Spring Things and Weekend Wanderings

This week went by quickly.  I did not see much in the way of birds, but things are on the move and the usual signs of spring were evident.  The Coltsfoot outside the workshop is one of them.

Stewart Wetland has had some of the same ducks (Gadwall) for some time.  The first of year Great Blue Heron showed up this week. Water is high like everywhere this year.

Some burning has been taking place in the south marshes of Walpole this week.

Friday after work I headed out to Mitchell's Bay, so I saw the smoke from the south as well!
As expected, thousands of ducks were on the bay, most of which seemed to be Redhead and Canvasback.  Lots of scaup too.  No Bald Eagles in sight this time!
I walked the shore trail for the first time this year.  Much too windy though.  As usual, the wind switched to the north and increased just in time for the weekend, making it very cool.
Three Sandhill Cranes were near Bass Haven.  They are certainly regular anymore.

Today I felt the urge to go to Point Pelee.  The cool north wind made it somewhat uncomfortable and birds were scarce in the woods.  Lots of ducks were on the lake though, including all 3 scoters.  Three Black Scoters were new for the year, as were a few Surf Scoters.

Lots of Horned Grebes in various states of plumage were around.

A tell-tale sign of a beaver was along De Laurier Trail.

There has been much erosion along the west side this winter and large sections of the trail are gone.

I did a quick walk out to the Hillman shorebird cell as well.  Lots of ducks there, but lighting was bad and I did not carry a scope.  Close by I counted at least 130 Northern Shoveler, 30 Green winged Teal, and a number of Northern Pintail, Gadwall and American Wigeon.
On the way out, I met Kory Renaud who had a pair of Trumpeter Swans fly over about 20 minutes later.

Near Hillman, I spotted this Great Horned Owl on a nest.

Actually Rick Mayos told me about it.  I met Rick earlier in Tilden's Woods.

At Wheatley, I decided to walk Two Creeks CA, something I do not often do.  Not many birds were there (not even a phoebe!).
I walked mainly along the creek which had some interesting features.

Sands of Time

Near Mitchell's Bay, I found some Snowy Owls.  Along Winter Line between Mallard and Marsh, I could see 5.  This particular area always attracts Snowy Owls every year for whatever reason. None were close though.
Along Angler Line, I found another.

Almost missed was yet another very close to the other!  These two I did not see last evening.

Odds 'n Frogs

It is still quite cool, but signs of spring are here and there.  Coltsfoot was out in bloom today at the workplace.

A Fox Sparrow was in at Brander Park, while the wintering birds were still present and enjoying the sun.


Stewart Wetland has held many wigeon all week, and others include several Northern Shoveller, Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal.  Also Ring-necked Ducks.  A single Pied-billed Grebe is swimming around too.

Early Morning at Stewart

I stopped at McKeough this evening for a walk. It was bitterly cold in the wind, but I went into a sheltered spot to listen to the frogs.  Many chorus frogs were croaking and a few Leopard as well.  The chorus were difficult to spot, but the leopard were less skittish.

Many Turkey Vultures were out and about today in migration.

Even the lizard-types were out today as well.

I would imagine by Sunday, many migrants will start to show with the warm SW wind predicted!

Spring Chorus

It was just like a nice day in May today! Too bad it is a weekday!  Every wet spot had chorus frogs in full song.
There were many reports of Turkey Vultures today.  Some were lazily flying over my place around supper time.

Coltsfoot was out today at the workplace.  It could have been out yesterday, but I did not notice!

This morning, many ducks were heading north on the St. Clair River.  I did catch sight of one White-winged Scoter--something not too common on the river.

This evening, I went for a walk up at McKeough CA.  It was nice to be out in a short-sleeved shirt.  Nothing noteworthy in birds there, but a few common things were around the parking lot.
Blossoms are out on silver maples, and the bees were working the blooms already

Honey bees were swarming around the hives.

Common Grackle stealing sunflower seeds

Looking forward to getting out on the weekend!

Pelee Area Today

Point Pelee c. 1960

I had the urge to go to Point Pelee today. So I went! The weather was a bit better than predicted, but as usual, far poorer than the weekdays.
I started at the Tip, which was fairly active with ducks. Most common were the Red-breasted Mergansers. Lots of scaup were far offshore to the west. Others included Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Mallard, Wood Duck (1 pair), and about 12 Long-tailed Ducks (1 flock).


A single Double-crested Cormorant was around, the first for the season.
A Merlin heading north over the water was a decent sighting.
I walked West Beach Trail for a bit, and saw a couple of Eastern Meadowlarks, but not much else. A Horned Grebe, my first for the season, was swimming offshore. It was just about in breeding plumage.
I also walked Woodland Trail, but it was very quiet except for the blackbirds. I did see a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets and heard a creeper. A Northern Flicker flew over.
The sloughs are entirely dry. The lack of precipitation has much to do with it! In fact the water levels all over are very low, as you can see in the above photo at the Tip.

I stopped at De Laurier and noted many sparrows at the entrance. Just Song, Tree and Junco.

Sparrows in the Grass

Some white flowers were coming up near the house, but I have no idea what they are. Pretty though.

Snowdrops

The only other flowers I have seen this week were some Coltsfoot outside the shop at work. It is an odd spot for them. Coltsfoot is a non-native species, as probably the above one is.

Coltsfoot

Hillman Marsh has lots of mud due to low water. Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper and Killdeer were near the entrance. I am told Dunlin was there earlier in the week as well. These are some of the first shorebirds, as expected, to show up besides Woodcock.

Hillman Marsh

Tundra Swans in Dover