Rondeau....always a good choice!

I've been to Rondeau a few times lately, with varying number of photos to capture. The shoreline has definitely been changing. This first photo shows what the south end of the park looked like in mid-January before the cold, snowy spell.

Next is the same spot in late February, with the lake covered with ice.

 These next two photos show the lakefront, just a bit farther along the beach from the previous two. These were taken about two weeks after the previous one.

 Still some ice, but by now, even most of the ice is gone, and the birds are on the return, or at least more active! Some of the more cooperative birds were:

Song Sparrow

This Pileated Woodpecker seemed really intent on this tree trunk, a little way from the boardwalk, perhaps digging a nest cavity?

Cardinals are always fun, and sometimes cooperative.

Mute Swans, well they are attractive in their own way, although they play havoc with native species all too often.

Killdeer

Hairy Woodpecker

Fox Sparrows are nicely coloured and distinctive.

Not many flies around for this member of the flycatcher family, but I have known it to eat berries when necessary.

Eastern Phoebe

Black-capped Chickadee

Although there has been the occasional Robin stay over winter, they have returned in large numbers in the last week or so. On one day I looked out my kitchen window and counted 47 scattered around in the community park beside the house!

Some birds were playing a little harder to get, such as this Yellow-rumped Warbler, next....

....and this very active Golden-crowned Kinglet.

One of the bird highlights of the last week or so was the sighting of a Brewer's Blackbird in the park. It was associating with a mixed flock of blackbirds, which were always moving around. I saw the photo of the one, and it was convincing. However only one other person thought they saw it a day later. I checked flocks of blackbirds a few times when I was out, but never saw it. Brewer's Blackbirds are fairly rare in this area, although back in about 1978, a pair nested in a small tree along Erieau Road, across from McGeachy Pond. I didn't have the camera equipment then that I have now, but did photograph the nest.

In June of 2011, on one of my excursions to the Bruce Peninsula, I managed to get a couple of photos of a Brewer's Blackbird on its territory. They have a bit of a glossy head, like a Grackle, but they are smaller, and the beak is smaller.

At times, they can look a bit like a Rusty Blackbird, which is quite regular in southwestern Ontario, although on the decline. I photographed this one a couple of days ago. It is transitioning from its overall dark appearance, showing much more of the rusty appearance.

Of course as the weather fluctuates, there are even some warmer species of overwintering insects showing up.

Long-tailed Aphideater Complex

Black Blow Fly

Other things that captured my eye, include this Eastern Chipmunk, which had emerged on a sunny day. Its tail is still in the hole it emerged from, and although the critter was kindly cooperative for me, it didn't take long to get back down the hole.

Eastern Squirrels are active all year, but on some days they seem to be extra numerous.

Even fungi will survive the winter. This next photo is of a Splitgill Mushroom.

 There's always something! Can't wait to get back out there again!

 

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Scouting around for the next bird counts

 One Christmas Bird Count is over, as you will note from my my most post. The final number of species was 124, a full 9 species better than our previous three bests. And there were at least a couple of count week species that were not seen on the count day, but either 3 days before or following the count day. One of the ones we always hope to get is Purple Sandpiper, a somewhat rare species this late in the season. One was found on the Erieau pier a couple of days later, and I went out yesterday to see if I could find it.

It wasn't immediately visible, and I concluded it had moved to a more sheltered spot given the windy and wavy conditions. After a few minutes I moved on to look across the channel over towards the south beach of Rondeau, scanning the ducks for a possible Harlequin Duck. But no Harlequin. I was prepared to move on altogether when I decided to again, scan the sheltered side of the pier, and there right out at the end of the pier was a dark little bird looking just like a Purple Sandpiper. I quickly returned to the spot and ventured out on the pier. All was okay for the first little way, but it was windy. Then I got to where some water had splashed over the pier, and it was very much frozen and quite slippery. So with lots of extra caution, I got closer and managed a few photos, one of which is shown above. I put the word out and a few others came by over the next hour or so, and by that time the bird had moved closer to the base of the pier, giving closer and safer views.

Over the last few days or so, I have been scouting around elsewhere in Chatham-Kent, just to get an idea of what might be around for the upcoming bird counts. For example I had been roaming around the former Dover Twp, to see how many Snowy Owls might be around. There have been a few, but most often are seen well away from roads. This next photo shows one near the top of a tree, about a kilometre from the road. Even after taking it with a long telephoto lens, and greatly cropping it so that it is the equivalent of about 45X, it still is pretty small.

I have occasionally seen one on the rooftop of a house......

....and just a few days ago, I was scooting down a nearby road and saw something white on a pump house nearby another road. A look through the binoculars confirmed that it was a Snowy Owl, quite close to the road. I immediately turned around and drove carefully by so as to not disturb it.....

....and it cooperated quite nicely. The amount of white in the feathers would indicate it is likely an adult male. I got lots of photos, and decided that since the Rufous Hummingbird was long gone and it is now Snowy Owl season, it was time to change my header, which made it an easy decision when this bird cooperated so well.

Also in Dover Twp have been lots of Tundra Swans, although the numbers may be dwindling slightly from their peak of a few weeks ago.

They are often scattered about in fields if there is a bit of corn stubble left for them to forage in, but the St. Clair NWA is a more reliable spot to find them at any time of the day.

There has been a dozen or more Snow Geese around, as this next photo shows. There are two Snow Geese and on the far right, is the 'blue' colour form of a Snow Goose.

A good mix of ducks is usually visible, although not always easy to photograph. Given that it is hunting season, waterfowl are a bit nervous this time of year when a human is anywhere close by.

Ruddy Duck trio

Sandhill Cranes have been around in fields, but again, well away from the road.

Sometimes when you catch them a little closer, and the light is good, one can get a better photo.

I was out near the mouth of the Thames River a couple of days ago, hoping to see something as unusual as a Great Egret or two. Three of them were quite unexpected almost exactly a year ago, and I managed to get some quite good photos. On this visit, however, there were none to be seen, and I only saw a single Great Blue Heron, a much more likely species. Again, perhaps the hunting season spooked the birds and some others may have taken refuge in a safer spot.

An adult Bald Eagle was perched on a grounded bit of driftwood a few hundred metres out into Lake St. Clair.

It was a really windy day, as you can tell by the white caps and the flags flapping straight out at Mitchell's Bay.

Even though the Rondeau/Blenheim bird count is over, I often spend a bit of time there as well. On one occasion I was out looking for a couple of specific tree species for a tree identification book I am helping with, when I noticed this adult Bald Eagle land atop a White Pine. I only had to take a few careful steps to get the branches out of my focus to get these next two photos.

I came across a nice showing of this late season fungi, known as Splitgill Mushroom.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are scattered here and there in the woods....

...and a few small flocks of House Finches are often seen, especially at the north end of the park.

I had stopped by the Keith McLean CA to see if I could catch up to the Nelson's Sparrow and Least Sandpiper which were on the bird count. It was very windy, and if they were around, they were hunkered down in a more sheltered spot.

Squirrels are continuing their busy life, gathering and storing nuts and other goodies to tide them over the winter. Some are more curious than others. Maybe it was sizing me up as a nut???

And finally, and much more importantly, I wish for you a Merry Christmas! It is the season when so much activity is going on, along with the additional world chaos, causing much distraction from the real meaning of Christmas when Jesus came to earth in human form to be the Saviour of the world, for anyone who asks Him. So peace be to all of you in these busy, and often stressful times. 

Here is one of my favourite Christmas hymns, sung by one of the most impressive gospel vocalists of these last few decades. The pitch and range she has is about as good as it gets. You can listen and watch this hymn here. It is an older, live recording in front of an audience, so not studio quality, however. Listen until the end, if you like super high notes!

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