As March quickly approaches its end, things are ramping up. More birds have arrived, and other flora and fauna are awakening.
A couple of days ago, it was a nice day to walk out Rondeau's marsh trail to burn off some winter fat. There were still lots of ducks to sort through on Rondeau Bay. There were not too many passerines along the trail, but an Eastern Phoebe was among the new arrivals.
I saw only a single Dark-eyed Junco way out that seemed lost!
My first flock of Double-crested Cormorants of the year was high overhead.
The next day we had rain in the morning, but it stopped for a walk in the afternoon at Reid CA, locally. It had been quite cool the last few days, so plant life had not changed significantly. I checked for the seldom-seen Harbinger of Spring. I saw the usual colonies, but found another. I am sure there are other spots, but this little plant can easily be overlooked.
I always admire the very large trees at Reid. Here is one of the White Oaks.
Common Hackberry is rare at Reid too. I know of only four small trees on the property.
Other scenes along the way, included this one in the old river channel.
Scenes at the high point of the property:
Scene in the middle of the woods:
Great Horned Owl is nesting on the property this year. I finally found the nest!
While there, a pair of Common Ravens was circling around. I was in the woods, so could not get any photos of the pair. They are likely nesting the vicinity.
Yesterday, I went for a walk at Mitchell's Bay first thing. It was quite windy off Lake St. Clair, but I noticed my first Great Egret of the year in the distance off Ticky-Tacky Point.
Another first-of-year species was Greater Yellowlegs. Three were on the mudflats, but I was looking through trees and shrubs, unable to capture with the camera.
Today was a fine day under clear skies and bright sun at Rondeau Park. A good day to put on sunglasses!
Nothing was moving on the lake though, as Steve and I checked that out first thing. We then walked south point trail which seemed to be littered with Eastern Phoebes. Throughout the morning we tallied about 20 in total during our rounds. Too flighty for photos though!
A few Cedar Waxwings were along the trail.
Lots of Fox Sparrows had come in as well, among other things. A newly-arrived Brown Thrasher was singing on south point too. The only Yellow-bellied Sapsucker encountered was at Spicebush trail.
After parting ways, I creeped around the campground the maintenance areas.
I always keep an eye out for plants and trees. The other day, I was informed about another Common Hackberry in the campground. Unlike Point Pelee and other areas, the hackberry is rare in Rondeau. A few years ago, I found one hackberry in the campground near the north washroom, so I now know of two in the campgrounds. I am sure that there may be more unseen in the vicinity though. This one was not far from the south washroom.
My last walk in the park was on the maintenance loop. While standing in one spot, I noticed another hackberry! I have walked past this spot hundreds of times over the years, but never noticed it. The unique bark is a dead give-away.
After leaving the park, I checked out Keith McLean C. L. The usuals were in, but I noticed a couple of American Crows chasing a Common Raven to the north. Ravens are becoming more and more frequent, when a few years ago they were a rarity in Chatham-Kent.
Later, I headed over to Erieau and caught sight of the early Osprey on the communications tower north of McGeachy. I believe they nested on the structure last year. Ospreys seem to arrive much earlier than what we were used to from many years ago.
I checked out the Erieau marsh trail, but nothing of note caught my eye. Some Midland Painted Turtles were out catching some rays.
Before leaving south C-K, I made a quick check of the windy Blenheim lagoons. No Eared Grebe in yet!
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