Photogenic water birds

The water front is the place to be these days. There is still a lot of water fowl around, with many of them in their prime breeding attire. Since they are either hungry for sustenance in order to continue their migration, or vying for a mate, they are quite busy with those things in mind, so are more tolerant of photographers. Of course it helps that the hunting season is not on. At the Erieau harbour, the birds are quite used to vehicles coming and going, so staying in the car and using it as a blind, really works well.

Bufflehead are one of the most numerous ducks within 'shooting' distance at Erieau these days.

It is a species that one has to look through carefully when one is trying to find the local pair of Harlequin Ducks, since the female Bufflehead are mostly dark bodied with white facial markings. Compare with the female Harlequin in the image below. The Harlequins have been around for several weeks.

One can sometimes spend quite a bit of time scanning from the main channel area and not see them. Case in point: a couple of days ago I was at Erieau for the better part of two hours, mostly photographing whatever water birds I could find in order to fine tune my camera's autofocus. I didn't see the Harlequins at all, and eventually left. However an hour later, Jim Burk had one of them in their usual spot at the far eastern end of the rocks across the channel.

Yesterday, I was on a grand tour ranging from southern Lambton County, then to Rondeau and eventually ending up at Erieau. I purposely left Erieau until later in the day, since by 3 or 4 p.m., the commercial fishing tug and associated activity is over for the day, leaving the waterfront along the channel as well as where the fish tugs are moored, very quiet and the water birds have relatively free reign over the area. Another bonus is that when the sun is out (not often these past few days!) the angle of light is much better later in the day.

I initially checked the channel, but only saw Bufflehead. I then moved a bit farther towards the lake so I could scan the lake side of the far rocks. Almost immediately I saw a male diving in the relative calm of the lake. I looked for the female, and a few minutes later saw another Harlequin a short distance away...but it was a male as well. Did the first bird just dive and swim farther away than I expected...but no, it was a second young male! And the female was in the area as well!

A little later Steve Charbonneau arrived, and I told him we had three Harlequins, and sure enough, they were all still there, although still a long way off for the kind of photo we hoped for.

 

They were well out in the lake at one point, but eventually came back in and hung out around the rocks. They were still in that location when we left after 7, so presumably they were getting ready to settle in for the night.

The last time anyone had this many Harlequin Ducks in the Rondeau checklist area was way back on May 17, 1960, when 8 birds were seen at Erieau. That was at a time when the overall population was healthier than it has been for a few decades.

The Willet which I found on April 8 is still there, but now it seems to spend all of its time on the tip of the south beach of Rondeau across the channel, affording only distant views and photo ops.

Photo of April 8

Photo of April 12

In spite of the lure of these two rarities, there are other water birds to enjoy, including lots of Horned Grebes in various stages of plumage development

 This next one is coming along nicely.

 This next bird seemed to be injured. Its one leg was continuously dragging behind, and it swam a bit sideways. Maybe it will linger for quite awhile before it succumbs, since it may not be able to fly to its normal breeding ground.

There are a few Greater Scaup still around, most of which are well out in the lake or the bay,

Lesser Scaup are more abundant right at Erieau. They are told from the very similar Greater Scaup by a slightly different shape to the head, and a narrow black tip of the bill which isn't always visible in a side view. Greater Scaup have a relatively wider black tip to the bill.

Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup

Greater Scaup

Mergansers are less common than they were a few weeks ago it seems, but both Common and Red-breasted Mergansers are still around. Red-breasteds are easily told by their darker breast in the male, and their unruly 'hair', compared to the white breast and sleeker look of the Common.

 This one is in the beginning of a dive, to go fishing.

Red-breasted Merganser female

Common Merganser

Gulls are building in numbers, and in spite of them being a noisy nuisance at times, are attractive in their own way. The adults are quite immaculate looking.

Herring Gull

The sub-adults are much less immaculate looking!

Herring Gull

Bonaparte's Gulls, that dainty member of the gulls, are starting to build in numbers. This one will have an all black hood over its head in a few weeks. When a birder sees a smaller gull with a slightly pinkish hue to its breast feathers, such as on the one below, it makes one think of that ultra rarity, the Ross's Gull in breeding plumage. Alas, the pinkish hue on this bird is a reflection of the boardwalk decking. There has never been a confirmed record of Ross's Gull in the Rondeau checklist area, although there is an unconfirmed record for one about 15 years ago. We keep looking and hoping....as all optimistic birders do.

Bonaparte's Gull

Forster's Terns, which used to be quite a rarity back in the 1970s since they were generally a more mid-western species, are now fairly plentiful. They started nesting at Rondeau in the early 1980s, with dozens of nests present at times in the cattail marshes of the park. They do not breed as regularly now for some reason, perhaps due to high water levels, or more likely due to the expansion of that horribly aggressive and non-native wetland plant known as Phragmites. At least 15 Forster's Terns are present at Erieau these days, with more to come.

Willet & Harlequins, Snowy & Forster's

I was at Erieau this afternoon, hoping for an opportunity to get some better pics of the pair of Harlequin Ducks which have been present for several weeks. I find that later in the afternoon is better, as all of the commercial fish tugs have come in, and there is no boat activity at the main channel. Also the angle of sunlight is better for photography.

 

The Harlequins can be seen at other places earlier in the day, but usually a scope is required. In the channel, binoculars are all that is necessary, and some folks have had them quite close.

Today they were in the channel, part of the time working along the main pier with a group of Bufflehead, but were not very approachable. Bufflehead are still pretty common, but so photogenic.

The Harlequins drifted off across the channel and spent a bit of time at the southernmost end of the far breakwall, and then began working their way northward along the breakwall. This is one of the better shots I got.

 While I was watching the Harlequins, I temporarily lost sight of them and as a result of some quick scanning, noticed a largish shorebird on the far breakwall. I knew there had been the occasional Greater Yellowlegs reported in southern Ontario in the last few days, including one at Erieau, and figured that was what this bird was. It wasn't close, and I just got a look at it through the camera. When I got home and had the pics on the computer, I had second thoughts. I noted the rather stout straight beak and the pale gray legs.Yeowsers! That doesn't fit a Greater Yellowlegs! It must be a Willet! After careful looking through several reference books, I concluded it was a Western Willet, due to the lack of any pale pinkish colour at the base of the bill. And some references state that the Eastern Willet is strictly along the eastern coast, whereas Western Willets are the more common one inland, even though they breed in the mid-west.

Here are two of the better shots I have. The camera and lens combination works out to about 22X magnification, and with the cropping on the computer, this image is now at about 40X, so it isn't as crisp as I would like.

 After sending the shots off to Blake M, Jim B and Steve C to get another opinion to see if I was overlooking anything, the consensus was that it is indeed a Western Willet. Had I seen the bird fly, it would have been much easier to confirm, but I didn't see it arrive or leave. It was only on the break wall for a few minutes, and left when I was looking at the screen on the back of my camera.

This may be a new early record for Ontario. I have yet to find or hear about any record earlier than April 13. Considering that there have not been many shorebirds reported in Ontario so far this spring, not surprisingly due to the wintry weather, this record is even more unusual.

There have been a few other, less notable species around to enjoy. Forster's Terns are back, with half a dozen or so at Erieau in the last couple of days. I heard one or two at first yesterday, and then one was cooperative enough to land in a decent location for me.

Snowy Owls continue to linger. This one was at the end of the street that goes to the bay at Shrewsbury.

Early spring challenges

The camping season at Rondeau has begun. It opened for 2016 last weekend, although due to the snowy weather there weren't a lot of campers.

I did see a couple of tents. I'm not sure how long they stuck with it on the weekend!

Many days have been overcast, and with a bit of rain. But some early season migrants are persisting, as they normally would. There have been lots of Fox Sparrows in the last few days. I saw about 12 at one location along the South Point Trail, although most were reluctant to provide clear photo ops.

Song Sparrows also arrived in good numbers a short while ago. They were difficult to find over the winter this year.

Killdeer have been around for a few weeks. This one was taking shelter from the brisk, cold wind by hunkering down behind a large tree trunk.

 Northern Flickers are abundant. This one has its feathers fluffed up to provide a bit of insulation against the cold.

 Eastern Phoebes are plentiful. It is unusual to spend much time at Rondeau and not come across a dozen or more. For a species that is predominantly an insect eater, they do surprisingly well in a season with very few insects.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are more abundant than they were over the winter. Not that anyone is looking forward to their arrival! They are drab birds, and notorious for laying eggs in the nests of other birds, including some species that are at risk. They are native to North America, but are a lot more abundant in the east now than they were historically, since they are mainly an open landscape species. Therefore they were much more abundant historically in the prairies and plains farther west, where they followed the herds of bison.

Female (l) and male (r) cowbirds

There have been some sunny days, and on occasion it can even be a bit warm. That brings things out like this Eastern Garter Snake.

 Red-bellied Woodpeckers are year round residents here in southern Ontario, but it is always nice to see and hear them.

 Feeders are great spots to find them.

 White-breasted Nuthatches are commonly found at feeders as well.

Another insect eating species is the Tree Swallow. They often come back in late March or early April. A few days ago it wasn't uncommon to see a flock of 50 or more at a time. They aren't as adaptable in their feeding habits as phoebes, so I don't think the swallows are doing very well at the moment. Hopefully they had enough reserves to return to a warmer place where insects were more plentiful, or take their chances here without the benefit of a food source.

 There is always enough carrion around from the winter kill to keep the recently arrived Turkey Vultures (Condors?) fed up.

 The sloughs are looking quite full and photogenic. Hopefully a few Prothonotary Warblers will arrive in about a month to make use of them.

 A species that also depends on wooded wetlands, including the Rondeau swamp forest is the Wood Duck, which nests in tree cavities. Wood Ducks look a little out of place sitting high up in a tree. I noted this female checking out a large old tree trunk with potential cavities for a possible nesting site. Large old trees are very important to the nesting success of this beauty!

Female Wood Duck

Male Wood Duck

There are other signs of spring to enjoy. Plants are beginning to flower, such as this Silver Maple, one of the first to flower well before the leaves appear.

Male flowers of Silver Maple

Female flowers of Silver Maple

The mosses are looking bright green these days. This one already has fruiting bodies on it.

Some birds are on the move out of southern Ontario. Waterfowl were around in the tens of thousands just a few weeks ago, but lots of them have left for their breeding ground farther north or northwest. There are some lingering, and even Rondeau Bay has a few hundred or even a few thousand remaining as the birds wait for better weather to head off.

There are very few breeding records for Canvasback in southern Ontario.

There are no breeding records of Greater Scaup in southern Ontario.....their stronghold in Ontario is the Hudson Bay Lowlands, so these birds have a long way to go.

 Redhead does nest in southern Ontario, albeit limited largely to the large wetlands around Lake St. Clair, with even less frequent occurrences in large marsh complexes elsewhere.

Hooded Mergansers nest in small numbers here in the south, and the same can be said for Northern Shoveler, one of the more distinctive ducks with its huge bill.

Hooded Mergansers

Northern Shoveler

Snowy Owls should be heading north, and presumably some have. However a few of the birds that arrived this winter are lingering. Is there something they know about the weather that we don't? This Snowy, or one of its kind, have been using the roof of this house a few times, given the extent of the white-wash.

Double-crested Cormorants....proposed as an endangered species!

No this wasn't, or isn't, an early April Fool's joke. Double-crested Cormorants were at one time expected to be added to Ontario's Endangered Species list!

Cormorants were, at one time, extremely rare. They were believed to be having a negative impact on the commercial and sport fishing industry in the first half of the 20th century, by consuming vast quantities of small fish that were part of the commercial fish targets or food for the larger sport fish. As a result they were heavily persecuted by destroying nests and killing the adults. Compounding the decline was the impact of DDT. The population declined significantly, and the species was being considered for endangered species status. There were no breeding colonies of them in the lower Great Lakes at all!

In my old files (I'm a bit of a pack-rat......not a surprise to those who know me well), I have a copy of the 1970 spring-summer issue of the Fish And Wildlife Review, a publication produced several times a year by the Department of Lands & Forests, precursor to the Ministry of Natural Resources, which is now the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry (I'm not sure why the politicians thought Forestry had to be added to Natural Resources, as ever since 1973 when MNR was created, Forestry was always included since it is a natural resource. But I digress......)

In this issue was a feature article on the dozen or so species which were to be initially included in this new piece of provincial legislation, the Ontario Endangered Species Act. In another article of this issue, two species were predicted to be added in the near future: Double-crested Cormorant and Common Loon!

I remember in my early birding years (mid-1960s to early 1970s) it was a novelty to get cormorant on one's daily checklist. By the middle 1970s, cormorants started to show up again, and by the later 1970s, they started nesting again in remote places of the lower Great Lakes. Efforts by the Canadian Wildlife Service and Ministry of Natural Resources were underway to band the young at accessible nests. As I was stationed at Rondeau, I had the opportunity on several occasions to join the mixed crew in these events. The main nesting location in the western basin of Lake Erie was on Big Chicken Island, a small island made up of cobble stones and overall about 2/3 the size of a football field. It emerged from the lake a few kilometres west of Pelee Island. There was no woody vegetation on it, and hardly even any herbaceous vegetation.

Banding cormorants on Big Chicken Island, with East Sister Island in the background

During the several times I was part of this crew, the maximum number of nests as I recall was 104, and we were ecstatic with the nesting success.

The excitement was short-lived. In only a few years the cormorants had rebounded considerably, and they expanded their nesting sites to several of the other remote islands in the western basin. East Sister Island was one of the main new nesting sites, but they also became well established on Middle Island and to a minor extent for a few years at Lighthouse Point Provincial Nature Reserve on Pelee Island.

It didn't take long for the nesting colonies on East Sister and Middle Island to have some major impacts on the lush vegetation there. Cormorants do eat fish, and their excrement is quite acidic. They were nesting in trees and in a fairly dense colony, and so when the ~4 chicks pooped over the edge of the nest, the leaves of the trees were eventually destroyed. Trees started dying. The lush vegetation was in serious trouble, as at the peak, there were well over a thousand nests on East Sister Island alone.

East Sister Island

Middle Island, Canada's southern most land mass only 100 metres or so from the international border, was similarly affected. Whereas East Sister Island has a predominantly cobblestone shoreline, Middle Island has more solid limestone rock and plates that are broken off by wave and ice action. There is a geomorphology lesson in there.......

Middle Island is about the same size as East Sister, and has an interesting fairly recent human history. During the prohibition years, it was a busy place...a haven for rum runners and for the delivery of Canadian alcohol making its way to Ohio. Boat traffic was regular (a small harbour was created on the west side of the island) and a small air strip was cut out of the vegetation on higher ground. The place where the air strip used to be has been completely over grown for a long time. If you examine Google maps and zoom in closely in the Earth coverage, you can see the difference in the vegetation where the East-West air strip was located. There was even a small hotel and casino on the island during the early part of the last century. It was eventually abandoned, and by the 1980s was in complete disrepair. It was said that Al Capone was a periodic visitor to the island during prohibition days, to do 'business'.

The impacts of nesting cormorants on Middle Island were fairly drastic as well. However since 1999, the island changed ownership....it had been in American ownership for at least 80 years prior to 1999, but given its natural history significance and its availability on the market, Canadian patriotism came to the fore. Led by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in conjunction with numerous conservation and government agencies as well as concerned individuals, it was purchased and became Canadian owned. It is now part of the federal park system, being administered and managed by Point Pelee National Park. What was left of the island's hotel has since been removed.

Cormorants have continued to expand their nesting sites in the Great Lakes. They have expanded to places like Rondeau Provincial Park, initially occupying a small unvegetated island towards the south end of the bay/marsh area. There they nest on the sandy island or in the fallen trees that remain.

They have since expanded again, to a cluster of small trees along the edge of the bay.

Cormorant nesting cluster, with Bald Eagle at top

Such are the dynamics and resilience of nature. For better or worse, nature is quick to recover when the conditions allow. And Double-crested Cormorants were never put on the Endangered Species list.

Sunset over the western basin of Lake Erie