November Closes, and a Different Warbler at Rondeau

 Birding this week was rather uneventful, at least until today.  Could not find anything of note!  With the cold weather, some bodies of water froze over the last couple of days.  However, today ended up quite warm, and was a nice day to be out birding.

Dryad's Saddle

I went to Rondeau Park this morning.  Birds have become few and far between now, except places like the campground where one might find a roaming group of birds.

South point trail was very quiet today, as it has been all week.  After Sunday's sighting of the Western Flycatcher (when I saw it), that was the very last time if was ever seen.  Despite many dedicated birders looking, the flycatcher simply vanished.

As usual per this time of year, I checked the campground.  I often park at the playground, then walk in, and today was no exception.  Just after walking in, I heard the familiar 'chup' notes of Yellow-rumped Warblers.  I always check them out, as there could be something with them, or even one of them could be an "Audubon's" type.

Today, it paid off.  I noticed one with a yellowish throat!  As well, the 'chup' note was a bit different than the usual.  And another feature is the plain-looking face and head.

It could likely be a female, as it is very pale.

I have seen two at Point Pelee, but this was my first for Rondeau.

I continued on through the campground and spent an hour there.  A good flock of sparrow types was around the north washroom, but nothing unusual.

Getting back to the south end, the warblers were still working the area.  Along with Jeremy Bensette, I watched them for about a half hour.  They moved around quite a bit, but stayed in the general area, as there seems to be lots of berries for them.

After getting my fill at Rondeau, I headed over to Erieau to check out the marsh trail.  There is a lot of mud there now, so any shorebird would be happy.

At least six Killdeer were there, and the lingering Pectoral Sandpiper.

Weather looks crappy the next few days, and Rondeau is closed on the weekend anyway, so we will see what happens.