Bald Eagle Bonanza, and a couple of Killdeer

 What a difference a few days make. This first photo was taken on Dec 1.

 And three days later, it looked like this.

 The bay was almost entirely frozen, much earlier than normal. Needless to say, the waterfowl hunt came to an end earlier this year as a result.

I had been out those two times looking for things to photograph while I was out for some hiking. Bald Eagles were the order of the day, on both occasions!

On Dec 1, was checking the lake front, and I noted this adult heading my way. It was following the shoreline, and it came closer....

...and eventually flew almost right overhead.

It continued southward, but after a bit longer flight, noted another eagle in a large cottonwood tree amongst some cottages, and flew in to join it.

  On Dec 4, I was again checking the cottonwood trees a bit south of the traffic circle, and came across this one. 

Just as I got to the traffic circle, I came across a couple of others, quietly resting in cottonwood trees.

 I very quietly got out of the vehicle so I could get a slightly better angle and keep the hydro wire out of the photo. The eagles didn't like that, so quickly left and flew up along the lakeshore.

 And there they joined another eagle, this time an adult. Whether all of these over the two days were different individuals, I don't know, but there were at least 5 birds.

 There were a few other things to photograph, some along the lake shore, 

Canada Geese at siesta time

Ring-billed Gull

And a few other things away from the lake. A flock of about 27 Cedar Waxwings landed high in a distant tree. Most of the flock were in this one tree, but there were a few others in adjacent ones. I looked for one to be a Bohemian, but was not successful.

Downy Woodpecker

While checking the feeding stations for the upcoming deer cull, I thought I saw something peering out at me from a hole in a tree. It was at quite a distance, but thinking it might be a screech owl, I took a photo and cropped it heavily at home. Turns out it was an Eastern Grey Squirrel, probably visiting the cracked corn at the feeding station when no one was around.

There were the usual few White-throated Sparrows, and other sparrow species, along with Dark-eyed Juncos feeding on the grasses and goldenrod along the road side.

One of the unexpected species was this Killdeer. It was feeding along the road side where the snow had been scraped. It was always a bit back lit, so not the best situation, and I tried to carefully get beyond it so as to have better lighting, but it was too skittish for that. Not all that unusual for the time of year in a normal year, but with the snow and cold, most of them should be long gone by now. I saw a second Killdeer by the road between the store and the yacht club, but although the light was a better angle, the bird was even more skittish.

I had kept an eye open for the super moon on Dec 4th, but there was cloud at the horizon and it wasn't until I got part way home that I noticed it above the cloud. So when I got home, I took this photo.

 

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The bird influx continues

 We are getting to that time of year that many birders look forward to: a steady influx of numerous birds, and an increasing diversity of species. The peak is only about a month away, and at this point there are some promising signs. 

I have been to places like the wetland trails along Lake St. Clair as well as near Erieau, and of course at Rondeau. There is always something if the weather is not too inclement, but a certain amount of inclement weather is to be expected, and it is the weather systems coming from the southerly directions that spur the arrival of migrants.

I saw my first of season Common Loon yesterday, hanging out in the pond where the Whooper Swan was seen periodically in recent weeks. The light wasn't ideal, but I managed to work with it.

The Erieau Marsh Trail can be quite birdy at times.

Brown Creeper

Dark-eyed Junco

Golden-crowned Kinglets have arrived in large numbers recently. It was not hard to see a dozen or more along a short stretch of this trail. Of course they are small and constantly flitting about the shrubbery, making getting a completely clear and in-focus shot difficult.

I got my first of season Eastern Towhee.

Fox Sparrows are never abundant, but it is easy to catch up to a few every early spring.

Not birds, of course, but on some of the milder days, turtles are out basking in sheltered areas. This Blanding's Turtle can usually be seen on a favourite log.

Painted Turtles can be abundant. Where there is one, there is usually a dozen or more.

Also in the Erieau area, numerous species of water birds can be seen. Horned Grebes are fairly abundant, with at least 30 in the immediate vicinity of the Erieau harbour and waterfront. Their plumages can vary considerably as they progress to their full breeding plumage.

There are still lots of both species of scaup around, such as this Lesser Scaup.

Mergansers of at least a couple of species can be seen regularly, such as this female Common Merganser.

Bonaparte's Gulls are beginning to appear in larger numbers, although considerably fewer than the hundreds or even thousands that will be in the area within a few weeks.

Yesterday I watched an adult Bald Eagle having 'fun' with the geese and ducks along the Erieau Marsh Trail. It swooped over the waterfowl, creating concern amongst them and sending dozens off in different directions. Perhaps it was just testing the birds to see if any were injured enough to be an easy catch, as feeding on dead or injured wildlife seems to be its normal approach. It appeared to be an adult just entering its fifth year. It did not catch any birds while I was around.

A trip or two to Rondeau was invigorating, but the days I picked, were not terribly birdy. But I photographed a few things anyway. Robins are, of course, fairly plentiful right now.

American Tree Sparrows haven't been abundant these last few weeks, although a few overwintered in the area.

Black-capped Chickadees, a few of which spent the winter also, have increased in numbers. Most will move on to more northern breeding grounds.

I got my first Eastern Phoebe....

....and Killdeer are showing signs of nesting.

A pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers alighted on a broken stub long enough for me to grab a quick, distant photo.....

....and a few Turkey Vultures cruised over the park.

Along some of the wetland natural areas along Lake St. Clair, there are always a few things to see.

American Coot

Bufflehead are scattered about, sometimes posing long enough for a photo....

...and other times skedaddling away.

Ok, Canada Geese are plentiful, I know, but when one poses well and my camera trigger finger is not getting a lot of use, I will succumb :-).

Common Grackles are, common....

...as are Ring-billed Gulls. Even these gulls look impressive in their full-adult plumage. These two were discussing something related to the fish dinner in front of them, I presume.

Great Egrets are almost a guarantee to see along the Lake St. Clair wetlands, since they nest at nearby Walpole Island as well as some of the grassy islands just off-shore from Mitchell's Bay.

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