Some Scenes

Not much to add here as my 'slump' continues. I spent the last two mornings at Rondeau Park and area, starting with a lakewatch.  Red-breasted Mergansers have been the duck-of-the-day lately.  We had close to 18,000 pass in a SW direction Friday morning in about two hours.

Today, they were heading in a NE direction!  One wonders where they go.

There was a good movement of loons Friday morning.  We had close to 50 Red-throated early on, so they have finally made an appearance in numbers.

The Red-headed Woodpecker is quite content just north of the visitor centre.  It could still be around for the CBC next month.

I finally caught up with the Baltimore Oriole.  It seems quite vibrant and healthy.

It is the latest one I have seen, as I never could catch up with the one in the campground last year! The previous latest for me was 7 November 1998 when Steve and I saw one on south point trail.  That was record late at the time, but of course it has been surpassed a couple of times since then.

The campground is always interesting.  I counted 13 Fox Sparrows in one roaming bird flock yesterday.  No warblers though.  Even Yellow-rumped has disappeared, at least for now.  Likely when we get some cold and snow again, that will change.  A few birds were creeping around.

Many birds have "thinned" out since last weekend, including Hermit Thrushes.

On the way out, I stopped by Keith McLean Conservation Lands.  Countless Canada Geese were in the fields and wetlands, but no rarities.  A couple of Cacklers were mixed in though.
A few Dunlin and Killdeer were present.  Today, a Greater Yellowlegs was looking lonely there.

Today, it was rather quiet for birds (weather too nice!).  I started with a brief lakewatch.  Mergansers were still in big numbers.  More scaup were present today, but fewer loons.
Skies were a bit gloomy at first.  Some sort of con-trail was straight out which I thought was interesting.

It is sometimes interesting to look out over the lake.  I remember one morning several years ago when atmospheric conditions allowed us to see the tops of buildings of Cleveland, Ohio!

Some of the usual passerines were here and there.  The campground had a good number of birds, but nothing new.  Kinglets have thinned out, but we did see a single Ruby.

Black-capped Chickadees are scarce this fall, but I did count about ten today.

A couple of Turkey Vultures have taken up residence in the park lately.

I stopped by Blenheim Lagoons on the way home.  No shorebirds, but there is good edge along the middle pond.  It still had some ice today, and it was littered with gulls.  Nothing of note though.

Near home, Roberta Stewart Wetland has been drawn right down exposing lots of mud.  Too bad that did not happen three months ago!

Yesterday evening at sunset, a couple of Sandhill Cranes were loafing around there.

 And yes, the cranes (80-90) are making their daily voyage from Michigan each morning to feed in the field west of Wallaceburg.

Dusk over Walpole Island