May Madness? Not Yet.

 Birding was quite slow this past week until today after some southwest winds kicked in....finally.

Been spending some time at Mitchell's Bay since it is close to home.  Friday evening I was bored to the point where I went out to the Bay to get a look at a Yellow-headed Blackbird.  Seems everyone is only seeing one, but it is a tick on the year list!  Coming to a local feeder.

I did a quick walk of the south shore nature trail and finally saw some Cedar Waxwings.  They have been incredibly scarce this year!

Great Egrets are a regular sight along the trail.  One of these days we may see a smaller relative!

Heavy clouds were over the lake that evening.

Saturday morning was crisp but clear and I stayed relatively close to home.  I stopped by Port Lambton, Wilkesport, then Peers Wetland.

Scene at Wilkesport

Scene at Peers Wetland

Sunday morning I was up early and checked out Mitchell's Bay.  Still very quiet for birds!

I then decided that I needed to see some White Pelicans, so went on to Hillman Marsh where they have been quite reliable.  Upon arrival, they were there!

These are not considered rare in Essex anymore.

A stop at the shorebird cell was quite productive with a number of Long-billed Dowitchers.  They have been rather numerous this spring.  Lots of other shorebirds were present as well.

While there, my first of the year Black Tern made a pass through, as well as some Common Terns.

Southwest winds were brisk overnight and there was anticipation that a good number of birds would come in.  Not a huge number, but there were many new arrivals at Rondeau Park.  The weather was warm and sunny for a change!  Birders were out in full force today.  It has become a popular sport.

I ended up with 81 species in the park when all was said and done.  Many first-of-years included several warblers (Hooded, Black-throated Green, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-White, etc.)

Quite a few sparrows came in overnight.

White-crowned

Lincoln's

Just before I left, two male Scarlet Tangers were putting on a show near the Park Store.

Butterlfies included numerous American Painted-Lady.

I kept an eye out for some plants along the way, including Sharp-lobed Hepatica, trilliums, etc.

One of the rarer plants was Goldenseal, just coming into bloom.

Showy Orchis will be a while before flowering, but I did see some leaves...lol.

As usual, after a nice day, the winds switch back to the north with rain and cool weather starting tomorrow!  Will we ever get two good days in a row?

Summer At Blenheim and Piper at Erieau

 Today I had high hopes of seeing lots of birds. It is still a bit early, but there should have been a lot more birds than what I found at Rondeau Park today.  I covered quite a bit of ground!

I arrived quite early in order to hear some Whip-poor-wills and timber doodles.  As day broke, it was heavily overcast.

I heard a couple of Wood Thrushes, as well as an Ovenbird for first-of-years.

I did a quick check of Keith McLean C. L., but it was extremely windy by that time, and water levels were terribly high.  Hardly any birds!

I then ventured over to Erieau to walk the "rail trail".  The only new thing was a Blue-winged Warbler which did not want to be photographed.

One or two White-crowned Sparrows are still hanging on there.

It was off to Blenheim Lagoons.  Last evening, a young birder (along with his parents) from Wallaceburg found an adult male Summer Tanager along the fence!

I had not heard if it was seen again today, but there were several birders there upon my arrival.  I was informed that it was still present, albeit very elusive.

It took some time, but we had brief views of the handsome bird.

We usually see first year males or females in the spring, so this was nice to observe.  I think I have only seen one adult male before.  It was till showing a little bit of green in the wings, so not quite entirely in full adult plumage.

This past Friday I was at Rondeau.  First thing, Steve an I walked the north central block of the park.  We did encounter quite a few warblers at one point, including an Orange-crowned atop a tree.  I attempted photos....but I think it was trying to tell us something.

I took a long walk out the marsh trail to the half-way point.  There were some birds of interest, but none wanted their photo taken.....again!

I started off with a first-of-year Common Yellowthroat.  Shortly afterwards,  an Eastern Kingbird made an appearance.  It tied the early dates in the county except for one a number of years ago that seen on the 19th (eBird records only).

An early Warbling Vireo made an appearance not far from the late one I saw last fall.

Farther along, I encountered a flighty White-eyed Vireo.

Some Northern Yellow Warblers were along the way.  For some reason, quite a few came in this year quite early all over.

Next day, I started at Mitchell's Bay.  Nothing of note, so I continued on to Blenheim.  The weather got crappier as I went!

An early Wilson's Phalarope was at Blenheim lagoons.  Conditions were terrible with drizzle and fog and wind.

Since I was that far, I continued on to Erieau where a Piping Plover was on the beach of the tip of the Rondeau spit.  Two had been found the previous evening there.

Only one remained, but it took a while to find it.  It was too far off to try for a photo.  This bird appeared unbanded.

Here is a photo of another at Rondeau in the past.

Sunday was a rather nice day.  I started at Mitchell's Bay on the south shore nature trail.  A Black-crowned Night-Heron was right near the parking lot.

There was not much out on the lake.

In the afternoon, I took a walk at Reid C. L.

Large-flowered Bellwort was coming along nicely, albeit a very common plant.

Also looked at the Twinleaf patch.

Surprisingly, not much in the way of butterflies.

American Painted-Lady

Yesterday, I went a little later in the morning to Mitchell's Bay.  Still not much in the way of birds!

Turtles were taking advantage of the warm sun.

Next couple of days are going to be rather cold.  Par for the course this spring.....one extreme to the next!

Earth Day Birding and Reid Plant Tour

 Today was one of the better weather days so far this spring.  I headed down to Rondeau Park, but it was rather quiet for birds.....again!  Yes, it is early, but one always expects more.

A couple of first-of-year birds included a Red-headed Woodpecker along Lakeshore Road, and a Blue-headed Vireo on south point trail.

Butterflies were enjoying the warmth.

American Painted-Lady

While in the park, I heard reports of Marbled Godwits, Willets and American Avocets at points farther west.  It was one of those days that those types of shorebirds show up in numbers!

I left the park and headed towards Erieau.  Spent some time at McGeachy and the marsh trail there.

A single Willet was reported on the tip of Rondeau, as seen from the Erieau pier area.  I managed to see that one, but it was too distant to even try for a photo.

American Avocets were reported at Hillman Marsh.  I had not intended to go that far today, but since the avocet is my favourite shorebird, I had to go!

I went straight to the Hillman shorebird cell where there were lots of shorebirds.  There were big numbers of Dunlin and Pectoral Sandpipers, but in the distance I picked out four dowitchers as well.

Long-billed Dowitchers are the default dowitcher species this time of year, so no confusion with Short-billed need arise.

No Avocets were present upon my arrival, but while there, eight popped in!  My target bird was then checked off.  The dowitchers were just a bonus, which are somewhat uncommon in spring.

Lighting was horrible, but I attempted photos anyway.

One of the continuing Cattle Egrets was present as well.

Two days ago, I started at Rondeau, but it was disappointing, so I went to Hillman to see two reported Cattle Egrets.

My camera malfunctioned (which is happening too often lately!), so photos were crap.

Often we do not get some until fall migration.

Yesterday morning I started at Mitchell's Bay.  Nothing of note in the way of birds, but I keep trying.  It was uncomfortably cold first thing.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

The afternoon was quite pleasant, so I went for a walk at Reid Conservation Lands.  I had not been there in two weeks, so I wanted to check out the plant life.

Harbinger of Spring is about done for another year, but I did find a couple of plants with remnants of flowers.

Nearby, I found the patch of Twinleaf, one of my favourite plants.  It was not very far advanced compared to previous years.

Lots of trout lilies are blooming, including the white version.

Large-flowered Bellwort is just coming into bloom.

Dutchman's Breeches is past its prime, but some were in bloom.

Note the ginger, which is abundant at Reid

I think I finally found its cousin, Squirrel Corn.  I know it is there, but it is extremely scarce.  It is yet to be confirmed (or rejected) for some strange reason.

Bloodroot is not all that common at Reid, but some were in bloom.

Trilliums are just coming into bloom.

I found one with the virus. The abnormal greening of plant parts (virescence) is a symptom of a plant disease caused by bacterial organisms called phytoplasmas.

Various insects were flying about.

Black and Yellow Nomad Bee (?)

Greater Bee Fly

Birds will really start arriving, possibly tomorrow!  Stay tuned.