May 16 & 17 action

The cool weather of the last couple of days has been a bonus....at least for viewing birds down low where there is more insect activity. And it is a lot easier on the neck, too, not having to strain to see small birds flitting around the tree tops against dull gray skies.

But many birds were so low, it was difficult to see them as they furtively crawled through the ground vegetation, such as this male Blackburnian Warbler.

This female Black-throated Blue Warbler was a little more visible, but still sometimes hard to see amongst the shrubbery, except for brief moments.

 

 

The north end of Rondeau was particularly busy with birds....lots of diversity and colour to enjoy! I had at least 20 species of warblers in just a few hours spent on Black Oak Trail and between Bennett Ave and the maintenance compound, including the log pond along Harrison Trail. And only a handful of birders, which made the experience more pleasant. A few birders are okay, but when it gets crowded, I go elsewhere.

Black Oak Trail was quite good. I look forward to checking out this trail later in the season, when the flowers of the oaks are coming out, which attracts insects, thus attracting warblers, and the leaves aren't as fully out as the maples and beech trees farther west. There were at least a dozen species of warbler along this trail alone. And no other birders.

At the log pond, there was a good bit of warbler activity: Magnolia, Am Redstart, Yellow, Common Yellowthroat, Palm and two female Prothonotaries. Lots of sapling stems made getting clear shots challenging, but I got a few record shots, including this one. The females are similar to the males, only a duller yellow, not the almost fluorescent colour of the male. This profile shot illustrates the rather large beak this species is known for.

Prothonotary Warbler female

This is a first year male American Redstart. There were quite a few scattered about, especially near water. This one was also at the log pond.

American Redstart

 Scarlet Tanagers were particularly plentiful. I probably saw at least 30 today, and a few were quite close. While watching one bright male on the ground along Harrison, it actually flew right over my head close enough to touch. Maybe there were a few insects hovering over me that he was interested in, but he did it twice. And a couple of others did the same thing later.

Thrushes were all over the place. Mostly Swainson's Thrush, but also quite a few Veery and a surprising number of Gray-cheeked Thrush, along with the occasional pair of Wood Thrush.

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Veery

 Flycatchers weren't quite as abundant, but still fairly common, including Eastern Wood-Pewee, which breeds at Rondeau.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

It is a great year for Gray Catbirds....it is by far the most abundant member of the Mimidae family here. And on that note, where are all the Brown Thrashers? I've only seen one thrasher for every catbird, it seems.

Today I went to Erieau to look for the reported Neotropic Cormorant. No one saw it after first thing this morning, to my knowledge. But there are thousands of cormorants at the south end of Rondeau bay, roosting on the sandy islands closer to the Rondeau marsh. Some will nest there....in 2013 there were at least 55 nests.

While I was in the area, I checked the Rail Trail, and noted a handful of warblers (Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white, Black-throated Green, Magnolia, Yellow and Palm) as well as more Scarlet Tanagers. Also a couple of Indigo Bunting, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Swamp Sparrow, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, etc. There are more and more female warblers around, indicating the stage of migration being at its peak or perhaps just past?

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

In the marsh area were at least three Gadwall and an American Coot. Either or both of the latter two species may be nesting.

And the Snowy Owl continues to be out in the corn stubble to the east of McGeachy Pond! I wonder if it is hanging out because it is too weak to continue north. There was enough heat haze to make getting a photo next to impossible.

Birds, birds and more birds......

The last few days have been hit and miss for me, at least with respect to getting out as much as I would like, and catching up to some of the rarer bird species. The weather has played a bit of havoc with my time out, not surprisingly. But there have been some colourful ones around to enjoy when I have been out, and a good diversity of warblers.

On one of the sunnier days lately I had an adult Bald Eagle float overhead on several occasions, giving me some great photo ops against the bright blue sky.

 

At about the same time, but higher up, I noticed some Chimney Swifts flying overhead. They are quite a bit smaller, of course, than eagles and with their erratic flight, are hard to get to stay in the viewfinder! But I managed a couple of distant keeper shots, showing a head-on view and a side view of these little birds that have been described as a 'cigar with wings'.

Chimney Swifts are a declining species. Before European settlement, they would have nested in the open, hollow trunks of an old tree. On occasion when I have been roaming the more remote parts of Rondeau and come across a big old hollow maple tree, I have actually seen Chimney Swifts entering and exiting such a tree. With settlement and the loss of old growth forests and those big hollow trees over the last century or more, the birds adapted to brick chimneys that were widespread in settlements. But now even that is coming to an end, as fewer people heat with firewood that require such chimneys, and industrial stacks are being closed off or demolished so that even those anthropogenic features are less and less available. The old chimney at the Chatham jail, and one of the large chimneys at the U of Guelph campus at Ridgetown are a couple of the sites in the area where Chimney Swifts may either be nesting, or gathering during their late summer roosting prior to migrating south. As they gather in the late summer, sometimes more than a hundred swifts can be seen entering a single stack just before dark, and is a fascinating scene to watch.

But the sunny skies didn't last too long, and the skies poured out lots of precipitation!

The influx of colourful bird migrants has been very welcome in the last few days, with hotspots varying to some degree depending on the day and the wind direction. Some of the ones I've been able to capture are as follows:

Baltimore Oriole

Blackburnian Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Scarlet Tanager

Yellow Warbler

Most of the warblers that are around, and that I managed to get shots of and posted here, are males. This indicated that the migration still has a long way to go, as typically the females are slightly later in arriving.

A less brightly coloured warbler is Northern Waterthrush, shown below.

A prize species on any birder's list is Prothonotary Warbler. This species is endangered in Ontario and Canada, with on average fewer than a dozen pairs nesting in Ontario in recent years. It seems that 2014 shows a little more promise than last year. In 2013 there were only about 3-4 sightings at Rondeau during the spring, and no actual nesting pairs known. Of course with the ~70 kilometres of linear slough habitat for them to choose from at Rondeau, it is quite possible that some did nest but went undetected. So far this year more have been reported in some of their traditional nesting areas; hopefully that bodes well for some reproduction. I got the following shot along the Tuliptree Trail, right close by the designated spot on the trail where they are most apt to be seen. With a couple of nesting boxes close by, it is often an attraction for the males when they arrive. Hopefully an obliging female arrives soon. Unfortunately this particular bird didn't want to show me its best side, so the only shots I got were like this.

For a much better photo, showing the magnificence of this bird, note the photo at the top of this blog, which I photographed at a natural cavity in the early 1980s. The Prothonotary Warbler (PROW) is undoubtedly my favourite warbler, and perhaps my favourite bird. I have had the pleasure of photographing this species on numerous occasions during the decade or more that I was the park naturalist, and they were always in a natural cavity. Back then, in the 1970s and early 1980s, while the species was still relatively rare, it was much more common than it is today. Rondeau has always been the hot spot for it in Canada, due to the great amount of habitat. In fact the first confirmed nest record for PROW in Canada was at Rondeau back in the early 1930s. It nests in cavities made by other birds, usually woodpeckers, that range from about 1 metre to 4 metres above the water. It rarely, but occasionally, nests in such cavities over the land. On a couple of occasions I did some basic surveys for them in the early 1980s, and both times I found that there were 20-24 singing males (indicating the possibility of a mated pair) or an actual mated pair recorded. And that was only covering no more than half of their available habitat, so the population could have been double that. Little did I know at the time that the PROW would become so endangered, relying almost entirely on nest boxes as nesting sites.

Other birds captured these last few days on digital film include:

Eastern Kingbird

Veery

 There have been a lot of thrushes around lately, including Veery which on occasion will nest at Rondeau. Several of the trails were loaded with thrushes, including Swainson's, Wood, an occasional Gray-cheeked Thrush and Veery. And flycatchers have been abundant as well but very few have been singing.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Some of the little Empidonax flycatchers, such as this Yellow-bellied one, are challenging to tell apart unless they are vocalizing. This one wasn't singing, but fortunately the Yellow-bellied is more distinctive than some of the others members.

Early May Action

I've been out daily for the last few days, but haven't taken the time to process the photos and post anything. So this is a 'catch-up' post of sorts.

Monday involved a very long hike around the entire South Point Trail of Rondeau. A cold northeast wind kept bird activity at a minimum, with only a handful of the usual warblers around. I had heard that the area beyond the washout was better, so I proceeded to negotiate it. The erosion really is a challenge here, as the previous path, which had been moved inland due to erosion that destroyed the boardwalk, no longer existed. But things have really deteriorated and because of the ~1.5 metre drop-off and the need to tromp through shrubbery or clamber over fallen trees at the water's edge, one has to be reasonably nimble to get through. I can't imagine what it would be like with a brisk southwest wind and the associated wave action!

After making it through the worst section, I proceeded up the other side of the SPT. The first kilometre had a few small clusters of birds but only Blackburnian was new, and they were mostly fairly high up. The most abundant species was Yellow-rumped Warbler. There are still lots of Black-and-white Warblers around, including a few females, which signal that the migration of this early species is coming to an end.

The rest of the trail was surprisingly quiet, other than the snoring call of Leopard Frogs, but it made for a nice walk and I enjoyed the solitude. I met only six other birders the entire 7 km trail.

My next stop was the north end of Harrison Trail, around the log pond and maintenance area. The wet areas have a profusion of shrubs sporting tiny yellow flowers right now....this is Spicebush in or at the edge of the wettest areas.

The flowers always appear just before the leaves open out. The leaves, especially when fresh, are very fragrant, and is the reason the shrub gets its name. Later on, these flowers will produce bright red berries.

I checked out the Spicebush Trail next. This trail was originally called the Rondeau Trail but when I was working in the park in the 1970s we decided that Spicebush Trail was more descriptive, which has been its name ever since. I also checked out Bennett Ave and the Bennett deer exclosure, which is on a ridge ~80 metres south of Bennett Ave. Although there are many wildflowers out throughout this area, one can really see a difference in the size and appearance of health by comparing the wildflowers inside the deer exclosure. Most of the flowers inside are at least half as big again as those outside, and some are probably twice the size. It really goes to show that since this exclosure was constructed in 1978 and deer have not been able to get inside for more than 35 years, the wildflowers are so much healthier. The constant browsing by a large herd of hungry deer, as well as the lack of ground cover which causes a deterioration of the micro-climate at ground level, takes its toll on the quality and quantity of wildflowers outside the exclosure. The two exclosures (there is another one south of Gardiner Ave) have been an effective way to demonstrate the effects of high numbers of deer.

I realize it isn't obvious from these photos of the difference in size, but when you see them in real life, it is very apparent.

On Tuesday I went out again to check on the Yellow-headed Blackbirds along Angler Line, just south of Mitchell's Bay. They didn't disappoint, and I could hear them as I approached the site. My previous estimate was of about 6-8 males, and presumably a similar number of females. Based on a longer time spent here today, I think there are at least 10 males along with an uncertain number of females.

Angler Line wetland from the road

The image below shows a female. The yellow is duller and not nearly as extensive as on the male, which makes the bird less obvious when it is sitting on the nest.

In both of the previous photos, the birds are sitting on last year's stems of Purple Loosestrife. This is a highly invasive, non-native species that created huge problems in wetlands. A biological control has been somewhat effective, but it does not eliminate it. Invasive, non-native species are a huge problem in many of our natural areas, but that is a broad topic for another post.

While watching the blackbirds, I heard Sora, Common Moorhen and Pied-billed Grebe as well as a Bullfrog. I saw a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, and had fly-over of a Green Heron and Black-crowned Night-Heron. I only got a quick shot of the latter species, but the close proximity of tall grasses interfered with the focus and prevented it from being as sharp as it should be.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

I also watched an adult female Blanding's Turtle cross the road nearby.

May and June are the months when the greatest number of turtles are crossing roads, as they seek the best spots to 'thermo-regulate' (a.k.a. bask). They are cold-blooded and need the sunlight warmth to increase their physiological processes. This is especially important for females which are developing eggs inside.

Blanding's Turtles are very distinctive. They look somewhat like an army helmet on legs. A close look will show numerous yellow dots on the shell, and the underside of their throat is a bright yellow. It is a declining species throughout its Ontario range, and is a Species At Risk. You don't see them very often except near good quality wetlands, and unfortunately you also see them dead on the road after having been hit by a car.

Turtles will even dig their nest hole in suitable soil along roadsides, where the roads are near to wetlands.

On Wednesday I returned to Rondeau after the morning rain had stopped. The brisk east winds (yet again!) ensured that bird activity along the east side of the park wouldn't be too high, so I stayed farther west. I checked on a Blue Jay, which I noted had been building a nest several days earlier. During a previous visit, it seemed that the nest had been abandoned before completion, so I was pleasantly surprised to see an adult bird incubating eggs. The nest is fairly high in the tree, but open enough for a distant photo. Blue Jays are usually one of the most vocal birds in the forest. But if you see them and they are quiet, it often means they have a nest nearby.

An Eastern Chipmunk paused for a brief photo session before scampering away.

A nice group of warblers was seen near the south end of the maintenance loop. Northern Parula, Black-and-white, Black-throated Green, Nashville and Yellow warblers were busily feeding, as was a Blue-headed Vireo. But the most interesting bird was a Blue-winged Warbler, which showed a wider than usual wingbar which was pale yellow rather than the usual white. Unfortunately it was also very active, and often too high up. It did pause briefly, but was partially hidden behind some leaves.

I suspect that at some point in its history, it had some genes of the Golden-winged Warbler added, a species which often hybridizes with Blue-winged, and produces interesting back-crosses through the succeeding generations.

The Erieau area had a very late adult Snowy Owl around in the last day or so. I drove over and there it was.....a long way out in the corn stubble, and not willing to turn around to face me. The by now high winds made getting a photo difficult, if not almost impossible.

I was running out of time, but drove home by way of the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons. I didn't go in.....it was very windy and would have been hard looking through a 'scope! But a few small groups of gulls were feeding in a field just to the southwest of the lagoons, and I had heard that the Franklin's Gull had been seen there. I didn't find it at first, as some of the gulls were in too tight a cluster and too far away. But a Turkey Vulture flew low and erratically due to the wind, spooking the gulls into flight, and then the Franklin's Gull was visible, although too far away to try for a photo.

Yellow-headeds galore, and a whole lot more

Marie and I spent part of today exploring the shoreline of Lake St. Clair, in the Mitchell's Bay area. First off was the west end of Angler Line, where Yellow-headed Blackbirds have been showing up this spring. As you can see, I wasn't disappointed! The males were sitting up quite visibly, keeping watch over their staked territory. Every once in awhile, a female would pop into view, but not long enough for me to get a photo. The females have only a little bit of dull yellow in the face, throat and upper chest area, otherwise they are a mottled dark black and brown colour.

The next photo shows an adult male in full song. It isn't musical as humans would normally describe song, with various coarse sounding grunts and other noises. But for the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, it works!

They can get into some awkward positions on occasion, depending on what they are grabbing on to.

They were all in view from the road side, and sometimes quite literally on the road edge. I took this photo from the car as the adult was hunting for a bit of grit or something right on the edge of the road. It did not seem to be bothered by me at all, but hastily retreated into the marsh vegetation when a mini-van went by at medium speed.

I would estimate that there were at least 6-8 males here, all within a fairly small area. I presume there is an equal number of females, but only saw them on occasion. Yellow-headed Blackbirds are typically much more common in the central and western part of the country. They used to be regular in small numbers at St. Clair National Wildlife Area, but have moved northward along the shoreline marshes of the lake. Usually they are in private marshes that are a lot less accessible than this one.


If you want to find them, go towards Mitchell's Bay and along Angler Line, which is the road immediately south of Mitchell's Bay, go towards the west (lake) end and look into the marsh on the north side of the road, as shown in the map below.

Just a few hundred metres east of this spot is southern entrance to the Lake Shore Trail, which goes between Angler Line and Mitchell's Bay.

This trail opened up just under a year ago, and goes along a drainage canal, wet woods and the marshy edge of Lake St. Clair. There is also a short boardwalk leading to an observation platform looking out over the lake. On the eastern side of the trail it is all farmland.

The early hours of the day should be good for observing birds, as the morning sun will highlight the bird activity. I was hoping for some songbird activity, but of the warbler group, I only came across about 15 Yellow-rumped Warblers feeding in the willows and cottonwoods which are coming into flower.

I heard a Sora in the marsh, had two Wood Ducks fly by, and saw a Greater Yellowlegs feeding along the shallow water at the edge of the lake. There were several Great Egrets....probably at least 8 altogether, and included the occasional one that did a fly-by. Great Egrets have a nesting colony on Walpole Island.

Well out in the lake, but visible from the observation platform there are some islands made up primarily of cattail vegetation. I saw a lot of gulls and terns flying about them, but they were too far away to identify. I must get the kayak out and head on over....it looks like a great spot for Forster's Terns and possibly Black Terns or other gull/tern species to be nesting.

Several Forster's Terns were passing by, occasionally diving for a minnow.

In the drainage canal were numerous Painted Turtles......at least 20......basking in what little bit of sun there was to increase their physiology. Basking is particularly important for the females, as egg-development and laying is highly dependent on this increase in physiology. With the way the spring has unfolded to date, I am sure they are behind in their schedule! Hopefully they won't be too far behind, as it might affect the eventual hatching of the young which is ordinarily in late August to early September. If they are delayed much later, it could affect their ability to survive over the winter.

Marie and I were particularly taken with the swirly nature of this log the turtle had chosen to bask on.

In another pond along Angler Line were several American Wigeon, Gadwall and Green-winged Teal. From Mitchell's Bay itself, I checked the north end of the lakeside parking area where a small sandbar produced various terns, gulls, a Snowy Egret and shorebirds including up to 3 Marbled Godwits in the fall of 2013. The water levels are currently higher, and there was no sandbar to be seen.