Bird Survey 1954

More from past posts....

Another one of my finds at a used book store was a Bird Survey of the Detroit Region (1954), published by the Detroit Audubon Society.  Back then a survey was conducted annually from lower Lake Huron to northern Lake Erie, comprising the five counties in Michigan and three in Ontario.

I found this booklet interesting as many sightings are from the local area and some familiar names are included.  Back then, the Carscallen brothers of Wallaceburg were very active birders and provided much information.  There were four brothers.  One brother, James, is still living in Toronto I believe.
A young birder, by the name of Dennis F. Rupert who lived in Wallaceburg at the time, tagged along with them.  I suspect this is where Dennis gained much his knowledge of birds in the beginning.  I heard many stories of the Carscallen's and Rupert's from my father.

Going through the booklet, it is interesting to note what was seen in 1954.  One of the most noted spots of bird sightings was the Bradley Marsh at the mouth of the Thames River.  Those were the days when access was unlimited and it was a popular destination for bird watchers.
One of the sightings there included Snowy Egret April 17 by the Carscallen's and Ross Brown.  It was believed to be Ontario's 5th record. (Ross Brown of Tupperville is better know for his work with native orchids).
Nearby at St. Luke's Marsh, a Glossy Ibis was seen May 22 (Dr Miles Pirnie et al).

Other highlights included:
Blue Goose and Snow Goose were considered separate species back then.
Northern Bobwhite were widespread.
Migrant (Loggerhead) Shrikes were numerous as indicated by up to 11 records in Lambton Co. from June through August.
Prairie Warblers were numerous from Port Franks to Grand Bend.
Western Meadowlark was found June 12 at Ipperwash (Ralph A. O'Reilly,  Harriet Wolfenden ) and in Sombra Twp. July 16 (Carscallen).
Dickcissels made an appearance at Point Pelee as W. W. H. Gunn noted 10 flying off the Tip May 8, and two were at the parking lot May 13.

There is also a hawk migration report, bird banding report and nesting report contained within the booklet.
Interesting reading, but too much to detail here!

Sarnia Lakewatch

This past Sunday I went up to Sarnia to try a lakewatch.  Winds were not ideal (again!), but that has been the trend lately.  Things are not like they used to be as weather patterns have changed.  A few years ago (2013), I wrote an article for OFO News about the traditional spot, copied below.

Deryl Nethercott joined me for a while on Sunday.  While there, we had a Golden Eagle in our sights, which ended up at Canatara Park.
On the way home, I stopped at several spots to look for birds.  It was a dull day (as usual for a weekend), so any photos I took were not good.  I came across a couple of Northern Shrikes.

Some other birds included American Tree Sparrows.

On to the article:

SARNIA LAKEWATCH:  A TRADITION

By Blake A. Mann

One of the best places to view pelagic species in southwestern Ontario is at the mouth of Lake Huron where it feeds into the St. Clair River, north of the city of Sarnia.

Located at the north end of Fort Street from Point Edward, it has been known by many names such as Sarnia Waterworks, Point Edward Lighthouse, or Point Edward Lakewatch.  It is a misnomer since there is no lighthouse there, just a range light for incoming ships.  As well, the parking lot (just north of the Sarnia water intake plant) is actually within the Sarnia city limits along a strip that extends inland  for a couple of hundred metres to border the village of Point Edward.

Whatever you call it, birders flock there in the autumn on strong northerly winds in hopes of seeing jaegers, uncommon to rare gulls and waterfowl.  Best winds are straight from the north, or NNW and sometimes NNE.  The stronger the better!

Birders can sit in their cars since the parking lot faces almost directly north onto Lake Huron.  Often it is too unbearably cold and windy to stand outside for any length of time. Scopes can be set up on the lawn in less harsh conditions.

Michigan birders often come here for better viewing as their lookout spot at Lighthouse Park in Port Huron does not provide as good of a view.

The fall birding season extends from late August through the end of December, but peak times are late October into November when Black-legged Kittiwakes, Sabine’s Gulls and jaegers are on the move in good numbers.

Many years ago some local birders at Sarnia decided to see if there was an advantage in going out into the lake on a boat during a suitable wind.  It was found that birders who stayed onshore saw much more than those on the boat!  Obviously one’s position in a boat leads to a more restricted view.

This birding hotspot was well-covered in the past, as the late Dennis F. Rupert faithfully monitored birds here.  It was a tradition in the fall to see Dennis parked at the end of the lot during suitable weather conditions.  He took every opportunity available to pursue one of his favourite past-times. 

As a result, he produced quite a database of bird passages at this vestige point that remains unmatched to this day.

In the February 1995 OFO News (vol. 13, no. 1) Dennis wrote a short article entitled Sarnia Waterworks in which he listed some his data.  Analysing this information, one may come to the conclusion that things have changed in recent times as in some cases the numbers of today fall quite short.  Perhaps it is the change in weather patterns, and/or fewer birders at the location that may explain the recent shortfall.

However, all three jaegers, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Sabine’s Gulls are still recorded almost annually.  An average of two Sabine’s are seen each year, which correspond to the findings that Dennis listed.

Many rare birds have been documented here such as Common Eider, Pacific Loon, Northern Gannet, Magnificent Frigatebird, Gyrfalcon and Mew Gull.  More recently an Ancient Murrelet (7November2004) was seen on a strong north-westerly wind.

Less common birds often observed include King Eider, Harlequin Duck, Purple Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Laughing Gull, Franklin’s Gull, Little Gull and Eared Grebe.

It is not uncommon in the fall to see a Short-eared Owl coming in straight off the lake from the north!

In recent years, it is my observation that there are two to three really good days per autumn at the lakewatch.

Just last fall on 29-30 October, with probably the strongest north wind ever experienced there, there was a flurry of avian activity.  As a result of the strong winds of hurricane Sandy, waterbirds (especially ducks and gulls) concentrated at this funnel to the entrance of the St. Clair River; they were unable to travel any distance.  The many birders present were able to witness the largest concentration of Brant geese ever recorded there on 30 October.  As many as 250 Brant were essentially grounded there.

Not only were hundreds of waterfowl present, but birders at the site had fun picking out various gulls.  On those days species recorded included Franklin’s Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, “Nelson’s” Gull, Sabine’s Gull (2) and Black-legged Kittiwake (3) not to mention the four common species of gull we normally see.

At least two Red Phalarope were also in the mix.

Last fall jaegers were rather scarce, but in contrast, the fall of 2011 was a banner year.  The first day of  October was best in years with all three jaeger species being seen including a Pomarine, two Long-tailed, and about a dozen other jaegers, most being Parasitic.  Black-legged Kittiwake and Sabine’s Gull were noted as well.

This fall many birders will again be at the lakewatch on the next strong northerly wind to continue the Dennis Rupert tradition!

Writing About Birds

I was recently looking at some old news clippings that were written by George Thomas McKeough. McKeough was a doctor in Chatham who studied birds as well.  He was born in 1855 in the city of Chatham and studied to be a doctor.  Initially he was a surgeon in London, England and later moved back to his place of birth. He was a scholarly individual, obtaining many degrees.

In the 1920's, he wrote about birds in the area, with a weekly column on birds of the area.  I have a few of these from 1923.  I do not remember how I obtained them, but they are interesting to read.



One paper  McKeough published in 1924 was titled Some Remarks on Birds with a list of the birds of Kent County.  It was included in the Kent Historical Society Papers and Addresses of the time.  (I have a reprint of this edition.)
He does a thorough job of describing the birds of Kent County, both migrant and resident.  At the end of the work, he lists all the known birds.  It is interesting to look through the list and note birds that were once common in the area, but rarely seen now.  Names have changed as well.













In recent times, there have been several people writing columns on birds. When I started birding, I always read Tom Hayman's column in the London Free Press.  It was long before internet and it was a good way to find out what was around.  I used it many times to go and see certain birds!  In those days we relied on phone calls about rare birds, but Tom's column was useful in getting some birds on your list.
Hayman mentioned my name on many occasions and friends and relatives always got a kick out of seeing my name in print and what I had recently found.
Tom wrote for decades until ill health forced his retirement from writing.




A few years ago a new column arose in the London Free Press written by Paul Nicholson.  Paul does a thorough job in covering subjects and writing about local birds.  I admire his efforts in seeking out individuals for interviews in order to write about a certain subject.  Nicholson does a lot of work talking to individuals either by phone or email.  His column appears on Saturday's in the LFP or other newspapers such as the Chatham Daily News.  Of course, you can also read it on the web at:
http://www.lfpress.com/author/paul-nicholson







Another that comes to mind is the late Peter Whelan who wrote for the Globe and Mail. His column appeared on Saturdays and was something to look forward to as well. Peter spent a lot of time at Point Pelee and knew many people.  I recall one column he dedicated to Dennis Rupert, a good friend.  It was well-written and rather touching to read, as Dennis was one I looked up to way back when.
Peter called me on one occasion after I found the Sage Thrasher here in Wallaceburg.  I do not know how he got my number, but it was a nice conversation in any case!