Another cattle egret, a snake, a millipede and more

 If the forecasts are accurate, we will be experiencing another blast of winter in the next few days. Fortunately I was able to get out to a few places, including Rondeau, to continue some exploring of late November and enjoy some lengthy walks. I hadn't caught up to anything out of the ordinary regarding birds.....just wasn't in the right place at the right time. But there were a few of the expected species that paused long enough for my camera.

American Goldfinches are present most of the year, but many from farther north have been migrating through in good numbers over the last week or so. 

Dark-eyed Juncos are quite common, and at least some will be around all winter.

Of course Downy Woodpeckers are present all year.

I always look forward to seeing Fox Sparrows in late autumn. This vividly patterned sparrow likely will be present in very small numbers over the winter, but are often hard to find.

Northern Cardinals are another year-round species, fortunately, especially for those with winter feeders....

...as are Red-bellied Woodpeckers. They have been busy storing some of this year's abundant acorn crop in crevices in trees, in case feeders don't meet their needs.

Wild Turkeys are permanent residents and get a little more bold in wandering around open areas in the autumn when the park is quieter, looking for acorns.

There are often a few other creatures out and about. Of course Eastern Gray Squirrels are also looking for acorns and such. I enjoy watching their acrobatics, etc. This one is suspended by its two hind feet while the two front feet are handling something it is nibbling on.

It is getting late in the season for cold-blooded creatures, but just yesterday I came across this Eastern Garter Snake sitting at an open spot along the trail.

Another cold-blooded creature is this Common Pink Flat-back, a type of millipede, roaming across Gardiner Ave.

Certainly a bird highlight of recent days is yet another Western Cattle Egret, seen by many on several occasions at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands. I have seen it on at least three different days from the road, but on one occasion I decided to park there and try and get some decent photos. Here are some of the results.

This is the second time I have seen one in the last month or so. It may be the same one that moved over from its previous spot just north of Erieau where it disappeared from after a few days. Unfortunately for this individual, some recent observers have reported that it was seen to be limping, and wondered if it could be captured and taken to a wildlife rescue place. I'm not sure if that is possible, as when I got these photos, it was walking okay but more importantly it could fly quite well. So unless it ceases to be able to fly, and can survive for a bit longer given the wintry weather forecast, it will probably not be rescued. It is a juvenile, and is clearly well beyond its normal range, so it might just be a victim of its unfortunate wandering well beyond safe habitat.

In addition to Rondeau, I have been meandering around parts of the former Dover Twp, which is actually closer to home, and I always enjoyed exploring St. Clair NWA. However the NWA is closed for trail repairs until early January, so my exploring in Dover is more random elsewhere. But there have been things of interest even though the Gray Kingbird featured at the heading, is long gone somewhere. 

Tundra Swans are becoming more numerous, but often are feeding so far away from the road I didn't bother trying to photograph them. This small group was a bit closer.

 This Red-tailed Hawk remained on the pole long enough for a photo or two. While the species is a year-round resident in C-K, there are lots migrating through from their more northern range.

Sandhill Cranes are hard to find these days. However I came across a couple at the edge of a corn field just north of Mitchell's Bay on one occasion, where I was able to put my long lens with teleconverter to use to capture this one digitally.

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A rush of rarities

This last week or so has been great for birders looking for unusual species. As you may note, the bird on the header is new, as I decided to give that Great Egret a rest. Now the header features a new species for Chatham-Kent, and indeed quite a rarity anywhere in Canada. It is a Gray Kingbird, found near the entrance to St. Clair NWA. It is relatively common in the southeastern states, and sometimes along the east coast, but records for Ontario are few. These first two photos were taken on Friday, October 24.

Since the bird was quite accessible for viewing, there were many dozens of birders from many parts of Ontario, and even from Michigan, who made a special trip to see it. At times the viewing area was quite crowded, making parking a challenge for birders, and also a challenge for traffic. I didn't go back on the weekend, as it was even more crowded.

The bird continued to at least yesterday, Oct 29, when I took these next two photos, although the angle of light wasn't as good as I would have liked.

With the weather of late, it seemed to be finding enough to eat, but who knows how long that will last. At any rate, it is species #352 that I have seen in Chatham-Kent.

Another rarity, but not quite of the same scale as the previous one, is a juvenile Little Blue Heron. A juvenile is white, whereas an adult is mostly gray-blue. It was found by birders returning from looking at the kingbird, and was seen along the north shore of the Thames River, a bit upstream from Prairie Siding.

According to a local source, this bird may have been in the area for a few weeks.

Another rarity, although not on the same scale as the first two, was a Western Cattle Egret, found in a pasture a bit north of Erieau. Almost all the time this species is found, there are cattle quite close by.

 

  

 Still with the heron/egret group, there are a few of the fairly common, at least locally, Great Egrets remaining. They nest in limited places near wetlands associated with Lake St. Clair, and will persist well into the autumn season. I took this first photo from the Mitchell's Bay North Trail, and looking across the water to the south end of Walpole Island, I could see some egrets in a tree. I think it was a hunting day, so they may have decided to wait the hunters out and then return to their favourite feeding area when it was quieter.

The second photo was of a bird much closer, right along the trail.

This next photo shows the view towards Walpole Island, from the trail. The birds were visible when I took this, but clearly the first photo of the egrets was taken with a powerful telephoto lens to even capture the first shot above, and the photo was greatly cropped.

 The dead trees fairly close to this trail are popular with a late season bird species: Tree Swallow. Most swallows have been gone for a few weeks, but Tree Swallows seem to be a lot hardier. A day or two ago I estimated at least 250 of them swooping over the marsh, looking for insects, or taking a rest in the trees.

 Last, but not least are two Bald Eagles I captured on their migration flight.

 Bald Eagles used to be a legally endangered species in Ontario. According to those who were keeping track, in the late 1960s there was only one active pair along the north shore of Lake Erie between Long Point and the Detroit River. That pair was at Rondeau, and even it was only irregularly successful in raising a single young. With the great reduction in certain chemicals, especially DDT, the eagles are no longer endangered. There are about 30 active nesting pairs in Chatham-Kent alone. And they are more common elsewhere in Ontario, as the local hawkwatch at Holiday Beach has already recorded 460 eagles migrating past over the past few weeks. Clearly a significant success story!

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