The joys of exploring open wetland areas

 I don't recall ever being on a roller coaster in my earlier days, but these last few weeks and months seem like I am on one now. Lots of ups and downs, sometimes with little or no warning, as I wrestle with the passing of Marie. Nonetheless, I have been out roaming around bits of the natural world when the mood and weather seem appropriate. Of course the heat and humidity is always a factor, at least for me. Even though I grew up on a farm in southern Chatham-Kent, I don't seem to have minded the heat and humidity as a youth working on the farm. But as an adult, I never seemed to be able to tolerate it all that well.

One of my favourite go-to places reasonably close by, is the Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail. It is quite open, with great views of various bird species and usually a bit of a breeze to make the weather more comfortable. It is one of the better spots to see and photograph Great Egrets, which nest at some of the cattail islands just out in the lake. I usually see at least half a dozen on my outings.

They also nest in the marshes of Walpole Island, which is off in the distance from the best vantage point of the trail here. The view point at the end of the gravel trail, where I took this next photo from, is higher than the surrounding wetlands, giving some great views of the marsh as well as Lake St. Clair.

There are some dead trees, which at times can be well-stocked with migrant swallow types, especially Purple Martins. There are lots of martin houses in the area, and as the nesting season is over and their autumn migration is soon to come, they gather in large numbers to feed on the numerous flying insects, but take time to rest on these dead branches.

On one of my recent times along this trail, I got a fair whiff of skunk smell. I didn't think too much of it at first, since skunks are native to the area. But as I got a little further down the trail, I noticed a bird in a tree in the direction the skunk smell was coming from. It was a Great Horned Owl, sometimes called a skunk owl, since they don't seem to be bothered by the smell, and will prey on them from time to time. This owl had undoubtedly had a recent experience with a skunk.

Upon a closer look at the photo on the computer, I noticed this owl did not have any sight in its right eye.

With the openness along this trail, it is great for getting good views, and even some good photos of the creatures hanging out in the area. Another member of the swallow family, is Barn Swallow shown next. There are always a few, but not anywhere near the numbers exhibited by the Purple Martins.

A Belted Kingfisher or two can often be seen, although they are quite reluctant to let anyone get very close.

Out over the lake there may be a few different gulls and terns, especially in spring and fall. Caspian Terns, shown in the next two photos, are becoming more plentiful. They don't breed in the immediate area, but frequent the area as they hunt for small fish to capture from the relatively shallow lake these days.

In the cattails, one will often hear Marsh Wrens. On occasion one will even come into view for the camera!

More likely to be seen are Song Sparrows.

Eastern Kingbirds are scattered around in small numbers...

...and there is usually a Green Heron skulking around the edges.

Another favourite spot to check out is St. Clair NWA, which has a great trail meandering through the ~240 ha wetland. Birds are present in good numbers, but not always within decent camera range. That may change over the next few weeks, as migrant waterfowl will be passing through, and many will take refuge in the NWA from the hunting pressures occurring in nearby marshes. However other things with wings include butterflies, such as this Black Swallowtail.

...and lots of Monarchs and the similar looking Viceroy, shown next.

Wildflowers such as Blue Vervain, next, are plentiful...

...as is the rarer Field Thistle, sometimes called Prairie Thistle, and is a Species At Risk. Since most of what used to be known as Dover Twp, north of the Thames River and adjacent to Lake St. Clair used to be tallgrass prairie prior to settlement, there are pockets of prairie vegetation persisting in places like SCNWA. Prairie Thistle looks very similar to the much more common Swamp Thistle, but is a paler pinkish purple in comparison.

Sandhill Cranes can be seen regularly. One of the best times to see and hear them is in the early evening, as they return from their daytime feeding in fields, and spend the overnight hours in the marsh. I typically see 20 or more, and they will continue in reasonable numbers for the next several months.

  A Northern Harrier, a.k.a. Marsh Hawk, patrols the marsh, followed by an Eastern Kingbird which doesn't approve of its presence.

Another wetland wildflower, and also a Species At Risk is this next one: Swamp Rose Mallow. It can be quite abundant in these marshes along Lake St. Clair.

I did make it to Rondeau on one occasion, hiking along the Marsh Trail. It has always been one of my favourite parts of the park, but in recent years the trail has taken quite a beating with the high water. It is still hike-able. Bald Eagles can be seen fairly regularly, as there is at least one nest out along the edge of the forest and marsh. This eagle, a sub-adult, was perched in a nearby dead tree and was surprisingly tolerant of me along the trail.

Another one was seen flying by, although it was flying away and didn't give me the photo op that I would have liked.

Elsewhere I stopped in at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons on my way home from Rondeau, in part to see a few shorebirds that are becoming more numerous. But this long-staying male Canvasback got my attention, and although it was well out close to the middle of one of the ponds, enabled me to get a couple of photos. Canvasback are more of a western species, although they pass through in good numbers on migration. Summer records are not unheard of, but quite unusual.

I did see a few shorebirds, but they were a bit skittish. Perhaps it was due to a Peregrine Falcon hanging out in the area, which put the shorebirds to flight periodically. This Lesser Yellowlegs was one of the more numerous species, with at least a dozen seen, and it gave me a good photo op.

Waterbirds, and the fastest animal on the planet

 There are lots of waterbirds on the move these days. While I have been out looking at rare orchids and other plants, that will wait for a later post.

I've been to St. Clair NWA recently, as it is not far from home, and if I choose a time or a route where there is no one else, it is extra pleasant for my tastes.

There is an ongoing presence of the aggressive and invasive Phragmites along the trail, which is somewhat unfortunate in that it obscures the view into the extensive wetland. But with the associated more natural vegetation along the way, there is lots of insect activity to be found.

Monarchs were abundant and most of the ones I saw were looking quite fresh.

This similar looking one, a Viceroy, was looking pretty worn.

There were a few crescents. This one is likely a Pearl Crescent, owing to the tip of the antennae not appearing to have any orange.

I thought this colour of a grasshopper was unusual. It might just be the relatively common Carolina Grasshopper.

Not an insect, obviously, but a critter that feeds on insects is this Leopard Frog. They were quite numerous along the trail.

There were quite a few swallows on the wires along the roadway, such as this Barn Swallow, considered a Species At Risk......

...and also along the trail and road entrance were a few Prairie Thistle, another Species At Risk.

One thing the Phragmites and other vegetation along the trail allows, is a closer approach to somewhat open areas in the dense cattails so as to get a relatively close view of the numerous Great Egrets scattered throughout the wetland. This first one was almost too close to focus on. This NWA, and almost any large wetland along Lake St. Clair, is one of the best places in Ontario to see this species. Of course it helps that there are at least a couple of egret colonies within a short flight distance of the NWA.

Once they get startled away from their feeding area, they may take up a spot in a more distant cluster of trees or shrubs, keeping an eye for when the coast is clear.

When they are startled from their feeding spot, they may circle several times affording some great photo opportunities.

Maybe if the water levels are appropriately lower over the next few weeks, there will be quite the spectacle of over-night roosting egrets, like this that occurred for several weeks in September and October of 2012. There were close to 150 birds using this spot. This photo was taken a few minutes before sunrise, using a long exposure. The birds were almost completely motionless. It is one of my many favourite memories of SCNWA, and I had a nice 24" X 8" canvas print made up of this photo.

Other large wading birds offer similar photo ops, but they aren't usually as numerous to begin with.

Great Blue Heron

Sandhill Cranes used to be quite a novelty to be seen in southwestern Ontario other than on migration. Fortunately it is a species that has increased considerably in the last 2-3 decades, and so are a regularly seen species throughout the breeding season.

Sewage lagoons are popular for shorebirds. I've been to the Blenheim lagoons several times lately, as there has been a good variety of shorebirds, including some rarer ones. For example a young Red Knot has been seen periodically. I didn't get any photos of it, but here are the ones I managed to shoot.

 Baird's Sandpiper were one of the rarer ones. It stood out with its wing tips extending beyond the tail. The long, slim wings really stood out when it was in flight.

Least Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs greatly outnumbered their larger relatives.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Pectoral Sandpipers were present in small numbers.

This young Ruddy Turnstone was a bit unusual. They are more often found along sandy shorelines of the local lakes.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Sandpiper

There were lots of these sandpipers, with probably at least 75 or more around the lagoons in variable sized groups.

One of the highlights was not a water bird type at all, but at least one Peregrine Falcon, formerly an endangered species. It would be high in the sky, and then almost out of nowhere, come swooping in and flushing some shorebirds, hoping one would be vulnerable to be picked off. I didn't see it catch anything. Perhaps it was just practicing.

It was hard to keep the focus locked on to the falcon as it sometimes flew low and fast. This species is the fastest animal on the planet, as they have been known to dive at speeds of over 300 km/hr! But of all the shots I took, I managed to get a small number with satisfactory results.

Non-shorebirds were not fazed at all by the falcon. These two Midland Painted Turtles were soaking up some sun.

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