Halloween Birding

The Tip

The only thing scary today was the wind. Gusts up to 60 km/h were seen in some spots. Birding was a bit slow, perhaps due to too much wind. I think tomorrow will be good as it will be clear, calm and cool. something from the west should show up. Quite often Franklin's Gulls show up after a very strong west wind. Perhaps more Avocets too. Many have already been reported this fall. Perhaps a good flycatcher??

I went to Point Pelee for a Tip Watch hoping the wind would be south enough to bring on some birds. It was straight out of the west though. As usual, one does not know what will happen with the weather. All week they called for strong SW winds, with rain on Saturday. The wind was from the west and it DID NOT rain!
There was some activity at the Tip, but not as much as we would like. Marianne Balkwill and Alan Wormington joined me at the Tip.

One ship, actually a tug and barge combo braved the Pelee Passage. The James L. Kuber (ex. steamer Reserve) was heading east.

Not many Bonaparte's Gulls were around the Tip (I saw more at Blenheim Sewage Lagoons later!), but one adult Little Gull was blowing east. An adult Great Black-backed X Herring Gull hybrid rested on the Tip for a while.

I saw about 15 Common Loons, 3 Horned Grebes, some Gadwall, some Black Ducks and Mallards, a Wood Duck and many scaup and Red-breasted Mergansers. Scoters included White-winged and Surf.

Shorebirds included a few Sanderlings and many Dunlin.

Later, Marianne and I birded the De Laurier area, not finding many landbirds. Mostly kinglets, and no warblers!

Landbirds were very scarce all over. The usual multi-specied flock of sparrows was at De Laurier.

I went home via Wheatley and Blenheim and saw many Horned Larks and American Pipits along the way.

At Muddy Creek were Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets.

Heron in the Mud

Heron flying over the Mud

Three Egrets in a Muddy Creek

Blenheim Lagoons was quite interesting. There were many more Bonaparte's Gulls there than at Pelee! One adult Little Gull was among them. It really stood out with its black underwings.

Lots of ducks of many species were in as well.

Several shorebirds included three Long-billed Dowitchers, about eight Greater Yellowlegs, six Lesser Yellowlegs and a Pectoral Sandpiper, not to mention dozens of Dunlins.