stroh Brewing Company out of Michigan until it was put on the market and the CWS acquired it in the 1970s. Even though it is publicly owned by CWS, most of it is off limits to the general public. The E in the lower right hand corner marks the road access, which goes to a small parking lot, marked at X. The red line marks the trail, starting from the parking lot, and goes along the top of a dyke.

Here are a couple of signs you will see as you enter the NWA.

The trail along the dyke is a gravel surface and in good condition. An observation tower is about a 12 minute walk from the parking area.

You will quickly notice as you travel along that this NWA is predominantly wetland.

The NWA has been identified as a Wetland of International Importance. This post is particularly timely, since yesterday, Feb 2, is proclaimed as World Wetlands Day in recognition of the International Wetland agreement that was signed on this day in 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, and has since been referred to as the Ramsar Convention. Sites that have been nominated and accepted as qualifying sites are known as Ramsar sites.

The larger, more extensive complex of wetland along the Lake St. Clair shoreline that SCNWA is part of has also been recognized as an Important Bird Area. Waterfowl was one of the main reasons big businesses acquired many of these wetlands decades ago. The area is where two waterfowl migratory flyways overlap, and the shallow water of the lake as well as the shelter of the extensive marshes have always been of great importance to migrating, as well as nesting waterfowl. Tundra Swans pass through the area in large numbers.....

....as do Canada Geese, some of which will stay most winters.

There are tens of thousands individuals of two dozen or more other species of waterfowl that migrate through, and typically 10-15000 will remain all winter.

Of course wetlands are important to more birds than just waterfowl. There are about 235 species of birds that, to date, have been identified here. Many marsh birds, including Great Egrets, use the area. Great Egrets don't nest in the NWA, but do so in the extensive wetlands of Walpole Island First Nation, at the north end of the lake. But dozens of them will use the NWA for feeding and resting. In fact when the water levels are low enough, sometimes more than 100 of them will roost overnight later in the season, as this next photo shows.

This photo, showing part of the roost, was taken about a half hour before sunrise, with a telephoto lens and a slow shutter speed. Fortunately when the birds are still in their roost, they are quite motionless, enabling the slow shutter speed to work.

The early morning hours or late evening hours are sometimes the best time to visit, as the wind is quieter and wildlife tends to be a little more active. One can also enjoy some very nice sunrise or sunset conditions.

There are other birds as well, some quite common such as this Common Yellowthroat.

Some rarities migrate through, such as this Nelson's Sparrow, a small and very furtive bird that probably passes through in small numbers annually, but is seldom seen.

Then there are extreme rarities, such as one of the few records of Vermilion Flycatcher for Ontario, found late in the season one year in the early 1990s, but did not stick around for the Christmas Bird Count. Another rarity was a July appearance of a White-winged Dove in the early 2000s.

Plants are a big part of a wetland. Cattail is the most dominant emergent species, but at times the open water areas are covered with Fragrant Water Lily.

A somewhat similar looking species is this much rarer and larger American Lotus. It isn't officially rare, but could be. It is limited largely to a few wetland areas of Chatham-Kent and Essex.

A legally rare species is Swamp Rose Mallow.

It is quite colourful, and may grow up to two metres high in shallow water, and is most visible in late July through August. It can be quite abundant in some of the larger marshes of Chatham-Kent and Essex, although it does grow in much smaller numbers in other municipalities of southwestern Ontario.

There is much more that could be said about this wonderful natural area, but why not go out and explore it for yourself?

Bear Creek Unit of SCNWA
 This site is even less known than SCNWA, and very few people explore it. However it is even less accessible, since the only public viewing is from along the municipal road (Bear Line) that crosses part of it. Nonetheless, there can be some interesting sightings here. This first photo shows the general area. Most of the wetland in the photo is part of the Bear Creek Unit. The blue line marks the north end of Bear Line which can be either driven or walked. It follows between the edge of the wetland and the channel of Bear Creek, and ends at the Chenal Ecarte, a.k.a. The Snye, overlooking the wetlands of St. Anne's Island, part of the Walpole Island First Nation.

The wetland view from the road.

It is a great spot to see a Bald Eagle, a pair of which has a nest just downstream a short way.

There is also a good chance of spotting Sandhill Cranes, which nest in the area, and feed in the marshes.

Turtles are frequently seen, such as these Painted Turtles, but also the rarer Map Turtles.

Waterfowl, such as these Hooded Mergansers, can be found....

...as well as the handsome Ring-necked Duck.

Along the large channel of The Snye, and the adjacent wetlands, can be found nesting Forster's Terns at times, although they used to be a lot more common before the invasive Phragmites took over.

The end of the road looking out across The Snye can be a great spot for sunset photography, too.