Hiking is good for the soul

 Last evening was one of those times when it was just about perfect to be out along the trail at St. Clair National Wildlife Area. Fortunately it is only a few minutes from home, and I somewhat spontaneously decided to go out late in the day. It was sunny, fairly mild and quite calm. The sounds of birds was quite entrancing, even with my less than great hearing. I had the place to myself, other than the wildlife, so I could just soak up the amazing atmosphere without human interference.

There were lots of waterfowl in the air, coming and going in various directions. These Tundra Swans were heading out to the lake, and I thought the golden sky background made it extra appealing.

Even the few that I saw with a different background had the golden sun influencing their white feathering.

There were other birds of note, including lots of Canada Geese.

At least 5 Sandhill Cranes flew by within camera range, although not always in the best light.

The cattails were sporadically dotted with Red-winged Blackbirds perched on them, all males, and defining a territory in hopes that when the females arrive shortly, they can get into the nesting cycle as soon as possible.

A male Norther Harrier was settled into a small tree. I was hoping to get farther along the trail for better lighting, but as the photo shows, he was keeping an eye on me. Shortly after I got this photo, he flew off well out of camera range. I saw two others, both females, a bit later.

As I was leaving, I got a shot of the moon, almost full but not quite. That will occur in another day or two.

It was truly a glorious couple of hours spent in this special natural area!

Previously I had been out to the Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail a couple of times. It is always worthwhile, especially if there is not a brisk westerly wind. Bald Eagles continue to be somewhat common, but usually at a distance. I have seen anywhere from 27-32 eagles from the slightly elevated end of the trail looking out over the lake in my last couple of visits. They are widespread, anywhere there are trees along the lake shore, or even on islands out in the lake. On occasion one may fly by relatively closely.

A good variety of waterfowl  are scattered across the lake, and number in the thousands. This Northern Pintail was at least close enough to get a greatly cropped photo of.

Sandhill Cranes are quite regular along this part of the lake shore wetland. This one flew by fairly cooperatively.....

...and a pair landed in a field near the trail.....

...with one coming quite a bit closer before veering farther out in the field.

There have been some shorebirds appear recently. Killdeer, of course, are quite regular, and I have seen a dozen or more on occasion in the Erieau area. But my hopes were to see either the Lesser Yellowlegs or the Pectoral Sandpiper which have recently been seen in the McGeachy Pond area. So far I have been unsuccessful, especially since with the recent snow and rain, the fields have rather large ponded areas giving the birds lots of area to choose from. Neither species is rare, just a bit early, so I don't expect it to be too long before I get my camera focused on one or the other.

I did manage to get a few shots of a striking duck, a Northern Shoveler.

And en route to Erieau, I have seen this escaped Whooper Swan in its new pond along the Erieau Road. It will be interesting to see how long it stays, or will the owners of the area wildlife zoo be successful in reclaiming it?

While roaming around looking for shorebirds in wet areas along Lagoon Road, I came across a rather large flock of Snow Buntings. Seeing Snow Buntings in the middle of winter, especially when there are winter storms occurring, is not that unusual. But this was a clear day and the snow and rain of the previous day or so had completely disappeared, and usually by then the buntings have returned to points farther north. I managed to get a couple of quick shots, but didn't have quite the right camera settings, so this is the best I could come up with. You might have to use your imagination, just a little.....

 

Of course I have been to Rondeau a couple of times, usually for an invigorating walk, but always with camera gear handy just in case.

A walk down the east South Point Trail got me to the water front, where I watched 4 Long-tailed Ducks cavorting and displaying. I only got photos as they were flying by.....

On one occasion as I was exiting the park, I noticed this coyote passing through some cottage lots. It was acting somewhat strange, limping a little and not paying any attention to me. Usually they are quite furtive and are seldom seen in broad daylight. I managed to get a few quick photos, and a closer look indicated why it was behaving abnormally. One cannot see the limp in a still photo, but a closer look at its head showed a possible blind eye, as well as an injury to the side of the head around the ear.

Clearly the animal was not healthy, and it may be doomed. Hopefully it does not cause problems to humans or their pets, while it is dealing with this agony and potentially its demise.

It eventually disappeared into the wooded area along the road.

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A cooperative coyote; birds, not so much

I've heard lots of coyotes over the years, mainly when I have been out at night with the black lights. They may have been howling at the moon, or just enjoying communication with others of their kind.

On occasion I have even seen them during the day, but usually from a great distance and the photos are only possible due to a high powered telephoto lens to begin with, and then further cropping on the computer. My previous blog post featured some of those, as I was discussing their impacts on deer, turkeys and other wildlife of the area. I had never photographed a coyote inside the confines of Rondeau. Until yesterday.

I had been looking for an Eastern Phoebe along the edge of Rondeau Bay, near the boat ramp, where one had been seen on a couple of occasions recently. I didn't see the phoebe, but while scanning the shoreline, I noticed this canine resting comfortably about 75 metres from where I was. It was sheltered from the brisk easterly wind, and able to enjoy some sunlight, whenever the sun broke through the cloud cover.

It was aware of me, as I am sure it had seen regular boater/hunter activity at the boat ramp as it was the main access for hunters to get to their duck blinds somewhere on the bay. Therefore it didn't seem to be all that concerned about my presence, and continued to stay put. But it eventually got up, stretched and scratched itself....

...and then slowly sauntered back into a tangle of shrubs and fallen trees. I watched this coyote for a good 15-20 minutes. Normally a coyote would scamper out of sight almost immediately when a human comes anywhere near that close, presumably since beyond the park's boundaries, they are frequently hunted. But inside the park, they are not hunted at all. Even then they don't typically remain so visible and stationary for so long.

I had been at Rondeau for a good long walk, in preparation for the upcoming Christmas Bird Count. Of the 4 counts I typically do each year, the Rondeau one is always the most challenging in terms of hiking conditions. For about three decades or more, my territory includes starting off walking the south beach all the way to Erieau and back. Hiking conditions due to snow, ice and wind can be challenging, especially carrying a 'scope. The south beach is a relatively narrow strip of beach, giving great views of the lake as well as the south end of both the marsh and bay. It has been a very rewarding area to cover, in spite of the challenges. Over the years I have seen things like Purple Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Snowy Owl, Harlequin Duck and King Eider on this count.

And then up until just a few years ago, when I was finished with the south beach area by around mid-day, I would quickly head to the north end of the park, drive part way out the Marsh Trail and walk it to the end, including a side trip to Long Pond. All told, the day would encompass roughly an 18 km hike, carrying the scope and/or camera. The Marsh Trail has also had some notable birds on this count, including Sage Thrasher, American Avocet, Western Sandpiper and Northern Shrike, among others.

The Marsh Trail has been relatively off limits over the past few years, due to the major erosion problems at the north end. So I have not covered the marsh in the last couple of years.

I did venture out part way along the south beach a few days ago. With no snow or ice to contend with, it seems relatively peaceful and accessible, with some rather wide beach areas now that the water levels of the lake have dropped a bit this year. It looks promising, if my energy and legs can stand it. Walking on sand for that distance dressed in winter garb and carrying a scope takes its toll, especially depending on the weather.

There wasn't a lot to see on this excursion. There was a large flock of mostly Mallards, with a few American Black Ducks mixed in, that flew up from the marsh. But other than those, a single Great Blue Heron at the edge of the marsh, and a few gulls and mergansers off in the lake, there wasn't a lot to see this time. But I only went out a little over half way to Erieau.

On another occasion, since there was a brisk east wind and it was a non-hunting day, I walked part way out the Marsh Trail. Even after a trek of about 4 km, the birds were not very plentiful, nor cooperative for the camera. I did see three sub-adult Bald Eagles, but only got a single photo of one of them leaving its perch almost immediately after I saw it.

Elsewhere in the park, I came across a clump of the distinctive leaves of the rare Puttyroot orchid. I had better success photographing them since they were not going anywhere. This was a new population that I discovered late last winter.

I heard this Pileated Woodpecker long before I was able to see it. And even after I saw it, it was constantly at least partially obscured by many branches. Of course it was intent on digging out some beetle larvae from a rotting tree trunk, and could have cared less about my photographic interests.

I've also spent a bit of time meandering around the former Dover Twp, partially to see what birds are out there in preparation for the upcoming St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count on New Year's Day, and also hoping to see my first of the season Snowy Owl. The snowies seem not to have arrived yet this season, but things like Tundra Swans are quite abundant in or near the NWA, and even some Sandhill Cranes are still around.

The shrubby hedgerow where the Great Blue Herons were taking shelter a few days ago, which I featured in a recent blog post, is currently being ripped up. Another tree line being dismantled, allowing the brisk wind to blow the topsoil. I noted one or two spots earlier today where the blowing topsoil was making visibility for driving a bit difficult. Such are the conditions of Chatham-Kent. Sigh.....

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On the search for Snowy Owls; plus deer herd reduction, coyotes, turkeys and more

 With the sudden arrival of wintry weather, I went out looking for Snowy Owls in the former Dover Twp, northwest of Chatham. 

It is typically the time when the first ones show up in this area, and there have been one or two reported recently in places farther east. However in spite of my search in places where they are most often found, I came up empty. Last year was a great time to find them early in the season, even up until early January where we tallied a record 23 individuals on the Christmas Bird Count that includes this area.

During my search, a couple of days were quite windy. I was a bit surprised, and concerned, when scenes like this were fairly common.

While there are hedges of cedar and other species, they don't always make much difference, as this next photo shows. This photo was taken at the end of a lengthy hedgerow, and although the wind was blowing from left to right, there isn't much difference in the amount of top soil being blown about from one side of the hedgerow to the other.

I realize that due to the very dry conditions, early harvest and such, landowners want to get ahead of tilling the ground rather than waiting for spring. As a result, there is much less corn stubble left on the ground to hold the soil from blowing away, and this may continue for many months until the next planting season.

Also as a result of the lack of stubble on the ground, any Snowy Owls that venture this way may find it less conducive for hunting mice, etc., and therefore will move on. It may be quite a disappointing winter for finding Snowies, but time will tell just how disappointing.

I did manage to find a few other interesting birds to photograph, including the following. There were lots of Horned Larks along the roadways and fields.

Tundra Swans are widespread where they can find a field of corn stubble to land in.

A few Sandhill Cranes are still hanging out in the area, including this trio....

.....as well as this pair mixed in with various species of waterfowl in St. Clair NWA.

There were lots of ducks in flight at the NWA, often at quite a distance. This pair of American Black Ducks came by at a reasonable distance and with good light to make it a worthwhile photo.

There were several Great Blue Herons, again at a distance, other than this one which was reluctant to give me anything but a bum look.

European Starlings are often seen, typically in large groups, but sometimes feeding in berry bushes in small numbers.

In my travels I had come across a large mixed flock of blackbirds, and it included an adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird. The birds were constantly on the move as they searched for something to eat on the field, and before I could get my camera on the Yellow-headed Blackbird for at least a record shot, a Northern Harrier flew into sight, causing the ~4000 birds to make a quick departure. A day or so later I checked the field again, but saw no birds as the landowners were busily working away.

I usually end up at Rondeau at some point in my travels. With the wind, resulting in vigorous and noisy wave action, it is hard to hear the chips and other sounds that birds are most likely to make at this time. There have been a few migrants such as Fox Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos scattered here and there. Rondeau Bay was completely frozen over, at least in view from the park. The warmer temperature of the lake, as well as the steady wave action, has kept the lake open. There are flocks of ducks flying out at a distance, and gulls scattered here and there, some quite close to shore.

Ring-billed Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Regular users of the park may be aware of the current Deer Herd Reduction program. It began last weekend, and will continue for the next two weekends. There are deer blinds put up in various location from which the hunters will wait. They won't be very visible from along the trails.

Deer control of one sort or another is necessary given the absence of their historical predators such as Timber Wolves and Black Bears, which were eliminated from the park long before it became a park. There were periodic efforts to keep the number of deer in check up until the early 1970s, but from that period until the early 1990s, for political reasons, there were no efforts at their control. The result was that the numbers sky-rocketed to the point where there were almost 600 deer in the park in the winter. Browse studies conducted by deer specialists indicated that the winter population of deer at Rondeau should be in the 100-125 range. This high population had dire effects on the deer as well as the vegetation in the park. The productivity of the local herd dropped considerably, and too many does were not giving birth to any fawns. In the winter, especially during coldest parts, some individuals were undergoing serious malnutrition, to the point where they would just sit down and die. As for the vegetation, the browse lines were quite evident, and there was a shift in the types of shrubs and trees that were being greatly reduced from the park's ecosystem. In addition, spring wildflowers were almost non-existent.

Some people have argued that there is an increasing number of coyotes in the park which should maintain deer numbers to acceptable levels. While it seems that coyote numbers are increasing, the deer are increasing faster. Also coyotes generally prefer smaller prey but will hunt down a deer when the opportunity arises. 

Which brings up another point. Coyotes are a mid-western species and never were a main feature of the heavily forested part of southwestern Ontario. But as the landscape opened up, coyotes arrived in increasing numbers. It is not uncommon for the sharp-eyed traveler to see one off in the distance. The first two photos were taken a year or two ago, in the open landscape of Dover Twp.

They will inhabit some of the few woodlands that remain in Chatham-Kent, as this next photo shows. I discovered a coyote den not far from where this photo was taken.

The increasing number of coyotes has had an impact on other wildlife. Native species such as Red Fox, Eastern Cottontail and Wild Turkey seem to be on a downward population trend across Chatham-Kent in recent years. The next two photos show what used to be a fairly common sight across the agricultural part of C-K.

 

Non-native species such as Ring-necked Pheasant and European Hare (a.k.a jackrabbit) also seem to have declined. Even at a large natural area such as Rondeau Provincial Park, the effects have been noticeable. Turkeys were doing quite well after they were re-introduced in Chatham-Kent several decades ago. They were seen regularly at Rondeau. 

A 2008 photo at Rondeau

I have found them to be a lot less common at Rondeau now, an opinion that was shared by a couple of long-term park staff just a few days ago. Turkeys were virtually non-existent on the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Counts until 2004, when 26 birds were tallied. The numbers peaked at 349 by 2011, but thereafter gradually diminished so that for the last 4 years, even with an increase in coverage across the count circle, we are hard-pressed to get more than 50 birds on that count.

Even Red Foxes seem to be less common at Rondeau than they used to be. While it certainly is a general concern when native species decline due in part to the arrival of a species that is essentially not-native to the park, it has further effects. One of the natural controls of ticks that can cause Lyme Disease is the presence of Wild Turkeys, as well as Virginia Opossums, who feed on ticks. I noticed a decrease in ticks when the numbers of turkeys and 'possums were increasing. As one who has contracted Lyme Disease on 6 different occasions from Rondeau over a 30 year period, I was glad to see the numbers of turkeys and 'possums increase, along with what appeared to be a decrease in the number of ticks I encountered.

What will this increase in coyotes spell for the future?

Across the landscape of Chatham-Kent there has been an ongoing outlet for local hunters to engage in coyote hunts. On some days in the winter, one can see vehicles and hunters along rural roads and vegetated areas, trying to flush out a coyote or two. I have no numbers to indicate what level of success they have achieved, but have stopped to talk with an occasional hunter. It seems that they have had enough success to continue, and the hunters are certain that there isn't any shortage of coyotes to go after.

This next photo is of a recently shot coyote. I watched as a hunter removed it from the back of his truck and laid it out along the bank of a creek system. In many ways a coyote is a beautiful animal, just like so many other elements of the natural world. But just like a population of White-tailed Deer that gets too numerous for the benefit of so many other elements of nature, something needs to be done.

On a completely unrelated note, I came across this bit of information today, as alarming as it is, by a former vice-president of Pfizer. A short, but informative read here.

 

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