January Birding at Rondeau Park

I headed down to Rondeau for the first time in over two weeks.  Birding was pretty good, but the usual dismal weather persisted.  Although the sun came out briefly at home late this afternoon, I guess sun on weekends is a thing of the past!


I started at the VC feeders where photography was virtually impossible with my equipment under gloomy skies.  A number of birds were coming to the feeder setup including some Purple Finches, Red-winged Blackbirds and 2 Fox Sparrows.  I saw only one of the Fox Sparrows first thing.


I then headed down to Dog Beach and met up with Jim Burk.  At the cars, a Common Loon flew over--decent for this time of year and needless to say a first for the year.
We then walked south point trail which was not bad as it was out of the relentless wind.  A couple more Purple Finches made a showing.
 An American Robin was on the trail, but there are lots everywhere this winter.

Just past the 'S' curve, we turned to look at a White-throated Sparrow, while an American Woodcock flushed on the other side of the trail.  Another decent January bird!  We never saw it, but farther down the trail we found these tracks. I believe they are from a woodcock.  Interestingly, I mentioned to Jim a bit earlier that it was a good day for woodcock--the feeling was in the air!

Another stop at the visitor centre saw more birds plus Steve Charbonneau.
Purple Finches kept coming in!  At least ten were there.

We saw the two Fox Sparrows, a few Red-winged Blackbirds and several other species.

Up Lakeshore Road, even more Purple Finches flew over while we were looking for the Eastern Towhee Steve saw the other day.

I walked down Harrison Trail past pony barn area and found a nice flock of birds, including a Hermit Thrush.  Yet another flock of Purple Finches was present at that location.

I met up with Jim Burk again and we walked the campground.  It has been unusually quiet this winter. Normally it is the best spot this time of year. While there, another flock of about 20 Purple Finches flew over.  We have to wonder where they all came from as there were none for some time. In fact, I think today I saw more Purple Finches than I have ever seen in one day at Rondeau.

We talked about redpolls which never materialized this winter in SW Ontario. There were a few flyovers in late November into December, but that was it.

On the way to Blenheim, I checked out Stefina Line and the ditch/creek where the mysterious Wilson's Snipe resides. I think it is only a weekday bird, as I can never find it.  Although I have seen one there in past winters, lately it is a no-show for me.  This little creek never freezes, even in the coldest winters, so it is a cozy spot for a snipe.
The only thing of interest was this kitten in the ditch beside the road.  It looked clean and healthy, so may have been left there.

Today I also checked out McGeachy Pond and Erieau's marsh trail.  Another robin and a couple of White-throated Sparrows were along the pond's dike.
The relentless wind kept birds to a minimum along the marsh trail.  Out on the ice I picked out a Herring X Great Black-backed Gull, which is likely the one that has been seen near the landfill.
Near the landfill, some gulls have been hanging out.  Today I saw a Glaucous Gull, FOY.  One can only hope for a Slaty-backed or something along that lines!

It was a decent day of birding, but only if that sun would appear for a change......

Rondeau: Birding in the Slush

Not surprisingly, the weather forecast did not look good for Saturday.  I headed down to Rondeau early this morning, leaving the house in calm, 5 degree weather.  By the time I got to Rondeau, it was 0 degrees and heavy wet snow!

View along Rondeau Ave towards Bay

Steve and I attempted a lakewatch from Dog Beach anyway, but it was downright miserable.  Typical weekend.  The snow changed to mostly rain, so at least the visibility was better.  Nothing much of note though.
We then moved to south point trail per usual.  I guess the warblers have finally left or perished as we did not have a single one.  There are some Yellow-rumped still around though. Somewhere.
After meeting Jim Burk, we abandoned the trail and moved up to the campground.  A number of sparrows and juncos were at the south end, but still no warblers.  Just a few Golden-crowned Kinglets and a singing Purple Finch.

I went off on my own afterwards and stopped at the visitor centre.  A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was the only different bird of the day at that point.
The weather was better, so I did another walk of south point trail.  I flushed up an American Woodcock at one point which is getting to be a decent bird at this date.
I came across a number of Black-capped Chickadees, but still no warblers.

Lagoon Road hawk!

After the second south point experience, I headed up Lakeshore Road and briefly stopped in front of McArthur's to look at juncos and tree sparrows beside the road. Most were on the lake side, but a few on the edge of the road to the other side.  I turned to look at those, and....ooops!  Not a junco, but a tanager.  A Summer Tanager no less.  It appeared to be an adult female, but I have never seen one this time of year.
I had a decent look at it and raised the camera, but of course it flew.  I saw it again, but it flew back right past me and disappeared.  I could not find it again.
Could it be the same bird Steve and I had a month ago?  Same plumage anyway.

After that high, I walked the campground again.  Some Eastern Bluebirds were at the south end.

Also a huge flock of juncos/Tree Sparrows which moved to the traffic circle and beyond.

I checked out Erieau as well, but nothing of note.  I did not locate the gnatcatcher at the marsh trail, but it was there yesterday.  The Eurasian Wigeon was still in the corner yesterday, and likely today once again.  Too lazy to scope.

The Blenheim lagoons had 9 Snow Geese among many Canada.  Lots of ducks too.  Tundra Swans were in, including our injured bird.  I counted 12 Dunlin at the back pond where there is now mud.

The Cave Swallows from yesterday were long gone.  They would not be happy today anyway.
There was quite a showing yesterday in the Rondeau area. It first started with the 3 Jim Burk had at the farm, then Brett Fried reported 5 at Rondeau Park.  Another was at Erieau harbour, and yet another single along McKinlay Line.
In the afternoon, several were reported near Rondeau Ave and out along the beach beyond the traffic circle.
Who knows how many were really around.  All told, I think at least 13 were at Rondeau Park for sure, then the others outside the park.

Timberdoodle Time

Photo from the archives. Woodcock banding at Pinery PP.

It is nice that the brutal winter is finally behind us.  It looks like a cool spring, but at least we finally have lots of birds coming in.





This morning I was wandering around the yard just before heading off to work and spotted an American Woodcock resting in the garden.  Looks like it rested there as it had its head tucked back.  Unfortunately I only got a quick photo with the little camera.

Things are on the move and it is time to check some of the local birding spots that were dormant all winter.  Stewart Wetland is opening up and a number of gulls were there yesterday.

Unfortunately, some needed dike work is being done at Stewart for the next couple of weeks, so it will be disturbed.

Many waterways have opened up, but lots of ice still remains.  There is still a thick topping of ice on the Sydenham here in Wallaceburg even though the water level is very high. Hopefully no precipitation until it leaves!

As we know, lots of waterfowl arrived this past weekend.  Blue-winged Teal were reported in many locations for example.  One was at Muddy Creek, Wheatley on Saturday. Other new arrivals at the location included an American Coot and Northern Shoveler.

Sombra's Daldean finally started running on the weekend after more than two months locked in ice.

I also saw the first outboard on the river on Sunday!  Rather dangerous!

Bald Eagles have been feeding on dead ducks lately.  I noticed one on the Snye as I headed to work this morning.  I did not get a photo of that one though.

Here is another quickie photo from Cathcart Park.

Not sure if those white-fronted geese are still around Cathcart, but they were there on Sunday.

More Snowy Owls and Pelee Birds

It turned out to be a nice day weather-wise.  Since I did not take my annual trip to Niagara Falls this weekend, I went down to Point Pelee. Not many gulls have been reported at Niagara yet, so I took a chance on birding this area.  Maybe later to Niagara when things pick up.

On my way to Pelee, I encountered a Snowy Owl at the corner of Maple and Jacob Roads...in the dark!  Recently, a few have been reported in the old Dover Township, but it was neat to get one in the dark.

Point Pelee had hardly any visitors today, and certainly no LLB's (!).  I did a Tip watch for almost two hours.  Dan Greenham joined me for the first hour, but I had a whole hour to myself.  There was a fair bit of activity, but nothing unusual.  Only 2 Common Loons and a few Horned Grebes among the ducks and few gulls.

A fair number of White-winged Scoters went by this morning as well a some Surf Scoters.

After the watch I walked up to Sparrow Field and over to west beach trail and back to the parking lot.  It was quite pleasant walking around today.  Not many landbirds in the Tip area though, but I did flush up an American Woodcock near the famed serengeti tree.

Next walk was Shuster Trail. A few White-throated Sparrows were along the way plus a Carolina and Winter Wren.  Also a Ruby -crowned Kinglet.

On the beach at the east end was a lone Killdeer.  That was it for shorebirds today!

I checked out De Laurier as well.  More White-throated Sparrows and a Ruby kinglet.  Again, rather quiet.

Just for fun I went over to NW Beach area.  In the old parking lot area, I flushed up a sparrow which turned out to be a Lincoln's.  I had good looks as it perched briefly, but was unable to get a photo of it.  Probably the latest I have seen one.  It was associating with a Field Sparrow which was more co-operative.

In the Blue Heron area, a good-sized flock of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins was there.  I spent quite a bit of time sorting through them, but nothing of note was found.

Along the road I spotted a Rusty Blackbird.

Not a Brewer's Blackbird

Strangely, no warblers today.  Even the Yellow-rumped must be scarce there.  Some always winter in the park though.

Out of the park,, I came across a Snowy Owl south of the cement block road.  It was way out in the field, but later, Dwayne Murphy got a better photo.

I skipped Wheatley this time and headed up to Tilbury.  Along the way, a Golden Eagle was soaring over Road 37.

Earlier, Deryl Nethercott reported 4 Snowy Owls in Dover plus another closer to Wallaceburg.  I found 3 of them on the way home, but they were way out as they usually are.

Up to 1000 Tundra Swans were scattered about in the corn fields, but I saw very few geese.  Recently, a couple of Ross's Geese have been reported though.

There were lots of geese off Mitchell's Bay when I stopped for a look, but I could not see anything different.  Could have been a distant Snowy Owl, but he shimmer made it impossible to be certain.

Birds on the Move

I birded the Rondeau area today.  I met up with Jim Burk at first light on South Point Trail.  Like many times this fall we did not find much on the trail.  Songbirds sure cleared out early this year!  Even Yellow-rumped Warblers are difficult to find right now.  In fact I have not seen one in a while.
Pine Siskins are still on the move.  There have been quite a few this fall, but they continue to motor on through. Several went over again this morning.
Perhaps the only interesting bird on south point was an American Woodcock that we scared up.  It would be a nice bird four weeks from now on the CBC!  I also spotted a timid Hermit Thrush that seemed to suddenly disappear.  Also in the thrush category, a few Eastern Bluebirds were present.  These are likely staying a while.
We headed up to the campground as we always do this time of year.  Our luck changed right away.  Many birds were out and about and one of the first was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  It will likely stay there as one or two hang around the campground into winter.  Near it was a male Eastern Towhee--perhaps another bird that will stick around.
Heading into the campground, Jim spotted a flock of 11 small geese flying south.  Snow geese...but wait....one was a little smaller which we assumed to be a Ross's Goose.  There were several Snow Geese of the blue form in this flock.  Surprisingly, these were the first Snow Geese I have seen this year!  Just yesterday I was wondering about this species as I visited Ridgetown lagoons.  I heard that three (3) Ross's Geese were seen at Point Pelee today as well.
At the north end of the campground a bunch of juncos came out of a cottage yard that has an excellent feeder setup.  One appeared to have a distinct hood that I concluded to be a female Oregon type.
Just a few minutes later, Jim and I both heard the distinctive flight calls of White-winged Crossbills passing quickly overhead.  We did not see them, but a minute later, another flock at lower altitude buzzed by.  We saw those and estimated at least 15 White-winged Crossbills on a mission south.
It is only every few years we get crossbills at Rondeau, so this was a treat.
I am including a couple photos of an immature female that I had at my feeder exactly ten years ago.  I thought it was rather unique, as this bird had no fear and was  so intent on eating that I walked right up to it.  It stayed a few days.

Near maintenance, we had a mixed flock of birds--Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers and a pair of Purple Finches.

Several Common Loons were flying over today, as we counted many while in the campground.

Jim and I parted ways for a bit and I went over to Ridgetown Lagoons.  Lots of geese and swans there, and the two Dunlin were still present from yesterday.  I think this was a little before Josh Vandermeulen arrived!

I worked my way back to Erieau and met Jim at the R/R track trail.  Not much was there, so we went to the pier.  Nothing unusual again, but 9 Sanderlings were flying around.  The bonies from yesterday were absent.

I did spot 4 Turkey Vultures over Rondeau Park at this point.

I checked Blenheim Lagoons on the way home and did not add anything new.