Bird Action Increases!

We've had some very nice late winter weather, making it feel more like spring every day. But the forecasts look like things will slow up a bit, which is likely a good thing. Nonetheless, with some warm weather, brisk southerly type winds and lots of sunshine, it has spurred more activity amongst our feathered friends.

It was only a few days ago (March 2) when I took this photo of the piles of ice along the Rondeau shoreline.

In a matter of just a few days, that ice had all but disappeared. 

Waterfowl continued to pour in to the open waters of Rondeau Bay and even the local sewage lagoons. The warm, southerly winds caused most of the Tundra Swans to depart, although some continue to linger. The Greater White-fronted Geese that showed up periodically at Ridgetown over the last week or so seem to have left, but up to 15 Snow Geese were still there earlier this week. Snow Geese are much more of a novelty here than in extreme eastern Ontario, where tens of thousands of them pass through both spring and fall. This first photo shows all Snow Geese, including a single blue colour phase individual, and a single Tundra Swan.

This close-up shows a difference in size between two individuals. I had hoped the smaller one might have popped its head up, to see if it showed any characteristics of a slightly smaller Ross's Goose, but it remained in this sleeping pose. Then, as I was photographing something else, all of the Snow Geese took flight, although I don't think I 'shot' the smaller one in any of the several photos I got. It may have been a hybrid between the two species, which is known to happen with some regularity.

Rondeau Bay attracts thousands of waterfowl. In the last few weeks, Tundra Swans have been in impressive numbers, but most have left and it is dominated now by ducks. They are often too far to photograph, let alone get a good view of, but as was the case yesterday, several rafts of both Canvasback, shown next, and Redhead, were close enough to make the attempt. Note that there is a single American Coot at the far right of this photo.

Since several pairs of Bald Eagles have been observed at the early stages of nesting, with an adult sitting on the nest presumably incubating one or more eggs, I went part way down the west branch of Rondeau's South Point Trail to check out the nest there. It is barely visible from a limited part of the trail, and a 'scope is really useful. This next photo shows a white head sitting above the nest, so it would appear that this pair is also into the nesting cycle. This photo was taken and cropped to about 45X, so not easy to see or photograph.

While I was there, I had three cyclists stop by and I gave them a view through the 'scope, and as they were leaving three young fellows came by and also got a look. None of them had seen an eagle's nest in the park before.

The sunshine has definitely triggered some increase in activity amongst the smaller land birds, and yesterday I was treated to a fair bit of activity in the campground area. I got several firsts of the year, including Tufted Titmouse (they are year round residents, but not always easy to find)...

...a couple of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers......

..and two Yellow-rumped Warblers. It is likely they were over wintering individuals, although there had not been any reports of them in the Rondeau area for several weeks.

I also had a single Evening Grosbeak perched at the top of a cottonwood tree, but it was seen from a distance and before I could get even a distant photo, it flew north. They were quite frequently seen in mid to late autumn last year, and presumably this is one that was on its return to the boreal forest region.

Other, regular winter residents cooperated nicely for the camera.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Cardinal

House Finch

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker, male

Downy Woodpecker, female

Elsewhere in the park, I came across several Turkey Vultures. They will be a regular occurrence from now on....

....and three Killdeer.

This Eastern Screech Owl is showing up in its usual beech tree a bit more regularly.

I came across this Virginia Opossum along the Tuliptree Trail.

The Spicebush Trail did not have much birdy action, partly because the brisk westerly winds had them hunkered down, or elsewhere. I hadn't been around this trail for several weeks, and noted that since my last time around, a large Silver Maple had come crashing down across the boardwalk, likely due to one of the strong easterly wind events.

On one occasion while returning home, I saw this Striped Skunk scampering along the edge of a field. Normally you don't see skunks out in broad daylight and so far from any cover, although as they emerge in the warming days of spring, they may forage farther afield. A closer look at this individual, however, shows a diseased or damaged left eye. I did use a telephoto lens, but still got fairly close to get these photos. I made sure that the wind was blowing in the skunk's direction, just in case!

Birds, and other wildlife, of course!

Even without some of the 'best' spots to spend time in these days, there is lots of wildlife to see! I have continued to get out, safely without seeing many other people, so all is well. Certainly one of the highlights so far are the three American Avocets, as shown in my updated header, with a single bird below. It is certainly one of the most striking of shorebirds, especially in its breeding plumage this time of year. The fact that it is large, and fairly rare for this part of Ontario, makes it all the more appealing. The three of them were discovered yesterday at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands, which is looking good again this year for water birds given the high water conditions.

I spent a bit of time just outside of Rondeau, since the park itself is still closed, and there was a nice variety of things, including my first Baltimore Oriole of the year.....

 ...there were at least three Blue-grey Gnatcatchers flitting about, making photography a challenge.

 Brown-headed Cowbirds are typically detested by birders and non-birders alike. I am not a big fan of them, but they are native, and have managed an interested strategy for long-tern survival. This is a female.

 Hermit Thrushes are fairly plentiful these days, with a few of the other thrush species starting to appear.

 House Finches are often in full song.

 Ruby-crowned Kinglets are darting every which way looking for something to eat. I often don't bother trying to photograph them as they are constantly on the move, but occasionally one is a little more cooperative, remaining in one spot for a fraction of a second.

 Tufted Titmice are not often seen, but these days they can be pinpointed more easily since they are in song.

 White-throated Sparrows are fairly common these days as they scrounge amongst the leaf litter looking for something to eat. This particular day, the ones I saw were all back lit, making the photos less vivid.

In other locales, there have been a few other birds to enjoy. While American Robins are quite abundant these last few weeks, I came across this one near Paxton's Bush. The speckled nature is the result of the partial loss of pigment in the feathers. There is a recent article in the Ontario Field Ornithologists publication Ontario Birds, which features a variety of species that have shown this phenomenon.

 Also at Paxton's Bush, I have recently seen Blue-headed Vireos....

 ....and Black-throated Green Warblers.

 A flooded field is always worth checking out. In addition to several Wilson's Snipe on this occasion, I also found three Pectoral Sandpipers.

 All of the expected swallow species have been back for awhile, and Purple Martins are gathering at martin houses. There is an easily accessible martin house at Mitchell's Bay park, where I shot the male and female shown here.

 Turkey Vultures are frequent. I haven't caught up to a Black Vulture yet this year, but I keep looking.

 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are quite regular these days.....

 ....and Chipping Sparrows are common on lawns and other short grass sites.

I photographed this Chipping Sparrow while I was waiting to 'shoot' a Red Fox. I had been notified of a fox den on a piece of private property that I had access to. The first evening I was out, I watched and waited for more than two hours, without seeing the fox. I did see more than 20 species of birds while I was standing waiting. But the second time I went out, after an hour and a half, and just as it was getting very dull, the fox showed up briefly. I saw him/her for about 15 seconds and managed three photos. Since it was running through a shrubby area, the focus was thrown off, and so I only got this one photo that was worth keeping.

There are other types of wildlife to shoot at this time of year. Again, while I was waiting for the fox to show, I photographed this cottontail. Clearly it has survived being close by the fox's hangouts, at least for now.

 Eastern Chipmunks are out and about, and often fairly vocal.....

 ...as are their larger relatives.

 On the occasional sunny day, a wetland can have dozens of Painted Turtles out soaking up the sun, necessary for the egg development inside the females so they can lay them in another month.

 The Narrow-headed Marsh Fly is one of the most abundant types of syrphid flies in the spring, and throughout the year for that matter.

 Mourning Cloaks are flitting around or pausing to soak up some sunshine....

 ...as are a few Red Admirals.

 And a Great Horned Owlet, not the ones at Paxton's Bush, is growing and will soon be leaving this nest. You can just barely see it peering out at me, as I am possibly the first human this owlet had seen.

Ahhh...spring time! So much is happening, and there is so little time to catch up with it all!