Saturday it was an Essex County day for me. I attended the Essex County Field Naturalists annual banquet in the evening, but I spent the day at Point Pelee. It was a fairly decent day of birding, as I ended up with 80 species in the park. Pretty good for the date, even though I missed some species others saw during the day.
I did not take many photos (it was a gloomy day, despite the forecast calling for some sun).
I first walked De Laurier, then went to the Tip. Several birders were already present, so I joined them for a while in the Tip area.
There were lots of Common Loons swimming off the east side of the Tip, and a large number of gulls around. No rarities though! Some scoters too.
Sparrow Field had lots of birds, including a Blue-headed Vireo, a large number of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and others.
Along the road, we spotted a moth that had been hit by a car. It was still alive though.
 |
| Herald Moth |
Later, I birded the north end of the park. Notable was a late Black-throated Blue Warbler along Sanctuary trails. It was quite busy for birds along the trails! Especially American Robins.
During the day, several small flocks of Dunlin were seen. This weekend there was a very big movement of Dunlin through southern Ontario. Many locales reported large numbers of Dunlin.
Sunday, I went down to Rondeau to see what was around. First off, I joined Steve at dog beach for a lakewatch. I was a bit late, since I got in late the night before, and there was dense fog around Wallaceburg.
The previous day, Steve found a Western Grebe off dog beach. A while after I arrived on Sunday, we spotted it again! It was always too distant for a proper photo.
It was the second Western Grebe I have seen at Rondeau, the first being in June 2013 off the south beach.
It was certainly a balmy day, and butterflies were out. Several Eastern Commas were on south point trail.
An Orange Sulphur was near the yacht club.
Monday, I stayed close to home, and as usual, did not find anything of note! It was supposed to be rainy, but as usual we never had a drop and had quite a bit of sun!
Today, I went back to Rondeau. Winds were not ideal for a good lakewatch, but I did one anyway. A few loons and grebes were moving. No Western Grebe, but I did see a Red-necked Grebe.
I checked out south point trail again. A late Blue-headed Vireo was singing at the start. I did not find any late warblers, and only a few Yellow-rumped Warblers.
A couple of Green Darners were flying in the warmth.
Pine Siskins were in big numbers, as well as Cedar Waxwings. I tried scrutinizing for Bohemian, but to no avail.
Before leaving the park, I walked the north end of the campground. More Cedar Waxwings and Robins. The Red Cedars are loaded this fall, keeping these birds happy.
A Merlin was standing watch nearby.
Next stop was Keith McLean C. L., which turned out to be quite birdy. Shorebirds included over 400 Dunlin, a Greater Yellowlegs, seven Killdeer, and a single Semipalmated Sandpiper with one leg.
Early on, raptor movement was good. Among other things, I saw three Golden Eagles and three Red-shouldered Hawks. Pretty sure I saw a American Goshawk, but lighting was very poor at that time.
This spot can be quite good for raptor watching on the right wind, as you have a big expanse of sky to watch.
Also sighted was a Tree Swallow and a late Barn Swallow.
A grey Catbird is still in the tangles at the pond.
I actually ended up with more species at McLean's than in the park today!
Supposedly will rain tomorrow, but likely will be sunny....
No comments:
Post a Comment