Last Hurrah for May 2008

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER

I headed down to Rondeau this morning thinking it would be a good day for birding, and it was! I spent about 3 hours on south point trail first thing. A number of warblers were around including lots of Blackpoll and Mourning. Large numbers of Cedar Waxwings were around, typical for this date.

BLACKPOLL WARBLER

Before leaving that area, I walked a bit up Harrison Trail and heard a Pine Warbler. I didn't get much of a look at it, but it seemed to be moving north. It was constantly singing. Heading up the road in my car, I again came across it beside the road. It was a male of course.

At the visitor centre, I headed down Harrison Trail and added a couple of more warblers includingn Black-thraoted Green and Blue-winged. I again came across what I assume to be the same Pine Warbler, but it was just south of the visitor centre. At this date, it will probably be nesting. Same for the Blue-winged.

CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER

Other areas I checked out in the park included behind maintenance and the pony barn area.
I also walked the Gardiner deer exclosure trail hoping for an Acadian Flycatcher. This is typical habitat and in most years one is here. I was not disappointed! One was singing away probably looking for a mate.

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER

The summary for the day was at least 17 species of warblers including, Blue-winged (1)--likely nesting in the area at this date, Nashville (one behind maintenance), Chestnut-sided (3), Magnolia (8), Black-throated Green (2--could nest in the park), Blackburnian (3), Pine (1), Bay-breasted (1), Blackpoll (10+), Mourning (at least 7), Wilson's (5), Canada (3). I also had all six vireo species inc. 3 Philadelphia, 1 Blue-headed, 1 Yellow-throated (resident) and 1 White-eyed (heard but not seen--resident).

PHILADELPHIA VIREO

There were still a few Swainson's Thrushes around plus the resident Veerys, and Wood Thrushes.

Flycatchers included the usual locals plus Alder and Acadian and Yellow-bellied (2).
At Erieau it was disappointing but two Ruddy Turnstones were on the breakwater with a Dunlin.
At Blenheim Lagoons were several ducks including a pair of Blue-winged Teal. Two Wilson's Phalaropes were present and a Coot. I did not get back to the last cell because rain was threatening. Probably other duck species like Wigeon and Gadwall back there.
Butterflies included an American Painted Lady near the log pond.

Rondeau May 25

Just as I expected, there were fewer birds today at Rondeau. With the birds being late this year, and good overnight conditions, birds were in a hurry to head north. However, there were still lots of birds with excellent variety today.

Notably, there were more Blackpoll, Blackburnian, Canada and Mourning Warblers. We found no Mourning Warblers yesterday, but there were a few today at the north end of the park.

There was an interesting mix of sparrows today. A few White-crowned, White-throated and Lincoln's were still around. On south point trail, Steve and I saw an out-of-place Savannah Sparrow. We wondered what it was doing there at this date. Less than half an hour later, we encountered a Grasshopper Sparrow. This is one we would expect in late April or the first week of May! These must have been very late arrivals to Ontario.

Only a fraction of Least Flycatchers were around today compared to yesterday, but at least Alder was singing today.

Thrushes were significantly fewer today.

Different warblers from yesterday included Northern Parula, Cape May, and Mourning.

Scarlet Tanagers were numerous today again.

The male Long-tailed Duck from east of the park (May 14) was just off south point trail this morning. Nice to see that at this late date!

I didn't check for shorebirds today, but many Dunlin were in Bates Marsh just outside the park.

No doubt there will still be some migrants to see next weekend, but we will certainly be fighting the tree leaves.

First Week, err, Last Weekend of May

Even though there is one week left in May, at times it seemed like the first week of May today. FINALLY we had some numbers of birds to look at. All month the birds were only coming in dribs and drabs with no real numbers. The variety was there if one worked hard enough to find them. Today the numbers of birds made birding simply enjoyable. Although a bit cool, the sun was out for a change.

We started on south point trail and came across quite a few warblers, flycatchers and thrushes. The later warblers were in good numbers but we also saw Yellow-rumped and several Palm Warblers. White-crowned and Lincoln's Sparrows were still present as were quite a few Red-breasted Nuthatches. Even a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets were around.

Most notable on the beach was a Willet. I was able to get reasonably close to photograph it.

There were birds all over the park, but later Steve Charbonneau and I walked up the south end of Rondeau Road finding many warblers. Blackburnian and Black-throated Green were in big numbers. A few Scarlet Tanagers caught our eye, including an orange variant.

We saw or heard all six vireo species, all the usual thrushes including one Hermit. Swainson's thrushes were in big numbers.

Lots of Least flycatchers were in and possibly a couple of Alder on south point trail.

Northern Waterthrushes were on tulip tree trail, and at least one has been singing there all month. Perhaps it is considering nesting nearby.

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was building a nest on TTT.

After I left the park, I headed over to Erieau. An excellent choice that was! Upon arrival, I found John Lamey already there scanning shorebirds and gulls. Most notable were Red Knots. These are getting harder to find every year, and sometimes I miss them. Other times I only see them in the fall. Nice to see them in spring!

There were hundreds of shorebirds along Rondeau's south beach including several hundred Black-bellied Plover with Ruddy Turnstones, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Sanderling. I think I also saw a Semipalmated Plover among them. Quite a number of Whimbrel were out and about as well.

Gulls were there by the hundreds, but nothing unusual in that department.

At Blenheim Sewage Lagoons, I noted a few ducks including Redhead (two males and a female). I could not find the Wilson's Phalaropes, as three were reported yesterday.

I guess I'll have to go back tomorrow and take advantage of the situation. The weather will be very nice, and the tree leaves still have not fully come out yet, helping in the bird spotting situation.

Rondeau Big Day 2008

On May 10/11, some of us worked a 24h Birdathon. This is an annual event where we try to see as many birds in the Rondeau Birding Area as possible. I combined it with the Baillie Birdathon to raise money for bird research and our Sydenham Field Naturalists. This was the sixth year of the Rondeau thing, and I did fairly well by myself. (I could not recruit anyone to help me!). Nice birds included White Pelican, Marbled Godwit (2) and Worm-eating Warbler. (I had a Worm-eating Warbler on a Big Day in 2000 if I remember correctly). My list is below.
Two friends came up with an excellent total of 164. That, coupled with other sightings in the area, showed a total of at least 174 species of birds in the Rondeau area on May 10-11, 2008. In 2006, there were at least 178 species of birds in the area. That year I came up with 140 species. The best I ever accomplished was 148 in 24h many years ago, but I did it with a couple of other people.
Some people go all over southwestern Ontario to do a Big Day and do not do much better. It shows that if you pick one good area, you can do quite well.

Rondeau 2008 Big Day List Total Count: 142
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Common Nighthawk
Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Victoria Day Birding

Things seemed better today. The sun was out most of the day, and more birds were in. The cool NW wind kept us on the east side of Rondeau Park.

Notably, some warblers came in, especially Wilson's. Least Flycatchers appeared to be more numerous. Most warblers were singing, especially Black-throated Green that seemed to be everywhere.

Steve and I heard a Brown Creeper on Tulip Tree Trail--an uncommon bird by this date. Farther down Harrison Trail there were some warblers including an Orange-crowned. Blackburnians were numerous, as well as Magnolias. A male Cerulean off Bennett Road was a nice find today. I came across only my third Blue-winged Warbler of the year today. I wonder where they all are this year?

An Ovenbird near the visitor centre hobbled around on a broken leg.

Bonaparte's Gulls were in large numbers on the lake, but nothing else appeared to be with them. As well, huge numbers of swallows were travelling along the lakeshore. Thousands were seen yesterday off Erie Beach.

At home today, I noted another Pine Siskin at the feeder.

More Birding at Rondeau

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER

Where are the birds? Nobody has seen a large fallout of passerines yet. The variety is there, but many are in very low numbers. We can only speculate that they are very late this year. I found this past week very slow for birds, and one had to work hard to see things.
I spent my time at Rondeau Park noting that the best area seemed to be in the north half of the park. Along Rondeau Road north of spicebush trail was the best. On the 13th among many warblers I found a Brewster's. While driving in on the 15th, I heard a Kentucky Warbler singing along the road. I did get a look at it. It was still there a couple of hours later. I got a glimpse of another Kentucky along Bennett Road.
I came across several Hooded Warblers during the week with their song revealing their presence. These beautiful warblers seem to be increasing in numbers the last few years. They are not all that rare in Ontario anymore.
Sedge Wrens are in good numbers this spring out marsh trail. On the 15th I counted at least eight singing their peculiar rattle.
A Whip-poor-will singing in the campground on the 15th was nice to hear as I tucked in for the night. Just before that, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was working a Red Cedar right beside my tent. They are uncommon by this late date.
The morning of the 15th revealed a large fallout of thrushes--mainly Swainson's. They littered the road and trails in the morning.
A couple of Acadian Flycatchers have shown up, albeit silent. Flycatchers have been slow to come in this year. Alders have not yet arrived.
On May 17, warbler activity was a little better. The old log pond near the pony barn was active if you were there at the right moment. We encountered several warblers including our first Yellow-breasted Chat. An Acadian Flycatcher was still there as well.
Behind the maintenance compound was rather active with warblers, including a female Cerulean. A Mourning and an Orange-crowned were there, but I did not seek them out.
While eating lunch, I observed a male Eastern Bluebird across from the visitor centre. They have been scarce this spring.
On the way home, I stopped at Ridgetown lagoons and noted over 50 Dunlin, 3 Semipalmated Plover, some Least Sandpipers and a female Wilson's Phalarope.

Birding Update

Rondeau's LAUGHING GULL MAY 6 Photo by Alfred H. Rider

I have been away birding the last few days, so it is time for an update. It has been interesting, and I managed to get two more life birds! I got wonderful views of the Mottled Duck at Hillman Marsh on Sunday afternoon. Although nothing exciting to look at, that was one life bird. The next day I birded Point Pelee and finally saw a Black Vulture. For those of you who know me, that has been my nemesis bird forever. Even if I was in the same vicinity as a Black Vulture, I would never see it. Birding was on the slow side at Pelee, but that life bird made up for it by a long shot.
Back to the weekend at Rondeau... I did my annual Baillie Birdathon and came up with 142 species. Highlights included two American White Pelicans, two Marbled Godwits, and a Worm-eating Warbler. Actually, the warbler was my last bird! Rather nice to end a Big Day with an uncommon bird.
Of course, lots of year birds were added to my list, including a number of warblers.
Other notables included a Cooper's Hawk on nest. I mentioned this nest in a post a while back, with a photo. Pileated Woodpecker in two spots was nice--not always a guarantee on a Big Day. Great Horned Owls were not difficult. We heard one from the marsh trail Saturday evening. However, early Sunday I came across one accidentally. One was directly over my head on a branch and I didn't even know it. It knocked a piece of bark down that nearly hit me on the head. I looked up to see what it was, and there was an owl! Clay-colored Sparrow was another good one that is not always encountered. It was heard only.
A walk out marsh trail Saturday evening is a traditional thing. We got the usual marsh things including Sora and Virginia Rails, Sedge Wrens, some ducks, and Whip-poor-wills.
It seems like there are a lot more birds to come. Nobody has seen large numbers yets.

I did not see the Laughing Gull depicted in the above photo, but Alf Rider was kind enough to send it out to me.

First Weekend of May

Some new birds finally arrived. There was nothing all week until late Thursday when I saw a few things moving through the yard. There were some warblers, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Baltimore Oriole. Several birds were at Brander Park, Port Lambton on Friday morning, including an Orange-crowned Warbler.
There were few birds at Rondeau on Saturday and Sunday, but we did get the quality ones. A breeding-plumaged Harris's Sparrow was reported at the visitor centre. It was there on Saturday and Sunday. I took a photo through the VC glass window, so quality is poor. A Clay-colored Sparrow was also with it.

A number of warblers arrived included more Hooded Warblers and our party found a nice male at the north end of the park. The Prothonotary was still at the old Log Pond.
Since I had the park covered by noon, I headed over to Hillman Marsh in hopes of seeing the Mottled Duck. No such luck, but if I had stayed until dark, I might have seen it. I did see a Laughing Gull there. Been a while since I had seen one of those dark gulls. A second year Little Gull was also present along with about 20 Willets.
On Sunday, Steve Charbonneau and I started on south point trail in Rondeau. There were a number of birds there first thing, but the rest of the park was quiet. Most notable was an infux of Pine Warblers, were we had at least six or seven. All were females except one. Another Hooded Warbler was present (a female). We spotted an unusual bird that turned out to be a first alternate male Western Tanager! It was certainly not in breeding plumage, but did have red on the face. It was a life bird for me. More importantly it will be a first record for the park and the Rondeau birding area! Long overdue I suppose (for the park and for me!).
Later on with other friends, we spotted a very early Yellow-billed Cuckoo. At Spicebush Trail as we arrived, a Kentucky Warbler was briefly spotted by birders ahead of us. I managed to get a short glimpse of it before it disappeared in the undergrowth. I didn't get one at Rondeau last year, but had a couple at Point Pelee.
Earlier, I received a cell phone call from Steve that he had a Summer Tanager at Sinclair's Woods near Blenheim. As well, he indicated that there were many warblers there.
We arrived there later and looked at many warblers including an Orange-crowned and possibly two more Pines. Flycatchers included a Peewee and a Great-crested Flycatcher, both new for the year.
We refound the Summer Tanager along the road. This was an interesting-coloured bird, being very orange overall and a greenish belly. We were hoping for Scarlet Tanager to round out the day, but it was not to be.
Under an old log, we found a Red-backed Salamander.