Birds of Chatham-Kent, then and now, Part II

 The next group of a dozen or so species of birds with which to compare their status 3/4 of a century or more ago, continues.

Turkey Vulture

 

Then: Wood describes it as a common summer resident, with an occasional nest being found, and the species being more common in the eastern part of the county. 

Now: I hesitated to include this species in this series, mainly because it is currently a common summer resident although in my opinion, there have been some changes over the decades. The amount of forest cover a century ago was considerably more than there is now, although I don't have any hard facts to back that up. Currently there is less than 4%, and considering how farming has changed to bigger and bigger fields, some of it owned and operated by corporations with large holdings and requiring bigger and bigger equipment, I feel quite confident in stating that woodland is now the lowest than it has ever been. So a century ago, there would have been more woodland, and thicker hedgerows scattered across the municipality. By the 1970s or thereabouts, seeing Turkey Vultures was a much rarer event than today. I expect it was partly due to habitat loss.

In the last 2-3 decades, however, seeing Turkey Vultures during the breeding season has increased, but not because of increased habitat in Chatham-Kent. The population has gradually expanded northwards, as some bird species tend to do. And that was reflected in the results of some of the hawk watches in southwestern Ontario and adjacent Michigan. At the end of 2018, more than 60,000 Turkey Vultures were counted during the September through November period, as they traveled within sight of the Essex/Michigan hawk watch towers. In 2020 there were more than 72,000 vultures counted, and the long-term average of over 51,000 birds. Some days were quite spectacular, with scenes like this next photo, not all that uncommon.

As for nesting birds, actual nests are not easy to find. However comparing the two Breeding Bird Atlases, they were found with some breeding evidence in more squares during the second atlas than the first. And just to illustrate that they don't always require a good quality habitat, this next photo show one that I photographed in 1993 in the former Raleigh Twp, one of the least forested areas of C-K. It was in a hedgerow that had a bit of junk placed on it, including an old bed spring, which the nest was under!

Cooper's Hawk 

 Then: A common spring and fall transient, but rarely breeds and is occasionally seen in winter.

Now: still common in spring and fall, but is a regular breeding species. It is typically more common in winter than its smaller relative, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, which Wood thought was more common in winter than Cooper's. The second OBBA found it to be much more common than in the first OBBA. While it is not 'fair' to compare the habitat at Rondeau to the rest of CK, there are typically several pairs that nest there annually. Some are in tall coniferous trees, such as this White Pine. Several of us watched the courtship, copulation and nest building of this pair. But more often the nests are found in the hardwoods, which dominate the woodland habitat at Rondeau.

Golden Eagle

 Then: considered an accidental visitant.

Now: a fair assessment would consider it an uncommon but regular autumn migrant. For example the Detroit River Hawkwatch has a long-term average (beginning in 1983) of 94 birds per year during the September-November count period. 

Bald Eagle

  

Then: considered a permanent resident, nesting not far from lake shores. Others of the day back then considered it to be rather rare.

Now: certainly times have changed dramatically. While it was a rare, permanent resident in the early part of last century, by the 1970s it was even rarer. In fact in 1969, there was only one known active nesting pair between Long Point and the mouth of the Detroit River, and that was a pair at Rondeau. Even there it had limited nesting success, as although they actively attempted to nest, there were as many years with no success as there was with raising a single eaglet. As the use of certain agricultural chemicals such as DDT was eventually greatly reduced, the numbers of eagles and their nesting success improved. Currently I am aware of at least 26 nesting pairs in CK alone, and I suspect there are a few more in areas where there is limited access to for surveying. So that is a huge change for the better!

Northern Harrier

Then: considered a common summer resident, with a few remaining through the winter. It was noted as breeding sparingly at the St. Clair Flats.

Now: certainly not a common summer resident, but with the persistence of some of the larger wetlands adjacent to Lake St. Clair, it is periodically seen in summer. With some wetland and other open habitats increasing slightly over the past few decades, there was an increased number seen with breeding evidence throughout CK in the second OBBA compared to the first.

American Kestrel

Formerly known as American Sparrow Hawk

Then: formerly considered a common summer resident, but by the 1940s, there were very few nesting in CK, and only an occasional one seen in winter.

Now: A species which has had its ups and downs. It is more of an open habitat nesting species, and with the loss of trees like Elms due to Dutch Elm Disease, there were numerous dead trees in tree and property lines across CK. By the middle to latter part of last century, there was more habitat (dead trees) and a slight up-tick in the abundance of this species. Indeed the records with breeding evidence between the first and second OBBA did not change much, at least in terms of the number of atlas squares reporting breeding evidence. However as those dead trees fell down, and as farm fields were expanded to accommodate a significant increase in the size of farming equipment, habitat in the form of tree lines between farm properties was lost. Currently the abundance of this species across CK is much less than it was even 2-3 decades ago, even in winter. The Blenheim/Rondeau CBC supports this, as the average for the last 20 years is about 11 birds per count, whereas the average for the previous 20 years was about 27 birds per count.

Spruce Grouse

Then: considered a former resident! A specimen was taken near Chatham in the late 1870s!

Now: none have ever been reported since, to my knowledge. CK is way out of its normal range, so this record is likely to be an escaped bird from someone's collection, or possibly mis-identified. It is a conifer specialist, especially Spruce, as its name implies. The closest record for either of the two OBBA was several hundred kilometres away in the Muskokas.

Ruffed Grouse

Then: Ruffed Grouse was considered to be a formerly abundant, permanent resident but now (in the 1940s) probably vanished from the county.

Now: there are probably a few reasons for its decline even back then. Certainly the loss of forested habitat was happening. Also, a likely ever increasing population of Eastern Coyotes, which adapted well to the wider open spaced due to decline in forest, would have been a factor. Also there had been a hunting season, and this game bird was sought out.

That being said, there was likely enough forest habitat scattered here and there to maintain a small population.  And since the species is known for an erratic fall flight, it can disperse from more established populations. There has been the occasional record in southern CK over the last decade or so. This next photo shows a nest I came across in a woodlot in central CK back in the late 1970s. That forest was mostly cleared by the mid 1980s, unfortunately. 

(Greater) Prairie Chicken

Lesser Prairie Chicken

Then: Formerly a common resident, locally. Possibly there are still a few left on St. Anne's Island (technically Walpole Island First Nation, Lambton Co.). They were known from the Raleigh Plains, an extensive stretch of low, marshy prairie along the south side of the Thames River, where as many as 75-100 chickens were reported. They were also known from the greater Mitchell's Bay area in the later 1800s and were hunted by at least a few local hunters who prized their meat. At this time, it was just known as Prairie Chicken, but in recent decades it has been separated to Greater and Lesser Prairie Chicken.

Now: this species has been gone from southwestern Ontario for many decades. While the species is generally considered a mid-western prairie species, there used to be what was known as the 'prairie peninsula' extending into southwestern Ontario. Early surveyors and botanists described the prairie vegetation in the tri-county area of Essex, Kent and Lambton. With the exception of parts of Walpole Island (Lambton) and northwestern Essex and much tinier remnants in CK, the tall grass prairies are long gone. I have seen Greater Prairie Chicken in several places in the mid-west, especially parts of Missouri, but never gotten a photo of one. The photo of the Lesser Prairie Chicken shown above, is a much more restricted species than the Greater. I got access to a blind that overlooked a lek on the Cimarron National Grassland in extreme southwestern Kansas back in 2012. 

Gray Partridge

Then: a species introduced in about 1914, and lasted a few years but were apparently gone by the late 1920s.

Now: gone

(Northern) Bob-white

 

 

Then: the population was known to fluctuate widely, from being quite plentiful to being almost to the point of extirpation.

Now: the native population is gone, as a result of habitat loss, severe winter weather three years in a row in the mid to late 1970s, and the increasing presence of Eastern Coyote. There have been efforts to re-introduce a few individuals by well-meaning persons. However most of these birds have been pen-raised and are not fit to survive in the wild. This is especially problematic when all meaningful habitat is long gone. The first photo above is one taken in June, 2009, in Missouri, in a natural habitat. The second photo was taken in 2021, in CK, of a released bird, at the edge of a village and farm land.

(Common) Ring-necked Pheasant

Then: another introduced species, brought in by the Ontario Department of Game and Fisheries. They became well established. For most of a decade beginning in 1939, there were small groups of pheasants scattered throughout the county. By 1946, they were much fewer.

Now: it is a species which has continued its downward trend. Between about 1981-2000, they were seen regularly on the St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count, with sometimes between 20-45 reported. In the last couple of decades we are lucky to get one or two, with none seen in the last 5 years. I don't think hunting pressure has been a factor, but the increase in the Eastern Coyote population undoubtedly has.

Wild Turkey

Then: Formerly a permanent resident in the heavily forested areas, but at the time of Wood's writing in the later 1940s, they had vanished from the county. They were considered plentiful in Rondeau in 1768, and in 1796 they were reported as in great numbers in the Fairfield area. In 1833, they were seen in considerable numbers in Raleigh and Tilbury townships. The numbers fluctuated over the years until the early 1900s when they were very restricted. In 1920, a few birds from more southern parts of their range were introduced in Rondeau where they were known to be present for a few years.

Now: for most of the 1900s, Wild Turkeys were almost non-existent in CK. A southern Ontario wide re-introduction program was undertaken beginning in 1984, and in spite of their usual preference for heavily forested areas, began to do quite well even in such unforested habitat in CK. In examining data from the Blenheim/Rondeau CBC, they were virtually non-existent from 1939-2003, but beginning in 2004 until the present, there is typically anywhere from several dozen to almost 350 birds tallied for that count. In comparing data from the first two OBBAs, the species was virtually unaccounted for in the first atlas (1981-1985) but found in almost every atlas square during the second atlas (2001-2005).

Sandhill Crane

Then: formerly a rare transient, occasionally remaining to breed in places such as the St. Clair Flats in the late 1800s; by the 1940s, it was an accidental transient.

Now: this species has been more successful in recent decades. While in the 1970s and 1980s, it was quite rare to see one other than on migration, beginning in the 1990s, they were a bit more plentiful during spring migration and a few have remained to breed. Larger wetlands such as those along Lake St. Clair as well as at Rondeau seem to be the most likely breeding areas, and numbers on migration have risen substantially. There was a moderate increase between the first two OBBAs, largely restricted to those larger wetland areas. Clearly there has been greater nesting success in places farther north, as up until the early 2000s, it was a species hardly recorded during the CBCs, but for the Blenheim/Rondeau CBC, they have been seen annually beginning in 2009, with more than 100 individuals recorded on two occasions during that time.

Part III of this series will continue in a future post. Stay tuned.

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Nesting begins, waterfowl on the move

 I was going to continue with the series on Birds of Kent County, then and now, but decided to hold off until next time. It is the time of year when as spring slowly arrives, evidence of its arrival involves more than just the weather. It involves birds, of course.

Waterfowl is present in large numbers, although some of the most visible ones have already moved on to a great extent. Tundra Swans were around by the thousands just a short time ago. In this first photo, there are a few mixed in with several other species of waterfowl, mostly geese in this case. Once I got the image on the computer and processed it, a closer look revealed a single Greater White-fronted Goose. If you click on the image it will be visible in a larger format, and if you look closely to the left of one of the closer swans, and just above the 'e' in my name, you may see the white-fronted goose facing this direction.

The swans were on the move, some just to a local field.....

...while others were noticed gaining a much higher altitude than if they were going out to a field, and then heading north. Many swans are now gone.

While I was out enjoying the spectacle of waterfowl, I came across about a dozen Sandhill Cranes. Most were in small loose groups, but some seemed to be paired up already.

The sewage lagoons at Blenheim are completely ice free these days, and there are lots of waterfowl making use of them. There were several hundred ducks there quite recently, most of which were Ring-necked Ducks. Unfortunately for me, the ducks in general were rather skittish. Wherever I went, they seemed to be on the move to the farthest sides of the lagoons, making photography difficult. At least the light was fairly good.

There were a few Redheads.....

...and several Bufflehead, although they were more apt to be on the move rather than sitting still for me.

Canada Geese were paired up. I didn't see any evidence of nests yet, but it won't be long.

There were even a few American Coot.

Red-winged Blackbirds were present, but not in large numbers. It might have something to do with all of the cattail and phragmites trimming that has taken place since last season, leaving them with less suitable habitat.

Muskrats were there in abundance. There were easily three dozen along the edges of all of the lagoon cells, and some were busily digging out a new burrow entrance. Hopefully their activities won't jeopardize the integrity of the berms separating the cells and containing the water.

I've been out to Rondeau a couple of times recently, just to see what is new and to go for some nice long walks. With camera in hand, of course.

I went along the east side of the South Point Trail a few days ago, which I hadn't been to for several weeks. The birds were few and far between, not surprisingly. I did see a couple of adult Bald Eagles soaring over....

....and with the ice now gone and the sometimes brisk southeast winds, the concrete block associated with the old camp office, is now about as exposed as I have ever seen it.

Some explorations in the campground at the north end of the park are often worthwhile, especially before the opening of the camping season in just three weeks from today. House Finches continue to be fairly abundant.

One of the notable activities I came across here was a pair of Carolina Wrens in the business of building a nest. Regular birders roaming the campground may recognize this location, as they are building under the dome of a propane tank. If there is enough propane in it to get through the first few weeks of the camping season, maybe the nest will be successful. If not and the propane suppliers have to gain access to the dome......

Closer to home, just yesterday I noticed three Red-breasted Nuthatches scavenging for tidbits of something in the trees outside the kitchen window. I haven't seen any of this species for at least a couple of months, so it would appear that this species is on the move.

Marie and I have been over to Paxton's Bush a couple of times recently. The Great Horned Owls are back in nesting mode again, and apparently have found this artificial nesting basket satisfactory. At least it is easy to keep an eye on, and at certain angles, one can see through the sides to note a bird, and eventually young, present in it.

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Birds of Chatham-Kent, then and now, Part 1

 I mentioned in my previous post about a new series, comparing some of the birds of Chatham-Kent in the early part of the previous century, to their current status. The historic status will be based on an unpublished manuscript entitled "The Birds of Kent County, Ontario" by A. A. Wood (1948). Wood did most of his analysis between 1938-1948, but also relied to a fair extent on the writings, diaries and published articles by numerous well known southern Ontario birder/naturalists prior to that. His bibliography included 92 different sources from authorities such as W. E. Saunders, Jim Baillie, Thomas McIlwraith, George Stirrett, Ed Sandys and J. Macoun, among others. Most of his additional sources occurred around the turn of the century, although the earliest information he incorporated goes back to 1862.

Wood included information on 271 species of birds, plus at least a couple of dozen species which were considered hypothetical at the time, such as Red-throated Loon and "Little White Egret", currently known as Snowy Egret. I will present them in the order provided in Wood's manuscript, so they will not be in the current checklist order.

In going through this manuscript, I have tentatively identified about 70 species where he writes a few things of interest, or where the situation at the time is notably different from now. Clearly dealing with potentially this many species will require several installments, not just this post. So stay tuned if you are interested!

Common Loon

 From Wood: this is a regular spring and fall transient, stopping for a time on large bodies of water. A few non-breeding birds remain on the lakes throughout the summer. Many are caught in the fisherman's gill nets at great depths. They have nested sparingly in some of the marshes along Lake St. Clair.

Now: not a lot has changed, although the numbers are likely lower now than they were then. I'm not sure if many are caught in gill nets these days. Nesting has not likely occurred anywhere near CK for many decades.

Red-throated Loon

 From Wood: Hypothetical, although there were two reported on Lake St. Clair in the 1940s, and it was listed as a bird of the Rondeau region.

Now: certainly some significant differences. Spring-time records are not all that common in the Rondeau region, but in the last few years, they have become much more abundant than Common Loon, especially in late autumn. On some days, more than a dozen were reported flying past Rondeau's east side in just a few hours of observation. The most recent Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count tallied a record 304 individuals on Dec 15, 2021! Time will tell if this trend continues.

Horned Grebe

From Wood: A common spring and fall transient and frequent winter visitant. Breeds abundantly at St. Clair flats.

Now: still a common, but not abundant spring and fall transient, and may be rarely seen during winters of open water. I found it interesting that it was considered an abundant breeder at the St. Clair flats. The St. Clair flats essentially include the large marshes and islands of Lake St. Clair. And that it bred there to me is not all that surprising, given that this is mainly a mid-western species commonly found in prairie type habitats and wetlands there. Since a good part of the former Dover Twp, as well as much of Walpole Island, have or at least had, strong similarities to prairies and wetlands of the mid-west, it is not surprising at all. These areas are known to attract other more western bird species as will be noted elsewhere in this series.

Here is a photo I took of a Horned Grebe nesting in a wetland in southern Saskatchewan back in 2018. It was right along a quiet back road, and I used my vehicle for a make-shift blind.

During the first Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (1981-1985) there were two possible breeding records in southern Ontario: one in the marshes of Walpole Island and the other in the marshes of Rondeau. There were no records at any level of breeding during the second OBBA (2001-2005).

Double-crested Cormorant

 An interesting species that has undergone significant changes in its abundance over the decades.

From Wood: A regular spring and fall transient along the Great Lakes.

Now: interesting that Wood does not mention anything regarding breeding or abundance. Certainly at one point early last century, it was fairly abundant, and since it was believed to be a significant predator of the desirable fish species by both commercial and sport fishermen, it was persecuted heavily. By the middle of last century and into the 1970s, it was quite rare, and in fact was being considered as a candidate for the newly enacted Endangered Species Act of Ontario! I posted a blog about that in more detail, which you can see here. Certainly things have changed a lot since the 1970s. The species did not make it on to the ESA, as shortly after that consideration, the numbers began increasing, slowly at first and then quite rapidly. It is now a major, even problematic, breeding species in many, many corners of the Great Lakes and beyond, and is present here in the south throughout the time of year where there is open water.

Great Egret

From Wood: this beautiful bird, from the far south, visits the area regularly in the fall but is very rare in the spring. Occasionally a straggler stays until the middle of October.

Now: It is not uncommon in the spring, and in fact nests in various places in Ontario. There is a sizeable breeding colony at Walpole Island, with other colonies up as far as Georgian Bay. Numbers can build up in the autumn, due to post-breeding birds and their progeny. They can gather in large numbers at times. Here is a photo of an overnight roost of them at St. Clair NWA, when low water appealed to them. I took this just before daybreak at the very end of September, 2012. There was upward of 100 birds here.

I suspect that a few weeks before this date, the egrets would roost over night in various other wetland areas, but as the waterfowl hunting season got underway, they would have chosen less disturbed areas. The water levels have not been low enough at the NWA since to allow for them to gather like this. If the autumn and even early winter is relatively mild, with open water, egrets will stay much longer. One or more have been recorded at or near the mouth of the Thames River in January twice in the last 5 years. This next photo shows two of three birds photographed there on Jan 23, 2021.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

From Wood: Considered a common summer resident in localized areas, with the only mentioned breeding colony in an artificially constructed wetland at Bradley's marsh at the mouth of the Thames River.

Now: this species is certainly not common, and in fact may not be nesting anywhere within Chatham-Kent. The closest confirmed nesting colony that I am aware of is at Walpole Island, although there may be some nesting going on at some of the cattail dominated islands in Lake St. Clair off of Mitchell's Bay. It is a little more likely to be seen at some of the larger wetlands along Lake St. Clair later in the season as birds disperse from their nesting colonies.

Some may persist well into a mild winter, as this next photo suggests. It was taken on January 21, 2012 near Erieau. One or more have been recorded on the early January SCNWA Christmas Bird Count on three occasions.

Tundra Swan

From Wood: the 'Whistling Swan' is a plentiful transient, with a few dozen to a few hundred seen and on occasion, up to 1100 have been observed in the spring.

Now: it is interesting that Wood does not mention anything much about them being present in the autumn, and even in the spring, 1000 birds or so was notable. Now, it is quite an abundant species in both spring and autumn. Perhaps it is due to the change in agriculture resulting in extensive corn stubble and winter wheat fields available. At any rate, seeing several hundred to several thousand in a day is not uncommon during either season, and at times there are well over 10,000 birds present at some localities in CK. The peak of the autumn migration would be in late November and early December, but there has been almost 11000 swans counted on one of the early January SCNWA Christmas Bird Counts. Over the last 4 years, there has been an average of more than 9250 swans seen on each of the Blenheim/Rondeau CBCs in the latter half of December.

American Black Duck

From Wood: The Black Duck is a common summer resident; the most abundant breeding duck in our area. Some years several thousand spend the winter in marshes, associating with Mallards.

Now: it is anything but common as a breeding species in Chatham-Kent. Historically it was as it occurred in forested wetlands and adjacent areas. With the opening up of forested areas and converting them to farmlands, etc., Mallard quickly took over as it was a species that thrived on the more open mid-western type habitats. There are a few recent breeding records of the Am Black Duck in CK and in general, in southwestern Ontario. However Mallards continue to be by far the most abundant duck species. In winter, the ratio of Mallards to Am Black Duck is much closer, although still leaning heavily towards Mallard. On a couple of occasions on the SCNWA CBC, we have had approximately 45000 Mallards, but the greatest number of Am Black Ducks on that count is about 7600.

Redhead

From Wood: A regular spring and fall transient, where rafts of one to two hundred may be identified. Nests were located on rare occasion near Mitchell's Bay.

Now: much the same as from Wood, although it is likely that up until recently, it was more often found as a breeding species in the vicinity of the Lake St. Clair marshes. During the second OBBA, there were 7 atlas squares in that area with breeding evidence. However there are likely fewer now, as the highly invasive and non-native Common Reed (Phragmites australis) has dominated much of the suitable habitat along the main channels. There are several channels passing through the bird's-foot delta that makes up Walpole Island First Nation. As mentioned, there used to be a lot of excellent nesting habitat for various species of waterfowl including Redhead. But now, with the spread of Common Reed, this is what most channel edges look like, and are virtually useless for many of those species.

Lesser Scaup

From Wood: considered an abundant spring and fall transient and rarely remains to breed, with at least a couple of nesting records mentioned from the Lake St. Clair area.

Now: still considered fairly abundant at times, both spring and fall. There are a few breeding records from the second OBBA atlas squares adjacent to Lake St. Clair. However as is the case described for Redhead, the most suitable habitat along the main channels have deteriorated greatly, so it will be interesting to see if the third OBBA, just beginning the second of five years of data collection, will show any change.

Bufflehead

From Wood: a rather common spring and fall transient, with reference by some of his sources indicating that there are a few breeding at St. Clair flats.

Now: not much change as it is a rather common spring and fall transient. However there has been no evidence in recent decades of this species breeding anywhere within the marshes around Lake St. Clair, and that is consistent with both the first and second OBBAs.

Oldsquaw (now known as the Long-tailed Duck)

From Wood: considered to be a rather common spring and fall transient, and winter visitant. However a somewhat disturbing series of events a few decades earlier was included in the description. Every year fishermen catch dozens or hundreds in their nets. One source reported that in 1917, there were 12 tons of the birds (~1500 ducks to the ton) conveyed to a fertilizer factory.

Now: while Long-tailed Ducks are seen fairly regularly off of the lakeshore of the Great Lakes, by no means are they considered a common species at any time of year. For the Blenheim/Rondeau CBC which began in 1939, the maximum number of birds recorded on the day of the count was 80 birds, back in 1958. Some years it is not recorded at all, and over the last 15 years has averaged only 13 birds. For the SCNWA CBC, it has only been recorded twice since that count began in 1981.

Ruddy Duck

From Wood: A regular but not abundant spring and fall transient, but also includes a reference to an 1882 publication indicating that a few breed in the marshes.

Now: it is definitely a regular spring and fall transient, with fairly high numbers at times. On occasion well over 100 birds can be seen in one or more rafts off the shores of Rondeau. On other occasions, sometimes several hundred can be seen congregating in some of the larger sewage lagoons in CK. Both of the first and second OBBAs had several atlas squares with breeding evidence for this species, although mostly at the Probable level and very few at the Confirmed level.

This next photo shows a fairly typical number of Ruddies at a local sewage lagoon. On occasion there can be several times the thirty-five shown as present.

This concludes Part I of this series. Part II will not be far off.

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