Firstly, the Limpkin that had been seen by multiple birders over the past few weeks, is no longer there. Just before the cold spell where it was seen sitting in the snow, and the mystery snails it was feeding on were no longer very accessible due to ice, it was captured and taken to a wildlife rehab centre. I don't know the details, only that it is gone, hence I have taken down its header photo and replaced it with something more in keeping with the times.

Just prior to the recent cold and snowy period, I tried to get out to see what was around in the former Dover Twp, just in case a Snowy Owl was visible. Maybe one saw me, but the reverse was not the case. I did manage to photograph a field or two of Tundra Swans, enjoying the mild weather.

They seemed to anxious to move on, however, as there were various groups taking flight and heading southeast. Undoubtedly they wanted to get out of the reach of the impending storm.

Since there was still open areas at Erieau, I managed to catch up to a few things, including:

American Coot

Double-crested Cormorant

Redhead

Along my travels on this day, I swung by the Stefina Line pasture, where Wilson's Snipe are known to be. I think the day before there were 4 seen, but I only saw this Great Blue Heron trying to stay hidden behind this berry bush....

...two of the snipe, at a considerable distance...

...and a Rusty Blackbird, also at a distance and in poor lighting, hence just a poor record shot.

Dark-eyed Juncos seem to be more plentiful in various locales.

And then the snow arrived, and along with it, even a few sunny days. It was great to see a few birds such as Snow Bunting, Horned Lark and Lapland Longspur, all feeding on some partially exposed corn cobs in fields adjacent to the road way. The Snow Buntings were quite flighty, so no shots of them, just these other two species.

Horned Lark

Lapland Longspur

It is hard to know what to expect next with the seasonal ups and downs, and currently in our January thaw.

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Hints of spring

 It looks like we are going to get a taste of spring or at least a teaser, as locally, the temperatures for the next 10 days are forecast to be slightly above freezing. With the warmer day time temperatures, and the still below freezing night time temperatures, I expect that those people in the maple syrup producing business will be getting excited.

There actually have been a few hints of spring besides the weather or the progressing days on the calendar. Indeed, waterfowl have started to pair up, and their feathered plumage looks fresh and inviting. A recent check of the water outlet along the Thames River has some impressively plumaged birds.

A male Redhead, shown first, is looking dapper.

A pair of Redheads were taking a nap in close proximity to each other.

There have been at least three Wood Ducks at this spot, but this photo just shows the not-to-be-confused with any other duck species colouration. Although they are smaller than a Mallard, it was interesting to watch them act aggressively towards the Mallards, getting them to move out of the way.

American Black Duck

In spite of the Mallard, or 'greenhead', being so abundant and taken for granted, there is no question that it is a distinct and nice looking bird.

The female, shown next, is much more subtle.

Common Goldeneye, female

Hooded Merganser, female

Snow Geese are not to be expected at this location. But for one day, six of them were hanging out. There were 4 white birds and two of the 'blue' colour phase.

Even some of the adult gulls, such as this Herring Gull, are looking crisper and cleaner in their developing breeding plumage.

Other signs of spring are around. For example it is a good idea to check existing raptor nests, especially those of Bald Eagles. I checked the one just east of St. Clair NWA on the weekend, and saw a full adult at the nest. It was hard to tell if it was incubating due to all the branches, or whether it was just inspecting the nest. Regardless, other eagle nests such as the one near Shrewsbury in south Chatham-Kent have had an adult sitting in an incubating posture for several days now, so the nesting has begun for that species. While I was checking the nest near SCNWA, a 4th year eagle was soaring over the road I was on and I got a few quick photos. The head and tail are not completely white like a full adult, but it is developing as a probable 4th year bird, and 4th year birds are known to be of breeding age. It was not conclusive whether this is the mate of the one on the nest, but being as close as it was, is possible.

Another sign of approaching spring is the arrival of so many Horned Larks. There are hundreds and hundreds of them along the roadsides. They are one of the earliest migrants to return and while they aren't quite into nesting mode, it won't be long before they are paired up and establishing their territory.

In addition to Horned Larks along the roadsides and fields, there are lots of Snow Buntings to enjoy. They've got a long way north to go before they get to their breeding grounds....

.....as have Lapland Longspurs. They are not nearly as numerous as the previous two species shown.

An even more careful look at some of the roadside birds may turn up a Savannah Sparrow, a quite uncommon species here in mid-winter.

In other news, there are still flocks of geese and swans around. It wasn't that long ago that seeing Tundra Swans in winter was quite unusual, but with the shortening of winter in recent years, there are a fair number of swans that stick around. It is likely that there are at least a couple of thousand here in Chatham-Kent.

I checked out the Bear Creek Unit of SCNWA on the weekend, and the Chenal Ecarte, which separates Chatham-Kent from Walpole Island First Nation, has some open water. And there were at least a thousand waterfowl. Most were Mallards, but there were lots of Tundra Swans and Canada Geese, as well as a few Convasback, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser. The main bunch of waterfowl were not really close, and one had to look into the sun, so it is likely there were a few other species present that I didn't pick out.

It won't be long before there are tens of thousands of waterfowl arriving.

A mixed Friday & Saturday

Friday was cool, but sunny with lots of snow still around. Saturday was a mix of freezing rain, rain and heavy cloud, but warmer, causing much of the snow to disappear. I'm sure birds are confused!

A couple of hours at Erieau on mid-day Friday proved to be worthwhile. There were lots of waterbirds, in the main channel, off the south beach of Rondeau and in the marina slips. I was hoping for something a little more exotic, such as a Harlequin Duck playing in the surf around the rocks, and although there were lots of ducks there, I couldn't find a Harlequin. Lots of scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead and Am Black Ducks. But what caught my eye was a flock of shorebirds. Fortunately they landed on the western tip of the south beach, and it resulted in me counting 38 Dunlin and two Killdeer.

At Erieau proper, there was a good variety of waterbirds: a nice looking female Long-tailed Duck was swimming around. For some reason, it is not a common species towards the western end of Lake Erie.

Red-breasted Mergansers were scattered around, as were most of the other usual species. The male Redhead photo shows it passing through its autumn plumage with the brownish back and not yet into its normal winter plumage with the all grayish back. The Common Merganser is in its winter plumage as well, but in a couple of months it will be sporting a clean dark green head. The number of American Coot has dropped considerably from even 2-3 weeks ago.

Red-breasted Merganser

Redhead

Common Merganser

Ruddy Duck

American Coot

There were still lots of Horned Grebes around as well with at least 30 in view from Erieau without looking too hard.

Horned Grebe

 On the gravel surface near the marina slip, there were several American Pipits, which are abundant across southern Ontario these days, as well as Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and a few Lapland Longspurs.

Horned Lark

Lapland Longspur

My next stop on Friday, and my first stop today, was in Rondeau. The Visitor Centre feeders were not exceptionally busy, but had some of the regular species (e.g. Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch and White-throated Sparrow) as well as a good sized flock of Pine Siskins. At one point I estimated at least 100 siskins at the feeders or in the vicinity.

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

On Friday, with snow still covering most things, the plowed scrapes along Lakeshore Road proved worthwhile. There were American Pipits (8), Fox Sparrows (4), as well as the more common American Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays. A female Wood Duck was scavenging along the road, surprisingly. I suspect it was looking for acorns.

American Pipit

Today, the scenery was different. There were still lots of pipits here and there, but in the rain, cloud and heavy overcast, they were more challenging to photograph.

American Pipit

At the corner of Bennett Ave and Harrison Trail, I had a brief look at a Northern Goshawk, my first of the fall. But no photograph.

Near the parking area between the tennis courts and the traffic circle were more pipits, and three Killdeer. A closer look shows the rain droplets on the bird's back.

Killdeer

At a feeder just north of the campground, there were three Fox Sparrows mixed in with the juncos, sparrows and cardinals.

In the campground, birds were scattered in a couple of small groups. One group had several Golden-crowned Kinglets, three Ruby-crowned Kinglets and 5 Black-capped Chickadees busily searching for food in a snowy, weedy patch.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

A bird that is usually around, but often difficult to find, is Chipping Sparrow. This one was entirely by itself, and I almost missed it.

Chipping Sparrow

At least I didn't have to be concerned with over exposed highlights off the snow today!