More Lakewatches and Walks

 On Saturday I went up to Sarnia for a lakewatch at the parking lot in front of the water plant.  The winds were not all that ideal, but I did not feel like going up to Kettle Point.  The winds were too much west, but here we need a wind directly out of the north for best results.

I did not see anything noteworthy, except a pair of late Caspian Terns.  Latest I have seen some here.  Kettle Point was obviously the better spot, as a Purple Sandpiper, Red Phalarope and some Brant were seen!  I am sure better days are ahead.

I spent less than two hours at the lake, then worked my way back home by stopping at various spots.  Dow Wetlands had a few birds, including this Nashville Warbler.  It was a dismal day, so lighting was bad.

Some Cedar Waxwings were taking advantage of some nearby berries.

Nicholl's Memorial Forest and Wetland at Wilkesport had a somewhat late House Wren. This photo turned out quite well despite the dismal day.

Beavers have been busy in the area here.

Sunday, was a nicer day, but with a stiffer NW wind.  I thought it would be a better day for Kettle Point, so that is where I went!  

(old photo)

There were lots of ducks moving.  I hate trying to count ducks and trying to identify the more distant ones!

White-winged Scoter

We did see two decent types of birds!  Early on, a Black-legged Kittiwake went by.  I never got on it with the camera though.  Not long after, a jaeger suddenly appeared.  It was kind of obvious from the start it was a Pomarine.  Further analysis confirmed our suspicions.

Often, there is not much time to get the camera on things as they buzz by.  Here is what happens when one is not quick enough!

Today, I visited some local spots.  The morning was cloudless, but cold.  We had our first frost of the season overnight.

In the afternoon, I went for another walk through the woods at Reid CA.  The trees are turning nicely.

Hardly any birds, as expected, but I looked at plants and trees.

Moonseed

Along the river, I found a Giant Floater mussel, which is very common here.

I keep an eye out for what is passing through the yard.  This Hermit Thrush was in my yard all day.

You never know what may show up!

Some Lake Watching and Other Notes

 Not too much to report lately, but I have done some lake watching in different locations.  Seems the lakewatches have not produced as much as anticipated!

Friday, a late day visit to Mitchell's Bay was a bit windy.  It was clear though.  I could see the Detroit skyline quite well.

View towards St. Anne's Island

I had a close encounter with a Black-throated Blue Warbler.  A bit too close to fully focus!

On Saturday, I went up to Sarnia as the wind seemed fairly decent.  It started off with a bang when I spotted a Sabine's Gull just before it got very light.  No opportunity for a photo, but there it was.  I never saw it after that.  However, late in the day presumably the same bird made a close pass for viewers!

There were lots of duck and gulls, but the only notable was an early Iceland Gull.

The next day, a stiff north wind was blowing.  I chose Ipperwash Beach for a lakewatch.  It fell quite short of expectations.  There were lots of ducks, especially White-winged and Black Scoters, but nothing really of note.  I was joined by Bill Lindley and James Holdsworth, but after a few hours we concluded it fell short.

Monday, I stayed close to home on a drizzly day.  Lots of sparrows at Peers Wetland, but despite a valiant effort, nothing of note was seen.

Today, I went down to Rondeau.  Wind was not favourable for a good lakewatch, but we tried anyway.  It was comfortable for watching on a fairly calm lake.  Lots of ducks, especially Ruddy.  Horned Grebe numbers are building, but that was the only species of grebe seen.  And, just Common Loons were noted.

Passerine numbers were good in the park.  Dog beach parking lot was crawling with warblers and kinglets.  Of note, was a tardy Cape May Warbler.

There was Orange-crowned and Blackpoll, and scads of Yellow-rumped.

I walked south point trail which kept me busy for a while.  A lingering Red-eyed Vireo was working some dogwoods at one point.

Lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets around lately.

I stopped by Keith McLean Conservation Lands on the way back home.  It was quite busy with birds, and after 1.5h I was tired.  I would have liked to stay longer!

I managed to get three Nelson's Sparrows, and no doubt there were more there.

One, a bit distant, was scruffy and with little colour.  May possibly have been Le Conte's?  Wrrants further study, so will update.

Green-winged Teal numbers are impressive there.  I estimated around 585 on a quick count.

Turkey Vultures were migrating today, and during my visit well over 400 were seen to the north.

A few butterflies were out today as it was a bit warmer, including this Bronze Copper.

Sarnia Lakewatch (Mouth of Lake Huron)

 A "filler" post for this evening.  A number of years ago I wrote an article about the Sarnia Lakewatch spot (aka Point Edward Lighthouse) for OFO News.

SARNIA LAKEWATCH:  A TRADITION

By Blake A. Mann

One of the best places to view pelagic species in southwestern Ontario is at the mouth of Lake Huron where it feeds into the St. Clair River, north of the city of Sarnia.

Located at the north end of Fort Street from Point Edward, it has been known by many names such as Sarnia Waterworks, Point Edward Lighthouse, or Point Edward Lakewatch.  It is a misnomer since there is no lighthouse there, just a range light for incoming ships.  As well, the parking lot (just north of the Sarnia water intake plant) is actually within the Sarnia city limits along a strip that extends inland  for a couple of hundred metres to border the village of Point Edward.

Whatever you call it, birders flock there in the autumn on strong northerly winds in hopes of seeing jaegers, uncommon to rare gulls and waterfowl.  Best winds are straight from the north, or NNW and sometimes NNE.  The stronger the better!

Birders can sit in their cars since the parking lot faces almost directly north onto Lake Huron.  Often it is too unbearably cold and windy to stand outside for any length of time. Scopes can be set up on the lawn in less harsh conditions.

Michigan birders often come here for better viewing as their lookout spot at Lighthouse Park in Port Huron does not provide as good of a view.

The fall birding season extends from late August through the end of December, but peak times are late October into November when Black-legged Kittiwakes, Sabine’s Gulls and jaegers are on the move in good numbers.

Many years ago some local birders at Sarnia decided to see if there was an advantage in going out into the lake on a boat during a suitable wind.  It was found that birders who stayed onshore saw much more than those on the boat!  Obviously one’s position in a boat leads to a more restricted view.

This birding hotspot was well-covered in the past, as the late Dennis F. Rupert faithfully monitored birds here.  It was a tradition in the fall to see Dennis parked at the end of the lot during suitable weather conditions.  He took every opportunity available to pursue one of his favourite past-times. 

As a result, he produced quite a database of bird passages at this vestige point that remains unmatched to this day.

In the February 1995 OFO News (vol. 13, no. 1) Dennis wrote a short article entitled Sarnia Waterworks in which he listed some his data.  Analysing this information, one may come to the conclusion that things have changed in recent times as in some cases the numbers of today fall quite short.  Perhaps it is the change in weather patterns, and/or fewer birders at the location that may explain the recent shortfall.

However, all three jaegers, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Sabine’s Gulls are still recorded almost annually.  An average of two Sabine’s are seen each year, which correspond to the findings that Dennis listed.

Many rare birds have been documented here such as Common Eider, Pacific Loon, Northern Gannet, Magnificent Frigatebird, Gyrfalcon and Mew Gull.  More recently an Ancient Murrelet (7November2004) was seen on a strong north-westerly wind.

Less common birds often observed include King Eider, Harlequin Duck, Purple Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Laughing Gull, Franklin’s Gull, Little Gull and Eared Grebe.

It is not uncommon in the fall to see a Short-eared Owl coming in straight off the lake from the north!

In recent years, it is my observation that there are two to three really good days per autumn at the lakewatch.

Just last fall on 29-30 October, with probably the strongest north wind ever experienced there, there was a flurry of avian activity.  As a result of the strong winds of hurricane Sandy, waterbirds (especially ducks and gulls) concentrated at this funnel to the entrance of the St. Clair River; they were unable to travel any distance.  The many birders present were able to witness the largest concentration of Brant geese ever recorded there on 30 October.  As many as 250 Brant were essentially grounded there.

Not only were hundreds of waterfowl present, but birders at the site had fun picking out various gulls.  On those days species recorded included Franklin’s Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, “Nelson’s” Gull, Sabine’s Gull (2) and Black-legged Kittiwake (3) not to mention the four common species of gull we normally see.

At least two Red Phalarope were also in the mix.

Last fall jaegers were rather scarce, but in contrast, the fall of 2011 was a banner year.  The first day of  October was best in years with all three jaeger species being seen including a Pomarine, two Long-tailed, and about a dozen other jaegers, most being Parasitic.  Black-legged Kittiwake and Sabine’s Gull were noted as well.

This fall many birders will again be at the lakewatch on the next strong northerly wind to continue the Dennis Rupert tradition!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2022: Highs and Lows

 Various locations were visited the past three days with some highlights.  Friday it was up to Sarnia for a lakewatch, Saturday down to Rondeau, and today Lighthouse Cove and Point Pelee.

The winds looked decent for a lakewatch at Sarnia on Friday, so I was up there at first light!  It was not the most ideal wind, but the weather forecasts can rarely be relied upon anymore.  Whatever happens, happens!

Many local birders showed up for the morning.  There was not a huge number of birds, but lots of ducks were moving, and Bonaparte's Gulls finally showed in moderate numbers.  Nothing with them though!

Some decent lake ship sightings at least!

Wilfred Sykes

The Wilfred Sykes is an attractive ship built in 1949, and set the standards for the modern laker.

Tim S. Dool

Algoma Buffalo

I was hoping for jaegers, but they did not show in my stay. Some loons were seen, and this became the highlight in a delayed way!

Two loons quickly moving west were observed by Josh Bouman and myself.  One was a bit smaller and had some distinctive features separating it from the adjacent Common.  Josh snapped some quick photos, which was a good thing because it definitively revealed a Pacific Loon!

Josh was saying Pacific Loon at the time, and I thought it could be one as well, but I was not convinced until I saw the photo.  Here is a link to the eBird list that has a record photo:  JB's List

I left after a few hours, then stopped at various locations on the way home.  Hardly much in the way of birds!

I stopped at Moore WMA, but the water was fairly high, so not much in the way of mussels.

Mapleleaf

Deertoe

Saturday I started with a lakewatch at Rondeau's dog beach.  Winds were not ideal (again!), but one has to try.  I then moved on to south point trail where I found Yellow-rumped Warblers everywhere.

Palm Warblers were in big numbers, especially along the edge of the woods/dunes.

It was then on to Keith McLean C. L., where it was quite interesting.  There is a lot of mud, good for shorebirds. A year bird for me was a Long-billed Dowitcher.  Several other shorebirds were present, including lots of White-rumped Sandpipers.

I then moved on to find two Hudsonian Godwits!  Too distant for a good photo though.  Those and the dowitcher were on my "want" list for this weekend!

Today, there was not really any plan, as things were quite slow with birds.  Yesterday, a Magnificent Frigatebird was found at Lighthouse Cove.  It was stil present this morning, so I went there to see it.

However, it was a sad state of affairs, as this bird was either sick or emaciated.  Difficult to say in this case, but seabirds from the deep south usually do not do well here as they are out of their element.

This bird was eventually taken and euthanized today.  But, I did get to see it alive (not doing well!) in Chatham-Kent.

I went on to Point Pelee from there, but it was quiet for birds.  Very windy too, which did not help matters.

Tomorrow is another day.....

Seabirds on the Lakes

 Lately we have been doing some lakewatches, as this time of year can produce some interesting results.  The big news this past week was the appearance of a Northern Gannet, both on Lake Huron and Lake Erie.  It appears it is the same bird!  Northern Gannets are often well-travelled birds, so not surprising.

On Monday, James Holdsworth spotted at Northern Gannet at Ipperwash (Mike Bouman was on site as well).  It was heading towards Sarnia, and interestingly, it was picked up at various points all the way to Sarnia at the mouth of Lake Huron!  Many Lambtonites got to see the bird as they had lots of warning.  Unfortunately I was stuck at work.

The next day was a long-shot, but it was again sighted at Sarnia in the morning.  I managed to get away from work at noon and went to Sarnia, but the bird was not seen.

I had to be satisfied with the ongoing female Harlequin Duck.  Always nice to see this species here anyway.

On Thursday, Steve Charbonneau briefly sighted a gannet at Rondeau, which was likely the Lake Huron bird.

Today, one was at the Tip of Point Pelee, and photos show that it is (likely) the same bird as the Lake Huron bird.  Once again I went in the wrong direction!

Today, I went to Sarnia since there was a stiff (and very cold!) NW wind.  I have not done many lakewatches there the last few years, but in the past we have had some good times there.

The female Harlequin Duck was in view the whole time, off and on.

Highlight today were Black-legged Kittiwakes!  We had at least four, but likely five.  Sometimes it is difficult to determine if one is a returnee.  Two were seen at one time, then singles later.  A couple of those were definitely new birds on a mission.

There were lots of gulls all morning and the kittiwakes did not show till later.  We remarked on the lack of variety of gulls early on!

Bonaparte's Gulls have been scarce up that way this season; we only had six today.  Kittigulls were were trying to outnumber bonies!

Some lakers were in nice light this morning.

Hon. James M. Oberstar

Tim S. Dool

The Wilfred Sykes, an attractive classic laker not often seen in these parts, was at anchor on the lake out of good camera range.  I later found it that it lost steerage furing the night at the mouth of Lake Huron downbound, and swung around.  It was towed to anchorage.