Frigid Friday Frolicks

 I had not been down to the Rondeau area for a while, so I headed there today.  We finally got some "winter" weather with cold temps and a northerly wind with a bit of snow.  I braved the elements, ecstatic to see the sun!

Birds will be more concentrated, and perhaps some more will come from the north.

I started with a brief look at the lake at dog beach with Steve Charbonneau, then we moved up to the campground and spent quite a bit of time there.  There was a good number of birds, but one has to keep walking around looking for the "flocks".

The usual Yellow-rumped Warblers were quite co-operative at one point, numbering about 15.

Perhaps some other warbler will come out of the woodwork with this cold weather one of these days.  We did see a Kentucky Warbler coming to a feeder...nice to get that one out of the way early!

Some of the other usual campground creatures were in the mix.

Brown Creeper

I wanted to check into Keith McLean C. L., despite the cold wind.  It was not too bad actually, and we did see lots of sparrows.

At least eight Savannah Sparrows are wintering there, and we saw those.

The star of the show was the wintering Nelson's Sparrow, which we did see on several occasions, but it was not co-operative for a photo today.  Good to get that one on the year list early!

Another stop later on revealed a Northern Saw-whet Owl which was hiding quite well.

I moved on to Erieau, but things had frozen up quite a bit, so I did not look too hard.  The House Wren was still along the trail, attempting to winter.  Not too much else!

Roaming around today, there were lots of Northern Harriers.  Closer to home, some Pied-billed Grebes were still on the Chenal Ecarte, but will soon leave if the frozen weather continues.

Nothing new at my feeders.  I never seem to get anything decent anymore!  However, one must keep looking.

Gnatcatching and Sparrow Spotting

 This past Sunday was somewhat uneventful at Rondeau.  I could not catch up with the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher in the campground!  A number of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Brown Creepers were present to keep things interesting.

This kinglet must have had too much to drink as it fell off its perch.  LOL.

Today (December 17) was a fine day at Rondeau.  I wanted to see what was going on before the Christmas Bird Count  this coming Sunday.  Nothing new in the way of birds, but some decent "winter" birds were still around (and hopefully for the CBC!).

Redpolls seem to be increasing, as I had more today than any other day.  However I still have not seen on perched or feeding on the ground.

The campground is once again the place to be, although nothing new has shown of late.  We did finally have a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker last Sunday, but it was nowhere to be found today.

The celebrity of the campground is the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. It took a while to find it today, but Steve and I found it around Judy's cottage.  Although moving quite a bit, and obviously getting food, it was quite photogenic today.

So far, it is the latest at Rondeau.  I once found one a week before the CBC years ago, but that one did not stay.

Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers are also around.  We had around 15 today, but yet again no other warblers!  One of these days, I hope we find a novelty.

After the park, we headed over to Keith McLean C. L.  We were interested in finding the Nelson's Sparrow.  There were lots of sparrows, including at least 11 Savannah!

Eventually, I spotted the target creature along an edge.  We knew it still had to be around!

It will be a good one for the CBC if found.  It will be there...just a matter of finding it.  I do not have all the records, but there is an entry of a Sharp-tailed Sparrow on the 1973 CBC, as it was known back then.

At least one Killdeer was also present on our visit to McLean's.  No sign of the Least Sandpiper which would potentially be a new one for the CBC.

Weather looks decent for Sunday, so hopefully it will be a productive day!

Good "Winter" Birds and More Duck Mania

 Friday, it was down to Rondeau again.  As usual I started with a lakewatch at dog beach as the sun rose on this hazy day.

Gulls have thinned out, so it was mainly ducks to watch.

As usual, Red-throated Loons have increased in numbers.  I counted over 40 in the time I was there.  Hopefully some will be around next Sunday for the CBC!

South point was somewhat quiet.  In the finch department, a couple of Common Redpolls flew over.

It was quite mild, and this Green Frog was out and about.

The campground was interesting in one spot as numerous species of birds were taking advantage of a puddle.

At least ten Yellow-rumped Warblers are wintering in the area, but no other warblers! (yet)

I stopped by Keith McLean C. L. outside the park where a couple of decent "winter" birds are hanging out.  Firstly, the Least Sandpiper seems somewhat content there.  Good thing it will be mild this week.

A couple of days ago, a Nelson's Sparrow was found.  Quite likely it is one that has been there all along, as it was at the back of the big pond where not many birders trek.  It was tough to find, but we did see it.

A number of Savannah Sparrows are working the grounds as well.

It will be nice if these birds stick around and show up on the CBC next Sunday!

Today, on International Mountain Day, I headed down to Point Pelee.  No mountains in our area, but I recall a family trip out west just before I turned 13. (Wish I was into birding then!)

After touring Alberta, we took the train from Calgary through the mountains to Vancouver.  Unfortunately the train was over 3h late getting into Calgary, so much of the ride was during the night!

Anyway, I was at Pelee this morning before the winds really picked up.  The woods were quiet due to the wind, but the Tip was not too bad.  It was duck mania at the Tip!  Tens of thousands of scaup dominated the scene.

White-winged Scoters have descended en masse.  There were at least 1400 around!  Most I have ever seen at one time.

The AlgoCanada was at anchor east of Pelee for some reason.

Maybe some noteworthy duck was out there, but it did not appear on our watch.

Bonaparte's Gulls have been scarce of late, but I found where they hang out!  On my way to Pelee, I stopped by Wheatley Harbour and found 400+.  100% Bonaparte's though!

I stopped on my way back, and nary a bonie to be found!

These three Sandhill Cranes were in Mersea Road 21 fields this morning.

Brutal winds today, so we will see what tomorrow brings....

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!