Waterbirds and Warblers

 The bird migration continues, and shorebirds are increasing. The Keith McLean Conservation Area is fair to good, but not quite as productive as the last couple of years. Fortunately the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons are better for shorebirds than they were this time last year, as two of the sprinkler cells have water in them.

There is typically almost a dozen species of shorebirds present on a given day. Here are some of them.

Dunlin are quite abundant, with some in almost full breeding plumage complete with black belly.

Some are along the pond edges rather than the sprinkler cells, partially hidden by the grasses.

Least Sandpipers are becoming more numerous.

Both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs are fairly abundant, particularly the Lessers, shown next.

Always a nice bird to get is a Short-billed Dowitcher.

Another highlight is Wilson's Phalarope. There were at least two when I was there. On at least one occasion in the past, this normally western species has actually nested at these lagoons.

Several Semipalmated Plovers were scattered around.

 

 One of the other bird highlights at the lagoons this spring is a nicely plumaged Eared Grebe. Unfortunately it was always way off on the far side, so this is a heavily cropped photo.

This is what a closer look would show. I photographed this while out in the prairie provinces back in 2018, where the species was commonly seen in so many prairie swales and potholes.

Most of the last few days have been cool and breezy, so the hundreds of swallows that gather are either anxiously swooping over the water hoping to catch an insect or two, or resting in some sheltered part of the complex to save energy. This one was in the grass, quite tolerant of me passing by.

Another plover similar to the Semiplamated one shown above, has recently arrived along the beach at Erieau. It was first seen yesterday, and I got out this morning to see and attempt to photograph it. This is one of my better photos. It has a distinctively paler back than the other species, and is quite endangered. There are historical records of them breeding in the Rondeau/Erieau area, but not since about the 1940s. It is an endangered species, and fortunately is making a slight recovery, so maybe it will once again be nesting along these shores.

The warbler activity has been slower than most birders would like, but that seems to be the case most years. There are some species I have yet to catch up with, but Yellow Warbler is certainly not one of them. As is often the case, it is one of the most abundant species. Given its abundance, it is hard to believe that back in the 1970s it was on the Audubon Blue List, as a species of concern considering its significant decline. How times have changed!

Always a crowd pleaser is the Prothonotary Warbler, the unofficial bird of Rondeau considering that its first nesting record for Canada was at Rondeau back in the 1930s, and the park has been considered a stronghold for the species. The abundant slough habitat is certainly to its liking. There were two males vying for territory on this day, although not very close to the boardwalk, so these are heavily cropped photos. Hopefully before long, I will be getting a few much closer ones.

And while watching and waiting for the Prothonotary to show up within camera range, a pair of Wood Ducks were nearby. One can never get enough photos of the dramatically coloured male Woody!

Some more highlights of spring so far

 It is about the most favourite time of year for birders, as the migrant birds are arriving in substantial numbers. 

On a trip to Rondeau a few days ago, it was one of those overcast, misty days, where one is more advised to take an umbrella than a camera. The park isn't busy on such dreary days. At Dog beach,  the only ones there were 7 Turkey Vultures, three of which were using the bench.

 Some sun did eventually break through, showing some blue sky, and I managed to get some swallows cooperating in the vicinity of where I had hoped to find the White-winged Dove, but it was still absent.

Barn Swallow

Tree Swallow

There were a few Rusty Blackbirds in the sloughs along Tuliptree Trail, but too far away to attempt a photo. This photo was from a previous year.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are still around, although in fewer numbers than a couple of weeks ago.

I had my first Black-and-white Warbler.....

.....and my first Wood Thrush.

 Sparrows of these next two species are fairly abundant.

White-crowned Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

I had to be in Blenheim earlier this week, and afterwards decided to head to the Erieau area. My first stop was at the Rail Trail, and it proved to be a good spot for birds. Although the light wasn't great, I managed to get photos of a few of the species I encountered, some of which were for the first time this year.

Eastern Kingbird, FOY

Palm Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Blue-winged Teal

I came across several others, including a beautiful Golden-winged Warbler, but it was quite active, as warblers often are, and it always seemed to have a branch or two in the way. 

After finishing up at the Rail Trail, Kevin and I went over to McGeachy Pond. While the light was deteriorating, we still managed to see quite a few birds. Getting photos proved much more challenging, as many were back-lit as well as being in the shrubbier areas. Here are some of the ones I was able to salvage:

Blue-headed Vireo

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Northern Parula

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

A surprising warbler was yet another Golden-winged Warbler. I sometimes don't even see one in the spring, so to see two within an hour or so of each other was nice. I didn't get a photo, but Kevin got a record shot.

On my way out to Rondeau recently, I stopped at the Keith McLean Conservation Area. While the wet fields aren't quite as productive as they have been the last couple of years, the ongoing flooded area just before and across the bridge continues to attract waterbirds. I was especially hoping for shorebirds, and I did find several species. There were the usual yellowlegs of both species, as well as Dunlin and Killdeer, but I didn't get photos of them due to distance. I did manage to get a few shots of these others.

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Short-billed Dowitcher

I had hoped some of the Long-billed Dowitchers were still around, but apparently they were only there for a brief time a few days earlier. Maybe others will appear.

I always check the nesting platform that has attracted a pair of Osprey. It seems that this is the year that nesting will finally be confirmed for the Rondeau checklist area!

My previous post dealt with black lighting for moths at Clear Creek Forest. When we were there, I couldn't help but notice the wonderful display of spring wildflowers, especially White Trillium. I just had to go back and capture some of them with my camera on a brighter day, so after a trip to Rondeau I headed to Clear Creek.

I also took a walk around the old gravel pit part of the park, on the north side. The edges of some of the ponds have really regenerated, and are a great place to find a Green Heron. Getting a good photo, however, is another story. This is the best I could do.

On the way home, I stopped at a location where the endangered Eastern Flowering Dogwood grows. Sure enough, it was just coming in to flower, although technically the white 'petals' are really sepals.

A day or so ago I made another trip to Rondeau. While the birds were fairly plentiful, they were hard to photograph. However the star of this trip was to see not one, not two, not three, but four Hooded Warblers! It wasn't that many years ago when seeing one or two in a season was good. More recently, seeing one or two in a long day of birding is considered good. To see four within a span of about 2.5 hours was definitely a first for me. And I even managed to get some pleasing photos!

In addition there is always something to see besides birds. There is a good array of flowers at this time of year, and one that always catches my eye is this Blue Phlox, sometimes called a pinwheel flower.

On the home front, there are things coming in bloom, things that I planted years ago. This first one if Moss Phlox, an attractive sand-loving species of Norfolk Co.

This one is Shooting Star, a prairie plant that can be either white or pink. It isn't native to southern Ontario, but it is an appealing prairie species that I always enjoy when I explore the mid-western prairie sites.

Virginia Bluebells are at about their peak in the 2-3 places where I know they grow wild. I hope to visit one of those places in the next few days and get some impressive displays on camera.