Quiet Trails and a Good Lambton Sparrow

 Things have dropped off immensely the last week or so with regards to birds.  The trails are now quiet!  Lots of gulls and ducks around, but nothing of note.  Looks like a very quiet winter to come.

Last Sunday, I went up to north Lambton but did not come up with anything of note.  A Harris's Sparrow was previously found by James Holdsworth on Bog Line.  I stopped there briefly first thing, but did not stay long enough to produce the sparrow.  After a brief lakewatch, I did not feel like going back to look for it.

This past Friday, I again went up to north Lambton.  I started with a lakewatch at Ipperwash Beach.  Some movement of gulls and ducks, but again unremarkable.  However, one must try!  Once in a while we get lucky.

Afterwards, I went for the Harris's Sparrow, and after more than twenty minutes of waiting, it finally popped out!

There were lots of White-crowned Sparrows, a close relative, so it likely arrived with them.

This was a new addition to my Lambton list, giving me an even 300 for the county!  I have missed some other birds in the past due to bad luck, or my lack of desire to "chase" birds.  However, I do have some stellar self-found birds including my most exciting, the Ivory Gull in 1995.  Also a Virginia's Warbler at Brander Park one May, and the previously-found White-winged Tern at Port Lambton lagoons.

The Harris's was my second for this fall.  As you may recall, I found one in October at Hillman Marsh (new for my Essex list too!).  It was a similar bird about the same age.

I have seen four in Chatham-Kent.  The first, a lifer, was at Tom Chatterton's yard in mid-May 1990.  There have been a couple in Rondeau Park at the VC feeder setup that I have seen (May 1996, May 2008). In those days I did not carry a camera of any consequence!

There was one in the winter of 2008 coming to a waste pile near Erie Beach that stayed some time, for many birders to see.

Yesterday, there was not a cloud in the sky.  It was a nice day to be out, but try and find some birds!

 I went down to Erieau first and area first thing for some birding.  Nothing of note, and things were rather quiet.  On the "rail" trail, a lingering Wilson's Snipe was trying to hide on the mudflat.

A small peep, which appeared to be a Least Sandpiper was on the edge of the Bay.  A tardy individual indeed.

Over at Keith McLean C. L., two more Wilson's Snipe were on the mud, along with a few Killdeer.

In the afternoon, I went for a walk at Reid CA.  It was deathly quiet!  We finally have a new gate and parking lot there.

Hopefully the ATV nuts will not find a way around it.  They still get in though.

Today it was rainy, so it was limited as to what I could do.  It was not raining when I went out the door, but by the time I got to St. Clair NWA, it was!  No good for a walk.  Hundreds of geese and swans were visible from the driveway.  I noticed six Snow Geese, as well as six Sandhill Cranes too.

I continued on down to Essex County around Wheatley and Hillman.  Lots of gulls, but I saw nothing that stood out.  I did get one walk in to the shorebird cell when the rain lightened up, but there was nothing of note there.

Closer to home, I managed a walk at the Mitchell's Bay south shore nature trail  as the rain almost stopped.  The trail was very quiet here too!  Three swans were on the Bay, but I did not have a scope.  They could have been Trumpeters.

Christmas Bird Counts are fast approaching, so let us hope things pick up a bit for them.....