Another Day Another Wigeon

This morning was very calm, but very crisp.  I decided to make the long walk out marsh trail at Rondeau as I often do this time of year to burn off some winter fat.  Steve Charbonneau joined me for the exercise!  I have to admit there were few landbirds-probably the fewest I have had this time of year out there.  Song Sparrows were most plentiful though, and were throughout the park in bunches.

Lots of ducks were on the Bay at the start.

We heard Sandhill Cranes in two different spots, so likely there are two pairs out there.

Lots of Green-winged Teal were in Long Pond, but we were looking directly into the sun. I always have to remind myself to look for Common Teal!

Northern Shovelers in flight

After the long walk, we went over to the dock and scoped the ducks.  I did not even have my scope fully set up and Steve already spotted a male Eurasian Wigeon.  No doubt another individual from the one we saw over a month ago at Shrewsbury.  Thoughts of Cinnamon Teal danced through our heads, but nothing else of note.

Throughout the park were several Eastern Phoebes. I probably saw ten altogether.

Unco-operative Phoebe

I looked for butterflies, but was not successful.  Yesterday I had a Mourning Cloak go through the yard when I got home.

The only other place I went was Blenheim Lagoons.  Not too many ducks today.  An Eastern Meadowlark was working the edge of pond 3.

A nice little mudlfat is at Stewart Wetland near Wallaceburg.  I will have to check it out regularly.  A coot was in the pond today.

Woodcock to Woodlot (or lack thereof)

Finally it was warm and sunny today.  I did a lot of walking today in and around Rondeau.  A woodcock was on the trail first thing this morning.

The first Common Loon of the spring flew by south point trail and a Pileated Woodpecker made an appearance.  The Pileated's seem to disappear during winter!
A couple of Eastern Phoebe were out and about as well.  Several Field Sparrows were singing this morning.

I looked at lots of ducks on Rondeau Bay, but nothing unusual stood out.

Over at Ridgetown the same geese (9 Ross's, 6 Snow inc. 5 blues) were present, but more Tundra Swans were there.

On a sad note......
This winter and in the past year, there has been an insane number of woodlots and trees coming down in Chatham-Kent.  While most farmers and rural landowners have good environmental sense, there are a few around here that do not care and/or have no idea of the damage they are doing to wildlife and the natural environment.  C-K is fast becoming the laughing-stock of the province as it now has the lowest tree cover and nothing is being done to counter-act that fact.
Recently the Municipal Council has been working towards a by-law regarding woodlots and had even threatened a moratorium on tree-cutting until such a by-law could be worked out.  In essence, the situation created a frenzy of woodlot slaughtering by overzealous landowners.  It will be later next summer (hopefully) before any sort of a bylaw is implemented.  The moratorium was voted down this past Monday by a slim margin.  One wonders where the thoughts of some councillors, plus the mayor are.  Watching the proceedings, it is clear some have no idea about nature or the gravity of the situation.  But, the C-K council has made some questionable decisions in the past.

A Common Sight in Chatham-Kent

In this day and age it is not acceptable to raze entire woodlots.  Taking down a significant number of trees is frowned upon too.  However, the arrogance of some landowners has really come to the forefront recently.  It is clear some are living on 19th century values which does not cut it in this day and age.  C-K may have some of the best farmland available, but a monoculture of corn and beans is not a healthy situation for the natural environment.  Pretty soon, there are going to be more wind turbines (another controversial subject for some!) than trees in Chatham-Kent!
There are many negative aspects to lack of woodlots and trees , but some landowners only see the almighty dollar sign.

Little White Geese at Ridgetown

I decided to head over to Ridgetown after work today.  Ross's and Snow Geese were still there.  This time there were 9 Ross's and 4 Snow Geese (3 blue morph) to be seen.  Sometimes the geese waddle over the far bank, so numbers can vary as to when you are present. (north cell).  The number varied at mid day when Ross Wood was there.
Too far away for any decent photo of the little white geese.

In the south pond a few Green-winged Teal among others were present.  Quite a few Ring-necked were in each of the cells.
Only one Tundra Swan was present!  Several swans were in fields near Botany to the north, as they are quite often.

Yesterday and especially on Tuesday, at least 1500 Tundra Swans were just outside the NW corner of Wallaceburg.  They seem to collect there quite often and are gone the next day.  More come in, then they are gone the next day.

Last night I posted a mystery photo taken by Allen Woodliffe in October 2009 along Rondeau's south point trail.  The angle and colouring creates the illusion of two or three possibilities, but Dickcissel fits. Obviously a hatch year bird.  Note large bill and short spiky tail.
Looks like Dwayne Murphy hit it right on! (Prizes are out of stock and back-ordered)

Quiz Photo

Can you ID this bird?  Taken at Rondeau Park in the month of October.  (not my photo by the way).

Goose Poop

Taking a gander at some recent sighting reports, it appears that Greater White-fronted Geese have really made their  presence known. That insane number at Hillman on the weekend we already know about, and others have been popping up around southern Ontario. (Are they STILL there??).
Late yesterday I was up at Sarnia and found out that Eric Marcum saw another white-fronted at the Hiawatha Racetrack.  Back on March 17 he also had 9 near the north end of Modeland Road in a wet area.  That was an interesting spot as among the many ducks (including Blue-winged Teal), a very early Pectoral Sandpiper was probing around.
Yesterday two more white-fronted were seen just south south of Petrolia.
I remember when Greater White-fronted was rather rare in Ontario!  It even required write-up I think.  My first two were down near St. Clair NWA in January 1993 and it was a big deal.

Yesterday I was up to Sarnia for an evening meeting of Lambton Wildlife.  I checked around Sarnia Bay and lots of gulls were still around.  At least fifteen Glaucous were in Sarnia Bay among others.  By the way, that first cycle Iceland is still at LGS on the St. Clair River!

Glaucous Gull

I had a good chat with others at the meeting including Eric (we finally got that email thing straightened out!).  Maris Apse mentioned that he had an Osprey fly over his house on March 21.  Quite early for one, and certainly beats my earliest sighting by a longshot!

More Ross's Geese showed up at Ridgetown as you all know (up to nine on Sunday). Another goose species that has certainly increased in number lately.

Here are some teal photos by Mike Bouman at Hillman Marsh. (just thought I'd throw them in as I have no new photos of my own).

A Different Year

A year ago we were outside in short-sleeved shirts at this time.  While this year is closer to normal, we are still awaiting the arrival of many birds. Last year we were seeing Pine Warblers, Brown Thrashers and shorebirds (yellowlegs and snipe).  I also had a Virginia Rail at Rondeau on this date.   For butterflies, the azures were out a year ago!



I headed back to Pelee today as I was interested in the waterfowl, but the cloudy and windy weather did not help.  As usual, the weather forecast was wrong again!
Just outside the park gate, I heard a Fox Sparrow singing along Pelee Drive--the FOY for me.  The east side of the park was quite brutal with the easterly wind, but the west side quite calm.





I headed for the Tip to start things off.  A first cycle Iceland Gull was among the many gulls at the Tip.

At the parking lot I was soon joined by Steve Pike and his girlfriend and we walked up the west side for a bit.  A FOY Eastern Phoebe flew over us at high speed.  Maybe it was retreating due to this cold weather!
Lots of scaup and several Horned Grebes were on the west side today.
I later checked the northwest beach parking lot area and found a few Song and Tree Sparrows among other things.
Next destination was Hillman Marsh, but it was a far cry from yesterday when I arrived.  Only 7 white-fronted geese were visible and no Snow Geese.  Not as many ducks, and no sign of a Common Teal.  That is what got me interested in going back today.
Apparently 47 Greater White-fronted Geese in total were seen yesterday--a new record!  Kory Renaud saw my 44 (or 45), then some others.  It was difficult to count them yesterday because at times they were bunched together.

At least one Eurasian Wigeon was seen today as Steve Pike called to say he saw one fly out of the Pelee marsh.  There are likely three in the area as the one at Hillman yesterday may be different than the previous two.
I stopped at St. Clair NWA on the way home.  Lots of geese there too, but only Canada's.

Over at Ridgetown, more Ross's Geese (7) showed up late yesterday.  The count was up to nine today!

Supposed to be cool all week, so things will only trickle in.

Pelee Bound

As I headed out the door this morning, it was a toss-up as to where to go.  My car started aiming for Point Pelee, so there I headed!
With the recent below zero temps, much water had refrozen thereby concentrating waterfowl in the few open spots.  Even the west side of Point Pelee had lots of ice.  The east side was mostly open and that is where the concentration of scaup was.

scaup

I did a walk-around the Tip area and did not see much.  I guess the highlight was the group of three House Sparrows near the solar panel, lol!  I met up with Kory Renaud at Sparrow Field and he was not seeing much either.
Next stop was Shuster Trail were lots of American Robins were taking advantage of the sumac.

A few White-throated Sparrows were along the trail as well.
De Laurier was unproductive, so I headed out of the park over to Hillman.  That is where all the action was. Highlight was the Greater White-fronted Geese (yes I finally caught up with them!).  Numbers fluctuated, but at one point I counted 44!  (I recounted a few times).  The most I have ever seen at one time.  My previous high, which was a record, were the 20 at Rondeau in March 2006.

most of the White-fronted Geese!

The Snow Geese were also present, but there were nine, including a dark immature.  They flew around a bit at one point.

I scanned all the geese and gulls, but saw nothing of note.  As I write this, Dean Ware just posted about a Common Teal at the south end of Hillman. I saw some Green-winged Teal there, but obviously I did not look close enough.  There were a few teal and lots of pintail.

Snow Geese in flight

There were lots of ducks, especially pintail. No Eurasian Wigeon!
With the day still young, I headed along the lake over to Erieau.  A couple of Horned Grebes were in the channel, one getting into breeding plumage.

Lots to look at there as well, but most were too far away.
Even though most of the Bay had refrozen this week, there were a few open spots concentrating ducks.  Much to look at off the Rondeau Dock as well.  I tried in vain to find a Eurasian Wigeon, but one was not to be seen!  There could very well be one out there somewhere, as many waterfowl were on the far side of the Bay.

Thousands of Tundra Swans still around as well.

Here are some park hours for Point Pelee (from A.W.), sent last night.  Things are getting cut to the bare bone now!

Park hours: 7:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. starting on March 25

Visitor Centre will remain CLOSED until April 12.
And until May 3 they don't open until 10:00 a.m.

Shuttle:
April 6 to 19 --- 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (but hopefully you can drive down after 5:00 as usual)

Here is a link to a free online issue of North American Birds.  Like everything else these days, it is going online.  This is a trial issue.  Lots of advantages to having it online, once you subscribe!
http://nab.aba.org

Swan Song

I wish it was a Swan Song to winter, but winter is still holding on.  Very cold and ice is reforming!  It is certainly the opposite to last year, as we were seeing record-early butterflies by this time.

Tundra Swans have been collecting in a corn field just outside Wallaceburg this week.  Up to about 700 at a time.  Some coming and going all the time.

On the way home this afternoon I noticed one cold Tree Swallow flying over the Snye.
A number of geese and ducks were on the Snye this morning, but I have not been doing too much looking this week as it has been a busy week.  Recently my car has been in for some repairs.  I guess all this bird-watching does a lot of wear a tear on it.  I do too much driving anymore!  But, with the spring rush just around the corner, it needs to be in top shape.  Luckily some of it was still under warranty.  Must cut down on trips to Point Pelee.  Ha!

A second Eurasian Wigeon has been confirmed for Point Pelee as found by  a couple of Jeremy's (!).  Apparently there is a difference in the two, as one has a more extended crown stripe. I looked at my photos from last weekend and that one had an extended stripe.

I was not surprised to hear that two of the Eurasian variety were present.  Just the other day I was thinking that it would not be surprising if another one was found.  Conditions were not all that good last Saturday (lighting and distance) and I was almost certain that I saw another one farther back amongst the 'pack' of constantly moving ducks.  I could not see the closer one (in my photo) from my first position until I moved to the other side of that house.  At the time I thought if it was an Eurasian Wigeon, it did not have much of a crown stripe.  But, I passed it off as I could not locate it again.
Eurasian Wigeons seemed to be turning up more regularly.  There were quite a few last year, and then there was the earlier one at Shrewsbury this year.  I think one was near Hamilton as well.

Weather looks good this weekend for birding, but then again..............


Been working on this puppy lately:

1970 Chris Craft XK-19

Wintery Weekend!

It was one of the uneventful weekends, so little to report.  Winter came back since I took my winter tires off ten days ago!  I had already planned to go to Pelee on Saturday so I slid down that way.  Just my luck the weather was crappy, but it did concentrate birds.  Lots of gulls and geese were in the fields near Hillman Marsh.  (The white-fronted geese were nowhere to be seen in the morning, but were seen later in the day).
Gulls galore in the field near SE Hillman.  Things were constantly changing and there were thousands.

(yes, wrong camera setting!)

 Mostly Ring-billed of course, but I did see several Lesser Black-backed and a couple of Glaucous.  If I had looked longer, I would have found more, as Alan had up to 8 Lessers later in the day.
In the park, it was a winter wonderland especially near the Tip.  I had the whole Tip to myself.  Even the afternoon shift did not come in today!

Wet snow had clung to the trees making for some nice scenery.

Tons of gulls were at the Tip as well, but it was too brutal to stay for any length of time.  I did see one third cycle Lesser Black-backed.  No Mew Gull!

As usual, tonnes of scaup off the west side and many scoters.

On the way home, I checked  for the Eurasian Wigeon on 'E'. I did not find it at first, but eventually did behind that house.

I went through 'Dover' on the way home, but did not see anything of interest.
Lots of 'lapspurs' were in some of the fields this day especially around Hillman.

Today was nice, but rather cold.  The 'Bewick's' Swan was not seen at Ridgetown today.  Lots of swans to look at, but none with all that yellow on the bill.  (By the way, only two known records for Ontario previously).

Rondeau Park was very quiet.  Lots of waterfowl on the Bay though, as well as thousands of gulls.  There are probably still twenty thousand gulls on the Bay, but most are just too far away to do much with.  Many were at the base of the Bay, as seen from the park boat ramp.  There were many Bonaparte's Gulls on the far side of the Bay, but again too far away.  I picked out one Iceland Gull, but no doubt there were some Lesser Black-backed or others.
I saw one Surf Scoter fairly close from there.

White-winged Scoters (12 in total)

Many of the coots have left Erieau, or spread out.

Several Turkey Vultures were migrating today, but all singles!  I saw my FOY Eastern Meadowlark...finally.
It was a cold weekend, completely opposite last year at this time...we were seeing Eastern Commas and Mourning Cloaks!  Fox Sparrows and towhees as well.

Recent Rambles

Yesterday was a clear and calm day.  With news of another comet in the skies, I went out at sunset to look for Comet PannSTARRS.  It took a while until it got dark enough but I did find it low in the western horizon.     Binoculars were required to see it well enough.
I have always been interested in astronomy and I get out to look at any visible comet when it comes around.
Here is a link to some photos on the web:
PanSTARRS-comet

It was a nice sunset and before it got dark enough, I came across a timberdoodle peenting in a pasture.  Not only that, a Short-eared Owl was there too.  This was at a known location at the corner of Pretty Road and Tulloch Line.  One of the last small pastures left in the area!
Back when I started serious birding in the 1980's, that whole area had lots of pastures.  It was one of my favourite spots to see pasture type birds and migrants in the spring.  It was actually a spot we started our big days late  in the afternoon.  I even had Northern Bobwhite in the area!  Those were the days...

Today after work I took a drive upriver.  Not many ducks are left in the river, but lots and lots of Long-tailed.

Two young Iceland Gulls were at or near Seager Park, likely the same ones that wintered in the area.

As I drove back Baseline Road, I came across this shrike at the solar farm.

Sombra Solar Shrike

Not sure what I will do tomorrow, but as usual the weather looks crappy.  There is a cool swan at Ridgetown though......!