Birds, of course!

 The month of May is exciting for many outdoor folks. Wildflowers are becoming abundant, trees are coming into leaf and flower, and of course it is prime time for large numbers of birds to arrive here in southern Ontario. And while the migration depends quite a bit on the weather, resulting in some days early in May being rather birdless, at least to the liking of most birders, some days can be fairly good for abundance and diversity. I always say that the middle two weeks of May are on average, the best two weeks for abundance and diversity, but that isn't always the case.

If one is able to get out regularly regardless of the weather, one will usually catch up to a lot of species. My last post focused on wildflowers, and I will get back to more of them soon, but this post will show a wide variety of birds I have been able to catch up to and photograph over the last few days.

This first bunch will be ones I encountered up along Mitchell's Bay or St. Clair NWA. Sandhill Cranes are always fun to see, and not always easy to photograph, but I keep trying! 

With the slightly lower water levels of Lake St. Clair, there are more mudflats than most years. This first photo shows both a Lesser Yellowlegs on the left, and a Greater on the right, illustrating a reasonable comparison of overall size and bill.

Next is a Greater Yellowlegs up a bit closer.

Great Egrets are frequently seen in these open wetland areas, and often cooperate reasonably well for the camera, as long as one has a good telephoto lens.

An anchored log just off the shoreline edge is a great spot for gulls and terns to rest. It is hard to tell from this photo, but I determined after I took this photo that these are Forster's Terns. 

And a Bald Eagle or two can often be seen passing by.

American Coots are often seen either singly or sometimes in a group.

The road on the south side of St. Clair NWA can sometimes be a great spot to see a variety of birds, depending on the wind direction and speed. On the hydro wire were a few swallows, such as this Barn Swallow.

In the shrubbery, I encountered an Eastern Kingbird....

...a Gray Catbird.....

...several Palm Warblers....

....and lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Nearby were, of course, Red-winged Blackbirds.....

...and this Tree Swallow was checking out a potential nest cavity.

On another trail, there was a good number of White-crowned Sparrows....

...and a few White-throated Sparrows.

Of course Rondeau has always been one of my favourite places for a whole lot of reasons most of the year-round. However I don't like it as well in May, as it is quite crowded with birders! It seems more and more people who used to go to Pt. Pelee NP got fed up with the crowds there, and have decided Rondeau is the place to be for their spring birding. I can't say that I blame them, but.....I try and choose times when the park is a little less crowded, so I can enjoy the relative peace and quiet and still see a good variety of birds.

 

This Black-and-white Warbler was constantly on the move in its search for something tucked away in the crevices of the bark. 

 

A Blackburnian Warbler paused long enough for this photo.

This Chestnut-sided Warbler was bouncing around in some shrubbery, so the photos weren't as good as I was hoping. Maybe next time...

A Great Crested Flycatcher was trying to figure out how to consume this insect it had managed to get hold of.

Northern Flickers are fairly abundant, and can be found working on a nest cavity.

A Philadelphia Vireo stopped by for a moment. It looks a lot like a Warbling Vireo, but has a slightly more contrasty appearance, and a dark spot at the lore just in front of the eye. It also has a slight yellowish wash to it belly.

Purple Martins can be found in abundance where martin houses occur.

The number of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are increasing, and some will remain to nest.

This pair wasn't wasting any time!!

And there were lots more Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Closer to home, at least for me, is this family of Great Horned Owls. There are two young, and they have left the nest. Often they will be found resting on a branch, in the company of one of the adults, but not always.
 

More birds will be coming in a future post!

 

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Nature Nuggets continues, sort of...

 Readers of my most recent blog will understand why I have not been posting anything lately. I decided to have the month of June devoted to that single post, featuring the passing of my dear wife, Marie. It has been a difficult time, certainly like nothing else I have experienced, which isn't surprising given that we had spent nearly 48 years together.

In spite of this, I did manage to get out for short periods since she passed away, partly to re-live memories, and partly to enjoy the ambiance of nature which was so important to both of us. Also to take a break from the never-ending details that come after the death of a loved one! I purposely chose times and places where I was most apt to be by myself rather than get caught up with many other hikers who were out for very different reasons. But get out I did, and had my camera with me of course. I managed to find a few things to capture on digital film, and some of those highlights will be in this blog. Lots of common things, but worthy in their own right. Since one cannot travel through the natural areas of southwestern Ontario without coming across some less common things, I will include some of them as well.

Certainly one of the highlights, from a bird perspective, was to come across a few Dickcissels. It used to be an extremely rare species in Ontario, but in the last few years has been more or less regular.

They often sit out in the open, near a large grassy field, and sing throughout the day.

Quiet trails worked out nicely for my various outings.

...with the occasional bird song punctuating the woodland atmosphere, such as this Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Wild Turkeys are not often seen, but with a few families of young birds to add to the overall population, there are a few more to be found.

Wood Lilies often catch my eye as they almost glow in the normally dark forest setting.....

..but should not to be confused with the very abundant Day Lily, next, a non-native species that is most likely to be found along Lakeshore Road, as they have escaped from cottage lots.

Purple Flowering Raspberry is scattered along woodland trails. Even though it is a raspberry, it does not produce fruits that we find edible.

There is lots of Mayapple scattered throughout the main forested areas. As the season progresses, they may be heavily spotted with Mayapple Rust.

In the grassy areas, especially those areas which were burned this spring, Butterfly Milkweed is widely found.

There is no question that it is attractive!

A very rare species, the location of which I will not divulge, is American Ginseng. I have been watching this population for many years. This first photo shows what it looks like at about the very end of May. You can see some very small flower buds developing at the central stem.

This next photo shows what it will look like in mid to late June, on the verge of flowering.

I did not get to it this year to see it in flower. By the time I did get to it, flowering was past and fruit pods were developing. They will turn red when ripe.

Canada Anemone has been widespread, although it is mostly past flowering by now.

A non-native orchid can be found scattered in various places. It is Helleborine, a European species.

Fungi are here and there, but will be more noticeable later in the summer and early fall. This one is a White Jelly Fungus.

On one of my forays, I was walking along the road and this young cottontail was nibbling away at some greenery. It did not mind me approaching at all, as I took this photo with my 100 mm macro lens. I am not sure whether it was able to survive for long or not. Just a few minutes earlier, and only a short distance away, I had a Long-tailed Weasel scamper out onto the road. It was only there for a couple of seconds so I was unable to get a photo. But if it scented this little bunny, I am sure it would be after it in a flash, as it would be a perfect meal for this weasel.

Also in the greater Rondeau area, I spent a bit of time along the Erieau Rail Trail. There is always something to see, including Great Blue Herons...

...the inevitable Mute Swans...

..and a few Eastern Kingbirds.

Turtles abound still, although not as much as in late April and early May. Northern Map Turtles, a Species at Risk, are found regularly.

That's all for now. I have been other places, such as Clear Creek Forest Provincial Park and St. Clair NWA, but those outings will have to wait to be featured on a future post.

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