North Lambton Birding November 18

It was northward bound today, as I headed up to Ipperwash and Pinery.  This is a good time of year to check things out in north Lambton.  I was hoping to find some finches, but there were not many. All these finch-type birds coming from the north are motoring right on through.  Very few are staying in SW Ontario.

I first checked Ipperwash Dunes and Swales.  There are several trails, but the best choice today was the Dunes trail which is more open and has lots of Pines and Spruces.  It also leads back out to the main road and the big parking lot.

Things were rather quiet. As I mentioned, the finches and all those chickadees did not stick around here.  I did have a couple of Pine Siskins and Purple Finches fly over, as well as a single Common Redpoll.

Bald Eagle

There were no waxwings on this walk.  I have seen Bohemian in the big parking lot in past years, so that is why I checked it out.

remains of old cabin along Dunes trail

After a look on the quiet lake, I headed up to Pinery Provincial Park.  Parts of the park are  now closed for the winter, so the only spots to check out are at the visitor centre, along the river beside the campground or P9 beach parking lot.
My first stop was Cedar trail beside the VC.  It is good for birds this time of year.
Not far in, I heard a ruckous of chickadees and nuthatches and knew they had an owl.  Here is what I found just a few steps off the trail

Upon arrival at the viewing deck along the river, I heard a curious bird sound, which turned out to be an Eastern Phoebe.  It did not come out for good looks though.

The VC feeders were somewhat busy with common birds, but certainly no northern finches.

I then went to P9 and walked out to the lake.  A Red-throated Loon was fairly close, but otherwise not much was on the calm lake.

My next walk was along the river beside Riverside Campground.  This is often an excellent spot in winter time for birds.
Another Eastern Phoebe started things off.

Some American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds were briefly seen.

At the far end of the campground, another Eastern Phoebe was making its rounds.

At one point, I had a Common Redpoll fly over.

I went back to the VC to check the feeders, and added Cedar Waxwings to the day list.

Before leaving the park, I stopped by the store and canoe rental place beside the river to have a snack.  I noticed some birds across the river, so I got out and walked around.  There were several American Robins and other birds.
At one point I heard a unique bird call, which I determined to be Pine Grosbeak.  Although I heard it several times, I could never get a visual on the bird.  It was one of the target birds I had hoped to see today.

I walked onto the bridge and watched the robins and other birds feeding nearby.  At one point I saw another (or perhaps the second Eastern Phoebe I saw nearby earlier).

Far to the east, I heard Sandhill Cranes migrating south.  I counted at least 90, but they were distant and through the trees.

One more walk for the day was at Ausable River Cut CA south of Pinery. I had never been here before and actually never knew about it until recently.  It is a neat little place beside the river cut.

My walk started off with yet another Eastern Phoebe!

There is nice scenery along the river cut, and I will be checking out this place more often in the future.

Hopefully some of these northern finches will stop soon and unpack their bags to stay a while!