Mega bird rarities of the Rondeau checklist area

Back to the rare birds series, and here is hoping that the production of this blog post is a little smoother and less problematic than the previous post! Nonetheless, I need to do a bit of revising since some of my birding friends have pointed out some things that I should have considered in my first version. Thanks, guys!

With 365 species of birds on the Rondeau checklist, there are some birds that are extremely rare, with maybe only one or two appearances in spite of the intensity of birding there over the past century or more. There are some species that I just don't have any photos of that fit into this mega rarity category, including species such as Passenger Pigeon or Eskimo Curlew, obviously, but also others that are not extinct and would include White-collared Swift, Thick-billed Murre, Northern Gannet and Northern Wheatear. The swift was seen by a single observer. The murre and the gannet were way before my time at Rondeau, and when the Wheatear showed up, I was out in southern Alberta. Maybe someday I will get have the privilege of seeing these species and get photos as well.

But here are 17 species that I would place in the mega rarity category that I do have photos of. Some of them will appear near the end, in what I consider a "mega-mega rarity" category due to their very unexpected presence. A quick note here: as often as possible I have included photos of the birds actually seen at Rondeau, but in a few cases, which will be noted, they were taken elsewhere.

This first photo is of a Cinnamon Teal. There are about three records for the Rondeau area, and two of them are from birds that were shot during the autumn waterfowl hunt. Identification of them in the autumn is much more challenging, and it is possible that there are records that have been missed. There has been only one record of this species in the spring breeding plumage, in the 1990s. The photo here was taken in southern Saskatchewan in July, 2018, with a single bird surrounded by Wilson's Phalaropes.

There have been a few, scattered records of this next species, Glossy Ibis. In fact one of my earlier birding memories at Rondeau was seeing 4 of these out along the South Beach while on a birding trip with the park staff, back in about 1966. The bird shown here was taken in May, 2019, at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands just outside the park.

Lark Bunting, shown next, has only been recorded on 2-3 occasions. I have not seen this species in the Rondeau checklist area, but did see one in Essex a few years ago. This photo was taken in July, 2018, near Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan.

 Little Blue Herons show up in Ontario from time to time. However there have been very few records for the Rondeau area, less than half a dozen. The one below showed up along the causeway just outside the park in late August, 1982 and stayed around for a little more than a week. There have been a few records since, usually in late summer, but nothing that I have come across since 2000, where one was seen from August 26 until September 14, during which time it was reported by numerous birders.

 There have been a few records of this next species, Sabine's Gull but it is often very hard to come by. Records across Ontario are not plentiful, but with all of the waterbirds that come through Rondeau, it is a bit surprising that we only had the first record in November, 2007 following some stormy weather. I didn't see my first one in the Rondeau area until 2015, shown below. It was seen in the Erieau area, and the south beach of Rondeau is in the distant background here.

This next species, Sage Thrasher, could almost be considered in the mega-mega category. Prior to this one that occurred in April, 1981, I believe there had only been one accepted record for Ontario. I discovered this bird well out along the Marsh Road while I was trying to track down a Louisiana Heron. I did not immediately identify this bird, and even after I got several far more experienced birders to check it out, (e.g. the late Norm Chesterfield, Alan Wormington) and we all scratched our heads, did we decide it was a Sage Thrasher. The bird stayed around for at least three weeks along the southern half of the Marsh Trail, and since it was the first real opportunity for Ontario birders (and many birders beyond Ontario) had a chance to see it, there were probably well over a thousand people who trekked out to look for it. It isn't the greatest photo as it has been scanned from a slide. Due to its rarity and celebrity status, I didn't want to venture too close and risk scaring it. Of course the photo equipment I had at the time was not as high a quality as I eventually acquired. The likes of the late Dennis Rupert and Jim Flynn, both expert photographers with high end equipment, got better photos. An interesting little side story to this bird record is that because of its fairly extended presence, about a month later I had the opportunity to spend an hour or so birding along the Tuliptree Trail with none other than Roger Tory Peterson and one other Ontario birder.

 While the bird in the previous photo was the second Ontario record, Chatham-Kent, and specifically Rondeau, was to enjoy the presence of other Sage Thrashers over the next few years. This next photo was taken at the southern end of Rondeau in the early summer of 1985, of a bird that was only present as far as we know, for a couple of days. A few years later, a bird showed up in the winter in the Wallaceburg area. And in 2008, I had one on the Christmas Bird Count out on the Marsh Trail! I think I can safely say that I am the only one who has seen 4 Sage Thrashers in Chatham-Kent.

Members of the Flycatcher family are well known for their sometimes erratic migration, and they can show up most often in the late summer. Our first record for this next one, a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, was in 1987 not far from Blenheim. Another record was in the early 2000s just outside of Rondeau, which is the bird that I saw briefly. The bird shown here is of a nice adult which I photographed in southwestern Missouri in 2009, a place where they are much more likely to be seen than in southern Ontario.

There have been a handful of records for Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in the Rondeau area, but for some reason, none in the last two decades. This first photo shows an adult that appeared along a slough on the Tuliptree Trail in May of 1990 and was seen by at least a few folks.

 This next one is a photo of an immature bird that spent some time in a slough just south of Gardiner Avenue and was seen by many over the course of the day or so it remained.

 Western Grebe is a species that for some reason is not often encountered in the Rondeau area. In fact this is the only record, and it occurred off the south beach of Rondeau in mid June of 2013. I trekked out the South Beach to get this photo. It was also seen by a few birders from Erieau, but only with 'scope views. This species likely passes through on rare occasion but is just missed, as it is seen with more frequency at the eastern end of Lake Erie and the western end of Lake Ontario.

The next few bird records are what I would consider to be "Mega-mega" rarities, although it is a personal choice as some of them aren't really any more rare than ones in the first part of this post.

There are relatively few records of Black Skimmer anywhere in Ontario. I believe there are no more than three, including the one shown here. It was present at Erieau and the south beach of Rondeau for several days in September of 1981. I think the only previous Ontario record was a flyby along Lake Ontario, and only seen by one or two birders. The bird here was seen by many especially since one could drive up to the edge of the pier and 'peer' across the channel to see it surrounded by various gulls.

There is only one or maybe two records for Brown Pelican at Rondeau. I have not seen it in the Rondeau checklist area, although the one shown here I photographed in Chatham-Kent at Wheatley harbour in late August, 2013.

There is one record for Burrowing Owl, a bird which showed up at the McGeachy Pond area back in late June of 1977. It was around for a couple of weeks. I saw the bird, but did not get any photos. The photo shown here is one I took at Grasslands National Park, in southern Saskatchewan, in June of 1986.

 The following dead specimen is of Cassin's Kingbird. I found it along the southeast beach in late November of 2013. Although it is now on the park's checklist, no one can count it since it was already dead when discovered. As mentioned previously, members of the flycatcher group are known for showing up well out of their range following, presumably, a mis-direction in their migration. I seem to recall that this bird was only the second or third record for Ontario. I think there has been one since.

 Still on the mis-directed theme associated with flycatchers, this next one fits as well. It is a Say's Phoebe, a western species found in late September of 2018, in a farm yard a bit north of Erieau. Interestingly this was the second one of this species for the Rondeau area, and credit goes to the Burks, Jim and Keith, who found both of them. The first one was in another farm setting only a couple of kilometers or so east of this one. I only got some distant photos of the first one, so will use photos of this second sighting which turned out much better. Way to go guys!

I'm not sure how many Western Tanagers have been discovered in southern Ontario, but they are very few and far between. The one shown here occurred at the southern end of Lakeshore Road at Rondeau in mid-May of 2011. Fortunately it was in prime time for many birders, so although it didn't stay around for a long time, it was seen by a fair number of birders.

During the general mid-summer lull of birding, this next one was discovered in very early July of 2012. It is a Magnificent Frigatebird, and it was present in the Rondeau area for a few days. The best views were from a boat off shore of the South Beach (thanks Ric & Anne!) as it perched at the top of an Eastern Cottonwood tree for several hours. It was apparently first seen a few kilometres east of Rondeau during some Canada Day celebrations the day before. There have been a very few records of this species showing up briefly in southern Ontario in the years before and after this record. It is likely that such birds got caught up in some severe hurricane type storms that arrived from the south and got blown well north of their normal more tropical range.

Last, and certainly not least, of the Mega-mega rarities is this next one: Great Kiskadee. It is not a species known for meandering beyond their normal range of the extreme southwestern USA and Mexico and even farther south. So for this one to show up and cooperate/tease/tantalize thousands of birders for a week to ten days at a time, off and on from early September until early December of 2018, was nothing short of phenomenal. It is the first Canadian record, and since it spent its entire known time at Rondeau in the north end, including the beginning of the Marsh Trail, and the southern end of the campground, birders who put in a bit of time were guaranteed to have satisfying to excellent, if not crippling, views.

There will be a couple of articles in an upcoming issue of Ontario Birds, the official publication of the Ontario Field Ornithologists, so for any member of OFO, be on the lookout for it. One article has been written by Laura Rainbow Dragon, the finder of this incredible bird, while I have written a related article discussing a bit of background on this species and some extralimital records.

There are a few other species which I would love to feature as part of this series, including Tropical Kingbird, Black Rail, Lazuli Bunting, Gyrfalcon, Bell's Vireo, Bewick's Wren, Swainson's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Painted Bunting, etc. but I have yet to get photos of them. Perhaps in a future post if I am so fortunate to photograph them!

Red-necked Phalarope, Say's Phoebe and more

Both Say's Phoebe and Red-necked Phalarope are unusual, and therefore 'good', birds in the views of birders. The Phoebe is by far the rarer of the two, so to see both of them on the same day in southwestern Ontario was exceptional indeed.

I had spent part of the day yesterday (the 26th) doing some field work at Rondeau. I was finishing up a survey of an endangered orchid, but more on that in another post. Afterwards I checked out the Morpeth Cliffs area, since the winds seemed to be favourable for raptor migration. I didn't spend a lot of time there, but got half a dozen species. I did want to get to the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons, since the weather system with lots of wind, rain, thunder and lightning of the previous 24 hours meant that there was probably a different group of birds there.

There was a greater variety of ducks present than on my previous couple of visits, including more Northern Shovelers and Ruddy Ducks than I had seen in awhile. A female Hooded Merganser was also there. But shorebirds were what I was really looking for, and I was not disappointed. I noted 10 species altogether, quite respectable for the time of year. Included in that number were Short-billed Dowitcher and both yellowlegs species.

Greater Yellowlegs

 Most shorebirds weren't very close, but I was able to get within a reasonable distance of a few.

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Way off by itself in the southeast corner of the middle southern pond was this phalarope, spinning around, darting here and there as it picked things off the water surface. Even from a distance I could see it wasn't a more common Wilson's. But I couldn't get the ideal angle of sun and close vantage point for the kind of photograph I was hoping for. Hence I had to settle for a bunch of attempts, and the one below is one of the better ones, and highly cropped. It was a Red-necked Phalarope. One had been seen at these lagoons several weeks ago, but not for long and only a couple of people were able to see it. Therefore I was pleased to have found this one.

It was sunny but windy, making it good to find butterflies in some of the more sheltered areas. I came across a good variety, including several Monarchs, lots of Bronze Coppers, several Common Checkered Skippers and lots of the usual sulphurs and Cabbage Whites, among other species.

Common Checkered Skipper

Bronze Copper

Viceroy

I was on my way home when I got the word that a Say's Phoebe had been seen, but on a private property between Blenheim and Erieau. It was not a publicly accessible property, but I had permission via the owner to come on to it while accompanied by the owner's representative.

It took a bit of searching and I did see it very briefly as it left a tree, circled around behind a large maple and then disappeared. But it had a habit of moving fairly frequently, so after a bit more patience, we found it again not up too high in a dead tree, and in beautiful late day sunlight. I took a number of photos, of course, and this is one of the better ones. The normally salmon coloured flanks are not all that visible in this photo; the belly is nicely warmed by the late day sun.

This is the second record for the greater Rondeau Checklist area, with the first one being found 4 years previously and about a week earlier in the month.

With Say's Phoebe as well as the mega rarity Greater Kiskadee being present in the Rondeau area just weeks apart, what will be next??

A Prairie Highlight: Grasslands National Park

Those who know me fairly well, know that I like quiet, spacious and remote natural places. Therefore it will come as no surprise that Grasslands National Park, in the very southern part of Saskatchewan, is very appealing.

To many people, the prairie provinces conjure up images of fields of grain or canola waving in the wind and stretching to the horizon, and that is what does occur across much of the southern prairie provinces. Therefore to protect the real mixed-grass prairie landscape, in 1981 two sizable blocks of land about an hour south of Swift Current were set aside to form Grasslands National Park (GNP). (You can click on any of the following images to see a larger view.)

GNP holds a special place in our lives for another reason besides its quiet spaciousness. We had been here once before, slightly more than 32 years ago in June 1986.  We had been part way along on our westward trip when we got word that a baby boy was available to adopt so after a very brief visit to this new national park we returned home right way!

It was time for another visit, and this time we saw a bit more of it. The fact that it has been a little more developed than it was in 1986 made a difference as well, although the developments are such that there is little impact on the resource. The park encompasses about 350 square miles (907 sq km). We spent all of our time in the larger, west block.

A scenic trail drive for about 80 km takes one through various landscapes, with points of interest along the way. At times it seems rather bleak. But wait....what is that dark mound off in the distance?

 It turns out to be a Bison, one of more than 300 free-ranging individuals in parts of the park. Most of the herd was elsewhere, but this time of year the older bulls are off by themselves. They were very much a part of the natural landscape in past centuries, but had been extirpated many decades ago. A few were re-introduced in 2005 and the herd has done quite well.

 A telephoto lens is the best way to photograph them. For safety sake, it is recommended to stay 100 metres or more from any animal.

 This Bison was hanging out right in the vicinity of a threatened species: Black-tailed Prairie Dog. There are several colonies of this rodent here in GNP, and this is the most northerly location for this species in North America.

Their numbers have fluctuated greatly over the years, in part due to disease. The health of the prairie dog population has a direct effect on so many other species of threatened or endangered wildlife, including Burrowing Owl, Black-footed Ferret, Swift Fox, Ferruginous Hawks and Prairie Rattlesnakes.

We saw several Western Meadowlarks amongst the prairie dogs. This one had less yellow in the malar region than a 'good' western, but it was singing the western song.

 Also in the short grass were Horned Larks. At one point I noted a recent fledgling following its parent, begging for food.

The Scenic Trail crosses the Frenchman River in at least a couple of places, and that is where we were able to encounter a pair of Marbled Godwits.

Part way along the Scenic Trail is the Frenchman River campground. It is on the site of an old homestead, so even the little bit of development that occurs here is in a spot that was already disturbed from the homesteading days. It really is big sky country. This next photo shows the unserviced part of the campground, where we stayed. There were a few serviced lots nearby, but we didn't need the services and saved a few $$.

Across the way were some hills, and we watched a coyote roaming around sniffing bushes.

 A couple of Mule Deer came down from the hills and crossed the valley.

 Common Nighthawks were relatively common, even flying around in fairly broad daylight.

 Since there were no trees to roost in, it was interesting to see them roosting on fence poles, and were sometimes quite approachable. This next photo, although taken with a telephoto lens, was hardly cropped at all.

 The clouds were more visible with so much sky.

 As the sun set, the clouds took on quite a reddish-orange hue.

 GNP is apparently the darkest, Dark Sky Preserve in Canada. I had never tried night sky photography before, but got things set up and attempted it. I had to wait until about 11:30 p.m. to get some shots, and if I had waited another hour or so the results might have been better. I clearly need to refine my technique! The W-shaped constellation more or less in the centre is Cassiopeia.

Morning came early. This next photo was taken at about 5 a.m. local time.

 Mule Deer that had come down the night before were returning to the higher hills.

 A bird which appears to be a Vesper Sparrow was on a fence post. It wasn't singing and in the golden morning light, it looked a bit different.

The campground had Richardson's Ground Squirrels here and there.

 The campground office was about the only building around. Its construction was ideal for Barn Swallow nesting, and there were upwards of a dozen mud nests around it.

 Some had recently fledged.

 On the fences and elsewhere were birds such as Say's Phoebe....

 ....and Chestnut-collared Longspur.

 We eventually packed up and continued on our way around the Scenic Trail. A storm was brewing off to the north (severe weather, including tornadoes, occurred just north of the park that day) and we needed to be off. We did see several Sharp-tailed Grouse on the roadsides. Greater Sage Grouse are present in the park in very small numbers, but park staff were coy about any details.

 A Plain's Garter Snake was on the road enjoying a bit of early day sunlight.

 We saw the occasional Ferruginous Hawk atop a pole.

It was a short visit, but well worth the effort to get there even though it was a little out of the way. It is definitely on my priority list to return to, and spend a bit longer exploring the more remote parts of this fabulous national park.