We are well in the midst of the Christmas Bird Counts. On Saturday was the Kettle Point, which I always used to do, but have passed on it the last couple. It was just not worth my while with the lack of birds I was finding in recent counts!
Instead I headed up along the St. Clair River and south Sarnia. As usual the weather was horrible but what else can one do on a weekend?
There was not much on the river (a trend in recent years since our climate is milder). Colder years with lots of ice are much better. I stopped by Dow Wetlands for a walk. Highlight was a Short-eared Owl! I had never seen one there before, but there is certainly decent habitat.
Next stop was Moore Wildlife Management Area which is a favourite stop in winter.....well...anytime of year! Birds can be hit or miss here, depending on where the "flock" is. I lucked out and found a variety of birds. Included were at least five Yellow-rumped Warblers, which are expected here. I have found them here almost every year since the early 1990's.
Sunday was the Blenheim/Rondeau bird count which I have done for over 30 years! I did my usual area south of the VC, including a lakewatch at dog beach, and south point trail. I did not take the camera along since the weather was so gloomy. (photos included here are from past years).
The weather was typical for a weekend with heavy clouds, wind and dampness. There was not a heck of a lot moving on the lake first thing, but a variety of ducks were seen.
Later, I finally saw some Red-throated Loons migrating on the lake when I was farther down the trail. At one point I saw 14 in the air, but by the end of the count I had tallied 20! The last few years we have always had this species, which seems to be increasing in numbers and always expected.
There was a good number of White-winged Scoters, but not as many as the other day.
Generally, there were fewer birds in the park which was expected this year. I worked the grounds hard, and I ended up with 36 species in my area, below average.
Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S77753431
Before leaving the park, I did my usual walk-through of the campground. The north end was birdless (usually this is where most are!), but at the south end I found a good flock of sparrows and others. I had at least ten Field Sparrows. Also in the area were six Cedar Waxwings. The latter two species were not encountered by counters early in the day. I always seem to come across some birds that the earlier counters did not, but birds have wings.
I did quite a bit of walking, including a bit on the old Dillon trail. If one keeps a sharp eye out, you can find remnants of the past.
The Dillon used to be a road one could drive across the park from one side of south point to the other. I recall probably 15 years ago, finding an old car muffler way back in while doing a bird count!
From what I am told, species total for the count is tentatively at 111. A respectable tally!
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