Saturday, October 14, 2017

Rondeau Birds to Beryl Ivey Woods

This morning I headed down to Rondeau Park to see what was around.  There was a good number of birds, but most were kinglets.  Yellow-rumped Warblers dominated the warbler scene as expected, but a few others were mixed in.  More sparrows were in as well.
I saw at least 4 each of Orange-crowned and Tennessee Warblers.  These birds were quite active in the shrubbery, so it was impossible to get any decent photos.
Lots of Blue-headed Vireos were around, and a single White-eyed Vireo was a highlight.  It too was skulky!



A few Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue were also seen.  Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were numerous.

The lake was not too active today, with most gulls farther out.

After Rondeau I headed over to Skunk's Misery.  Today was the official opening of the Beryl Ivey Woods along Trillium Road.  The property was acquired by Thames Talbot Land Trust (TTLT).



It will be a "closed" property, with no official public access.  That is great as it is another piece of property preserved for nature in the area.



We had a short tour of some of the woods looking at a variety of plants and trees.  Stan Caveney led our group with an informative walk.  The property does stretch from Trillium up to Centreville Drive, so it is quite extensive.
There is apparently a rare orchid that was found in the past in the north part of the property--one of the key reasons for saving this piece of Carolinian forest.
There was a good turnout of people to this event today. I met several familiar faces.


The TTLT has acquired several properties over the years, including the nearby Wardsville Woods which I visit frequently in the summer.  Last year they saved the woods at Hawk Cliff.  More properties will be acquired in the future.
See the TTLT website:
http://www.thamestalbotlandtrust.ca/

5 comments:

  1. Looks like it was a decent day!

    BTW Congrats on the recent 10 year anniversary of your blog! By the looks of it you published your first post on the day I turned 4!

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    1. Thanks for mentioning the anniversary! I had not thought of it until now. It has been a lot of fun writing this blog over the years. How time flies.....

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  2. Blake, congratulations on your 10 years of your blog...I always enjoy reading your blogs!

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    1. Thanks Susan! Hard to believe it has been that long.

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