Black-necked Stilt, Summer Tanager, Endangered Species Act at Risk, Other bird highlights, Part II

I will get to the Warbler Parade eventually, but in the meantime, there are too many other things to post about!

The Keith McLean Conservation Lands continues to be a draw for so many birds. There are currently at least 207 species of birds recorded for this relatively small site, which has only been accessible for the last 5 years!

Just a few days ago a Glossy Ibis appeared. And yesterday came the report of a pair of Black-necked Stilts. Of course the very high water that has flooded some of the fields along the creek system has created super habitat for such birds. In fact there are typically more shorebirds in both numbers and diversity in these flooded fields than there has been at local sewage lagoons, which are traditionally a hot spot. Once the field dry up, that will change.

Needless to say, the presence of these stilts, normally a mid-western species, caused a lot of interest amongst the throngs of birders in the area. They weren't always close by, or in the best light, so in order to capture the photos below, I and several other photographers had to approach very slowly and carefully along the edge of the creek system in the opposite direction of the road.

 This is a pair, as the male has the darker, black back and the female has a slightly browner back.

This is as close to the boundary of Rondeau that I am aware this species has come. I have seen them twice before within the park's checklist area, but one of those times was at the Ridgetown Sewage Lagoons and the other time, just last year, was at the Blenheim lagoons. If the birds like this spot, it is always possible, but not terribly likely, that they may even attempt to nest!

Not nearly as rare as the stilts, but just a 'regular rarity' is Summer Tanager. One or more occurs almost annually any more, but still draws a lot of attention. Just this last week or so, a young male has been seen in the vicinity of a very active cottage feeding area in the park. There are several hummingbird feeders as well as various suet, niger, sunflower and mixed seed feeders spread out along the Lakeshore Road side of the cottage, so there is a lot to attract birds. Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are common, as are numerous grackles and other blackbirds. The tanager has to be persistent to get anything it seems, but it does manage to get sustenance from both the suet and one of the sunflower feeders.

Endangered Species Act: At Risk
On another topic, and a very important one, it is interesting to know that today, May 17th, is Endangered Species Day, at least in the USA. It is ironic that here in Ontario where we have a relatively recently produced Endangered Species Act, 2007, it is undergoing a major revision. Not that it couldn't have undergone some tweaking to make a few improvements. But if a casual reader reads the general statements by politicians within the conservative government currently in power, one might think the proposed changes are an improvement. I will not refer to them as progressive conservative, the official name of the party, since at least based on environmental issues it is anything but progressive. In fact in spite of the wording of the proposed revisions it is a very poor attempt to make one think the gov't knows what it is doing to benefit the endangered species. In reality it is making the current Act virtually meaningless, giving politicians almost carte blanche authority to remove any protections of legislated endangered species and their habitat.

If you are interested to see the list, along with photos, of the current species that are Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern under the Act, check out this site. Over the years when I was working within MNR on behalf of such species at risk, I contributed many photos. I think at last count I had over 40 photos of these species on this link, a few of which follow here.

Cucumber Magnolia

Red Mulberry

Drooping Trillium

Nodding Pogonia

Wood Poppy

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

If you are concerned about the future of Ontario species at risk, contact your MPP and strongly contest what the conservative gov't is trying to do by essentially gutting the current Endangered Species Act. One way to make your voice heard is through this link.

Lyme Disease Awareness Month
And finally, better late than never, May is Lyme Disease Awareness month. Ticks that are carriers of Lyme Disease are out in full force in many areas of Ontario and beyond. I have written several blog posts on the topic, since I have contracted Lyme Disease 6 times over the past 42+ years. The most extensive post can be found here. If you want more information, check it out, or one of the seven other posts (just go to the right hand side of the post page and under the heading 'Labels', scroll down and look for Lyme Disease). If you or your pets spend any time out doors, especially in the April-November period, please ensure you take extra precautions to reduce the likelihood of contracting this disease.

It is the Black-legged Tick, a.k.a. Deer Tick that is believed to be the primary carrier of Lyme Disease. It is about one-quarter to one-half the size of the more common American Dog Tick, a.k.a. Wood Tick.

Black-legged Tick

American DogTick

Be safe!

Glossy Ibis, Eared Grebe and other bird highlights, part 1

There is so much to see and photograph these days. Many birders have taken these last few days off and spent many hours a day birding. For various reasons, I have only been out to Rondeau 2-3 times in the last week, but still managed to see quite a bit. Of course warblers are one of the main draws, as the ~30 species pass through in large numbers, even in the thousands some days, and it is always a treat to see 20-25 or more of these species in a single day. But there are so many other birds and things to feast ones eyes on, and this post will highlight some of those that I have tracked down or stumbled across.

One of the highlights of these past few days was the Glossy Ibis that was discovered at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands, just north of Rondeau. It was not an easy bird to catch up to. Many birders stopped and checked, without success, according to eBird lists. The small parking lot was often fairly full. I did eventually see this bird. The usual vantage point to look over the wetland and see it required trudging through a bit of water, especially on those days when Rondeau Bay, and subsequently the KMCL was affected by high water levels due to the wind. Even the pathway to the observation tower was under water. And once you got to the top of the tower and managed to see where the bird was, this first photo was sometimes about as good a look as one would get. Certainly not great, and this was at an equivalent of about 16X.

Glossy Ibis, the dark spot in the centre

Not being satisfied with such a poor view even after waiting for awhile and hoping the bird would come out from behind all the dead cattails, I decided to walk around to the bridge. This was not easy considering the amount of water and mud one had to slog through. The trail was totally underwater and very muddy, as were the field edges. But the angle of view was better, and once I got to the bridge and walked along the edge downstream looking back, this next photo is the best I could get, still at about 16X.

Obviously it was an improvement, and after waiting a bit longer, the bird wandered to a point where it was even more out in the open. The second photo below is at an equivalent of about 96X, not super sharp but the best I was able to get. Fortunately it was overcast, so the light was a little more even without the harshness to contend with.

This bird would undoubtedly be a life bird for some who saw it, and a new Chatham-Kent or Rondeau bird for others. I had my first observation of this species back on May 22, 1971 along the south beach, where 4 of them had been present for several days. There haven't been very many at Rondeau in between then and now!

An Eared Grebe in prime breeding plumage has been at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons for several days. It is possible that it is the same one that was at Erieau a couple of weeks ago. The bird has been very reluctant to give satisfying photo opportunities even with good telephoto equipment, so I dug out this photo of one I took in Saskatchewan in 2017.

 The White-winged Dove continues at various places along Lakeshore Road south of the visitor centre. No sign of a mate yet, but there have been several other reports this spring in southwestern Ontario, so it still may happen.

 On some days there has been a profusion of brightly coloured birds, such as Scarlet Tanager.....

 ......and Baltimore Oriole.

 Orchard Orioles are far less common, since southwestern Ontario is more or less at the northern extent of their breeding range. It is nice to get a photo or two of them in a natural setting.......

 ....but it sure doesn't hurt to have a few oranges around!

 Pine Siskins have been hard to come by this winter and spring. I got my first one of the year this past week, at the Visitor Centre feeders.

Red-headed Woodpeckers have been in serious decline for a few years, and in some years it is hard to find a single one even though they used to be a fairly common breeding species here. For some reason they have been a bit more abundant this year. On one day, I saw 4 birds.

 With all the low wet spots in the park, Solitary Sandpipers are enjoying the conditions even if campers and hikers are not. This one was in an otherwise unoccupied campsite. I didn't see that it had a permit.

 Thrushes are fairly plentiful. This Veery was apparently much more intent in feeding along the Warbler's Way Trail (still not used to that name.....) than it was with the birders close by.

 House Wrens are busily cleaning out old homes, in preparation for a new season.

 The cooler weather on some days meant insect activity was closer to the ground, and that meant that insect eating birds such as this Great Crested Flycatcher was down at eye level or below instead of way up in the tree tops.

 A nice surprise was to find out about this roosting cavity of an Eastern Screech Owl along Bennett Ave. Screech Owls are fairly common in Rondeau and elsewhere, but finding a roosting hole that is visible from the road is a treat. A few weeks ago while I was calling for owls one evening just a hundred metres or so from where this owl is, I had 4 Screech Owls responding. Chances are this one was one of those calling back to me.

 While walking the trails, one has to be aware of some of the park's residents also on the trail. This Eastern Garter Snake must have been just warming up, as it did not move at all, and enabled me to get this photo from less than a metre away. I literally had to step right over it, and it never even flicked its tongue out.

 On one occasion my birding colleagues and I were searching at the north end of the park for a reported Brewster's Warbler. While that particular effort was not successful (more on that in the next post), we paused at the road and saw a Cooper's Hawk fly in. It was a male and had something in its talons. It proceeded to pick away at it very briefly. After a bit of chittering, another Cooper's Hawk flew in, this one was a female, and almost immediately they got a little romantic. Copulation took place, as depicted in the next photo.

 The male left and the female ate what remained of the bird, which appeared to be a young robin.

 When she was finished with the robin, she picked up a twig and flew off to a White Pine, where we noticed a nest. She is in the nest in this next photo. A close look will show her tail sticking out of the nest just to the right of centre.

 One evening as the wind was quietening and the sun was setting, I decided to take a walk out the Marsh Trail. The high water and regular pounding of the waves has caused a great deal of damage to this road. This next photo was taken from about the same location as where the Great Kiskadee was first discovered last September. It is looking north, a little way south of the last cottage, which you can see the top of here in the upper right hand corner.

Rondeau is a dynamic sandspit, and this is nature in action. It is a bit hard to believe, but as recently as the early 1970s this road was about 100 metres from the edge of the bay, with some excellent semi-open marsh in between. Now the waters of Rondeau Bay are cutting right through the road as this photo shows.

The most heavily damaged section of the road is in the first 400 metres or so south of the last cottage. From there on, it is more or less the same as it has been, at least for now. I must admit that I felt a bit melancholy while walking this damaged area. Having access to the marsh trail has been such an incredible opportunity to explore parts of the vast ~400 hectare (1000 acre) Rondeau marsh over the decades. Being able to drive out or bicycle out the 7 km trail has provided numerous fabulous experiences, and with the continued high water levels, who knows what the future of this road/trail might be?

Regardless of the current conditions, it was a very pleasant walk, so I went as far as the main parking lot. There were a few warblers, sparrows and thrushes, and even a couple of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds staking out territory at a willow tree just coming into flower. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but it was wonderful to have most of this 5-6 km hike to myself, with terrific light and very little wind, and just the usual marsh trail inhabitants.

Field Sparrow

 I heard a Least Bittern and Virginia Rail from somewhere in the depths of the marsh. Brown Thrashers were calling from the shrubbery and tree tops. Flycatchers, including Eastern Kingbirds, were present. Marsh Wrens were heard scattered amongst last year's cattail vegetation. A Green Heron and Great Blue Heron flew over the marsh surveying their domain. At one point a Great Egret must have been startled when it found out it had to share part of the marsh with a human, and so it squawked and flew up into a dead tree to survey the interruption to its feeding.

Paxton's Bush Owls and Owlets

Bird migration seems to be in full swing right now but I will interrupt my posts on that topic just to bring folks up to date on what has been happening at Paxton's Bush, here on the north side of Chatham. I wrote about it in my Natural Areas of Chatham-Kent series about a year ago, and you can read some background on this site here.

As has been the case the last few years, the resident pair of Great Horned Owls have nested, this time quite a bit closer to the residential area. Local birders and photographers have been keeping a close eye on this process, and two young birds have been successfully raised. One of the first photos I took of them this year was this next one, with one of the owlets peeking over the top, and a nice glint of the setting sun in its eye.

 One of the adults was always fairly close by to keep an eye on things.

The adults being watchful has been beneficial, to be sure. One day not long ago when I was watching the owls, I heard a loud, intensive chittering. It turned out that the local Cooper's Hawk was in the area, and swooped down almost to the owl's nest. Immediately one of the adult owls came onto the scene, and got between the hawk and the owlets. The light was very poor for photos, so I didn't get much, but this next photo shows the adult Cooper's Hawk in a nearby tree where it was taking a short break before its next attack.

On several occasions the hawk even swooped quite close to the adult owl, and the owl even seemed to flinch. There was never any direct contact that I could tell. The whole process seemed to last about 5 minutes, until the hawk returned to its side of the woodlot. There is a pair of Cooper's Hawks nesting in this woodlot as usual, and it is my speculation that the owls, being a night predator, may have harassed the hawks to some extent, and now the hawk was returning the favour during the daylight hours when the owls were more sedentary. Just a guess, however.

Meanwhile in spite of the drama, the owlets have continued to grow, and at times have sat up right out in the relative open.

And then one day, the oldest owlet decided it was time to venture out, and left the nest for good. Its flight capability, I think, left a lot to be desired, as for a couple of days it was seen on or very near the ground. I expect its first flight was more of a glide and flap rather than an effective flight, and once it was on the ground, it really couldn't get up into the trees where it would be safer.

This next photo shows where we found it. It is with a wide angle lens, so you have to look hard to see it.

A much closer look........

.....and closer still.

These previous photos were taken across the creek from the north side, just 40 metres or so west of the bridge. These next ones were taken on the south side, before crossing the bridge, with the owlet looking back over its shoulder.

The other owlet was still in the nest, and will likely leave very shortly if it hasn't already. The first one eventually found a way to climb up a leaning tree to a much safer height, and as the leaves continue to open, it will be much more difficult to see.

On one occasion just before I had arrived at the owl nest viewing location, I caught a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye. A furry critter was hunkered down under some developing Mayapple. It was a Groundhog.

 A closer look revealed something in its mouth.

 It retreated a bit until I had moved on down the trail a bit, and then it emerged. The thing in its mouth was a young Groundhog.

 It scooted across the trail and headed for another sheltered spot.

After awhile I noticed a Groundhog running along the creek at the edge of the nearby field. I suspect that with all the rain, its initial burrow was flooded, and the adult was moving its young to a higher and drier location. But the new location is a lot closer to the owls, and it is always possible that the owls may end up dining on Groundhog one of these days.

There is at least one pair of Mallards in the woodlot area.

In the last day or so, people have seen an adult Mallard with as many as eight ducklings trailing behind. Most won't survive, and in fact while they are young, might end up in the talons and tummy of the Cooper's Hawk.

Blue Jays seem to be always present.

Typically there are a few warblers, vireos, tanagers and grosbeaks to be found, but that mix of songbirds changes daily as many are stopping for a rest and a few meals to replenish their energy so they can continue their northerly migration.

A parade of wildflowers is present, and over several weeks there will always be something to see.

Hepatica

Trout Lily

Red Trillium

But although the vegetation is constantly changing, the presence of Great Horned Owls is almost a sure thing any time of the year, although most times they are difficult to see.