October wind, waves and more birds!

 October can be one of the windiest months of the year. When strong east type winds occur, I like to get out to Erieau and watch the power of the waves hitting the pier.

It can be impressive, to say the least. One must be careful with the camera to protect it from wind-blown sand and spray. The first two photos were not taken this October, but on another occasion when the conditions were just right for these photos. Maybe later this month, or when the gales of November arrive, I will be photographing there again.

I did get out to the southern part of Rondeau a couple of days ago, and the wind direction was from the south, and brisk. This next photo shows the wildest ones I was able to get. Nice, but nothing like a strong east wind at Erieau.

Rondeau is the place to be almost anytime of the year, but I particularly like it in the autumn. The changes happen steadily. It was only a couple of weeks ago when most of the forest looked like this next photo.

Just a couple of days ago, the changes were quite obvious, as shown next, but in the next week or two, the colours will be much more dramatic.

Birds have been steadily arriving, and departing, as they should. Blue Jays have been passing through in large numbers, and making good use of the abundant crop of acorns on many oak species this year.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are by far the most common warbler species now, and with a good crop of berries on things like Red Cedar, have lots to keep them happy while they build up reserves for the next leg of their southward journey.

White-throated Sparrows are increasing in abundance......

...as are Rusty Blackbirds. It is a species at risk overall, but can be reasonably common for a short time in the autumn.

One of the most common members of the thrush family is the Hermit Thrush, next.

There are some lingering species, such as this Eastern Phoebe, a flycatcher that has to deviate from flying insects once the cold weather arrives. However with the impressive hatch of midges in the last week or so, there is lots of food for flycatchers in the short term.

Lots of the summer sparrow residents have gone, to be replaced by the autumn/winter species, but sometimes some of the summer ones linger, such as this Chipping Sparrow. Of course the weather conditions haven't been all that bad yet, so there will be a few species and individuals reluctant to move any farther south than necessary.

Robins, with their diverse diet, will stick around for quite awhile yet, even well into or over the winter.

I had intended to stop at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands to look for, and hopefully photograph, one of the Nelson's Sparrows that is currently there. However since I neglected to return the flash card to the camera after having downloaded the images from the day before, my camera was not functional! Oh well, live and learn (I hope!). Maybe this coming week I will have my act together better, and it will coincide with a cooperative Nelson's Sparrow or two. One can always hope, since this species can be quite elusive even at the best of times.

I've been to St. Clair NWA and the Mitchell's Bay lakeshore trails a time or two recently, partly because they are closer to home than Rondeau. With much of the habitat in these areas being wetland, it is not surprising that quite a few Swamp Sparrows can be found.

An occasional Eastern Phoebe may be lingering in the shrubbier areas close by.

Rusty Blackbirds, a species that prefers wet woodlands and similar habitat types, will be around.

Sandhill Cranes continue to be in the area. Their yodeling calls can be heard from quite a distance, enabling a photographer to get ready if they come close enough.

On one occasion I saw at least a dozen in the area in about an hour's time in the late afternoon. Overcast skies do make it a bit more challenging to photograph.

A few Great Egrets continue to be seen. Their numbers are diminishing but as long as there is open water, a few may continue to be in the area. I have even seen up to three in early January in the past!

The Lake St. Clair Marshes are well known for attracting waterfowl, and therefore hunters. In fact it was in part due to hunt clubs of the past to protect some of these wetlands over the years, and we are enjoying the benefits of those efforts nowadays, even while some private wetlands continue to be used by hunters from both sides of the border. Due to no hunting at St. Clair NWA, it is a great place to observe the huge numbers of ducks and geese making use of this protected wetland. On one occasion recently, I saw anywhere from a few dozen to a thousand or more birds in the air all at once, and it was like that continuously for most of the hour and a half I was walking the dyke trail.

I will be out again, to be sure!

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Migration ramps up, bringing some rarities

 It is a busy time of year. Lots of birding to do, lots of photographs to process, and lots of garden preparation to do, among other things. I've been able to squeeze a few trips out to natural areas amongst the other things, and although the bird migration has been a bit slower than birders would like (surprise, surprise), it has definitely been fun to get out. 

Visits to Rondeau are always worthwhile. Warblers have been scattered and not in any great numbers, but that is bound to change soon. Many that do show up are hard to photograph against a bland sky and through branches, so more have been seen than photographed. When they are low down, I have a chance, as this Nashville Warbler and Yellow Warbler illustrate.

Getting ready for take off!

There are lots of sparrows, such as this Field Sparrow, shown next, a local breeding species. I missed an extremely cooperative Henslow's Sparrow. White-throated Sparrows have been by far the most common sparrow, but often are furtively scavenging amongst the branches and leaves on the forest floor.

One or more Northern Mockingbirds seem to be taking up residence at the north end of the picnic area. Maybe it will be a breeding species this year, so that will be nice to add to the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas currently underway.

Swainson's Thrush is the most abundant of the Catharus group of thrushes these days.....

...and a few Veerys are showing up.

I have seen more Red Foxes lately, or maybe it is the same one on more than one occasion. This one decided to take a rest in a shrubby thicket, which made focusing tricky.

Eastern Chipmunks are plentiful, and occasionally will cooperate for the camera. I try and oblige.

I've spent a bit of time along the wetlands of Lake St. Clair, including at St. Clair NWA as well as the nature trails north and south of Mitchell's Bay. It has been very worthwhile. At SCNWA there are still some Ring-necked Ducks hanging around.

Canada Geese are quite common, not surprisingly and sometimes give some quite nice photo ops.

There were several young families out swimming around, with adults keeping a close eye on the surroundings.

What is a wetland without Red-winged Blackbirds! There are dozens and dozens.....

....and also lots of Swamp Sparrows, but they are much harder to get in front of the camera.

Occasionally one will be sitting up and trilling away, advertising its territory.

Right beside the observation tower is a broken off cottonwood, with a few holes. The top gives a good perch.

One can hear the 'witchity witchity' of the Common Yellowthroat regularly, but getting a photo as they skulk through the cattails, is another challenge.

Persistence sometimes pays off a bit.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are not confined to woodland areas. It is not uncommon to see a few in the shrubbery at the edge of the wetlands....

...while the occasional Palm Warbler will be hopping along the trail.

 

 

Birder along the SCNWA trail

Farther north, along Angler Line and either of the Mitchell's Bay Nature Trails also gives some worthwhile viewing and photo opportunities. Bald Eagles are almost a guarantee, with typically anywhere from 3-5 seen from various vantage points...

...and sometimes flying relatively close by. There are at least 3 active eagle nests within a relatively short flight, so it is not surprising that with the gradual increase in the eagle population these last couple of decades, the species is commonly seen.

 

Great Egrets nest in a colony at Walpole Island, a short distance away at the north end of Lake St. Clair. They also likely nest on the cattail islands out from Mitchell's Bay, so they are frequently seen feeding nearby.....

...or in flight from one feeding location to another.

 Along the trail, you can see coyotes! But not to worry, they won't harm you. They are signs that the neighbouring farmer has put out to presumably give the local Canada Geese reason not to venture onto the field and start eating the newly planted crops. I'm not sure how effective the signs are, as I did see geese on the field, but not right close to the signs.

The slightly lower water level has allowed for some mud flats to be exposed. From a distance, I could hear this Greater Yellowlegs quite clearly, and loudly, but from a distance I had a harder time seeing it. The yellow legs helped!

This Killdeer was not difficult to see at all.

A bit of a surprise was to see amongst about 30 Mute Swans, this first year Trumpeter Swan. Trumpeters are still quite a novelty in Chatham-Kent, but as the population slowly expands across southern and central Ontario, it will become a bit more common here, I expect. This one stood out with its still grayish feathering on the body and neck. It was at least as large as the nearby Mute Swans. The wide black area in front of the eye stood out...

...as did the slightly pointed feathering at the top of the beak, unlike the rounded feathering of a smaller Tundra Swan.

While I was in the Mitchell's Bay area, I got a couple of texts, first from Steve C, and a bit later from Jim B, alerting me to the presence of a White-faced Ibis that was along the Erieau Rail Trail. Jeff T had discovered it earlier that morning, and the word was put out. Instead of stopping at home in Chatham, I went as quickly as I could to get to Erieau. There were about 15 others there, and a fair number had already come and gone after having seen this rarity. It wasn't all that close to the trail by the time I got there, so a reasonable telephoto lens, and lots of cropping and processing of the digital images was required. Some folks who got there earlier had closer looks. However I shot a bunch of images, many of which were not all that great, due to the general cloudiness and back lighting, but here are a few that I kept.

It looks quite similar to Glossy Ibis, but the key differences are: 

-a white band all around the eye; the Glossy does not have as extensive a white line;

-the eye is dark red, not almost black;

-the bill is gray as opposed to brown.

Under less than ideal viewing conditions, it can be a challenge to distinguish between the two species, but with 'scope views, and photos that can show the differences, it can be determined that this is indeed a White-faced Ibis, and as far as we know, only the second record for the Rondeau checklist area.

With migration underway, what will be next????

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