The 41st Christmas Bird Count at SCNWA

 In what has become a tradition, the St. Clair National Wildlife Area Christmas Bird Count was yesterday, January 1. While we used to pick that date as waterfowl hunting had ceased by January and would make access to the several private hunt clubs more likely, in recent years the hunting season has been extended. As a result, some of these private marshes are no longer accessible, but it varies from year to year. This year we had a little better access than some years.

This count began in 1981, organized by the regional wildlife biologist of the Canadian Wildlife Service of the day. Beginning in 1988 I became the coordinator/compiler of the count. Since I live within the count circle, it made sense and works quite well.

On January 1, 2021, about 16 (mostly) regular participants started out early in the day. Some were out well before daylight, trying to document screech owls during the relative quiet hours before the storm. The day started off not too badly: cloudy and just below freezing, with a light east wind. By shortly after day break, the wind had picked up, still from the east, but increasing to around 18-30 km/hr. And then it went downhill from there. By early afternoon, it was 30-50 km/h, still from the east, and with a bit of rain, mixed with ice pellets and freezing rain. Several folks, especially those who had traveled a bit of distance to be here, decided it was time to call it a day. Smart move, as the conditions did not improve much, if any.

A frequent winter sight at SCNWA

The main part of my territory included some of the most productive area of the NWA. Even in the coldest weather, there are a couple of spots that never seem to freeze, and there is always quite literally a ton of birds. I decided to carry my camera and telephoto lens, along with my 'scope and binoculars, as even with the very poor weather conditions for photography, one never knows when it will come in handy. I'm glad I did, in spite of the extra weight.

 This first photo shows a very small segment of the concentration of waterfowl. The Tundra Swans are obvious, but there are also Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Mallards and American Black Ducks.

 Overall in this extensive open patch of water, I counted/estimated over 550 Tundra Swans, 12 Mute Swans, 1250 Canada Geese, 7 Snow Geese, 2300 Mallards and 300 Am Black Ducks. There were also 4 Cackling Geese, 5 Greater White-fronted Geese, 5 Northern Pintail, an American Wigeon, 3 Green-winged Teal, 27 Northern Shoveler, a Redhead, 17 Ruddy Ducks and a single Hooded Merganser, plus a Pied-billed Grebe and an American Coot. At least those are what I saw, but with so many ducks being obscured by the larger geese and swans, who knows what else might be there? I spent at least an hour slowly scoping back and forth as more and more birds became noticeable.

A more spread out group of mostly swans

A cluster of the Northern Shovelers

It was quite awhile before I noticed the Greater White-fronted Geese, as they were hidden behind the swans most of the time. Even at an equivalent of almost 90 power, the birds are not all that clear, but you can see the small brown geese with the orangey bill and white patch at the base, three of which are shown next.

As is often the case, Snow Geese hang out here, mixed in with the other geese. This next photo shows the seven birds: 5 white ones and on the far right, two of the 'blue' colour phase.

There is always a steady stream of birds coming and going for various reasons. While I was in this part of the NWA, I had no less than 4 Bald Eagles flying about, and that got the attention of the waterfowl. On a couple of occasions, an immature eagle flew right overhead and not that high up. This next photo was hardly cropped at all. It isn't a great shot, but that is what happens when shooting a predominantly dark bird against a very white/gray sky.

Here is the group of Snow Geese that got up and left at one point due in part to the eagles.

As I was nearing the westernmost end of the dyke trail, I was startled by a noise around the bend. It was a White-tailed Deer, that instead of turning around and heading back the way it came, decided to try and cross the partially frozen canal beside the berm. As it hit the ice, it skidded across to the other side, with feet flailing in every direction. Once it got to the other side, it quickly scrambled up the bank and disappeared. Meanwhile, the other two that were with it made a smarter decision with, I'm sure, less risk. They retreated and paused briefly a couple of hundred metres down the trail, to consider the threat.

Upon returning to the parking lot, I decided where to go next. On the way out the lane way of the NWA, a Great Blue Heron decided to fly along beside, and then in front, of me. This first photo is through the front window of the truck.

Another rear view of the heron.

I normally have 2-3 smaller areas away from the NWA to check out, but there was nothing of note at any of them. I drove along the north side of the river, as birds, and especially waterfowl, are on the move there as well. The most common species was Common Merganser.

Male Common Mergs

Female Common Mergs

On the other side of the river, presumably watching for some erring waterfowl, or a dead fish to float by, was this immature Bald Eagle.

Snowy Owls are always a highlight at any time, and I wanted to make sure that there were a few reported. I went to the part of the count circle where I knew there had been several, and was not disappointed. I saw 8 altogether, but all well out in a field. This first one hardly ever had its eyes open, as it rested in a worked up field of corn stubble.

This one was sitting in about the only patch of snow left in the field.

In spite of the less than ideal weather, the count tallied 89 species, with one group yet to report in. The only new species for the count was Trumpeter Swan, perhaps a bit overdue. Our highest ever was 93 species, and we have only exceeded 89 species four times in 41 years, so I think everyone is overall pleased with the results in spite of the weather. 

One more count to go, for this season.

 

End of year stuff, including another bird count

 The year 2020 is just about out the door. Here is hoping that 2021 is much better on a whole bunch of fronts! Meanwhile, getting out and finding birds is still one of the most satisfying, and safest things to do right now, so that is what I've been doing as much as possible.

The Erieau Rail Trail can be good, when the wind isn't blowing too hard since it is quite exposed. Those days are sometimes rare. But a visit not too long ago, just after a bit of snow, gave me a few things to look through. One of the target species was Common Redpoll, which don't always come through this part of the province in good numbers, but this year it has been much better than normal. I was also looking for the rarer Hoary Redpoll, but although one or two others had seen one here, I did not. The flock of redpolls was flighty, so I only got a good look at a few of the ~45 birds that were in the area.

Several White-crowned Sparrows were low down in the snowy branches....

....as were a few Song Sparrows, one of which was partially in view for a short time.

I also got out to roam around the area northwest of Chatham, looking for Snowy Owls. With a bird count in this area coming up shortly, it is always useful to find out where they are hanging out. I found 5, but most were well out in a field and not worth trying to photograph from the road. I did see a woman well out in the field as well, trying to get close enough to get a decent photo with what appeared to be a fairly basic camera requiring her to be up close. The owl was having none of it, however, and kept moving off. I had better luck, as I found a Snowy inside a chain link fenced area, and I was able to get this shot from my vehicle. The owl seemed quite unconcerned.

I also wanted to check on the ongoing reports of Snow Geese and a Ross's Goose at the Ridgetown Sewage Lagoons. I had seen them there a few weeks ago, but am always on the lookout for more and better photos. At first the Snow Geese were on a berm quite unsuitable for good photos. But waiting a bit was the key, as after a few minutes this group got up to go to a field of corn stubble nearby. This photo shows a 'blue' phase, in the upper left, as well as a first year bird, the lowest one on the right. The rest were mostly typical white Snow Geese....

...but not all of them. The Ross's Goose was in this group. It is relatively easily separated from a Snow due to its smaller size, a shorter, stubbier bill with no grin patch, and a slightly rounder head. If you click on the photo, these characteristics may be more apparent.

But the biggest event of the last few days has been the Wallaceburg/Walpole Christmas Bird Count, held on Dec 27. I helped get this count going back in 1986. My territory for most of the last couple of decades has included the St. Clair River north of Walpole Island as well as several roads and more woodland areas inland from the river, so there is a nice diversity of habitat. But the most important part is the river.

Unfortunately the river did not have a lot of waterfowl this year, compared to many years. It seems there hasn't been enough cold weather, forcing birds down from the more northern lakes. There was no ice on the river at all, and not many gulls either. Nonetheless there were enough to make parts of it interesting, but photographing the waterfowl had its limitations. Here are a few of the things I saw.

There were a fair number of Bufflehead, shown first. This one was getting ready for flight, and I got this shot a split second before it lifted off, hence its wing is partially out.

Common Goldeneye was about the most common duck I saw, although the number was still below 100 individuals.

There were a few Greater Scaup....

....and even fewer Lesser Scaup. The photo below actually shows a female Greater on the left, and a Lesser in the center. It is slightly smaller, has a slightly more peaked head, not as rounded, and the dark tip of the bill is much more restricted compared to a Greater.

There were a few gulls, and by far the most common was Herring Gull. I saw a couple of Ring-billed and Greater Black-backed Gulls but they were way too far off, mostly on the other side of the river.

A highlight was seeing a group of seven Hooded Mergansers but from a distance in a wide creek. The best photo opportunity for this species came at about the end of the day, as this male Hoodie was resting on a piece of ice in a narrow creek along a quiet road. I was able to get almost full frame shots of it right from the vehicle.

Mallard.....yes, there are always some Mallards around, so when the photos of more exciting things are hard to come by, why not shoot a Mallard....

...or one of the numerous exotic Mute Swans?

Certainly a little more exciting were 21 Tundra Swans right close to the river shore downstream from Sombra. They are more often seen in fields well away from the river.

As mentioned, I did some more inland areas, where songbirds and non-waterbirds were to be found. I found a fair number of American Tree Sparrows in a couple of locations.

This adult Cooper's Hawk allowed me to get closer than I expected, although maybe it thought it was obscured enough by the branches.

A few Downy Woodpeckers came in to check me out as I 'pished' for birds.

Mourning Doves aren't exactly uncommon, but when a photo op presents itself, I'll take it!

Rock Pigeons were fairly plentiful, although most of them were across the river, roosting on a building connected to a power plant. But there were a few resting on some hydro wires along the road, and with a nice sky background for a change, why not?

Certainly the highlight of the inland birds was this Short-eared Owl. Okay it isn't all that obvious, and I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't met Mike B along the roadside who had seen it fly in and land way out in the field. I took a couple of photos of it in mid-morning, but there was just enough sunlight to create some haze, and those photos were not worth keeping. I came by again later in the afternoon when the sun was behind some clouds, and there was no problematic sunlight haze. Unfortunately the owl was always facing the opposite direction, so this is the best I could do. Between the camera/lens combination and some severe cropping, this photo is at about the equivalent of about 140 X!

The count ended up with 85 species plus an unidentified shorebird, which was a bit higher than normal.

This is likely the last post before the new year, as I will be busy preparing for the next bird count on January 1, so with that I will wish all readers a Happy New Year!

Twas a Count Before Christmas

 I usually only participate in one Christmas Bird Count before Christmas. The others are after. The one before is the Blenheim CBC, but with Rondeau Prov Park and Rondeau Bay being the main natural feature, it often just is referred to as the Rondeau CBC. Anyway, it was last weekend, and there was a good number of excellent birders joining in, keeping socially distant for the most part, as far as I know. There was no gathering at the end of the day.

I've been doing this count since about 1968 or 1969, so for more than 50 years. On some counts, it feels like it! Since about the mid 1970s, my territory has been mostly the south end of the park and sometimes includes the marsh trail, but in the last several decades, it has been exclusively the south beach, and if time permits and there is the need for coverage elsewhere in the park, I may get to other areas.

I start off by driving to the south end of the west side of the South Point Trail and then walk out towards Erieau from there. Being a former long-term staff member, park volunteer and being on good terms with the current staff, having a key to the gate for events like this is definitely an advantage. Of course I check with the park staff to make sure the South Point Trail is clear to drive.  Upon their check on the Friday before the count, this is one of the photos of the south beach I received.

Clearly the walk west did not look to be enjoyable or even doable, and this was on a day with little or no wave action. 

  It didn't look a whole lot better on the day of the count with the added aspect of a fair bit of wave action from the brisk southwest winds, although at least the snow was gone.

 

 But birders do not like to be held back.....what would we miss if we didn't do our territory? This part of the count circle has had some very exciting birds on counts of past years. Think of Harlequin Duck, Purple Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Red-throated Loon, King Eider, Snowy Owl and others including virtually all of the expected waterfowl species. Therefore we decided on a bit of an alternate plan. We went back up the trail about 300 metres where we could access another ridge, then followed it down to the lake to where it was a little less tangled. Not much less, but enough to be able to get to the more open stretch of the south beach that led to Erieau. Once we made it past the last ridge of trees, this is more or less what awaited us. We even had a hint of blue sky for a few minutes. 

 That is Erieau in the distance to the left of the beach, only about 4 kilometres away in a straight line distance, but what birder ever walks a straight line even when sober?

This next photo was taken when we were well out towards Erieau, probably still a kilometer away, and looking back towards the Rondeau forest.

Another photo looking towards Erieau.

One of the species we were really looking hard for was Purple Sandpiper. There had been one along this stretch of beach only a couple of weeks or so ago. It isn't a species we get very often, but when there is so much beach habitat available and the weather has not been enough to drive them farther south, it is always a possibility. We didn't get one last year, although one had been in the area in the late fall, and one showed up here in early March before normal spring migration, so it likely overwintered in the area, but unfortunately went undetected on that count. This next photo shows the one which was present along here on March 9, 2020.

 If it was there this year, we wanted to do everything we could to find it. But as hard as we looked, we could not find any sign of it.

We did see a few things, and since I didn't have my 'good' camera with the long telephoto lens with me on this trek, the following bird photos are from my files. We saw lots of American Black Ducks....

....and some Mallards.

There was the occasional Common Goldeneye...

....and a couple of Ruddy Ducks.

An immature Bald Eagle flew by.

...and we got the only Double-crested Cormorant for the count, which was a bit of a surprise since there had been others in the area recently.

Altogether Kevin and I got about 30 species, but since the woodlands throughout the count circle were very quiet, and the wind and wave action didn't make hearing things any easier, it was still worth it. It was the lowest count for me in terms of species diversity for many years. 

The overall count total for the day stands at 111 species, which is really quite good. It is only the eighth time since the count started in 1939 that we have had that many species. The only new species on this count was Trumpeter Swan. A bit overdue, I think, so it is nice to be able to add that to the overall list. The count since 1939 now stands at 193 species!

Trumpeter Swan

 

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

And for some added thoughts, I invite you to listen to one of the best Christmas songs ever, sung by the one who wrote it. Check it out here.