Late autumn, early 'winter' birding in prep for the Rondeau bird count

 I had been out a few times, looking to see what might be around in preparation for the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count on Dec 14.

In spite of the wintry weather, it is surprising that there is as much diversity as there is. Of course there are the usual things, including:

American Coot

Bufflehead

Lots and lots of Canada Geese!

A few Hooded Mergansers, mostly in the unfrozen areas around the Erieau harbour.

A pleasant surprise was to hear, and then get out and see some Ross's Geese. At a distance they look like a smaller version of Snow Goose, and this photo was take at quite a distance. Fortunately the head was visible enough to see the smaller stubby bill, and lack of a 'grin' patch, as well as the typical black wing tips.

In the same field with the Ross's Goose, were a couple of Tundra Swans, and lots and lots of Canada Geese.

In a field near the Blenheim Landfill, there were as many as 27 Wild Turkeys out roaming around on the lightly snow covered harvested field.

My territory for the bird count has almost always been inside Rondeau Park. I have been on this count for ~56 years. In the past it has included both the south beach all the way to Erieau, and then driving up to the Marsh Trail where I walked at least the south half. That typically involved walking a total of about 15-17 km, while carrying a tripod and scope, along with binoculars, and sometimes camera equipment as well. But that was yesteryear, and the Marsh Trail has been inaccessibly by vehicle for several years due to erosion, And while I could do the south beach, there is a much younger generation of fellows, in their 20s, who have more energy and better eyes and ears, so I have passed that area over to them. Instead, I roam around some of the roads and trails in the wooded area of the park, which is a lot less conducive for bird diversity, but there are some things around.

I checked several of the deer feeding stations that had been regularly stocked with cracked corn. (As a result of the two weekend deer culls in late November and early December, there were exactly 50 deer harvested, so the ongoing deer browsing will be reduced, much to the delight of saplings and shrubs, I am sure.) 

Birds immediately flushed even as I cautiously approached, but waiting patiently and quietly caused them to return. I guess their hunger won out!

Some would approach carefully...

...and after a few moments, drop down and start feeding.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Fox Sparrows are rather uncommon this time of year, but will hang out with other more abundant birds, and join them in their feeding frenzy.

Dark-eyed Juncos are quite abundant now.

And American Tree Sparrows are fairly abundant, and widely scattered. 

The bird count was held regardless of the cold, wintry weather, as usual. The day started out at about -14C but warmed up to a balmy -8C. The brisk westerly wind made the wind chill more like about -20C! Not exactly late autumn weather, but every year is different.

 White-throated Sparrows, named appropriately, were scattered here and there, and certainly the feeding piles were helpful.

I saw at least 5 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, mostly in the vicinity of these feeding stations.

Pileated Woodpeckers are never abundant, even though they are year-round residents, so just getting one is sometimes a bonus.

Cardinals are always to be found, near a feeding station or wherever, along woodland edges.

A bit unexpected was to see this Hermit Thrush. We don't get this species on every count.

Blue Jays have been in migration mode for several weeks, with some lingering, and likely will be here all winter. There are lots of acorns for them to find and feed on!

And lastly, this American Tree Sparrow was present at a few feeding stations on the day of the count.

Overall it was another successful count in terms of numbers and diversity. I don't think it is official yet, but at this point it seems that there were 101 species seen. Getting 100 or more is quite a feat! Of course there were many, many energetic and highly capable birders out scouring the entire count area, and that makes all the difference. 

There were lots of Bald Eagles seen, along with a couple of Golden Eagles. Sandhill Cranes, Short-eared Owls, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and even an Eastern Phoebe were counted. Some shorebirds were even found to be sticking around, including Killdeer and Wilson's Snipe. A couple of warbler species were counted, including Yellow-rumped, which is to be expected, as well as a single Orange-crowned Warbler. The Ross's Goose was found; it was trapped in the ice at the sewage lagoons, but was freed by a couple of birders, and the goose was able to fly away!

 

If you are still looking for a Christmas gift, both of my two books, Life On A Sandspit, and Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent, are available locally at:

Book Brothers, King St E Chatham

Mindful Market and Eco Hub, Main St, Blenheim

Mitton's Jewelers and Gifts, Main St, Ridgetown

Bayview Market, just outside the park gates of Rondeau (open Thursday-Sunday) 

 

 

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Autumn migration continues

 The weather ups and downs continue, as does the bird migration. The snow of a few days ago is just a memory. Not sure how long that will last.

I've been out here and there, although one of my regular 'go to' spots, the St. Clair NWA, continues to be off limits due to trail maintenance. I have meandered around the former Dover Twp a bit, and have managed to get a few photos of seasonal things, including the following.

At one spot that I regularly check out at this time of year, I encountered at least 14 Sandhill Cranes back against the edge of the field. This first photo is of a few at the south end of Walpole Island.... 

...and this next flight shot is of 4 of the 14 a bit farther north....

 ...that flew from the far edge of this field.

Tundra Swans are arriving in ever increasing numbers. Soon many will be seen in flight almost anywhere in the southwest, or out on the recently harvested fields of corn. That is until the corn stubble is plowed up.

Heading south, a stop at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands did not turn up much in the way of shorebirds, but I did manage photos of a few Red-breasted Mergansers swimming by...

...and three Killdeer showed up about the time I was ready to leave. A low, searching flyby of a Northern Harrier did short work of the Killdeer stay, however.

Camping is over at Rondeau, and now it is all available to fellow birders, a few dog walkers, and some birds. This Blue Jay was maybe hoping for a return of some campers, to provide some handouts on the picnic table.

Cedar Waxwings are fairly plentiful and widespread these last few days.

Dark-eyed Juncos are quite abundant.

It is always a highlight to see Fox Sparrows, and this is their time. They can be found at the edge of the roadways...

...or partially hidden as they dig out something in the leaf litter.

Northern Cardinals are here year-round, but not always cooperative for a photo, as this female was, sort of.

White-breasted Nuthatches are fun to watch going up or down a tree either searching for something they have hidden in the cracks in the bark, or putting something away for a future meal.

White-throated Sparrows are increasingly abundant, and at least some will stay over the winter.

Blackbirds are passing through in good numbers, including the Rusty Blackbird. Note to potential Rondeau hikers, the park will be closed for a couple of days at a time in order that the November/December deer hunt can take place. In preparation for this hunt, some cracked corn has been put out at feeding stations, and I sometimes check them to see what critters are taking advantage of the food. I found 6 Rusty Blackbirds at one spot, as shown next.

The raptor migration is winding down, and although technically not a raptor, Turkey Vultures are always counted at the various hawkwatches. Turkey Vultures have gone through in their normal many thousands, and seeing one now is more of a rarity.

 In other news, not related to Rondeau, I had a friend from the K-W area send me a photo of a bird that had been coming to his suet. He is not an avid birder, but enjoys what comes to his back yard feeders. At first he thought it might be a female Evening Grosbeak, and indeed a few of them are making their way south. However it turned out to be a female Summer Tanager! Summer Tanagers are not common or predictable in Ontario at anytime of year, but more likely to be encountered in the summer. That said, they can show up at really unexpected times. In checking the rare bird report for this past week, there had been one seen in Toronto a few days ago. This next photo is of one I photographed at Rondeau back in December of 2015! It was feeding on the berries of a vine that had been growing up the chimney of this cottage.

With birds, expect the unexpected!

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A mix of regular and lingering birds and an adventurous butterfly

 The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season is upon us, and the Blenheim/Rondeau count is on Dec 17. As the weather can be a big factor in the number of birds seen, there is a three day period before as well as after the actual count day, where birds can be included in the overall count database. However birds seen during the count period but not on the count day, will not be included on the count itself. Therefore there is a bit of effort to scout around during the count period to see what might be seen on the day, or could have been seen.

With this in mind, I try to get out a bit more prior to or during the count period, and with the unseasonably mild weather of late, who know what is still out there? Recently there have been things such as Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and White-eyed Vireo seen. Just before the count period, I encountered a Great Egret at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands. It moved around a lot, probably because it was likely wondering just what it should do with itself this late in the season, but probably also because I tried to get a bit closer at times. While there is no hunting taking place at this location, it may have encountered hunters elsewhere, which made it extra cautious when humans were in sight. It was sometimes sitting right out in the open....

...and at other times, moved to a more secluded and out of the wind location. If it is still around, and I have no doubt that it is, it would be a first for this count. However there are more than enough places where it could be that are inaccessible for birders to see it.

A Great Blue Heron was also quite close by, with its feathers being rustled around in the wind.

With all of the mudflats being available and temperatures sometimes getting well above freezing, it is inevitable that there may be a few lingering shorebirds. There has been the occasional Dunlin around, as well as Killdeer. I came across a scattered group of 10 Killdeer at the Erieau Marsh Trail recently, which gave me some quite good photo ops.

It was fairly windy, and a cold wind was coming off the lake nearby. This individual came quite close to me, and hunkered down behind a raised clump of mud, to get some protection from the wind, I presume. Even at this spot the breeze was blowing its feathers as you can see.

Others seemed to be okay with just standing out in the open at the water's edge, facing into the wind.

The south beach of Rondeau can be very good for lingering shorebirds under the present conditions. Last year on the CBC we had Killdeer, Dunlin, Spotted Sandpiper and Western Sandpiper. I will not be covering that area this year, others will, and the weather looks less than ideal for being out in such exposed conditions. However some shorebirds may still be out there nonetheless. Stay tuned...

Meandering around Rondeau has had a variety of results. I've not only encountered, but photographed Pileated Woodpecker on a couple of occasions. The sky background can play a huge part in the satisfaction of the photos.

Cedar Waxwings are declining in abundance, but are still around. This one spent all of its time in a fairly dense stand of shrubs.

Dark-eyed Juncos are fairly plentiful, and widely scattered.

House Finches are year-round residents, so not all that surprising to see.

female

male

White-breasted Nuthatches are also permanent residents, but seemingly not all that common.

White-throated Sparrows are often the most numerous sparrow species at this time of year.

There are a few lingering Yellow-rumped Warblers, most likely to be encountered in the semi-open north campground where there are lots of red cedars.

On the lake front, diversity of waterfowl varies, but at this time of year large numbers of Ruddy Ducks are often seen. There were at least 450 of them within my view, but out quite a way, so this photo shows a greatly cropped view of a few of them that were a little closer, so I didn't have to crop the photo as much.

Tundra Swans are either out in the lake or bay, or feeding in fields.

Due to the milder than normal weather, I came across this Eastern Comma on December 15, which I believe is the latest in the year I have ever seen this species. Presumably as the weather cools down, it will find a safe place to over winter.

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