Wild storm aftermath

Shorelines are dynamic features, and sand spits are especially dynamic as a result of the stormy weather of a few days ago.

I went out earlier this week to explore the beaches of Rondeau to see what had changed. I was surprised by some aspects, but not by others.

This was a kinder and gentler day compared to a week ago.

In a prior visit, I noticed that something new was showing up on the beach. This edge of a concrete slab had been exposed by a storm or three. It was under half a metre of sand and vegetation. This was located near the old south campground camp office, which was in operation in the 1960s until early 1970s. The high water of 1972 caused the closure of the campground, and the office was damaged and eventually abandoned and dismantled. However this particular slab of concrete was a little distance away from where I remember the office being, so I have yet to discover what it was.

I was expecting to see more of this slab exposed by the recent storms. Instead, I found this. The cluster of grassy vegetation on the beach at the left is what is on top of the concrete, but the recent storms had added a considerable amount of sand. The beach here is now as wide as I have seen it for well over a year!

This next photo shows what the southeast beach looked like in October, 2012, looking north. This image is featured in my 2015 Rondeau calendar. I found the obvious White Pine to be particularly attractive in this shoreline setting, and had photographed it on several occasions in different seasons.

It was quite evident from along the South Point Trail, but in the spring it had a decided lean due to recent storm activity.

And then it disappeared altogether. This next image show what is left of it, half buried on the beach that it once presided over.

 The Dog Beach access showed considerable change as well, but in a different direction. This first image shows what it looked like about three years ago, shortly after the shoreline pond was formed. Such shoreline ponds do not form often, and when they do, they don't usually last long.

Over the past three years, it became a little farther inland from the shoreline, and vegetation grew up around it. Shorebirds were sometimes found using it, including a Willet a year ago. But after the most recent storm, it is about 2/3 filled in with fresh sand and gravel.

 And a new, smaller and shallower one has appeared closer to the actual shoreline. How long it lasts is anyone's guess.

 This next image shows the two of them in their relative location.

The wind and waves must have been quite something last week. I found the high water mark, as evidenced by lots of small debris, to be about 105 metres from the current shoreline!

This post, used to identify the presence of endangered Fowler's Toad habitat, had been uprooted and deposited almost 100 metres from the shoreline. At least one other post demarcating the boundary of the dog beach, had disappeared altogether. It undoubtedly will show up on someone else's beach.

Beachcombing can be fun. Towards the south end of the park, I came across this old plank.

Upon closer examination, I noticed that the spikes in it were square! Square spikes were in vogue in the 1800s, but not much after that. It is hard to say where this plank came from....was it from an old ship gone down in such a storm many decades ago and just recently released from the watery depths? Was it part of an old dock, of which there were many at various places along the lake shore? Was it part of an old shoreline protection system? We will likely never know, but it is fun to wonder.

With all of the new, fresh sand and gravel thrown up on the beach, it is a great time to look for the telltale signs of animals of the area. I came across these tracks, which were likely just a few hours old. Any guess what made them?

Note the drag mark.

 And the distinctive footprint.

These tracks are that of a Beaver, and the tail drag mark is very useful evidence. Beaver used to be regular in the park, but were absent for several decades. The last time I saw a live one was back in the late 1960s! However earlier this year, more than one person has seen and captured photos of a Beaver roaming around the south beach area. These tracks would indicate that the one seen in the spring was not just passing through.

Amongst some of the recently deposited debris, I noticed a Common Buckeye. I have seen more of these in the past week than I have seen all summer! They typically move northward late in the summer.

 Often when you do see them, they show only their upper side. This next photo gives a partial view of the under wing, showing the reddish colour that differs from the typical pattern of early season ones, leading to the 'forma rosa' designation.

 An Autumn, a.k.a. Yellow-legged, Meadowhawk was noted on a low hanging stem.

And more tracks were seen. This set is of a snake, species unknown, but from the size it is likely either a Northern Water Snake or an Eastern Fox Snake. One can see where its coils have pushed against the sand to propel itself forward.

Blenheim Sewage Lagoon goodies

Sewage lagoons aren't everyone's idea of the place to be....one could even say they are for the birds, and you would be right! Birds love the pickings they can get at these delectable spots, especially right now when so many species are on migration and requiring huge amounts of energy to continue their journey. They are looking for the abundance of food, whether it be fish, invertebrates or plant matter.

The Blenheim Sewage Lagoons have been popular for birders as well. Access is by permission only, and a permit is available from the local municipal office in Blenheim. I have been told by municipal staff that they issue between 300-400 permits annually to birders from across the province and beyond. So sewage lagoons can be a boost to the local economy in the form of ecotourism!

I have been to these lagoons several times in the last few days, and there is always something new to see and photograph.

One of the main attractions currently to be seen is a Willet. It is the western subspecies, and this one, or an identical one, has been here for at least three weeks.

Sometimes it is along the edge of one of the big ponds, and other times it is in the sprinkler cells, where it is usually a lot easier to find.

 Sharing the sprinkler cells with so many other shorebirds has its challenges.....this yellowlegs appears to be about to land on its back. It missed by just a little bit.

Lesser Yellowlegs have been fairly common, as usual at this time of year.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Pectoral Sandpipers are also pretty regular, although not as abundant as some other species.

Pectoral Sandpiper

One of the most abundant shorebirds at the moment is the White-rumped Sandpiper. Today I counted at least 78 birds, and there were a few more but I never got to finish the count as a Peregrine Falcon blasted through and all the shorebirds, except for a handful of Killdeer, left in a huge flurry. I'm not sure where they went; they never came back while I was there over the next 40 minutes or so.

White-rumped Sandpipers, shortly before the arrival of a Peregrine

Another celebrity bird at the lagoons has been a Red-necked Phalarope. Often you see them well out in the middle of the lagoon ponds, so really great views are hard to get.

 On occasion they like to hang out close to the edge of the pond. On Monday, it came from well out in the pond,  straight in to the edge of the pond that I was at. It was almost too close! At this point it was in the shaded edge due to the low angle of the sun, and the reflection of the wispy clouds above gave the water a much more pleasing look, in my opinion.

The Long-billed Dowitchers that were there on the weekend, seem to be Long-gone, as is the Hudsonian Godwit that was there for at least a few hours before being spooked by a Peregrine earlier in the week.

Waterfowl are numerous as well. Being a no hunting area, it has a particular attraction for them during this time of year. At the moment there are several hundred birds of about a dozen species. Most numerous are Ruddy Duck. Between the four ponds, I estimated there were over 500 birds.

Ruddy Ducks

Northern Shoveler is also abundant at the moment, with at least 90 around, although one day I estimated there to be upwards of 150.

Northern Shoveler in moult

Many other birds can be found over the course of the season. According to ebird, at least 215 species have been recorded in the Blenheim lagoon vicinity. I am sure that some species noted before the era of ebird are not included on that list.

Often there is a Northern Harrier or two hunting in the grassy sections. Today another falcon, this time an American Kestrel, was harassing the starling population along the western edge.

Northern Harrier (Juvenile)

Tree Swallows are still fairly abundant as they swoop over the warmer water searching for a feed of insects. I saw at least 185 today, along with a handful of lingering Barn Swallows.

Tree Swallow

The weedy areas of the lagoon property are popular for sparrows. Savannah Sparrows are probably the most abundant sparrow species right now. I kept an eye open for a Nelson's, which others had seen on the weekend, but did not come across any.

Savannah Sparrow

Another highlight of today was coming across a Bronze Copper butterfly, the first one I had seen this year. This one was a rather well worn female, so not as vivid as it might have been. It is not a common species of butterfly, but is locally found. There were lots of sulphurs and Cabbage Whites around as well as a very worn Viceroy.

Bronze Copper

4W weather = Sabine's Gull, etc

The very recent 4W (wild, windy, wacky and weird) weather is a time that birders (and photographers) love to see arrive. One could use a few different synonyms to describe the weather, such as tempestuous, rough, inclement, turbulent, violent, etc. and all would fit. It is unusual for the strong northeast to east winds to be sustained for several days.

It is not a time that is likely appreciated as much by the birds or other types of wildlife, as it can be stressful in finding food and shelter, and migrants are sometimes blown off course from their usual routes. Of course such winds from these directions may hasten the migration of certain types of birds, such as raptors, as evidenced by significant movements observed at the various hawk watches. And when watching some of the gulls and terns over the lake these last few days....well it almost seems as if some of these strong fliers revel in it.

These conditions are instrumental in shaping the landscape, particularly shorelines, as anyone who has waterfront property can attest. Sand spits in particular, being initially formed by water currents and wave action, are also altered by them.

I've shown this first photo previously, but it is relevant to today's post. The pier provides shelter from the prevailing winds and waves, but it also interrupts the shoreline currents and causes long-term deposition of sand on one side. This results in the severe loss and erosion on the other side. Before this pier was constructed in the 1800s, the beach of Erieau on the left more or less aligned with the south beach of Rondeau Provincial Park, on the right. This photo taken in 1989 shows how much a century or more of interference with the normal water currents has modified the shoreline. Erieau is being built up, and anyone who has been to Rondeau is well aware of the major erosion along the shorelines there.

These next few photos show what was happening at Erieau in the last few days. Clearly it was not advisable to be walking out on the pier! Even the gulls, terns, cormorants and shorebirds which are often seen there were not doing so these days. The first three images were taken on Friday.

 The next images were taken on Saturday. Note the difference in the colour of the water....clearly a muddier look to it due to the roiled lake. Needless to say, it was a thrilling (and damp) time to be so close to these forces of nature in action.

The beach is normally connected to the base of the pier at this point. The continuing spilling over of the waves has washed that away.

This next image shows the water pouring into the campground, which is at least 100 metres from the channel.

There were dozens, probably at least 100, Horned Grebes flying back and forth in the troughs formed by the waves. This group of 20+ was taking shelter in the relative quiet on the western side of the pier.

There were hundreds of gulls and terns flying along the lakeshore at times. Occasionally they would be soaring high up and other times they would disappear in the trough between the 3 metre high waves, only to wheel up again. When they got tired of this, they would come to rest on a quiet stretch of the beach. An occasional jaeger would be seen well out, and almost always too far away to conclusively identify it to species, but it was believed that all three species....Parasitic, Long-tailed and Pomarine.....had been seen.

A Black Tern was noted on a few occasions, and at one point came in close enough to attempt a photo.

Ducks of various species were seen, including scaup, mergansers and scoters, but always too far out to photograph. Small numbers of shorebirds were noted, including Black-bellied Plover, Sanderling and White-rumped Sandpiper. At one point a possible Purple Sandpiper flew by mixed in with some Sanderling.

Black-bellied Plover

White-rumped Sandpiper

There are at least a couple of Sanderling in the spilled-over water in foreground of this next image.

One of the main attractions of being at Erieau these last few days was the occurrence of up to four Sabine's Gulls. Given that they moved around a lot, it is impossible to know how many for sure, but this species was first noted on Wednesday and sometimes two or more were seen daily until Saturday. All were juveniles.

I first saw one on Wednesday afternoon. Steve Charbonneau had seen one shortly after day break that day. When I arrived mid-morning, he and I got side-tracked by the sight of a jaeger off in the distance. We are sure it was a Long-tailed, but cannot be conclusive due to the lighting and distance. At any rate, there was no further sign of the Sabine's. However later in the day when I returned to Erieau and started scanning the lake under much better light conditions, I did observe a Sabine's Gull out over the lake, and coming my way. In the few seconds it took to reach for my camera anticipating the bird getting within shooting distance....I lost it and did not see it again.

Fast forward to Saturday, and one or more were reported at various times, but never where I was. I was actually at the Rondeau entrance, in hopes that the sheltered area at the north end of the park would have a few gulls, terns, etc. There were gulls and terns, and rafts of ducks but I never looked through them all. It was then when Steve texted me to say that a Sabine's was on the water between the Erieau marina and the western tip of the Rondeau sand spit. Fifteen minutes later I was there, only to be advised that a Peregrine Falcon had come through moments earlier scattering the gulls. We looked and looked, and eventually noted the Sabine's flying with a few other gulls over the surf near the rocks east of the pier. After awhile, it returned to the relative quiet water along the Rondeau sand spit. It was a distant shot, with the bird bouncing around on the waves so focus was challenging, so most of my images were not kept. Here are a couple of the better ones. (Camera info: Canon 7DII, Canon 500mm II f/4, Canon 1.4X III, ISO 800-1600, 1/800-1/1600 sec, f/5.6 or f/4.5)

In between my times at Erieau, I ventured elsewhere to look around Rondeau Bay. Shrewsbury was a definite stop, as the sheltered area to the southwest of the dock area was good for gulls and terns. Upwards of 500 or more gulls, mostly Bonaparte's were arriving and resting on the water, but I couldn't see anything more unusual with them. A steady stream of Common Terns were passing through the area.

At least 20 Pied-billed Grebes and a few Horned Grebes were nearby. Some of the Pied-billed Grebes were right close to shore in the emergent vegetation.

Several small flocks of Rusty Blackbirds were working their way along the shoreline. These are the first I have seen this autumn.

In some of the larger drainage canals emptying into Rondeau Bay were some species taking shelter from the less favourable conditions on the bay.

Double-crested Cormorant

Redhead and Ruddy Duck

The weather looks like it is settling down for a few days, but who knows what has blown in waiting to be discovered? The occurrence yesterday of a Eurasian Dotterel along the Lake Huron shoreline is tantalizing, to be sure, but what else is out there?