Rondeau....naturally photos

The 2017 Rondeau....naturally calendar is hot off the press. I just picked up some from the printer late this afternoon, and I will be delivering them to the Friends of Rondeau bookstore tomorrow (Saturday, May 7).

It is a 13 month calendar. Here are the photos (please note that the © P. Allen Woodliffe shown on most photos here does not appear on the actual calendar).

The cover photo was taken from the fishing tug harbour at Erieau, looking at a sunrise over Rondeau Bay and Park

Cover 

The January photo shows a Giant Swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from a Wild Bergamot along Harrison Trail.

January

The February photo shows an attractive part of the Tuliptree Trail in late May, as it crosses ridges and sloughs to the interior part of the forest.

February

The March photo shows a water-filled slough along Bennett Avenue after a late winter snow storm has passed through, leaving wet snow clinging to the trees.

March

The April photo shows a Leopard Frog with inflated vocal sacs, as it tries to attract a mate. A cluster of eggs previously laid by a female is nearby.

April

The May photo shows an endangered Prothonotary Warbler reflected at the water's edge along the Tuliptree Trail. Rondeau has been the Ontario and Canadian stronghold for breeding Prothonotaries ever since they were first discovered nesting in Canada here in the early 1930s. It was none other than Jim Baillie, ornithologist from the Royal Ontario Museum who was on a field trip to the park who made this noteworthy discovery.

May

The June photo is a closeup of a gorgeous Tuliptree Flower. The Tuliptree is the unofficial flagship tree of the Carolinian Life Zone, and it is abundant at Rondeau. Here they can reach 35 metres in height. The largest diameter one I have measured recently was 125 cm.

June

The July photo is a closeup of Michigan Lily, a beautiful orange flower that can be found in the oak savanna habitat and along the edges of open oak forests.

July

The August photo is of a Great Egret flying against the blue sky. It doesn't nest at Rondeau, but is a frequent summer and early fall resident. Its closest nesting colony is at Walpole Island, about 70 km away at the north end of Lake St. Clair. Another nesting colony is on the islands in the western basin of Lake Erie.

August

The September photo is of a Midland Painted Turtle, the only turtle species in southern Ontario that is not officially 'At Risk'. Turtles are cold-blooded, as are all reptiles and amphibians, and this one is basking in the sun so that the sun's warmth will assist with the turtle's physiological processes.

September

The October photo is a close-up of an Eastern Chipmunk. Chipmunks are favourites of many visitors, (as well as many predators)!

October

The November photo shows a pair of Sandhill Cranes lifting off from the marsh. This species was quite rare in southern Ontario until a few years ago. It is now a regular breeding species here, with one or two pair breeding annually in the Rondeau area.

November

The December photo is of the very rare yellow form of the Red Trillium. Red Trilliums are not nearly as abundant in Rondeau as White Trilliums are. The yellow form is extremely rare. In almost 50 years of exploring rich deciduous forests, I have only seen this on two occasions, and one plant has occurred at Rondeau for at least the last 3 years.

December

A bonus is the January, 2018 image of one of Rondeau's most popular mammals, a White-tailed Deer. Deer are antlerless in the winter, and have a greyish brown fur coat. By spring, the winter fur will be shed, leaving them with their reddish brown fur coat.

January, 2018

So stop by the Rondeau Visitor Centre and check out the informative displays as well as the diverse array of books and other items available at the Friends of Rondeau bookstore. And while you are at it, take a look at this calendar. It might even make a good Mother's Day gift!

An early start to a long weekend...

....literally. I arose at 4:30 a.m. to get to Erieau well before sunrise to catch the best light which I find is a half hour before the official sunrise time. I had done the same thing yesterday, although in spite of the weather radar indicating that there were minimal clouds, the entire sky was cloud covered, with only a hint of lighter cloud right at the horizon. So I sat in the car overlooking the Erieau harbour, and sipped my drive-through coffee on the one hand wishing I had stayed in bed, but at the same time enjoying the peacefulness at such an early hour.

But today was considerably better.....the sun actually put in an appearance! My favourite times are when there is some high cirrus clouds to reflect the rosy sun about 30 minutes before it peeks above the horizon, but today it was almost totally clear, with just an orangey hue. If you look closely, you can see that the lighthouse is 'on'.

10 second exposure 20 minutes before sunrise

However when the high clouds aren't present, then some shots immediately as the sun is appearing can be quite attractive.

0.8 second exposure

There didn't appear to be any birds of special note in the Erieau area, so I headed to Rondeau, hoping for some good light on a Red-headed Woodpecker's nest. At such an early hour, however, it was shaded by the nearby cottonwood trees. I did manage to get a photo of one of the adults out taking a short break from foraging for insects.

I wouldn't have minded if the woodpecker could have made a dent in the mosquito population.....they were quite feisty, so I spent a bit of time along the east beach enjoying the light breeze and the golden sunlight at the early hour.

The pioneer grasses are hardy.....they have to survive the extreme elements from intense cold and dessication in winter to intense heat in summer, not to mention the abrasive action of wind-blown sand. But eventually some pioneer trees appear, especially these Eastern Cottonwoods.

Later I went to the Tulip Tree Trail, just because I wasn't far away and there wasn't anyone else around. I was hoping to detect nesting activity of the local pair of Prothonotary Warblers. I took a few shots of the mossy upturned tree root. The mosquitoes, in spite of all the water around the trail, were not nearly as bothersome here.

While shooting this scene, I heard something slogging through the water a short distance farther along the trail. I checked it out, and watched three deer busily munching on aquatic plants. The closest one was no more than 10 metres away, and by moving slowly, they didn't seem to be bothered with my presence at all.

An event I had to be at in Chatham required me to leave Rondeau before 9 a.m......some days I don't even get to the park until 9, so it seemed odd to be leaving by then.

And now the long weekend is here, although for us retired folks, it isn't any different than any other weekend except some of my favourite places are more crowded :-)......enjoy it, everyone, and Happy Birthday Canada!

Tulips....on trees.....

....and other notable Carolinian tree species in southern Ontario.

The Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is the unofficial flagship tree species of the Carolinian Life Zone (CLZ) of southern Ontario. The CLZ extends more or less south of a line from about Grand Bend to Toronto, give or take a bit.

And this is the time of year for Tuliptrees to be in flower. The one in my back yard had its first flowers open up on June 3. In some years, they will open even in the last week of May. At Rondeau, with its proximity to the cooling effects of Lake Erie, the average flowering period begins on June 8. In my recent visits to Rondeau, I suspect that it may be a week before the first flowers appear.

From the photo below, it should be clear how this magnificent tree got its name.

This is actually one I took in 2013. The flowers at the lowest and most accessible part of the tree are not yet in full flower.

The Tuliptree grows tall....really tall, and quite straight. It is one of Ontario's tallest trees, growing on occasion to 33 metres or more. However in the heart of its range, Appalachian country, it regularly grows to 50 metres, and on occasion to 60. I recall reading about one specimen in the Smokies that was 67 metres (220')!

The next photo is of what is locally known as the Three Sisters, three Tuliptrees along the.....are you ready for it....the Tuliptree Trail!

This photo which includes my wife will give a sense of scale.

And the view from the bottom.

Tuliptrees need a fair bit of sun....they are not a shade tolerant species. Being as fast growing as they are, they make use of an opening in the canopy to outgrow slower species. As you can see, most of the foliage is at the top where the most light is. Of course the flowers are there as well, which is why you seldom see them. Sometimes the first clue that a tree is in flower is when you see one lying on the ground. Squirrels climb the trees and nip off the flower buds, but some of the flowers tumble to the ground.

They produce a huge amount of seed. But in most years the viability of the seed is extremely low. Germination rates of barely 1% are not uncommon.

There are a few other notable Carolinian tree species in flower now that I will mention.

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is often seen on urban and rural properties. In the spring, it is one of the most impressive flowering trees, and it is native to Canada. Not very many people realize that it is native. However it has that status due to a specimen that noted botanist John Macoun collected on Pelee Island in 1892.

If you are driving through most states not too far south of the Ontario border in late April, you will see this species along roadsides, especially adjacent to woodlands. The next photo is one I took several years ago in Shenandoah National Park at the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The pink/magenta clusters of flowers are truly impressive. I took these about a week ago.

Another rare Carolinian tree is Pawpaw (Asimina triloba). As recently as the 1960s, Chatham-Kent was noted as the stronghold for this species in Canada. It occurred in other CLZ counties, but not as abundantly as in C-K. The extent of upland woodland habitat and the rich soils were perfect for it. Given the loss of woodlands in C-K especially in the last couple of years, I am not sure how many of those populations survive, but that is another story.

The chocolate-maroon flowers are very distinctive, and are open right now, just as the leaves are starting to develop. It isn't a species that occurs at Rondeau. The closest population to the park is along Sinclair Line, especially along the roadside adjacent to the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority property at Sinclair's Bush.

Closely related to Tuliptrees is another member of the Magnolia family.....the Cucumber Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata). It is an endangered species, and grows primarily on the sandy soils of Norfolk County with a much smaller population in the Niagara Region.

There are other Carolinian tree species which may be the subject of another post at a time when they are flowering, so stay tuned!

Here and there in southern Chatham-Kent

Over the past couple of days I've been to Erieau, McGeachy Pond, Blenheim Sewage Lagoon and Rondeau, all of which are my regular places to visit in southern Chatham-Kent.

At McGeachy Pond I saw my first-of-year (FOY) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher near the west end parking area. These little guys are constantly on the move, often in shrubby places, so are hard to photograph. This male, although very active and getting the occasional spider as shown here, did spend a bit of time in the open for me.

At the Erieau Rail Trail nearby, I heard my FOY Virginia Rail and Sora, but neither of them showed themselves.

The main channel of Erieau had a few individual ducks, but the only thing I photographed was one of about 6 Caspian Terns that flew up from the tip of Rondeau when a Raccoon came along. Forster's Terns were also in the area.

At the Blenheim Sewage Lagoon, there were at least 80 individual shorebirds in the sprinkler cell, but only Dunlin and Pectoral Sandpiper that I could find. There were lots of Ruddy Ducks and Bonaparte's Gulls and a few other ducks....no Eared Grebe yet! I also looked for Lapland Longspurs, which sometimes are around in April and they look very impressive in their breeding plumage. Maybe next visit....

Dunlin

Pectoral Sandpipers

A brisk SE wind was blowing at Rondeau, so I spent most of my time on the more sheltered westerly sections of the park. The area behind the maintenance compound had the usual Eastern Phoebes....a pair of them usually nest on a ledge of the maintenance building, so I expect this pair to be around for awhile. The picnic area had a pair of Eastern Bluebirds.

And I got my first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the spring, feeding on insects which themselves were feeding on freshly opened flowers of a Silver Maple tree.

The Marsh Road looked inviting, but there is still quite a bit of snow in several places at the north end. The first couple of hundred metres or so aren't too bad, but farther along, there must be at least 3 feet or more of snow in drifts on the trail. Maybe next time.....

The Spicebush Trail was my next stop. Rusty Blackbirds, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Wood Frogs and Leopard Frogs were all seen or heard. The sapsucker shown below doesn't have its red crown, so must be a moulting young bird.

A walk along the Tuliptree Trail followed, where I was hoping that some of the sheltered sloughs there would have insect and bird activity....maybe even a Louisiana Waterthrush! There were only a couple of people that came by during the hour or more that I spent along the trail, and although one could still hear the sound of the waves in the distance along the southeast beach area, it was very still along the trail.

There were lots of Rusty Blackbirds, probably at least 30 in all, but they were spread out and moving around, so it was difficult to get a good count. They disperse readily when people are in sight, so I sat in a less conspicuous part of the boardwalk bench and waited for them to return, which some of them did, giving me some distant shots.

Female Rusty Blackbird

Male Rusty Blackbird

There were lots of creepers and an occasional sapsucker, but no Lousiana Waterthrush that I could detect. Maybe next time.....

In the later afternoon, the light at the Visitor Center feeders is best, so I checked them out. The new pond is fully functioning, so hopefully it will be a lure for birds, even though there is currently lots of water in forest pools. American Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were all plentiful, along with a few Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches and Red-winged Blackbirds among others.

I saw one of the very few Red-breasted Nuthatches I've seen all winter. I'm not sure if this is one of the few over-wintering birds, or a migrant.....my guess is probably the latter.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are regularly found here, but it is always amusing to see their acrobatics when at a peanut feeder!

Common Grackles are, well, common. At least a lot more now than they have been for awhile. I always find their intensive stares, when looking head-on, fascinating.

As much as I enjoyed this outing....I'm already looking forward to 'next time'!