A "Little" Birding Today

I went down to Rondeau this morning.  The park was surprsingly quiet for birds, but at least the weather was nice.
Song Sparrows were the most plentiful passerine, as there were bunches of them everywhere.

I stopped by the boat ramp to scope the ducks. There was a good variety and number to sort through.  I managed to find the (or a) Eurasian Wigeon male in the mix.  It was rather distant for a photo.

Ice pile at Rondeau Estates!

Horned Grebes are now showing up and I saw a few today.  Keith Burk managed to spot a Red-necked Grebe on the lake this morning.  I had been hoping to see one lately as it is a good time for them to move through.  They are, however, very rare in our area.

While at the boat ramp, some Bonaparte's Gulls were moving around.  I had Little Gull on my mind as a target bird for today since Garth and Nancy had one at Keith McLean CA late yesterday.
Sure enough, I spotted one swimming with a few bonies.  The smaller size and different head marking stood out, and when it finally got up, I could see the dark underwings.  It was not a full adult though as the black was not extensive.

Later, I spotted another Little Gull!  It was certainly different as this one was an adult with jet black underwings.
Little Gulls have been scarce in our area the last couple of years.  I did not see one until November of 2018 for last year's list.

A pleasant surprise in the yard this afternoon was an Oregon Junco.  It has been many years since I have seen one in the yard.  They used to be more regular.

With the warm weather mid week, no doubt we will see and influx of birds before the weather goes for a crap on the weekend (again).

River Runs, Skunk's Misery, Pinery Visit

Late Friday I checked out the St. Clair River to Corunna.  The best spots presently are Cathcart Park and Guthrie Park.  Warm water outflows have left the river partially open at these locations during the recent cold spell.

The adult Trumpeter Swan was still visible at Cathcart Park, but I did not have the camera on hand.
There was quite a variety of waterfowl here, including more Tundra Swans.

I got to Corunna by sunset, then went on into Sarnia.  A coyote was crossing the ice to Stag Island, but really out of range for the camera.

South of Sarnia just before dark, I saw this Red Fox bounding across a field.

Saturday morning I decided to check the river again.  The immature Trumpeter Swan (at least I think so) was visible at Cath's Cart Park among some Tundras and many Mutes.  It is one of the more odd-looking swans I have ever seen.

There was nothing else of note visible, but there is open water all the up to the OC outflow.  Much of it is not accessible or one cannot get a good view due to the trees in front of OC Industries.

A pair of Bald Eagles was frolicking around here.

There was lots to see at Guthrie Park, Corunna.  Early on, a Greater White-fronted Goose made an appearance.  Nice to see this time of year!  One was at Sarnia earlier in January, so this is likely the same individual as things have frozen solid there.

Lots of Long-tailed Ducks were present, as well as many other species.

Long-tailed Ducks

I headed back south and drove the entire length of Oil Springs Line to where it passes the Sydenham Nature Reserve.  There were dozens of Horned Larks, some Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs along the way.  Also , lots of Dark-eyed Juncos and some other sparrows.  It is a good road to check out during the peak of winter.

I headed into the Mosa Forest area (Skunk's Misery) and drove around.  My hope was to view a Golden Eagle, but that never materialized!  They winter in this area, but I guess it is just luck to come across one.
I walked one trail and found some birds.  Included were a number of American Robins and two Hermit Thrushes.

The Hermit Thrushes did not co-operate for photos very well.

Sunday, a change in scenery was in order, so I headed up to Pinery Provincial Park.  The visitor feeder setup is the best place to see a variety of birds.  It did not disappoint.

Many squirrels were taking advantage of the spilled seed.

Highlight was an "Oregon" Junco.  Been some time since I have seen one!

The wintering White-throated Sparrow made an appearance as well.

Lots of Pine Siskins were busy at the nyjer feeders, as were a few Common Redpolls.

Many Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice were around as well.

At one point, a flock of about 65 Cedar Waxwings came in to feed in the cedars.  Alas, no Bohemians with them.

One more walk for the day was at Ausable River Cut CA.  It was quite pleasant as the sun had come out, unusual for a weekend.
I found a good pocket of birds which included a timid Hermit Thrush.

A pair of Carolina Wrens was also in the group, along with many chickadees, titmice and nuthatches.

Turned out to be a decent weekend with especially with the rare nice weather.

Rondeau Revue

Headed down to Rondeau this morning.  Is it ever going to warm up?  Two degrees on the sixth of April just will not do.

Birds were rather sparse still but Song Sparrows were everywhere.  I have not even seen a Chipping Sparrow yet this year!  Usually I do by late March.
We went for a walk on various trails starting on south point.  Heard a sapsucker and heard a towhee!  A few Golden-crowned Kinglets are in now and can be seen almost anywhere.

Tulip tree trail produced a few birds including a pair of noisy Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.  A few Brown Creepers were creeping around today as well.

Juncos are moving through and an Oregon-type male? was at the VC feeder area.  Photo does not do it justice.

Another junco had a streak of white on its breast.

Ducks are thinning out, but no rarities seen today.  Quite a few Blue-winged Teal are around now.

A Great Egret was in the creek near McLean's.

Over at Erieau, an Iceland Gull stood out on Rondeau's tip.

The only rail of the day....

With weather supposedly warming up starting tomorrow, birds should finally be showing up in numbers.  It would be nice to see a warbler of some sort!

Rondeau April 12

I guess the topic of this weekend is the weather. As usual, it was nice during the week, then come the weekend, it was all downhill. The rain held off for the most part today, but it was cool and windy.

I checked out Rondeau Park this morning. I spent quite a bit of time but saw very few birds. I started off on south point trail and saw a female Oregon Junco. Actually there were quite a few juncos in the park today especially around the store. They were gearing up to head out!

Near the Rondeau Road entrance to south point trail, there was quite a bit of squawking by a Cooper's Hawk. Near the trail was a stick nest, which I assumed belonged to this bird. I will have to keep an eye on this.

Around Spicebush Trail and Bennett Ave., were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers.

At the Pony Barn and compost heap, were the only two Fox Sparrows of the day, along with a White-throated Sparrow. The Fox Sparrows had obviously moved on during the week.

Also at the compost area were roosting Turkey Vultures. They always like this area for roosting.

At Erieau, a few Horned Grebes were on the lake. It seems that each one takes their own time in moulting into breeding plumage. I saw four in a group, and each one was in a different stage of moult.

Overall, kinglets were more plentiful today, especially Ruby-crowned. Yellow-rumped Warblers are moving in and I saw only about 12 today. Many were still quite dull, but there were some in full breeding plumage. A large number of Brown Creepers were throughout the park, and a few Hermit Thrushes were around. A number of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were around as well. Chipping Sparrows have increased in numbers, a few Tree Sparrows were still around.

At home, it appears the two last Pine Siskins left after Thursday. I had about ten all winter here. More may show up on their way through, as I have seen them here as late as the 21st of May.