Rondeau, then and now, Part II

 A few weeks ago I decided to share some photos of what Rondeau Provincial Park was like several decades ago. It seemed to get a lot of interest, so I have decided to do a second post.

Rondeau was known for its forest values even back in the 1800s, and was at least part of the reason it was established as a provincial park in 1894. The U of Toronto forestry class came to visit periodically. This first photo is one of the class members standing beside what was the biggest tree known for the park at the time, a Sycamore, which measured about 155 cm in diameter. This was dated 1908.

It was situated within sight of Rondeau Road, just a bit south of the current Spicebush Trail entrance and on the west side of the road, so it was relatively easy to keep track of it. Unfortunately it died in about 1968, and fell over in about 1972. This next photo show what it looked like in 1988.....

.....and in 2014....

....and in March, 2020.

With the continued decomposition of this massive tree, and the ongoing falling of branches of other trees, plus the growth of many new saplings, it is next to impossible to find any convincing sign of it now.

The park's vegetation wasn't always so lush. Deer were always a part of the ecosystem, and a crowd-pleaser for the public. The area just south of the maintenance area, adjacent to Harrison Trail, was set up as a deer enclosure, so visitors could always see one or more deer, and even feed them.

The increasing deer population outside the enclosure was eventually playing havoc with the vegetation. Deer culls were regular, to keep the population at a healthy level. But for political reasons at the time, the cull was stopped for several years, and the population expanded considerably. As the winter population approached 600 animals, the vegetation was severely impacted, with browse lines showing up everywhere. This next photo was typical of what much of the forest looked like in the late 1970s. The food availability decreased as you might expect.

Well meaning individuals would bring buckets of corn to spread along the road sides, making it look more like a feedlot.

If you drove slowly along the road, rolled down the window and put your hand out, you sometimes got deer coming right up to you! Clearly they were hungry. Some deer thrived, as this monster buck shows. It is a12 pointer, and had a massive neck, the latter likely due to the rutting season. I took this photo from my vehicle window along Harrison Trail, and the buck could hardly be bothered even looking at me it was that sure of itself and it status in the park, at least amongst the deer population.

Eventually a cull was re-instated in the mid-1990s, and ever since, the deer population is lower but much healthier now, as is the forest vegetation. Compare the third photo above, with these next few.

Harrison Trail

Harrison Trail

Black Oak Trail

Changes occurred in the area of the marsh as well. There was a single lane road established in the late 1950s to provide access for marsh maintenance as well as for duck hunters, but not open to public vehicles. It made a great hiking and biking trail. In four different locations, an observation tower was erected. They were quite handy to get a view of the marsh. Two of them were still accessible in the late 1970s. Here, I photographed one of my staff members enjoying the view and sunset.

They eventually got to the point of needing to be taken down for safety reasons. They were all well out along the marsh trail, and not all that accessible unless one was willing to bike or hike for quite a distance. So in the 1990s, this more elaborate one was established much closer to the trail entrance, only about a kilometer or so away. It was quite popular......

...and gave this kind of a view of the marsh, shown below, looking south. But to anyone who has been out along the marsh trail in recent years, the base of this observation deck was damaged by ice, and with the ongoing increase in water levels, the structural safety of this tower was in question, so it was removed as well. Given the sad state of the marsh trail over the last couple of years with the wash-outs, etc., it isn't surprising and the trail is officially closed. Quite sad to know it has gotten to this stage, as the marsh trail was one of my all-time favourite places to explore at Rondeau.

Related to the natural history theme, there have been some other changes as well. Nature interpretation became popularized in the 1950s. Since Rondeau had, and still has, a major natural history theme about it, a former ice house was converted to be the first museum.

It was located in the area more or less across from where the picnic area and swings are currently located. The next photo shows R. D. "Dick" Ussher, the first park naturalist, who was the driving force behind all things nature in that era. He was the park naturalist at Rondeau from about 1954-68. His education was focused on forestry, but in reality he was interested in many things of nature. I remember going on a guided hike with him out what was known as the 'Eagle's Nest Trail' when I was in about Grade 3.

He was also the driving force behind getting a new, modern museum, and the building shown below was opened in 1963. I started working there as a summer naturalist while attending U of Guelph in 1973, and continued after University as the park naturalist up until December, 1985.

The photo below is what it looks like in early 2023. The insides have undergone major changes since that time as well.

Just like in my early school years, school class hikes and nature education was offered regularly, any time of the school year. Here is what part of Tuliptree Trail, which starts at what is now the Visitor Centre, looked like. The boardwalks over the wetter spots were pretty basic, but functional.

In all of the hundreds and hundreds of school kids we took out on the trail, I don't think we ever had a student fall off into the water.

Kids would enjoy getting on their bellies and peer into the water, or whatever was below. These photos were taken in the 1970s and 1980s.

Fast forward to the mid-1990s, and extensive new boardwalks were installed, complete with railings. Kids don't have the ability to get down closer for a look, but I expect the teachers are a little more comfortable with taking their class across the slough areas.

Jumping back to a much earlier time, in the really early 1900s, you might have been able to spot an elk roaming around the park. An elk, you say?? Yep.

At the time, wildlife exchanges were not unheard of at all. In a previous post I mentioned about some of Rondeau's black squirrels being shipped off to Washington, D. C., where the colour of squirrels there were predominantly grey (and both blacks and greys officially are referred to as the Eastern Grey Squirrel) And a few Algonquin area deer were sent to Rondeau early last century. I'm not sure where this elk came from but it was present at the park for a few years, and known as Tommy the Elk. 

Going back in time even further, here is a scene from Erieau, looking across the channel to the lighthouse at the tip of the Rondeau peninsula. It was probably in the late 1800s, as the pier was initially build in the mid to late 1800s.

That lighthouse no longer occurs there. You can see that there were several buildings associated with it,  as part of the lighthouse operation, no doubt. The story goes, as I heard it anyway, is that the Harrison Trail that runs the length of Rondeau was the route that Thomas Harrison took as he traveled through the park and out the south beach to manage this lighthouse. That was at a time when the sand spit was connected to where that lighthouse was located. It would be at the north end of the channel, where the white V is shown in the next photo. I took this aerial photo in April, 1989, and clearly the tip of Rondeau has become separated from the short pier where that lighthouse was situated. It had been separated for quite a few years before, and was the result of decades of erosion caused by the main pier interrupting the water currents. But that is a topic for a whole other post or two.

At any rate, this is what the current view is from the same general vantage point.

Thus ends Part II of the Rondeau story. Maybe there will be a Part III.

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Marsh Madness

 Ok maybe it wasn't really madness, except by the time I got finished with my 14-15 kilometre trek to the very south end of the marsh trail of Rondeau and back, carrying camera, telephoto lens along with binoculars, my legs and feet were feeling a bit mad. I hadn't been out to the very end of that trail for months. The weather yesterday was inviting, to be sure. It was sunny, relatively mild, and with the easterly type winds, it wasn't as exposed as it would have been with west winds. So off I went.

The first part of the trail is mostly washed away, but with the currently lower water levels, the path is relatively easy to traverse at the edge of the water. There are some ups and downs. As the trail progresses, there is a fairly firm path for awhile, and you get the sense that all is well. Once you get past the former main parking lot half way out, that changes. The trail is on a berm, that was dredged out to create the adjacent canal, back in the late 1950s. And with the high water of late, and no maintenance for at least a few years, the muskrats have been having a hey day. As much as one wants to keep eyes focused on what birds, etc., are to be seen, one also has to keep a close eye on the path. There are numerous areas that have sunk in. Those aren't really the main problem, however. The real problem is when what looks to be a relatively solid part of the path on the surface, doesn't have the underground support to make it safe. There are always a few times when the foot comes down and starts to sink. At that point, you have to be aware that your foot could sink 5 cm or 50 cm. I've had both happen, and when you are looking off for birds and the ground gives way, it certainly gets your attention, especially when carrying expensive camera gear.

But care and persistence can be worth the risk and effort.

There were lots of ducks on the bay; thousands of them, probably at least ten thousand, but most were way beyond camera range. There were several rafts of Canvasback relatively close and I caught a few in flight.

There were lots of scaup, both lesser and greater, but only a few lesser were close enough to attempt to photograph.

 About half way to the former parking lot, I noticed an adult Bald Eagle in a tree. It seemed to be content to watch as I walked by. It probably hadn't seen too many hikers lately in its territory.

I was a little surprised to see this adult so far from the known nest which is much farther south. The nest that is visible along the marsh trail already had an adult in the nest, and another close by. The only thing I can think of is that there is a second nest not far from where I saw this bird, but in a location that is not easily visible from any trail. That happens, as I have seen other nests in the past, that are only visible if you get well off any trail and follow a ridge or slough. At times there have been three pairs of Bald Eagles actively nesting in the park, but at the moment, only the one nest is visible.

I saw several other Bald Eagles on this trek, probably at least 6 birds altogether, including three sub-adults like the one in this next photo.

Hawks were not plentiful, but there were a few, including a Northern Harrier off in the distance, as well as a couple of Red-tailed Hawks, one of which circled overhead well enough to allow me to get this photo.

As I approached the beginning of the trail on the raised berm, I had heard some bugling of Sandhill Cranes. Fortunately for me, a pair were just across the canal, and were tolerant of me long enough to get past them for better light for photograph.

But I guess I lingered a bit too long for the photos of these cooperative birds, as after a few minutes, they took flight for other parts of the marsh.

The rest of the trail was not as productive, at least not for many new things. I did see this Tundra Swan skulking in the cattails. Presumably it was not feeling well, and was content to hide. It hadn't moved a bit when I returned.

I saw my first Dandelion of the year, looking a bit rough, but there it was.

I also saw my first Eastern Garter Snake, sunning, but it slithered off into the grasses before I could get a photo.

And this is the view of the south beach, with the lake beyond, from the southern end of the marsh trail...

....and looking east towards the forested part of the park.

The trek took about 4 hours, and I was glad to get back to the vehicle. I only saw three other people on the trail the entire time, and none of them even half way out. It was an excellent day, with a good tired feeling at the end of it.
 

Rondeau/Blenheim Christmas Bird Count 2018: a terrific day

The Rondeau/Blenheim Christmas Bird Count is now history. And a bit of history was made. Although we didn't quite set a new record for species observed on the day of the count, at 114 species we missed by one. However we added a new species to the overall count: a Baltimore Oriole which had been seen sporadically prior to the count period, but stayed frustratingly absent until yesterday, which is still within the count week, so it is now added to the overall list of 192 species.

My day started out (not so bright and) early by arriving at Rondeau to try for owls in the pre-dawn. Although the wind was calm, suggesting great conditions for calling and hearing them, the residual wave action from brisk northeast winds the day before interfered quite a bit. I only heard two Eastern Screech Owls although there might have been more that heard me.

I met up with my two birding companions for the day, Josh and Jodi, at the Visitor Centre and off we went, driving the west side of the South Point Trail to the south beach. I was fortunate to have both Josh and Jodi with me for their camaraderie as well as their younger and superior eyes and ears

I always spend a bit of time first thing scanning the lake for waterbirds on the move. Sometimes there isn't much movement, but today was an exception. Aside from the usual mix of scaup and mergansers, we had White-winged Scoters and an amazing 18 Red-throated Loons. The loons were not exactly surprising, as up to a 100 had been seen off the east beach in previous weeks. But since there are only a couple of records of this species for the count (two I had seen back in 1981, and another two last year) it was noteworthy indeed.

From a previous day

Combined with those that others saw in their respective territories, our count total of about 70 red-throat individuals was a terrific start to the day.

The walk out along the south beach was certainly one of the best days in the 30+ years I have been doing this area. Some years it is inaccessible due to snow, ice, howling wind and strong wave action battering the fallen trees lining the lakeshore. Today it was amazingly pleasant being sunny with very light winds, and temperatures nicely above freezing. The south beach is a narrow strip of sand that (usually) separates the marsh and lake, at least when the high water levels haven't breached the sand spit causing a brisk and steady flow of water back and forth. There was very little wave action, making trekking along the beach on either the marsh or lake side very easy, which is always important as we cover the approximately 7-8 kilometer hike to Erieau and back.

Small birds were few and far between, although we did get things like Marsh Wren and Swamp Sparrow. One of the goals of this bit of territory is to see the diversity of waterbirds tucked in at the marsh/bay interface. We ended up with 21 species of waterfowl, including the only Northern Shoveler on the count. Other highlights included two Sandhill Cranes, two Belted Kingfishers, four American Coot, a single Great Blue Heron and a single Snow Bunting.

photo from a previous day

Our return to the start of the beach walk was highlighted by none other than a hatchling Northern Map Turtle, struggling against the waves.

photo courtesy of Josh Pickering

It is possible that some earlier wild wave action dislodged this little fellow from its winter hibernation site buried in the sand somewhere along the beach.

A brief stop at the Visitor Centre at mid-day turned up things like American Goldfinch and White-throated Sparrow.

Our next area to target was the Marsh Trail, and in particular the southern parts. As is sometimes the case, birds were noticeable by their absence, although we did see lots more waterfowl on the open water of the marsh.....

.... and get things like Bald Eagle. We ended up with five eagles for the day.

On the return to the trail entrance, we added a few Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a single Pileated Woodpecker, among other species.

Josh and Jodi tracking down birds

With the main part of our designated territory finished, and being now at the north end of the park, we decided to spend a bit of time searching for things like the White-eyed Vireo and Great Kiskadee. The former had already been seen briefly by others, but the latter species remained absent. Our walk along the southern side of the maintenance yard cedars was initially quiet, and I pointed out where I had seen and photographed the vireo just a few days earlier. And there it was again, in exactly the same spot.

A couple of other birders were nearby looking for it, so we got their attention and the white-eye kept us occupied for several minutes.

After a while, our group dispersed while Josh and I headed to the north side of the maintenance yard where the kiskadee had sometimes been seen in days gone by. A few minutes later we decided to head to the campground where the kiskadee had also been seen from time to time. On the way over, while Josh was facing me in conversation he stopped while looking over my shoulder exclaiming 'there is an owl'. I quickly turned and looked. It was probably only 50 metres away and low in a deciduous tree. It was a large owl, but clearly not a Great Horned. It only took a split second for both of us to conclude it was a Barred Owl! This was totally unexpected, as there are only 4 previous records for the park checklist area, and none since 1981. After getting a few photos, we quickly texted some other birders.

It was late enough in the afternoon that most had already finished their territories, so were able to arrive fairly quickly. The owl was on the move, however, and by the time the ten or so birders showed, it had moved into the campground. And there it was found again, at one point having picked off an Eastern Grey Squirrel which had undoubtedly never had any experience with Barred Owls (and would never have another!).

So although we didn't luck out with the kiskadee, the Barred Owl was certainly a bonus bird even though it was not a new species for this count, having been recorded on one previous occasion.

The Great Kiskadee continues to be absent, not having been seen or heard since December 9. It is interesting to know that one had shown up in recent days in Indiana, so perhaps it has made its move towards a more likely part of its range. Or maybe 'our' kiskadee will reappear somewhere in the Rondeau area, since it has a habit of disappearing for several weeks and then reappearing for a week or two. Time will tell, but for now, I have replaced my header photo of the kiskadee with the latest celebrity, the Barred Owl.

A final note: in addition to the Northern Map Turtle we saw, I heard that others saw Eastern Garter Snakes and Eastern Comma butterflies in at least a couple of different places on this warm and sunny day. Certainly not the kinds of things one expects to find on a Christmas Bird Count, but I guess here in the banana belt, we should expect the unexpected!