Canatara Creature and a Rondeau Rodent

 Today was bright and sunny after a dusting of snow overnight.  Roads were a rather wet and salty, so I stayed in for a while until I could not stand it!  Just my luck, I had washed my car yesterday, so I did not want to get it dirty.  So much for that idea! Never fails.

It was too nice to stay in, so I headed up to Sarnia to look for the Yellow-throated Warbler.  This creature was found by the Nethercott's over a couple of weeks ago and has stuck in the same area around the animal farm.  

I did attempt to see it a couple of days after it was found, but with no luck.  Today seemed to be the day to find it.  Actually, I was not going to leave until I did see it!

It was seen earlier in the day, and a couple of other birders were looking upon my arrival.  One left, and the other was walking away when I found it.  I heard the characteristic chip notes and it took a minute or two to find it.  It was at the peak of the barn in the animal farm picking at spider webs!

Since it was a sunny day, I managed to get decent photos, including the one for the header of this blog.

There are a handful of records for Lambton County, including the one at the west side of Canatara Park at the end of April 2023.  I managed to see that one for my first Lambton record.

Yellow-throated Warbler is an annual regular rarity in Ontario, usually in the spring.  I have seen several at Rondeau Provincial Park, including the year that a pair likely nested.  Several of us saw one of the birds gathering nesting material, but it was never confirmed as nesting.  It would have been Ontario's first nesting record if proven.

Yesterday, I went down to Rondeau since it was a calm day for a change.  I started at dog beach for a lakewatch even though winds were not conducive for a good passage of birds.  There was not much to see, so I left that spot after one half hour.

I checked out south point trail.  There were a few birds, including a decent mixed flock of birds at one point.

Bald Eagle

Next walk was the campground.  A few birds kept up my interest, but nothing of note.

I also walked the old maintenance loop.  There were a few birds, but most interesting was a Red Squirrel.  It is likely the same creature that was here the last couple of years.  Not known to inhabit the park, this chattery critter likely came in via someone's camper.

I stopped for a walk at Keith McLean C. L. before heading home.  There were lots of birds there just past the parking lot.  Nothing in the noteworthy department though.

The big pond area is essentially dried up, but what little water is there was frozen.  Up to seven Killdeer were slip-sliding on the ice, wondering what the heck they were doing there.

Christmas Bird Counts are less than two weeks away already.  Where has the time gone?

Sarnia Skulkers

I spent today birding in Sarnia and area for a change.  With a half decent north wind forecast (ha, they were right!) I started at the lakewatch at the mouth of Lake Huron first thing.  It was a bust!  It was not a day for anything of note to be seen.  With climate change, we do not get as many good north winds there in the fall anymore and things have certainly changed over the years when we would get many good days at Lake Huron.
Dark clouds were to the east.  At one point a funnel cloud was trying to form.

After a couple of hours, I moved over to Canatara Park.  I spent most of the time in the meadow area where lots of sparrows and skulky warblers were flitting about.  It was certainly a day for Orange-crowned Warblers as I tallied at least a dozen there.  Lots of Nashville Warblers as well.  It was not a day for photos as the skies were gloomy and drizzly (just like last week!) and the birds were quickly moving.  I have to use some photos from the past here.

It was difficult to get an accurate number of the birds, but there were lots.  I had Nelson's Sparrow on my mind today.  At least one has been seen in the meadow in recent years.  I did not find one today though.

I then moved over to Wawanosh Wetlands.  There were some birds along the edges including several more Orange-crowned Warblers, Nashville, and other sparrows.  No Nelson's Sparrow here either, but I am sure some were around.

Next stop was Dow Wetlands, but on the way I found some shorebirds along Telfer Road including a Long-billed Dowitcher.

Right out of the gate, there were dozens of birds at Dow along the edges.  More Orange-crowned and Nashville with a few others mixed in.  Sparrows were the bird of the day, but once again they were quickly moving.  I could not get on 90% of them!
On top of the "hill" I stopped in my tracks when I spotted an Ammodramus sparrow.  A LeConte's!  I had solid looks and made sure it was not Nelson's or any other similar sparrow. Like the others, it disappeared into the weeds.
After putting out the alert, some Sarnia birders came along and we spent some time looking around.  Apparently, it was not spotted again.
The LeConte's was a new Lambton bird for me, probably long overdue!
It looked something like this:

I continued on my own and found some more birds at the north end in the treed area.  Included was a Scarlet Tanager, Tennesse Warbler, more Orange-crowned and Nashville etc.

Warbler of Tennesee

Here is my eBird list for Dow today:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60343568

I came home via the river road and stopped by "Cath's Cart" (Cathcart) Park north of Sombra.  M.B. had reported some shorebirds on the flooded island (which is off limits this year as it flooded all summer).  Included were a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers.

The wrong kind of egret was on the breakwall.

One last stop at Reid CA was very quiet for birds.

Tomorrow, Nelson's Sparrow is on the radar!

Sarnia Birding

I spent a little time around Sarnia this morning.  The weather was crappy but on I went! As I drove up the Kimball Sideroad, I kept my eyes open around the few pasture areas that remain.  Finally an Upland Sandpiper revealed itself.

A Typical Upland Sandpiper Scene

First stop was the old Blackwell Landfill on Blackwell Road.  It is open to the public for walking.  Last year lots of grassland birds were there including Dickcissels.  Not as many this year!  It is not a 'dickcissel year', so it was no surprise none were present.  Lots of Savannah Sparrows, but no Grasshopper Sparrows within.  Only a couple pairs of Eastern Meadowlarks.  I was hoping for a Western though.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I heard the buzz of a Grasshopper Sparrow.  Turns out there were a few along the road at the solar farms.  There are massive solar farms around there.  Although they are virtually devoid of life, the edges seem to be good for things like Grasshopper Sparrows!

Grasshopper Sparrow

I decided the next stop would be the Dow Wetlands, but I drove a bit of the south end of the First Nations Reserve.  At one point I heard a Canada Warbler singing, and an American Restart.
At Dow, lots of ponds are here, but there are also extensive grasslands.  An Upland Sandpiper popped up at one point.  Meadowlarks are here too, but I did not hear any of the western type.  No sign of a Northern Bobwhite either!

I then headed up to Canatara Park which hold some nice breeding birds and is certainly a significant migrant trap.  It is an oasis within the city of Sarnia.  The weather was less than ideal to encourage birds to sing, but I did come up with a pair of American Redstarts, a Chestnut-sided Warbler and a Pine Warbler.  Pine Warblers do nest there in the pines. Yesterday Eric Marcum saw a Black-and-white Warbler in the park, but I did not find it today. Other common birds present as well.
Over at the scrubby area near the North Slip at Sarnia Harbour, I heard another American Redstart singing away.

I headed south on Waubuno Road as there are some really good pastures along there.  I did not come up with anything unusual though.  I stopped at Moore WMA and saw the resident Blue-winged Warbler. One is here every year it seems, but beware, I have seen Brewster's there as well.

The afternoon turned out quite nice with warmth and sun (go figure), but it was a time for relaxation!

Summer Layup for you ship buffs!