Pelee Cave

 Point Pelee was on the agenda today as gale-force winds were blowing.  Birds were having fun at the Tip with the WSW winds stirring things up.

It was too brutal to stand out on the Tip, so we managed to find a spot on the east beach behind the trees.  Red-breasted Mergansers were the bird of the day.  I really have no idea how many were being blown around, but it was upwards of 10,000.

There were no rare gulls seen, but one would think a Black-legged Kittiwake would make an appearance.  

We spotted a couple of shorebirds way out, but they were only Krazy Killdeer.

After some time doing a Tip watch, we headed up the east side to Sparrow Field.  Several Eastern Phoebes were busy.  A few other birds were seen as well.

Hermit Thrush

I left the Tip and checked out De Laurier.  Along with Jeremy Hatt and Mike Nelson, I spent some time on the viewing stand at the back hoping for something of interest such as a Cave Swallow.  The day before one was seen here!  No dice today, but while there, Keith reported one back at the Tip.  I thought it was just a flyby, so I left thinking that I would not see it even if I tried.  I was well out of the park when it was reported again in the same area.  Well, I had to go back!

Luckily, it was still there when I arrived.

Just in time too, as a bit later, a Merlin came along and the  swallow quickly vanished.  However, it was found resting on a Barn Swallow nest under the "pizza hut"!  Perhaps it was hiding there in the morning while we were watching the Tip!

It has been a few years since I have seen a Cave Swallow.  They used to be quite abundant late October/early November to the point the species was left off the review list for the OBRC.  However, it was reinstated a few years ago.

The first big invasion was way back in 1999.  I saw some at Erieau that time.  Subsequently I have seen them there several times and a couple of times at Point Pelee.  Also at Rondeau Park.

Day of the Vireo

Erieau Pier

It was a fine birding day!  With the wind subsiding a bit and changing direction and the clear skies, birds were out and about.  So were birders.
There were several options for birding today, but I chose to check out Rondeau Park. It was a good choice as there were lots of birds.  No spectacular rarity, as usual (this is not Long Point!), but some good birds were seen.
I find autumn as the most exciting and interesting time of year for birding.  There are so many options and possibilities.
Jim Burk and I looked at lots of birds on South Point Trail.  Sparrows were abundant--just the usual types.
Warblers were few and far between.  Only a handful of Yellow-rumped Warblers were still around.  Other warbler types included singletons of Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned, and Nashville.

Common Yellowthroat 

The most notable bird was a Warbling Vireo.  Undoubtedly it was record late for the area by over two weeks.  It was busily working the dogwood berries, so it did not come out for a good view.  There is talk of it being a "Western" subspecies which makes even more sense after these brutal winds.
There were also several Blue-headed Vireos, and later I found a White-eyed over at McGeachy Pond in Erieau.  Where is that Red-eyed Vireo we saw last week?

White-eyed Vireo

Several bluebirds were around but not that overdue Mountain Bluebird.  Rondeau has never recorded such a species!  Highly overdue, but there have not been many in Ontario in recent years.
An immature Red-headed Woodpecker was a good find, as its bretheren left weeks ago.
Cedar Waxwings were busily working the remaining dogwood berries, as were Hermit Thrushes.  There a notably a large number of Hermit Thrushes around today.

A very young Cedar Waxwing? 

Cedar Waxwing in early morning sun

What has become a dirt bird recently, some eight Cave Swallows were leisurely working their way south along the east beach of South Point Trail.  There were a few (~55?) at Erieau early this morning, but later in the morning they were nowhere to be seen.
Rondeau Bay is loaded with ducks--tens of thousands. I am sure there is a Eurasian Wigeon out there amongst them, but try and get a good vantage point to scan them!
I made a quick stop at Blenheim Lagoons and came across a Wilson's Phalarope.  So far it is record late, as the last one (which I found) was 21 October 2006.

Wilson's Phalarope

Cave Swallow Invasion

Sand in your Eyes!

(Rondeau south beach)

The brutal winds of this week continued today.

The biggest Cave Swallow invasion ever to hit Ontario tallied more birds today.  Erieau in south Chatham-Kent seems to be a reliable spot to see them this time of year, so that is where I started this morning.

Seven birds in this photo!

I arrived too early again, so I waited.  I saw the first ones on the Bay near the Government Dock.  Soon others appeared and I was up to about 15.  The flock moved over to the gravel/sand piles so Jim Burk and I went over there amongst them.  We tried to get some photos, and some turned out reasonably well.  We estimated up to 30.  Later reports put the total at 40+ in the Erieau area.

We first saw Cave Swallows here in 1999 when the first notable invasion occurred.
After my fill of Cave Swallows, I headed over to Rondeau Park.  The SW wind was very strong everywhere.
The most abundant bird on south point trail seemed to be Cedar Waxwings.  No Bohemians.  There are only two or three Bohemian records for the park ever.

Cedar Waxwings

Chickadees were abundant, of course.

Lots of sparrows along Lakeshore Rd, especially Chipping.  At the south end of the campground, I found a massive flock of Chipping Sparrows with other types mixed in.  Over 100 birds, but I could find nothing unusual.
East of the park, south of Morpeth, lots of ducks were on the lake.  A good number of scoters, especially Surf, were out there.  Several flocks of Dunlin were heading west.

Heading back to CK Rd. 15, I saw two Cave Swallows over the road.

At Keith McLean's field, geese were feeding in the corn field.  The only thing different were three Snow Geese and three Tundra Swans.  Those are the first Tundras I have seen this fall.

Also at Erieau this morning was an immature Black-crowned Night-heron.

It was slim pickings the rest of the way home.....

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Birding Bonanza at Point Pelee Tip

Today I spent the morning standing at the Tip of Point Pelee with Alan Wormington and Kevin McLaughlin. There were thousands of birds!

Cave Swallows and Franklin's Gulls were the highlights. Not a photo-taking day as it was quite overcast sometimes, and the birds were flying by at great speed or distance. I'll include photos from a year ago of the subject birds.

Cave Swallow and Barn Swallow at Erieau 7 Nov. 2008

I passed through Wheatley on the way home and added some Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs at Muddy Creek.
Near St. Clair NWA I came across a large flock of mixed blackbirds. There may even have been Brewer's in the flock.

Rusty Blackbird

Looks like an influx of Franklin's Gulls right now, as Michigan has reported some as well.

Franklin's Gull at Erieau Nov. 2007

My post from Ontbirds sums up the day..........

Thousands of birds were around the Tip of Point Pelee this morning during a five hour lake watch by myself, Kevin McLaughlin and Alan Wormington. A total of eight (8) Cave Swallows were counted.The first two at 09:05, another four about 11:35 and another two with a very pale Barn Swallow about 12:05. We also had another single Barn Swallow. All came down the East Beach.Another highlight at high noon was a remarkable flock of twenty-two (22) FRANKLIN'S GULLS heading SE! Most were first basic. Not a record high count, but impressive. (I see some were reported in Michigan today as well).Among the hundreds upon hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls, we spotted one first basic LITTLE GULL.Another interesting bird was an imm. Peregrine Falcon that set down on the sand for good looks. It was banded with a red band on the right leg, and a light blue band on the left leg.Shorebirds included a few Sanderlings and several groups of Dunlin.

Yellowlegs at Wheatley