A Morning At Rondeau and Beyond

 Wednesday morning I decided to give Rondeau a shot for birds and whatever else came my way.  I started at the Park Store watching the "morning flight" with Brandon Holden and Steve Charbonneau.  I really did not intend to do a watch, but they were already there observing a decent flight!

The last few years, we have realized that birds stream out of the park by the hundreds or thousands on mornings with a decent NE wind, especially.  Many remain unidentified, as they are moving fast and/or high.  It is quite interesting if one has the patience!

This day we noticed lots of Tennessee and Cape May Warblers moving.  Those were the dominant warbler species it seemed.  There were other warblers of course, but blackbirds and Bobolinks were in high numbers.

After this watch, I headed down to south point trail and walked along the edge of woods.  There were hundreds of dragonflies.  Most dominant was Black Saddlebags.

A few Carolina Saddlebags were mixed in.

Lots of Green Darners were cruising around as well.  A couple of Twelve-spotted Skimmers and Spot-winged Gliders were seen too.

The highlight at one point was a Green-striped Darner that alighted on a tree trunk.

This species is uncommon and vulnerable in southern Ontario.  There are a few records in Essex, especially at Point Pelee.  Quite a few records are in north Lambton  around Port Franks and Pinery.

I have seen it before many years ago at Rondeau, and may have a photo from that time.  Oddly, it was in the same general area of this day's!

Quite a few birds including vireos and and Eastern Kingbirds were seen along the way.

I stopped by Keith McLean C. L. after heading out of the park.  Highlight there was my first-of-year Fiery Skipper.

I also found a Common Sootywing.

Heading up Kent Bridge Road, it dawned on me that this is the time of year to start looking for Smoky Rubyspots.  So, I veered towards Thamesville!

I stopped by the Victoria Road bridge, and luckily the river was a bit lower than the last visit.  Still a bit higher than I would like though.

Site of many bridges over the years!

Lots of Smoky Rubyspots were flying.  It was still treacherous along the riverbank, so I did not get the photos I wanted.  There was little maneuvering room!

They were most dominant, as I only saw a few American Rubyspots.  Also one Violet Dancer.

Smoky Rubyspot is endangered in Ontario. It is only found on the Thames, eastern branch of the Sydenham in a few spots and some on the Ausable River in north Lambton.

I have found mussels here before, and I noticed three together in one spot.  Turns out they were Pimpleback, all the same size!  Pimpleback is another endangered species in Ontario.

At home, a couple of Black Saddlebags were working the yard.  Not often I see them here.

Also, another Royal River Cruiser was cruisin'.  I was not able to obtain a photo of this fifth yard record.

Butterflies included a Common Painted-Lady.

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird was around at the same time.  Long-distance photos:

In the evening, I saw my first migrant Common Nighthawks of the season just before dusk.  Always neat to see!  Too high for photo attempts.

Today was uneventful as I did not venture far with little ambition, and did not see anything of note.  Among at least seven species of butterflies today here, a Mourning Cloak visited the yard.