Rondeau Retreat

The full moon guided me back to Rondeau Sunday morning.  It turned out to be a rather quiet day for birds though.
Upon arrival, I took a quick look off the boat ramp area and noted a Snowy Owl on the ice way in the distance.  Not many geese had come in yet.
Starting in the campground, I made the usual rounds, but mainly found only Golden-crowned Kinglets.  No Ruby-crowned was detected and certainly no warblers.

not the sapsucker!

I decided to go down to south point trail, and that turned out to be mainly for a walk!  The lake was dead for birds, as it has been the last couple of weeks.  Hope things are a little different this coming Sunday!
On the way back, I came across a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flitting about.  I would assume yet a different one from the previous day since those were at the north end.

As I worked my way back north in the park, a few common birds were here and there.  I decided to walk out marsh trail since the wind was from the east.  Been a while since I have been out there.  With our weather patterns of late, there have been high winds almost every day, mostly from the SW or West, so going out there was not an option.  Nothing of note up to the viewing tower.

American (not Eurasian) Tree Sparrow

The young Northern Mockingbird was still present near maintenance.  It likes to bury itself in the shrubbery, so it is difficult to find.

Can you see it?

At the dock area, I noted that lots of geese had come in.  Nothing special though.

The Snowy Owl was still in its spot across the Bay.

I met the Burk's who had ventured out south beach (or what is left of it).  Their list of birds included a Snowy Owl and an Eastern Meadowlark.

I decided to check part of the campground again.  Just as I got out of my car, a bird flew across the entrance, perched briefly, then left.  Turned out to be the Eastern Phoebe!  Jim and Keith were just coming up the road and saw it as well.  Hopefully it will be one to be tallied next Sunday on the CBC.  I have only seen one this late once before, on a CBC.

The subject Bird

I made a quick check of Ridgetown on the way home, but very few geese were present there.

Recently the Rondeau shoreline has been in the news.  It has retreated significantly in the last few years, and especially this year.  Pawsnaturenuggets has some good information on the erosion today:
http://pawsnaturenuggets.blogspot.ca/

The scenery has changed dramatically at the tip of Rondeau and Erieau.  Erieau was once a bustling port for a railway terminus were coal was shipped out and railway cars were transported across the lake.  Years ago I found this old photo taken in the early 1900's.  How things have changed.  You can see a building and activity on the east side of the pier, where there is nothing now.