"Only" birds here and there

 In spite of the winter, there have been opportunities to get out, go for a long walk, explore and even get a few photos to feature the season.

A recent eBird post indicated a Snowy Owl had been seen not far from St. Clair NWA. Since I was heading out somewhere anyway, I decided to swing that way since it was only a couple of hours later. Unfortunately, even with slow and careful viewing, the owl was not to be seen. It wasn't reported by anyone else either. But I did get photographs of a few other things while I was in that vicinity.

Sub-adult Bald Eagle

As I crossed over a wide creek, I noticed this Great Blue Heron standing on the ice, waiting for....something. Maybe spring????

A little further down the channel, was another one. At least it was standing in some water. I am amazed that in spite of standing in almost freezing water, on ice, it apparently doesn't seem to bother them. And even farther down the channel was a third heron.

In a field nearby, were 7 Sandhill Cranes.....

...and a few Tundra Swans flew overhead.

But no Snowy Owl to be seen.

An outing at Rondeau and area didn't produce a lot to photograph, but there always seems to be something. 

White-throated Sparrow

It was bright/heavy overcast, which didn't produce great lighting for a mostly dark House Finch perched on a branch against the sky. It seemed to be busy feeding on the numerous berries of some of the Red Cedars in the campground.

A Hairy Woodpecker was busy searching for insects.

American Tree Sparrows are relatively common, or at least somewhat regular at the moment. They often travel in small flocks.

A single photo gives a good view....

In other odds and ends, there are often Canada Geese somewhere around...

...or a Ruddy Duck...

...or even a Red-tailed Hawk.

No butterflies, insects, or plants to photograph these days, but at least there are a few birds!

 

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Early January (mostly) birding

 Certainly one of the most sought after local birds over the last couple of weeks is the Harris's Sparrow. It is a species that shows up quite irregularly in this area, so as this one has been predictably popular, there have been many dozens of birders out to see it. On one occasion there were so many vehicles lined up, it was hard for local travelers to pass through.

It hasn't always been easy to photograph. On my first attempt, it was a sunny day, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the bird was almost always along the fence row at the side of the road, and behind grasses that were in a constant state of movement due to the wind. Therefore the camera's focus as well as the backlit conditions made it almost impossible, and this next photo was the best I could get.

Fortunately on another day, it was cloudy bright, and the sparrow sat up on a rail for long enough to get the first couple of unobstructed photos.

It was accompanied by a good mix of other winter time sparrows, including White-crowned Sparrows and others.

Before it got too snowy and cold, I managed to capture a few other things, such as one of four American Robins I saw on an outing at Rondeau....

....the Barred Owl at a nearby conservation area, which has been there for several weeks but roosts unpredictably and is often not found by the searchers.....

...from 1-6 Killdeer hanging out at a small unfrozen area at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands....

....a few Sandhill Cranes...

....and a Snow Goose. All nice things to add for the season.

As is usual for the time of year, in spite of the colder than average temperatures, a bit of the water in the Erieau vicinity remains open. Lingering waterfowl continue to hang out, at least for now. At first the birds are well out in the open water, as they are undoubtedly still cautious in being too close to human activity due to the continuing waterfowl hunting season. This first photo shows a mix of typical ducks, including Ring-necks, Scaup sp, Redhead and a good number of American Coot, the latter of which technically is not a duck.

Mostly American Coot

As the cold continues, waterfowl are forced to be closer to shore, much to the delight of viewers and photographers.

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Greater Scaup

Certainly one of the primary ducks to look for in the Erieau area in the last week or so has been not one, but three Harlequin Ducks. Finding them is no easy task, as they are often across the channel and sometimes tucked in with the rocks out of view. These three are females, so not nearly as colourful as the males, but still a great species to find and photograph. I had been out looking on a couple of different occasions, including one time when there were hunters set up across the channel amongst the rocks, and the only 'ducks' I could see were decoys. The other real ducks were widely scattered and the Harlequins were not visible. However on my most recent attempt, I managed to see all three close together where the marina joins the main channel.

Among other species were Redhead....

...and Ruddy Ducks.

While out looking for Short-eared Owls, I found one or two, but was not able to get a photo. But I did manage to get a distant photo of this Rough-legged Hawk busily hunting in the same area....

....and some Wild Turkeys were feeding in a field near the Ridge Landfill. Backlit a bit, but salvageable.

I will finish up with some odds and ends. For anyone who is a regular hiker at Rondeau, you will notice that the Tulip Tree Trail has been partially closed for several weeks. The park staff have been busy making some much needed repairs in some sections. But now as one approaches the trail, parts of it look like this:

And a closer look:

For anyone interested, the American Birding Association has selected what species will be its 'Bird of the Year.' It is the Common Loon, a species well-known to Canadians!

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Late November, early December highlights

 In spite of the warmer than normal weather in late November, one doesn't expect to see swallows still around. However Cave Swallows, if they are going to show up in southwestern Ontario, have a habit of showing up after the majority of the others in that family have gone south. Such was the case when I got a text message saying that a Cave Swallow was at the Erieau pier. Since I was almost ready to head out somewhere anyway, it made the decision of where to go very easy. 

As I got to the main channel, just as I was getting parked, I saw this swallow scoot by, heading for the pier that juts out into the lake. Bingo! And as I glanced towards the base of the pier a minute or so later, I saw 4 people looking intently at something, so with camera in hand, out I went. 

And there it was, resting at the edge of the lower section of the pier, trying to keep out of the brisk wind. You can tell by its posture and fluffed up feathers it wasn't really enjoying the cool wind.

It seemed quite tolerant of us. Every few minutes it would get up and fly around, and sometimes flew by almost within arms reach, before returning to the edge of the pier.

However after awhile, it got up and flew east towards Rondeau, and we never saw it again. What a great sighting in late November! This swallow species seems to show up quite regularly in small numbers. I have had one to five of them at Erieau on at least 3 occasions, and along the east beach of Rondeau.

I've been able to find, and photograph, other species which, although they are much more common, are always a delight to see as well. Here are some of the highlights.

Bald Eagles always get ones attention, especially a fully adult bird with its distinctive white head and tail, and its fierce look if one gets a close enough look.

The above bird was in a tree right along the roadside near St. Clair NWA and it didn't seem to be concerned when I got out and aimed my camera at it. The next photo is of a bird that was well out from the trail at Keith McLean Conservation Area, and it flew off as I got within several hundred metres of it.

On one of my several visits to Rondeau, I photographed some smaller, land birds. A Hermit Thrush, not all that common this time of year but usually there is the occasional one lingering, was feeding on some berries at the side of the trail.

Its spotted upper chest area and the rusty tail are good indicators to separate this species from others in its genus.

Northern Cardinals are year-round residents, and the males really show up well with their bright red plumage.

Less brightly coloured but perhaps even more attractive with a more subtle, warm brown plumage, is the female cardinal.

Not a small bird, of course, but Wild Turkeys are regularly seen in their family groups. There were four others in this group, but I just zeroed in on this one for a full frame photo.

Elsewhere on my Rondeau travels, I photographed some Cluster Flies even though the temperature was barely above freezing...

..and I noted this White Pine seedling also along the trail. White Pines are an important element of Rondeau's vegetation, and while they are often eaten by White-tailed Deer, hopefully some will survive to maturity. This past weekend the park was closed to the public, as a deer hunt/cull was in progress. In the absence of natural predators at the park, periodic culls are important to keep the population of both the deer, and the vegetation, in a healthy condition. At one point in the mid 1980s or so, and in the absence of any kind of cull for a decade or so, the winter population of deer approached 600! The vegetation was in horrible shape, and one winter there were about 20 deer that died of starvation and severe cold. Deer biologists that specialize in herbivory determined that the population in winter should not exceed about 125 animals.

In other travels, I have often been near wetland areas which have not been iced over. Not sure how long that will last, as it isn't officially winter for a few days yet. Waterfowl are always fun to focus on. This first photo is of a female Bufflehead at the lower left, and a female Hooded Merganser on the right.

Female Hooded Merganser

As is the case with some mergansers species, the females have a tufted head, as the hoodie shows. The next photo is of a female Red-breasted Merganser which is much larger than the hoodie.

I photographed these Ruddy Ducks at Erieau, which were taking advantage of the quiet water in the harbour area. This first one is of a male...

...and next is a female.

This next one is of a female Ruddy Duck that was not resting, but quite alert.

Typically in the St. Clair NWA vicinity at this time of year, there are lots of swans. Mute Swans, shown first, are not present in large numbers, but as long as there is any open water, are present throughout the year .

But what gets more attention due to their seasonal variation, and huge numbers are Tundra Swans. It is not uncommon to see upwards of 10000 birds in scattered flocks, especially if there is an unplowed field to feed in....

....or a wetland area to take refuge in.

Small groups are frequently seen flying from one field to another, or back to the NWA.

There are still some flocks of Sandhill Cranes reluctant to leave the area. I came across over 150 only a few days ago, in two separate areas. They were quite a way off in a field, so not easy to get the kind of photos that I was hoping for, but this is what it is.

Sometimes they are on the move as well, to a quieter or better feeding area.

And even though the main raptor migration is over for the autumn period, some raptors will be content to stick around. I was out looking and hoping for Snowy Owls, but didn't see any. However there are a few Northern Harriers, a.k.a. Marsh Hawks, around hunting in open fields or in wetland areas.

And Red-tailed Hawks, such as this immature one, are regularly seen along woodland edges and even on power line poles.

Not the greatest shot of this bird on a power line pole, but you do what you can to capture the setting!

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