May Madness? Not Yet.

 Birding was quite slow this past week until today after some southwest winds kicked in....finally.

Been spending some time at Mitchell's Bay since it is close to home.  Friday evening I was bored to the point where I went out to the Bay to get a look at a Yellow-headed Blackbird.  Seems everyone is only seeing one, but it is a tick on the year list!  Coming to a local feeder.

I did a quick walk of the south shore nature trail and finally saw some Cedar Waxwings.  They have been incredibly scarce this year!

Great Egrets are a regular sight along the trail.  One of these days we may see a smaller relative!

Heavy clouds were over the lake that evening.

Saturday morning was crisp but clear and I stayed relatively close to home.  I stopped by Port Lambton, Wilkesport, then Peers Wetland.

Scene at Wilkesport

Scene at Peers Wetland

Sunday morning I was up early and checked out Mitchell's Bay.  Still very quiet for birds!

I then decided that I needed to see some White Pelicans, so went on to Hillman Marsh where they have been quite reliable.  Upon arrival, they were there!

These are not considered rare in Essex anymore.

A stop at the shorebird cell was quite productive with a number of Long-billed Dowitchers.  They have been rather numerous this spring.  Lots of other shorebirds were present as well.

While there, my first of the year Black Tern made a pass through, as well as some Common Terns.

Southwest winds were brisk overnight and there was anticipation that a good number of birds would come in.  Not a huge number, but there were many new arrivals at Rondeau Park.  The weather was warm and sunny for a change!  Birders were out in full force today.  It has become a popular sport.

I ended up with 81 species in the park when all was said and done.  Many first-of-years included several warblers (Hooded, Black-throated Green, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-White, etc.)

Quite a few sparrows came in overnight.

White-crowned

Lincoln's

Just before I left, two male Scarlet Tangers were putting on a show near the Park Store.

Butterlfies included numerous American Painted-Lady.

I kept an eye out for some plants along the way, including Sharp-lobed Hepatica, trilliums, etc.

One of the rarer plants was Goldenseal, just coming into bloom.

Showy Orchis will be a while before flowering, but I did see some leaves...lol.

As usual, after a nice day, the winds switch back to the north with rain and cool weather starting tomorrow!  Will we ever get two good days in a row?

May Birding: The Fun Begins

Now that we are well into the month of May, birders are beating the bushes for birds in their favourite spots. 

On May 1, I stayed fairly close to home.  There were not many birds that day around anyway.

Along the St. Clair River, the Nautica Queen was upbound.  It is a cruise and dinner vessel out of Cleveland, Ohio.  Not sure where it was going.

In the afternoon, I went for a walk at Reid CA just admiring the scenery.  There are lots of hickory trees there, including some Bitternut Hickory.  One of the large ones fell down for some reason during the winter.  It would have made for some nice lumber!

Nearby, another of same size was looking healthy.

Blue Phlox is blooming, but I found this one not quite out.

I happened to come across a rather large patch of Harbinger of Spring in a spot I missed before.  It is amazing how much is within Reid CA.  Not worth a photo at this stage though.

Other scenes:

Sedgy Area

Aspen patch

Eastern Forktail emerged in recent days.

On Thursday I went to Rondeau.  There were lots of new birds, including a good influx of White-crowned Sparrows.  This one was showing off its white crown!

After Rondeau, I slid over to Erieau.  It was  a good turtle day everywhere, as they were all out taking advantage of the warm sun.  I saw five species along the rail trail!

Spiny Softshell

Blanding's Turtle

Northern Map Turtle

Heading home, I decided I was not done for the day, so took a detour over to the south shore nature trail at Mitchell's Bay.  Lots of turtles there as well.  I saw at least 30 Map Turtles along the trail.

I have seen Spiny Softshell on the Bay there in the past, but not on this particular day.

The Snowy Egret was apparently still present, but somehow it remained hidden during my visit.  I missed it by about 15 minutes!

I kept an eye on the field, as often Yellow-headed Blackbirds forage in it.  I was not disappointed, and noted five.  Just too difficult to get a proper photo though.

Friday, I started out at Mitchell's Bay on the trail again.  It was rather quiet for birds though, but I always have to check.  Not knowing what else to do later, I eventually ended up at Point Pelee!  It turned out to be a good choice.

There had been a massive influx of birds overnight (same thing at Rondeau), but many were streaming out.  I parked at northwest beach just in time to see lots of warblers streaming north.  Most were Yellow-rumped (we finally got numbers!), but others were mixed in.

Along the west side, the grasses were littered with Palm Warblers as well.

Some warblers lingered.  Many first-of-years birds were tallied, including lots of Cape May Warblers.

A few Black-throated Green

Lots of Northern Parula

I had some good finds, including Golden-winged Warbler, Summer Tanager, and Fish Crow.

After birding the park for a few hours, I was too tired to stop in Hillman Marsh, so ventured home.

Today, it was back to Rondeau.  The "morning flight" fizzled!  In fact, the park was very quiet for birds.

I happened to be in the right place at the right time, when Jeff Tunstall spotted an Olive-sided Flycatcher.  He managed photos, but I did not as it flew back too far, then out of sight.  This is remarkably early for that species, but some have been reported elsewhere already.  Usually we look for this one in the second week of May and beyond!

The other decent bird was a Yellow-breasted Chat.  I completely missed this one last year (there were not many), so nice to see.  Unfortunately, it was very elusive (true to nature) and did not co-operate for the camera.

The chat is much scarcer than it used to be needless to say, but there has been a good showing already this year in various places.  Hopefully some stay to nest.

As always, I keep an eye out for plants.  I believe this one is Oak Sedge, an easily over-looked plant that looks like grass.

I also took a look at the trusty Goldenseal, which is already well-advanced in flowering.  This rare plant is always nice to see.

A brief stop at Keith McLean C. L. did not reveal much.

Sandpiper by itself (Solitary)

Possibly the Red-headed Woodpecker that wintered nearby

This Bald Eagle may be ill.  It rarely moves, and is easily approached.

This coming week should be good, as I will spend most of it at Rondeau Park.