Not much happening of late, and birds have been scarce! So, lack of subject matter here.
A treat for Sarnia area birders appeared just over a week ago, as a male Harlequin Duck was frequenting the area of the mouth of Lake Huron, and the entrance to the St. Clair River (not the "mouth" of the river as some mistakenly call it). An adult male Harlequin is a very attractive duck not often seen in our area. A week ago today, I ventured up to Sarnia to see it. It was visible as soon as I arrived at the "lakewatch" spot in front of the water treatment plant.
We have seen a few Harlequins here in the past. The present bird was quite co-operative, being seen close to shore in the general area.
There has not been much to see along the St. Clair River yet (unless you like Mute Swans!). A few wintering Tundra Swans have been around as well, but a few days ago a pair of Trumpeter Swans were mixed in off Cathcart Park. The day I went, the pair was seen taking flight just as I arrived, so not a good photo from quite a distance.
The feeders have been quite busy with common birds. One stuck out this past Friday when a Common Grackle showed up in the yard for the afternoon.
Blackbirds left long ago and it was the first I had seen in some time. No doubt some are likely around the Lake St. Clair/Walpole Island area. Perhaps some will be tallied on the Wallaceburg CBC on January 4, which will be revived after a two year absence.
Saturday I went to Wheatley and Hillman to see what was around. I did a lakewatch at Wheatley Harbour for the first hour. Most ducks were Common Goldeneye. There is an exceptional number around the area this year. Must be a Barrow's Goldeneye out there somewhere.....
Hillman was all frozen of course but there were still some Sandhill Cranes standing around on this gloomy (and windy) morning.
On the way home I went through Tilbury, and north of there, I came across a decent flock of blackbirds (mostly Common Grackle) at Jeanneatte's Creek wetlands. I did not detect a Yellowheaded though! It was the first "flock" of blackbirds I had seen in some time.
The next day, I went the other direction up to Pinery and Ipperwash. There was a stiff WNW wind making it very cold and uncomfortable. Not sure what I was thinking, but there were hardly any birds. I was aiming for Bohemian Waxwings but saw none at Pinery. Perhaps if it was calmer day, I would have had better luck.
The usual "spoiled" birds were at P9 where people feed them. They follow you around hoping for handouts!
After Pinery, I stopped by Ipperwash. Same deal with the wind, but I lucked out with four Bohemian Waxwings. Unfortunately, I came upon them all of a sudden and they flushed. Oh well...
Some places of late, I see more squirrels than birds! This backyard bandit was feeding in a soft maple.
Today was very mild and calm for a change and I did not do much. My early morning walk was at Mitchell's Bay. Not much in the way of birds of course. Lot of geese were way out on the ice, so who knows what was amongst them.
In the history department, on this day in 1976, the sandsucker Charles Dick was retired for scrap. It was a frequent visitor to Wallaceburg, as seen in this photo.
A recent scene at Port Lambton one morning:
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| Alpena (and a rusty Calumet in background) |
No more posts until after Christmas, so Merry Christmas to all....!
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