Week of December 11 Notes And An Upcoming Bird Count

 The weather was fairly decent this week, but birding was at a snail's pace.

Tuesday I did something different and went to Middlesex County, stopping at Wardsville Woods and Skunk's Misery.  I knew there would not be many birds, but the day was clear and crisp--just nice to be out.

Only a handful of birds were at Wardsville Woods, the highlight being two Northern Flickers.

In the misery, I walked my favourite trail off Sassafras Road.  There is a nice creek along the trail, but early this past summer, the place was destroyed as someone figured it was necessary to dredge the creek.  It was always a good place in summer for insects, let alone birds.

In any case, this recent visit revealed a few birds.  Most were in one spot, including a few Pine Siskins, Purple Finch, White-throated Sparrows, chickadees and others.

Wednesday I did virtually nothing, as I had to be at home.

Thursday was another nice day, so I went down to Rondeau Park for a long walk.  I did the marsh trail to Long Pond.  Rondeau Bay was partly frozen, but lots of ducks out there in the middle.  A good number were wigeon and Redhead.

There were not too many birds along the way, but the highlight was two Greater White-fronted Geese.  They were distant, but I did my best to take a photo or two.

On my way back, they were gone!  However, I later learned that two white-fronts were at the Erieau marsh trail.  Obviously the same creatures.

Nothing really of note, but an Eastern Towhee was heard along the way.

After finishing the 10 km round trip, I slid over to the campground.  Most birds were around the north washroom as usual, but the were quite mobile. I kept going back to the spot, as I knew there had to be something of note.

I did briefly get a look at the wintering Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, but it quickly disappeared right before my eyes!

Hopefully it make the count on Sunday.  Two years ago we had one in the same location!

At one point I was sure one of the Yellow-rumped Warblers was the Audubon's.  I persevered. and eventually found it working some Red Cedars north of the washroom.  It has a distinctive "chup" note which drew me to it.

I did have looks at it, but it stayed buried in the cedar, eluding my camera.  It was seen again today by Steve.

Hopefully it will be seen Sunday for a nice addition to the Christmas Bird Count.

Brown Creeper

White-throated Sparrow with seed

Speaking of which, once again, the weather will be very crappy.  But, it is the WEEKEND!

Today was another fine day before the usual weekend weather arrives.  I just drove along the St. Clair River to Corunna.  Hardly a thing to see since times have changed with warmer winters.

There are quite a few gulls off Corunna's Guthrie Park.  I counted about 150 Herring Gulls at one point.

Hopefully we get some actual winter weather this season to concentrate gulls here.

A walk before getting home, was at Wilkesport.  I heard some Eastern Bluebirds at one point, so some must be wintering in the area once again.

Bald Eagles near here have been busy the last couple of days.  Today, I seen they are building an upper level to the new nest site!

Blenheim/Rondeau CBC: Loony Times

 December 19 was the annual Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count.  Weather was fairly decent although we did not get as much sun as forecast.

I did my usual route on the east side of the park south of the visitor centre, starting with a lakewatch at dog beach. I did not take many photos as birds were flighty or too distant. 

I have been doing this route since the early 1990's (I did outside the park previously), so know it well.  We have had all kinds of weather, and every year is different.

There was not a lot moving on the lake and it took a while to see some Red-throated Loons.  In recent years, this species has become quite common in late fall/early winter at Rondeau and it is the default loon.

I saw quite a few before I left the post, so was happy with that.  However, later on off south point trail, it was loon mania!  Large flocks were heading west, getting up off the lake.  Some groups numbered 50-70.

I ended up with 217, but I know I missed a lot as I was not watching the lake the entire time.  There were probably upwards of 300 around this day!  Indeed a record high for the area.

Birds were somewhat scarce on my route.  Some notables included Ruby-crowned Kinglet (several on the count overall), two Eastern Towhees, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird (flyover..wondering if it was the same one Quinten had farther up the park!), and lots of redpolls flying over.

Probably the most interesting walk was along the old Dillon trail back to the big slough.  I had not done it in few years.  The Dillon used to be a drivable road between the two south point trails.  One used to be able to detect where it went, but it has grown in now but I was able to follow it back to the big slough, then lost the point where it crossed.  A number of years ago I used to be able to see where it crossed, but water and growth has taken over.

Scene near the big slough

Swamp Sparrows were the dominant species along the sloughs!  A few Song Sparrows and Winter Wrens were mixed in as well.  I found them in the more open/grassy parts of the slough.  I found upwards of 40.  One of the towhees was near the end of the big slough which was a surprise.

I decided to follow the slough down to the lake.  For the most part it was an easy walk but a couple of spots got thick and it was dicey near the end.

Obviously there are birds back in the sloughs, so if one is ambitious, they should be checked!

Winter Wren (in winter)

After that long walk I was too tired to do much more, so did a quick look at the campground before I left.  The gnatcatcher was easily found, but near the south end of the grounds.  It is well-travelled as it looks for food.  It will likely perish once winter really sets in.

Here is my checklist for the day:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S99130574

Overall, at time of this writing, species tally for the entire count stands at an incredible 123...a new high!  Some highlights were the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Nelson's Sparrow, Least Sandpiper, House Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler, Greater White-fronted Goose.  The gnatcatcher and sandpiper were of course 'new' for the count history and record-late.  Goes to show what is out there when dedicated birders scour the area!

Gnatcatching and Sparrow Spotting

 This past Sunday was somewhat uneventful at Rondeau.  I could not catch up with the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher in the campground!  A number of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Brown Creepers were present to keep things interesting.

This kinglet must have had too much to drink as it fell off its perch.  LOL.

Today (December 17) was a fine day at Rondeau.  I wanted to see what was going on before the Christmas Bird Count  this coming Sunday.  Nothing new in the way of birds, but some decent "winter" birds were still around (and hopefully for the CBC!).

Redpolls seem to be increasing, as I had more today than any other day.  However I still have not seen on perched or feeding on the ground.

The campground is once again the place to be, although nothing new has shown of late.  We did finally have a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker last Sunday, but it was nowhere to be found today.

The celebrity of the campground is the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. It took a while to find it today, but Steve and I found it around Judy's cottage.  Although moving quite a bit, and obviously getting food, it was quite photogenic today.

So far, it is the latest at Rondeau.  I once found one a week before the CBC years ago, but that one did not stay.

Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers are also around.  We had around 15 today, but yet again no other warblers!  One of these days, I hope we find a novelty.

After the park, we headed over to Keith McLean C. L.  We were interested in finding the Nelson's Sparrow.  There were lots of sparrows, including at least 11 Savannah!

Eventually, I spotted the target creature along an edge.  We knew it still had to be around!

It will be a good one for the CBC if found.  It will be there...just a matter of finding it.  I do not have all the records, but there is an entry of a Sharp-tailed Sparrow on the 1973 CBC, as it was known back then.

At least one Killdeer was also present on our visit to McLean's.  No sign of the Least Sandpiper which would potentially be a new one for the CBC.

Weather looks decent for Sunday, so hopefully it will be a productive day!

Another Novelty and More Meanderings

 Since the cat is out of the bag so to speak, I can add to Friday's sightings.  Indeed it was a decent day for birding, but the highlight was the viewing of a Rufous Hummingbird near Watford.  I had gotten word of this hummer late Tuesday, but it was being kept under the radar for the time being.

The bird was first observed November 9 by the homeowner but species was undetermined.  A Lambton birder noticed the photo on Facebook (as often these things are revealed) and it looked good for something other than a Ruby-throated.  It was not until November 16 that a detailed look was had, and it was determined to be an adult female Rufous.

This time of year, any hummingbird is likely something rare.  This one really came down to Rufous or Allen's, with Rufous being the more-likely since Allen's has not yet been confirmed in Ontario.

Late Friday morning I arrived at the location, and within fifteen minutes I saw the bird.  Here are some photos:

Seems there is an influx of Rufous Hummingbirds this fall in Ontario!  Every birder who is interested or able should have seen one by now.  Who knows how many were, or are out there this year.

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Saturday it was down to Rondeau.  A stiff south wind was in the works, so we started at dog beach for a lakewatch.  Yet again, there was nothing much to note.  I still think a NE wind is best, but we have too many south winds anymore!

The campground has been interesting lately, and every day is different.  That is where we headed next.  Fox Sparrows are quite numerous right now and the camground has a few.  Some should stay into the winter.

The gnatcatcher is still in the same spot as last week!  (still there today as well).

The very north end seems to be the best, and birds were taking advantage of a puddle on the roadway.

The past week, Steve had a female Black-throated Blue Warbler at the north end, and today, Jim had the bizzare sighting of a Philadelphia Vireo!  One never knows what is lurking around the campground this time of year.  Hope something stays for the CBC next month.

Before we left the campground, I noticed some birds moving along the shoreline opposite the campground entrance.  We checked that out, and I spotted an Orange-crowned Warbler.  It was somewhat photogenic.

Today it was a toss-up, so I ended up at Point Pelee.  Would have been more productive if I headed north!  But, that is par for the course this year for me.

De Laurier was somewhat birdy.  I checked out Shuster trail as well.  Lots of Fox Sparrows at Pelee too.

I also wanted to check the Leamington Marina, as yesterday a California Gull made an appearance.  Unfortunately it did not show today, but could still be around.  Many gulls were out on the lake feeding this morning.

I have seen a California Gull at Pelee when I was lucky enough to see one land on the Tip 12 May 2015.

I checked out the Sage Thrasher spot on the way home, but it got rainy, as it usually does on Sunday. 

The thrasher has not been since November 18.  Perhaps it has moved on.

A number of birds were in one area along the trail, included lots of Cedar Waxwings.

 Tomorrow will be a nice sunny day now that the weekend is over!

Some Erie Shore Birding

The past couple of days I have headed down to Rondeau and Pelee areas.  Friday morning started with a very cold lakewatch!  Once again the wind was not ideal, but one has little choice and must try.  And, yet again, nothing of note showed!
We did see up to six American Woodcocks migrate in off the lake.  It is always neat to them come in and dive into the woods!

A pipit or two briefly landed on the beach.

To warm up a bit, we walked south point trail.  Not a single warbler was seen and rather few passerines.  A few Eastern Bluebirds were around though, always nice to see.

Some Eastern Phoebes were busily looking for food.

Later, a highlight was a Red-headed Woodpecker behind a cottage along Lakeshore Road.

A Baltimore Oriole was also here, but did not show while we were present.

A walk through the campground revealed a good number of Chipping Sparrows among others. 
Here we found several Yellow-rumped Warblers as well.  An Orange-crowned Warbler was also added to the warbler list, but I was unable to get on it with the camera.

Steve and I then met up at the Blenheim Lagoons were a good number of ducks and some shorebirds were present.
Shorebirds included over 30 Dunlin, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, a number of Wilson's Snipe, Killdeer, a late Least Sandpiper and a one-legged White-rumped Sandpiper called 'stumpy'.

The previous day, Steve had a record-late Stilt Sandpiper, but of course we could not find it this day.

Today, Saturday, I thought it would be a better day for a lakewatch at Rondeau.  Nope, the park was close for a deer cull.  News to us!  Usually we have some sort of notice when this will happen.  Also, they usually do not do it on a weekend to accomodate visitors, but obviously there was no consideration to that.
FYI, dates include the mornings of November 9,12,13,14,19,20,21,30 and all day December 7.  Note there are a couple of Saturdays, unfortunately.

Instead, Steve and I set up scopes on the beach just inside Bate's Subdivision.  There was a lot to look at but once again, nothing of note!  Where are the rarities around here?

Tundra Swans

There was over 7000 Red-breasted Mergansers, and various other ducks.  Ring-billed Gulls were too numerous to get an accurate count.  Yet again, nothing of note among them!

After that, I decided to head west for lack of anything else to do. I had a feeling some Tree Swallows would be around today.  At the corner of Stevenson and Talbot Trail, I saw the first few.

I went straight to Point Pelee first stopping at Sanctuary lookout.  A Tree Swallow went by during my brief stop there.
I ended up walking Shuster Trail and De Laurier. 

Beach at end of Shuster Trail

There was not too much to see, but a few sparrows, phoebes, Hermit Thrushes and Yellow-rumped Warblers were around.

Several flocks of Chipping Sparrows are still around.

I stopped by Sanctuary Pond lookout on the way out and I ended up spending over an hour there as there was lots to see.  Some birds were moving along the edge out of the wind, which had me interested.  The highlight was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  For the longest time, it was some distance away, but eventually it came much closer.  I was able to get full-frame photos.

Next stop was Wheatley Harbour were there were countless gulls, most of which were Ring-billed as expected.  Yet again, nothing of note!  One would think with several thousand gulls, one would stand out.

The only stand-out was an adult Glaucous Gull on the rocks.

One could have taken a seat to study the gulls, but it was a bit too cold.

While here, I noted some Tree Swallows moving west, totalling at least 18.

Nearer home, about 2500 Tundra Swans were in a field between Heron Line and Belle Rose Line.