Wintry landscapes, lots of ice, and a few birds

 I managed to get out to the southern part of Chatham-Kent a couple of times, but the birds were not all that plentiful. There was virtually no open water along the east beach, although small open spots well out had a few waterfowl. The ice formations were attractive, however.

 The east beach was attractive to a few Bald Eagles. I think I have seen at least 2-3 on every time I made it out.

 There were some scenic parts of the woodland, even though the birds were almost non-existent.

However at a couple of feeders at the north end of the park, there were often at least some bird activity. A Carolina Wren isn't very common in the winter, but on occasion they can be found visiting a feeder under the current wintry conditions.

Here a Black-capped Chickadee and Downy Woodpecker were putting up with each other on opposite sides of the feeder.

I went over to Erieau, hoping there were two or three open spots in the Lake's ice to appeal to at least a few ducks, but it wasn't to be, at least unless a change in the wind caused some openings.

For something different, I went up along the St. Clair River as there is usually enough movement in the river to create some openings.

There was a small group of swans well out on the ice, and resting so it was hard to tell what species they were. I had some Mute Swans elsewhere. The bit of gray on some of the plumages suggest they were likely Tundra Swans, which isn't surprising, although a few Trumpeter Swans have also been seen. However getting a look at their beak would have been really helpful

One of many Redheads was constantly diving for something. I didn't see that it caught anything for its efforts.

Others seemed to be content to mostly just swim around.

These are a few Mute Swans, easily identified by their bill.

A few Common Mergansers were in the area....

...as were Common Goldeneye...

...and Canvasback.

I also spent a bit of time roaming around the former Dover Twp. There was no shortage of American Crows.

At St. Clair NWA, now that it is open to hikers again, there were a couple of dozen American Tree Sparrow feeding on the open grassier sections of the trail.

This Beaver lodge is, I think, new. I don't recall seeing it along the usual stretch of trail I hike along, but with the NWA being closed from October to the end of December, there was time for them to build one.

 The view of the NWA from the observation tower is rather bleak. Not much interest there for birds at the moment, but come spring....I will be there regularly!

 At a usual spot that has several Wood Duck nesting boxes, Eastern Screech Owls will take up one as a wintering residence, peaking out to capture some of the sun's warming rays.

This next item is what is probably the result of a Poplar Vagabond Aphid causing some deformation on the outer buds of a Poplar tree.

Where there is a bit of open area in a field, you can sometimes find a few Wild Turkeys. There were at least 40 birds gathered in this open space.

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Early January 2026 outings

 New Year's day dawned clear and cold. It was the date for the annual St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count. As usual, my territory started at SCNWA, along the northwest berm that is normally off limits to visitors which I have permission to access. It is very much out in the open, subject to wind. Since the day started off at about -13C and a wind chill making it to about -23C, it was not easy going, especially since I have to hike about 2 km or more, carrying a tripod and 'scope along with binoculars. 

This is what I encountered from a landscape perspective:

...and this was the adjacent St. Luke's Marsh a bit to the north.

 The vast majority of the wetland was frozen, not surprisingly given the recent weather, but as is often the case, there is a small area at the extreme NW part of my route which has open water. And  there are many individuals of waterfowl making use of it, hence the need for the 'scope. The birds were packed in so it was difficult to pick out anything unusual, but there were many hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese with a few Tundra Swans and American Black Ducks there as well.

Some readers will be aware that the NWA was closed to public access for three months while some trail/bridge alterations were made. It re-opened just before the end of December, fortunately for the CBC. Here is the new bridge structure...

...and the view from the bridge looking generally south:

After covering this part of my territory I went elsewhere, and fortunately came across a few more things, such as a few Dark-eyed Juncos coming to a feeder....

...a few Northern Cardinals along a roadway...

....and four Wild Turkeys scattered well out in a field

An Eastern Screech Owl was cooperatively sitting out in plain view.

At another spot, a small amount of corn was present at the roadside, and the birds found it. There were several Horned Larks, which are sometimes hard to get photos of. As it turns out, the American Birding Association has declared the Horned Lark to be its featured Bird of the Year.

A few other winter birds were also making use of the corn availability, including a species that is always fun to see.

Snow Bunting

 

Mourning Dove

Elsewhere, there were always crows to see!

 I 'managed' to get to Rondeau on a couple of occasions a few days later. While birds were not abundant where I hiked, I got a few photos of things. This sub-adult Bald Eagle was surprisingly tolerant along the east South Point Trail on my way out...

...but on my return had decided to move a little farther away, on a white pine branch right at the edge of the forest.

A Fox Sparrow is not common at this time of year, but I got a few photos of this one along the north end of Harrison Trail.

 Northern Cardinals are scattered about....

...as are Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

On another occasion I walked the west side of the SPT. A wind storm had knocked over a dead American Beech tree across the trail. No doubt as American Beech trees continue to be affected by the deadly Beech Leaf Disease, this will become a more regular occurrence. I brought this to the attention of park staff, and was advised the next day that the trail had been cleared.

The view from the very south end of the trail is always intriguing as the shoreline with ice and waves are constantly causing change.

A quick trip to Erieau had a fair variety of water birds to see, but most were too far to attempt a photo. However American Coots are usually fairly close by.

 

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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) 

 

 

If you would like to subscribe to Nature Nuggets, send an email to: prairietramper@gmail.com