Harlequin In Our Midst and Other Recent Sightings

 Not much happening of late, and birds have been scarce! So, lack of subject matter here.

A treat for Sarnia area birders appeared just over a week ago, as a male Harlequin Duck was frequenting the area of the mouth of Lake Huron, and the entrance to the St. Clair River (not the "mouth" of the river as some mistakenly call it).  An adult male Harlequin is a very attractive duck not often seen in our area.  A week ago today, I ventured up to Sarnia to see it.  It was visible as soon as I arrived at the "lakewatch" spot in front of the water treatment plant.

We have seen a few Harlequins here in the past.  The present bird was quite co-operative, being seen close to shore in the general area.

There has not been much to see along the St. Clair River yet (unless you like Mute Swans!).  A few wintering Tundra Swans have been around as well, but a few days ago a pair of Trumpeter Swans were mixed in off Cathcart Park.  The day I went, the pair was seen taking flight just as I arrived, so not a good photo from quite a distance.

The feeders have been quite busy with common birds.  One stuck out this past Friday when a Common Grackle showed up in the yard for the afternoon.

Blackbirds left long ago and it was the first I had seen in some time.  No doubt some are likely around the Lake St. Clair/Walpole Island area.  Perhaps some will be tallied on the Wallaceburg CBC on January 4, which will be revived after a two year absence.

Saturday I went to Wheatley and Hillman to see what was around.  I did a lakewatch at Wheatley Harbour for the first hour.  Most ducks were Common Goldeneye.  There is an exceptional number around the area this year.  Must be a Barrow's Goldeneye out there somewhere.....

Hillman was all frozen of course but there were still some Sandhill Cranes standing around on this gloomy (and windy) morning.

On the way home I went through Tilbury, and north of there, I came across a decent flock of blackbirds (mostly Common Grackle) at Jeanneatte's Creek wetlands.  I did not detect a Yellowheaded though!  It was the first "flock" of blackbirds I had seen in some time.

The next day, I went the other direction up to Pinery and Ipperwash.  There was a stiff WNW wind making it very cold and uncomfortable.  Not sure what I was thinking, but there were hardly any birds.  I was aiming for Bohemian Waxwings but saw none at Pinery.  Perhaps if it was calmer day, I would have had better luck.

The usual "spoiled" birds were at P9 where people feed them.  They follow you around hoping for handouts!

After Pinery, I stopped by Ipperwash.  Same deal with the wind, but I lucked out with four Bohemian Waxwings.  Unfortunately, I came upon them all of a sudden and they flushed.  Oh well...

Some places of late, I see more squirrels than birds!  This backyard bandit was feeding in a soft maple.

Today was very mild and calm for a change and I did not do much.  My early morning walk was at Mitchell's Bay.  Not much in the way of birds of course.  Lot of geese were way out on the ice, so who knows what was amongst them.

In the history department, on this day in 1976, the sandsucker Charles Dick was retired for scrap.  It was a frequent visitor to Wallaceburg, as seen in this photo.

A recent scene at Port Lambton one morning:

Alpena (and a rusty Calumet in background)

No more posts until after Christmas, so Merry Christmas to all....!

Early Winter Birding: Some Highlights

 The past few days have been winter-like for a change.  Not much in the way of snow around here, but more seasonal temperatures.  The northerly winds have made for some short walks!

There are not many "land birds" around this winter, but the cold and snow recently has helped to concentrate what few are around.

On Sunday, I made some rounds in the Rondeau area.  It was one of the better birding days of late.  I started at Rondeau Park for some short walks.  I have had the urge to do along walk out marsh trail, but it has been too windy on that side of the park.  So, I just checked the start of the trail which has harboured some birds.  The Ruby-crowned Kinglet was still flitting around, and I caught a glimpse of the Common Yellowthroat that has been there for some time.

I walked the campground, but it was quiet for birds, which has been the case for the most part.

While there, I got word that a Harris's Sparrow was found along Stefina Line.  I bypassed that spot for the time being and went to McGeachy Pond at Erieau.  There were not many birds, but the Northern Mockingbird was still taking advantage of various berries.

After seeing it further along the trail, I headed back to the parking lot.  I saw Steve at the end of the trail, and he sent a message that he was looking at the mockingbird.  What?  Obviously there was a second one!  I only got a glimpse of that one.

I then headed over to east of Blenheim to look for the Harris's Sparrow.  It took a few minutes for it to show, but it was there.  Photo conditions were not ideal from my position.

It was hanging out with a large number of White-crowned Sparrows.  Harris's Sparrows quite often accompany White-crowned Sparrows.  The one I found at Hillman Marsh a few years ago was the same deal.  As was the one along Gore Road many years ago.

While there, I got a glimpse of the Northern Shrike in the distance.  Seems every winter we have one there, but it is an ideal spot with hawthorns, etc.

Monday I looked at the St. Clair River.  It seemed to be getting a little better for birds.  Along the Chenal Ecarte, I saw another Pied-billed Grebe.

Tuesday, I did quite a bit of driving around, mostly to no avail!  Further south along the Chenal Ecarte, I found some more Pied-billed Grebes.  Must be quite a few around!  Also saw a Green-winged Teal in the same area directly west of town, which was nice for this time of year around these parts.

Wednesday, I looked at the Sarnia area, and upper St. Clair River.  There was a lot to look at in the way of gulls and ducks.  I did not take any photos this day, as nothing caught my eye.

I did get some "year" birds such as Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull.  I sorted through a lot of ducks and gulls, but nothing spectacular showed.  Maybe I did not look hard enough, as a Harlequin Duck was reported off Canatara Park west end not long after I left!  However, conditions were brutal there with the stiff cold wind, and lots of slush ice.

The St. Clair River was quite full of slush ice, finally.  More seasonal-like.  There was quite a concentration of gulls and ducks off the head of Stag Island.  Most were Herring Gulls and Long-tailed Ducks.  There were well-over 2000 Long-tailed Ducks in view there.  But again, I could not find anything of note.

Today, I headed down Rondeau way again.  It was just too cold to do much walking, but skies were cloudless for a change.  I had to take advantage of it!

First spot was Erieau.  With the Bay frozen, duck are at the channel area or on the lake.  First thing in the morning on a sunny day is not the best for viewing there, but I did get in a decent position to view a good portion of the ducks.

A few days ago, two Harlequin Ducks were present.  I searched for them, but only got a distant view on one today.  Later in the afternoon would have been better to view these, but I am never there later in the day.

I headed over to the park afterwards, but after just walking the north end of the campground, I drove around the rest of the time!  Just too cold.

The Hermit Thrush was still at the north end.  Seems it appears each time.  No Yellow-rumped Warblers this winter.  Or, at least none have been detected.

There were a few Black-capped Chickadees here and there, including this one roadside.

I briefly stopped at Keith McLean C. L. later.  There was a tiny bit of open water near the viewing tower where three Killdeer were hunkered down.  These guys seem to want to stick around!

*head just showing of the third at far left

The skies remained clear all day for a change.  That old moon was shining bright this evening!

There were some other decent sightings last Sunday, including this one.

Barred Owl

Starting Out in 2024

As per tradition, many of us started out New Year's Day doing a Christmas Bird Count.  Locally, we do the St. Clair NWA CBC which always gives a good kick start to the new year with regards to birding.

I have been doing this count since 1990 as I recall.  Yellow-headed Blackbird sticks in my mind as one of the "decent" birds Steve Charbonneau and I saw within the Bradley property that year.

This year, I worked St. Luke's marsh (owned by Ducks Unlimited) once again.  I have been doing this one off and on, often by myself, for the last twenty years or so.  Adjacent to the wildlife area, it has much similar habitat.

This past Monday, the weather was certainly more decent than any of the previous CBC's this season.  The wind was a bit brisk out of the NW, making things uncomfortable along the lakeshore.  However, in more protected sections of the marsh, it was quite pleasant.  It started out very gloomy, but later we had bouts of that rare commodity call sun!

Just after I started walking, things started out with a bang as an adult Golden Eagle soared overhead.  Lighting was horrible, but I made sure it was not a young Bald!  Apparently there were two other sightings of Golden Eagle that morning in other territories, so possibly it was the same creature.

Like any other marsh, St. Luke's is getting choked out with phragmites, and that was all I could see in some sections.

View at the first opening

One section has exposed lakeshore, but with the brisk cold wind, the lake was choppy and there was virtually nothing on the water.  Usually it is ice, and it really should be at this time of year!

Just before leaving the exposed area, I took this photo looking north.

The last few years there has been some erosion, as I recall walking along here in past years.

There is a cross dyke in the middle which was thick with 'phrag' in most parts, but I made it through.  Early along this part, I heard the familiar chirp of a Common Yellowthroat.  I never did see it, but perhaps that was my second best bird behind the Golden Eagle.  Not surprising for this mild winter.

The only decent photo was one of three Ruddy Ducks that I saw.

My last walking section was that which parallels Townline Road.  I walked most of the way to the pumphouse, and had absolutely zero birds!  On the way back, the chit-chit of a Marsh Wren caught my attention.  Another decent bird, but not unexpected here.

I ended up with 31 species, a bit below average for here.  I am told the total count tally is well over 80 species, which is decent.  Waterfowl and waterbirds are a significant factor in this count.

Yesterday, I ventured down to Rondeau and Erieau to check off some birds for the 2024 list.  At the park, I only walked the campground and maintenance loop.  I managed to get the Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler, which seems to be hanging out with three of its Myrtle cousins.  No photos as this day seemed to be terribly dark with the overcast skies.

Another Yellow-rumped was along the maintenance loop.

Over at Erieau, I wanted to get a look at the female Harlequin Duck.  I saw it right away, but it was a bit distant.

Last year, it took until December 31 to list a Harlequin Duck (this same bird)!, so it was nice to get on this one early in the year.

The marina had lots of birds, including two Pied-billed Grebes.  It was no good for photography, as this day seemed to be one of the gloomiest in recent memory.

There is a cormorant or two around Erieau, but for the life of me, I could not locate one yesterday.

I also walked the Erieau marsh trail while in the area.  Nothing noteworthy to my eyes there.

Today, I slept in for a change, and just checked out the St. Clair River.  It was virtually birdless!  The Northern Pintail was still swimming at Sombra.  It seems quite content there.

Manitowoc downbound at Seager Park

The sun finally came out this afternoon.  Been a long time since we have seen a sunny day!

Nothing new at the home feeders, but more House Finches seemed to have arrived yesterday.

Just east of Wallaceburg, the Bald Eagles continue to build their new nest.  Not sure why they need an upstairs!

As 2023 Ends

 Here we are at the end of yet another year.  It was a decent year with lots of good sightings and occurrences.  It was not the best year for butterflies and dragonflies, as I missed many things because they were absent or in low numbers.  

It was disappointing for dragonflies, especially at Wardsville Woods.  But, I lucked out on a couple occasions getting specialties like Arrowhead Spiketail and Twin-spotted Spiketail on one day.  Another day, I managed a single Riverine Clubtail!  I was lucky to get the photo of the Riverine.  There was hardly anything there that day, and I saw this fly in.  I took a very quick photo, then it was gone!

Riverine Clubtail

Arrowhead Spiketail

Twin-spotted Sandpiper

There were some other good odonate sightings such at the Westfall's Slender Bluets at Port Lambton's Brander Park.

Birds this year were pretty good, but not as spectacular as the previous year.  However, for someone who does not "chase" birds, except locally, I did quite well.  I almost made 300 in Ontario, but there were some sore misses.  I missed Summer Tanager, even though it was an exceptional spring especially at Rondeau.  I went to Rondeau quite a bit, but the days I did not go was when they were seen!

This fall, Purple Sandpiper was a sore miss.  There were multiples at Erieau/Rondeau, but I missed some by less than thirty minutes!  Today was a good example of another miss.

And, do not get me started with the Roseate Spoonbill at Springwater CA!

A couple of lifers were a nice addition.  This fall, the Western Flycatcher (if accepted) at Rondeau was certainly not on the radar.  It will potentially be a first for Ontario.

The recent Limpkin at Wheatley Provincial Park was another unexpected bird.

The male King Eider and Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler at Rondeau Park were nice finds.

A Harlequin Duck was seen at Erieau yesterday, and I knew it would likely be present again today.  I went to Mitchell's Bay first thing for a walk along the south shore trail.  While I was there, a Purple Sandpiper was seen at the Erieau pier, then a bit later the Harlequin Duck was found again.  On to Erieau!

Upon arrival the Harlequin Duck was not a problem as I could see it from my car as I parked.

The Purple Sandpiper was at the end of the pier earlier, but obviously disappeared before I arrived.  In any case, the Harlequin was a nice way to end the birding year.

A bonus appeared in the form of a Snowy Owl.  They have been extremely scarce this fall in southern Ontario and I was under the impression that I would not see one.  The Erieau bird was a bit distant, but showed well.

I have seen various Purple Sandpipers at Erieau before.  Here is one I found on the pier about 15 years ago.

Tomorrow, New Year's Day, is the annual St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count (CBC).  I went to Mitchell's Bay this morning in anticipation of seeing what was around.  I was going to check various spots before word came in of the Erieau birds.

Great Blue Heron at Mitchell's Bay

One of the trusty Eastern Screech-owls was keeping watch.

Yesterday was the Skunk's Misery CBC under cloudy skies, but at least no precipitation!  Looked like there was some sun well to the south, but that never materialized in our area.

I worked the Thamesville area, but I found it one of the quietest counts I have done there.  Very disappointing.

The Thames River was running unusually high.

View from under Victoria Road Bridge

However, the count overall did quite well, breaking 60 species, though I did not get the final results yet.  I heard that Ring-necked Duck (multiples) and Common Raven were new for the count.  Common Raven is not a surprise, as they are getting numerous in Lambton.

The count covers parts of four counties which is unique.  The area was well-covered by many veteran birders.

As a new year dawns, tomorrow's CBC will kick things off.  There should be lots of waterfowl, as there is absolutely no ice.  Some lingering birds will be lurking around in this mild weather.

                                  ************************************************

In the history department, the Algoma Transport was on her final voyage from Superior Wisconsin yesterday.  She will be going to Port Colborne for the scrap lineup after discharging her last cargo at Hamilton.  These more "modern" lakers are already going to scrap!

Algoma Transport at Port Lambton 18 April 2023

Guthrie Park: The Go-To Place in Mid-Winter

We are in a deep-freeze and most of the St. Clair River is full of ice now.

Port Lambton

 

The past couple of mornings I spent quite a bit of time at Guthrie Park on the St. Clair River.  It is the go-to place this time of year!  Very little open water farther south due to ice build-up, so ducks and gulls and are concentrated here.

Friday morning was fairly good and the highlight was when I spotted a Harlequin Duck.  It was quite distant, so I thought it was another female, since one had been at Cathcart Park the last few days.  Later, other observers thought it was likely a young male, which can look similar to a female at a distance.

Lots of Canvasback and Redhead were in close, among other things.

Many of the ducks have resorted to eating gizzard shad.  Even the Mallards!

Numbers of goldeneye had dropped, but I still had hopes of finding the Barrow's Goldeneye that was found last Sunday.  No dice this day!

Lots of Mute Swans here, but a Trumpeter Swan showed up earlier this week.

An oddball duck has been frequenting the area for the last week or so.  We are not sure what it is, but almost looks like some Ruddy in the mix.  Even scaup seems to be involved, especially in the spread wing.

Drove back roads on the way home and saw lots of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings.

Today I went back to the river since there was not much else to do.  With the price of gas now, I did not want to go too far.

Ducks were in good and close today as ice had built up in the river.

Some goldeneye had congregated in midriver, but I could not pick out a Barrow's early on.

At one point, several goldeneye flew in close due to an Algoma tanker moving downbound.  I watched closely, and sure enough I spotted the Barrow's Goldeneye.  Darrell Parsons saw it simultaneously as well!  We both got out of our vehicles to get a better look.

It came fairly close allowing us to get good looks to make sure it was not a hybrid look-alike.

Eventually it went back out to midriver.  The last Barrow's I saw on the river was back in 2015, so we do not get them every year.  Tufted Duck is long overdue on the river!  Back in 1994 one stayed at Sombra for some time.

Some White-winged Scoters were in the vicinity as well.  I only saw two immatures yesterday, but three adults were here.

We observed a pair of Common Goldeneye getting a head start to the breeding season.  I was a bit late with the camera...lol.

Bald Eagles are always numerous on the river, mixing things up.

Some open water remains at Cathcart Park, but I did not spot a Harlequin Duck there today.   It was a good day though.