Cruising and Dancing Along the Sydenham

 Saturday morning was another trip down to Rondeau.  I checked out Keith McLean Conservation Lands to start things off.  There was nothing new, and the Red Knot was still present.

In the park it appeared that there were less birds than the previous day.  Lot of gulls and terns were on the east side of south point, but once again, nothing rare!

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

After a while in the park, I had no ambition and went home!  In the afternoon I went up to Wilkesport for a walk at Nicholl's Memorial Forest and Wetland which is along the Sydenham.  It is not a great place for birds, but a nice spot to walk and look for insects and check out the prairie planting.

Several Royal River Cruisers were on patrol, but none stopped for a photo op.  I did catch sight of a Shadow Darner, and it stopped to hang out on a tree.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Some Tall Coreopsis is in bloom.

Stiff-leaved Goldenrod is here as well.

Flat-topped Goldenrod is growing in various locations.

Sunday, I wanted to check out a spot on the Sydenham River for odes.  But first, I went up to Forest lagoons, where once again there was nothing new. Not even a warbler along the edges!  It was an off-day for passerines I guess.

I did find a Common Painted-Lady, the first for the day.  It was a little tattered!

I then headed down to Shetland Conservation Area, but went to the boat launch on the north side of the river.  Here one can look for odonates and other things.  My focus was to find Blue-ringed Dancer, which is rare in Ontario.  I had never seen them before (since I never looked!).

It did not take long, and actually the first ode I saw was a Blue-ringed.  I did not get a good photo though.

I looked around some more and found several individuals.

Royal River Cruisers were here as well.  I am always fascinated by them, hence they are my favourite.

Other things included Blue-fronted Dancers, Stream Bluets and Fragile Forktails.

In the river, I noticed a "school" of fish, which turned out to be Black-striped Top Minnows.  Considered imperiled in Canada, these are neat little creatures.

Another Common Painted-Lady popped here as well.

It was a bit early in the day, so perhaps I missed some things that would be more active later.  However, with my target achieved, I left for W. Darcy McKeough CA for a walk there.

I happened to meet Cherise from Essex County there, so we had a good little chat before I went for a walk.

Birds and insects were a bit scarce.  I did find a Palm Warbler and a Yellow-rumped.

There was not much activity, but I did find a Common Checkered-Skipper.  Might be the first for me there, but I cannot remember off hand.

A couple more Common Painted-Lady were here also.

Next stop was Reid CA.  I was to meet someone from Natural Resource Solutions there to give a tour at 1 p.m.  I was a bit early so I went for a walk.  As this is the best place to find Royal River Cruisers, I saw several and photographed five different ones.

While there I received word that a Red-necked Phalarope was at Sombra, so I was not done for the day.  After the tour, I went to Sombra to check off the phalarope for the year, a bit distant.

The one cell is excellent for shorebirds right now, but this place is not the most birder-friendly as it is posted No Trespassing.  Not sure why this place cannot be made more accessible to birders, as many other lagoons are successful in that regard.

There are lots of ducks and other waterbirds that breed there.  Ruddy Duck, Common Gallinule, etc.

Each evening for relaxation at the end of the day, I sit out on the back porch watching for birds.  Nighthawks have been moving through and I see the odd one.  Lots have been reported lately, and some have seen impressive numbers!