Observations, Ice, and an Interesting Book

 This past week has been somewhat uneventful except for today.  Yesterday we had a dose of freezing rain which slowed things down.  It ended up not too bad here in Wallaceburg, but places further south received more ice!  Made for some nice scenery today.

I went out yesterday morning along the St. Clair River up to Mooretown, before the precipitation started.  The river was almost duckless, as it has been all winter.

Long-tailed Ducks are the most dominant this winter, unlike the "old days".

I stopped by Wilkesport for a short walk, and my Long-eared Owl is still hanging on in its favourite tree.

This morning I only ventured as far as Port Lambton.  Everything is coated in ice, but the roads were not too bad.

Just before going home, I stopped by Roberta Stewart Wetland for a quick look as I usually do.  Normally there is not much there this time of year, but I came across a decent sighting!  A Greater White-fronted Goose was among the waterfowl.

Some migrant American Wigeon were present as well.

The goose was a first for there!  At times this place can attract decent birds. Over the years,, among other things, I have found a couple of Snowy Egrets, a couple of Cattle Egrets, a pair of Hudsonian Godwits  and in the first year of the wetland I found a female Ruff.

On Family Day, I went as far as Port Stanley for a different place to go.  The lagoons there can be productive at times, but not much was there on this visit.  Some Gadwall and American Wigeon were present.

Also, up to a dozen Turkey Vultures made an appearance.  Seems several winter in the area every year. 

 One year, there was a Black Vulture among them!

One time there was a pair of Whooper swans there (August 2002).  I mention this because recently one was at Erieau.  A very attractive species!  They are always considered escapees though.  The one at Erieau was apparently from Greenview Aviaries near Morpeth.

I stopped at various places on the way home, but some areas I wanted were too crowded with people to visit since it was Family Day.  A walk through Sitler Woods in Skunk's Misery was quite pleasant, athough no birds.

Feeders have been busy except when some local accipters arrive.  This young Cooper's Hawk was comical to watch as it tried to go after House Sparrows in the hedge.  However it was never successful, perhaps due to inexperience?

On another note, I just finished reading the biography of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence by Merilyn Simonds.  (Merilyn was the keynote speaker at the OFO conference last September, presenting the story of Louise).

It is a very interesting read!  Louise led a fascinating life, originally born in Sweden.  Trained as a nurse, she spent some years in Russian during the revolution, losing here husband there.  She eventually came to Canada and was the nurse for the Dionne quintuplets in northern Ontario.  She settled near North Bay and built a log cabin to live in.  She became interested in birds and studied them.  Louise wrote many papers and books and became well known in ornithological circles.  She died in 1992 at the age of 98.

Rondeau Rambles, Pi and Elgin Birding

We had some fine weather this weekend, except Saturday when it was cloudy (not in the forecast) from late morning and all afternoon.  Not too much to report as some migrants are trickling in.  Lots of waterfowl to sort through though here and there.

Friday, I ventured down to Rondeau Park on a stiff west wind.  There was an obvious influx of Song Sparrows, blackbirds and American Robins as one would expect at this time.
I started at south point trail where waterproof footwear is recommended.  I made it through with hiking shoes though, but if we get any amount of rain, the trail will be flooded again this spring.

I walked back the dune area along the east beach.  An Eastern Meadowlark was one highlight there.
Just as I finished up the walk, I spotted an Eastern Phoebe at the last cottage.  It did not co-operate for the camera.

The wind was quite strong out of the west, so the east side was a good option.  The Bay was too rough to look at ducks.  The campground was a bit quiet once again.

Later in the day while at home I happened to look out my window and noticed an early Tree Swallow flipping by.  Some had been reported down in Essex County for the first time this year on this day, so it is that time of year again!

Saturday I got up a bit earlier and headed back to Rondeau Park on a nice clear morning.

It was Pi Day, something I had never heard about.  I am familiar with Pi (3.14....) from my math studies back in the 'old' days, but I did not know there was a day to celebrate Pi.

I wanted to listen for American Woodcocks for the first time this year.  I came up with six peents in short order (saw one).
Waiting for some more light, I checked out the lake opposite the VC.  A nice sunrise was developing.

I walked spicebush trail after the sun came up.  The day previous, a Louisiana Waterthrush had been reported on the trail.  That is an incredibly early date, and they have not even been in Ohio yet to my knowledge.  We have seen them at the end of March though, so it is not far off.
No dice on that bird for anyone else who looked.  A strange occurrence indeed.

I then met up with SRC and we went down to Tulip Tree trail and then south point.  Nothing really of note on that walk, except we did find an early Eastern Phoebe scouting territory on TTT.

Later, I walked the campground before leaving the park, which, as you might have guessed, was rather quiet.  An unco-operative Eastern Towhee was one of the better birds.

After stocking up on groceries in Blenheim I headed home.  While in the store, I received word that Dwayne Murphy wanted to make an attempt for the Purple Sandpiper out south beach.  I guided him along via cell phone photos he sent periodically since he had never been out there.  Dwayne actually found the bird, which I am sure was quite a relief.  See his blog for details.

Sunday, I had an urge to go into Elgin County for a change.  On Saturday, a Black Vulture was reported at Port Stanley, so that was a good target to shoot for.  Been a while since I have seen one.

It was a crisp clear morning, perfect for birding.  My first stop was the lagoons which were well-stocked with ducks.  A good variety and number kept me interested.  I have seen some good birds there over the years, including a pair of Whooper Swans (not that they can be counted!).

After finishing there, I headed took the short drive down to the Port Stanley waterfront.  I immediately saw some Turkey Vultures, but no black one.  I headed back up Carlow Street and saw a suspicious shape in the sky.  The Black Vulture was soaring!  It only took less than ten minutes for me to see the bird after arrival.
I was in an awkward spot and angle, so did not get good photos.  But, at least I saw the bird.

Elgin County is a good birding district, but this was far enough for today.  I headed back and first stopped at Southwold Earthworks, as I usually do.  Not much in the way of birds today, but I always like to stop here as it brings back memories of one day when I was younger (my dad and I stopped here once out of curiosity).

I had things to do in the afternoon, so I basically headed back home.  I did stop for a walk at Wardsville Woods (a TTLT property), and drove through part of Skunk's Misery.  I met up with Don Pye (not Pi)  in the Misery, and he said that the Golden Eagle was still hanging around.  I did not see it of course, as usual, nothing new.

On to another week.....

Weekend Tours: Lagoons to Comets

I did quite a bit of touring around this weekend.  Saturday morning I started at Forest Lagoons.  There were not as many shorebirds as in previous visits and certainly nothing unusual.  Always interesting to check out though.

"kleet!"

SBD

I decided to go further afield and head up to West Perth Wetlands at Mitchell.  This is a managed wetland and excellent for shorebirds and one of my favourite stops while in the area.

Upon arrival, I happened to meet up with local resident Dave Brown.  We checked out the shorebirds in the cells.  There were lots, but nothing on the rare side.

Pec

The Red-necked Phalarope that was seen a couple of days previous had long since left.  It was one shorebird I was hoping to catch up with, but as usual the "better" shorebirds usually do not stay any length of time.😢
There were lots of Lesser Yellowlegs (no Greaters) and at least three Stilt Sandpipers among other species.

After some time there, I departed to head back south.  On the way, I stopped by Strathroy lagoons.  It was dead!👎  Apparently there were some birds there earlier in the day, but obviously something made them take off.  I had to check anyway as it was exactly six years ago I found an American Avocet there (5 August 2012).

Today, Sunday, I took my annual mid summer visit into west Elgin County.  I started at Port Stanley lagoons.  There is a bit of edge on a couple of the ponds, but shorebirds were few. A female Bufflehead was the oddball duck there.

Cedar Waxwing

My next stop was Fingal WMA around the Ian Carmichael pond.  There were not as many butterflies this year as in the past.

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Blue Dasher

A Cicada Killer Wasp buzzed past me and set down briefly.

I walked around the prairie planting area.

By this time, it was getting steamy hot, but I moved on to my next stop at Southwold Earth Works south of Iona.  I always stop here as one time many years ago I had a bonanza of butterflies.  Today there were very few (again).

Tawny-edged Skipper

Farther to the southwest, I wanted to check out the new wetland area at Pearce Provincial Park.

There is a nice long trail through and around the wetland area.  I found lots of dragonflies of at least ten species here including Calico Pennant, Carolina Saddlebags, Wandering Glider, etc.

Common Whitetail

Widow Skimmer

Eastern Pondhawk

The Spicer Trail through the woodland is adjacent to this wetland, which I walked a bit.

Great Fangled Spangled Fritillary

Heading west, I stopped at Joe's Bush NW of New Glasgow along Silver Clay Line.  There is nothing special here, but I have walked this preserved woodlot in the past.

Way back in there is a remnant of the past.

Next on the agenda was a stop at the old quarry within the Clear Creek Nature Reserve off Cochrane Line.  Recently, I had a hunch that perhaps Comet Darners would be here, so I wanted confirm that.
Shortly upon arrival, I saw one!  I am not sure if they have been reported here before, but obviously they have been here and it was exciting to me.
I stayed for a bit and saw at least three of the large bright red odes.  It was near impossible to get a photo, but I tried anyway.

There were several other species here as well.

Calico Pennant

Last stop was at the Thamesville bridge to look for Rubyspots.  Unfortunately, one can only access the east side, which is rather difficult along the bank.  A new bridge is being constructed on the west side so some habitat is being destroyed.  There are some rare or unique trees planted in a little park beside the waterplant for a side interest.

Both American Rubyspot and Smoky Rubyspot can be found here.  Smoky is rather rare in Ontario.

By this time I was whipped due to the heat and humidity!  I headed home to crank up the air conditioner!