A King Visits Port Lambton

 This past Friday dawned quite gloomy.  At least the wind had died down as I took a look at my usual lookout at Port Lambton.

At one point, I noticed a large duck flying upriver, not too far out.  It set down just to my right.  I originally thought Common Merganser, but it was too chunky and much different.  As I took a closer look, I realized it was a young male King Eider!

Of the hundreds (literally) of times I sat at this spot over the years, I finally saw something really good here.

Looks pretty ugly compared to an adult!  Too bad it was gloomy weather, otherwise I would have obtained a better photo.

The only other King Eider I have seen on the St. Clair River, was one that spent the winter of 2017 starting at Corunna.  I last saw that one at Sombra.  It was also a young male.

I followed it as it floated downriver to Brander Park.  I wanted to get it for my Brander Park list, since I have a substantial list there, including some incredible rarities.

Too bad no other birder was nearby to see it!

On Saturday, I took a look along the river, but it was not to be seen again.  I saw my first Tree Swallows of the year on that day at Cathcart Park.

I then headed inland for a walk at Reid CA.

At one point, I noticed this millipede in the leaf litter.

Salmon Cherry Millipede

Anytime along the river's edge, I look for mussels.  One stood out and was easily recognized as a Pink Healsplitter.  A large specimen it was.

I looked for Harbinger of Spring while there, and only found one sprout in a known spot.

Sunday, I headed down to Rondeau Park, but the weather was considerably less than desired.  The forecast was certainly a bit deceiving!

Dark-eyed Juncos were the bird of the day, with dozens along Lakeshore Road.

It was very cold with drizzle most of the morning, so I did not do much walking much to my disappointment.

Heading back towards home, I drove up Erieau Road.  Some gulls were near the landfill, including this odd-looking Ring-billed.  Must have got mixed up with something!

Herring Gull nearby

Today, was yet another windy day.  What is with all this wind anyway?  

Nothing along the river of note.

This afternoon, I had nothing else to do but go for a walk at Reid CA.  

Harbinger of Spring is popping up in the usual spots, finally.

Other spring plants are peaking through such as Trout Lilly, Virginia Spring Beauty and Wild Leek.

Wild Leek

I looked for mussels as well, but it was not a successful day for much.

Mapleleaf

I find Mapleleaf quite common here.

A King Visits Rondeau and Other Notes

 On Tuesday, I ventured down to Rondeau Park.  It was one of those rare calm mornings where there was no wind.  The lake was calm, Rondeau Bay was like glass, and one could hear for long distances.

I started at dog beach, intending to do just a short lakewatch, as not much was moving.  A large raft of Red-breasted Mergansers (~2000) was just offshore south of dog beach.  Other species were mixed in, but the vast majority were mergansers.

I scoped through the raft, hoping to see something different or novel, such as a King Eider.  An eider is very rare at Rondeau, and in fact I have only seen one in the area in all my years of birding.  Every fall we hope for one, but it never materializes.  We were certainly due for one!

I scanned many times, but one time something caught my eye.  It was an adult male King Eider!!  I could not believe it, as just the day before much to my envy, Cam Chevalier saw one at the Tip of Point Pelee. (It is possible this is the very same bird, moving east).

It was too far for photos, but I put out the word about this novelty.

Craig Anderson arrived first, as he was not too far away.  I had moved closer to the raft by that time, but had lost sight of the eider.  Craig managed to spot it again.  It kept drifting out, and almost too far to see at times.  This is all I could get.

Eventually others arrived, and it was still too far out to spot.  I left to take a walk on south point trail, but meanwhile, the King Eider came in closer for a flyby.  Garry Sadler managed a decent photo, as seen here:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S155820956

I was glad others got to see it!

It was the first ever adult male King Eider I have seen.  I have seen many females or young males, but the adult is quite a stunning duck.

The lake was calm, and off south point were several Red-throated Loons.

The campground was somewhat quiet, but the 'annual' Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was lurking around.

There was not much to note on Wednesday.  I took a long walk at Reid CA, as it was another nice day.

Thursday, I went back to Rondeau on a windy day.  Nothing really of note on the lake, and the trails were quiet for birds. I certainly hope things pick up for the Christmas Bird Count on the 17th.

I checked the campground, and south of maintenance.  It was south of maintenance that seemed the most busy for birds.

White-throated Sparrow

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Some Yellow-rumped Warblers are around as usual, and I think that Audubon's is somewhere around too.  I only got two 'Myrtles' this visit.

There are lots of Northern Cardinals around, except one will not spend the winter here.  I found this fresh head at one point!

Friday started out clear, but breezy.  I just drove along the St. Clair River, walked at Dow Wetlands and Nicholl's Memorial Forest and Wetland at Wilkesport.

Dow was somewhat dead for birds, as well as Northern Short-tailed Shrews.

A large flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds was along the Sydenham at Wilkesport.

No sign of any owls in my travels lately.  It may be a quiet winter for them too!

Weekend Washout Wanderings

Saturday morning I headed down to Rondeau Park.  It was not raining when I went out the door, but starting pouring soon after.  However, by the time I got to the park, it stopped!  Thankfully it stayed dry for a few hours to walk around.

It was evident that there was a sparrow fallout this week.  Hundreds of sparrows, including juncos littered the roads and trails.

chippie (dozens of those!)

At key areas like the yacht club and tennis court, there were several Vesper and Savannah Sparrows.

Juncos were in big numbers, but I did not see any Oregon, Pink-sided, White-winged,
Gray-headed or intergrades.

I first walked south point trail, which was surprisingly out of the wind.  Some Brown Thrashers were singing and a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers were flitting about.  The Yellow-rumped were scattered about the park, and I probably came across about 20.
It is interesting to look back on past records to see what we have seen by this date.  Several warbler species, vireos, etc. have all appeared.  This year migration is very held back.

I added several FOY birds though.

The White-winged Dove had not been seen in several days.  One wonders if it is still nearby or what.  Mel's Diner has not been open yet, unlike last year.

After the park, I checked the lakeshore south of Morpeth, where the lake was very angry.

Ruddy Duck riding the waves!

The water levels were very high, especially at Erieau.

Back near home, a Snowy Owl was still along Langstaff Line.

Today, the mind-boggling weather was even worse.  Freezing rain coated everything, but I headed out to the St. Clair River.
There was a fair number of things to see, including the lingering male King Eider at Sombra.  It was exactly where I found it Friday morning.

A White-winged Scoter was in Sombra Bay, among other ducks.

Ring-necked Ducks

Several Common Loons were along the river, as well as a couple of Horned Grebes.

I drove some back roads, and came across a large group of Savannah Sparrows along Pretty Road.  They were probably looking for the pastures that were here 20+ years ago!

Tomorrow will be much nicer (but cold) once the weekend is over.....as usual!

Recent Migrants and Lingerers

A number of birds came in this week with the warmth, but as this bizarre weather continues, migration is still a bit slow.  Apparently it will be even more bizarre this weekend as the usual yearly trend begins (decent during the week, crappy on weekends with prevailing east winds).

A couple of days ago I ventured out to Mitchell's Bay to walk the south shore trail.  There was quite a bit of activity (mostly waterfowl).  A lingering Snowy Owl  was in the adjacent field, while remnants of the iceberg were still out in the Bay.

I saw my first Forster's Terns of the year while there.  The over-abundance of Mute Swans is still in the area.

View from the dock

Just down Angler Line, there were thousands of waterfowl in the corn field.  A large number were Northern Pintail, with lots of Green-winged Teal and other ducks mixed in.

It was a tad early to see Yellow-headed Blackbirds, but they will be here very soon if not already.

Yesterday evening I walked Peers Wetland nearby home.  There were quite a few birds, including the first Yellow-rumped Warblers of the spring.  I saw at least ten!

A number of other birds were present, including a Wilson's Snipe and the first Northern Rough-winged Swallow. I had no camera as I was just out for a leisurely walk.  (just the cell phone).

This morning seemed rather quiet at Port Lambton, so I drove up to Sombra before work.  I rarely do that, but something must have encouraged me to do so!  I stopped at the McKeough outlet to take a look where a Common Loon was swimming.
I noticed a large all-white gull in the distance, so I moved up to the little park at the south end of Sombra.  It was a Glaucous Gull of course.  A few ducks were swimming near the shoreline and I noticed an odd one.  It turned out to be the young male King Eider!

I had no idea it was still around.  Given the rarity here, I assume it was the same one first found at Corunna during the winter.

We will see what happens this weekend in the typical weekend weather.

Tecumseh