Speckle-bellies and Ducks

I checked out the St. Clair River today.  Best spot was at Fawn Island where there were lots of ducks, and later, geese.  The eleven Greater White-fronted Geese were not there first thing this morning, but were at noon.  They were at the very south end of the island, feeding on the lawns.  A bit too distant for satisfactory photos.

Canada Geese were all along the island walking amongst the cottages.  The geese are rather inconsistent with regards to when they show up. So, it is hit and miss.
Ducks were plentiful in the channel there.  Most were Redhead of course, but both scaup, Canvasback, Ring-necked, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead and Common Mergansers were mixed in.  A coot was nearby too, but it has been around. I think this coot is probably the same one I saw up at LGS a couple of weeks ago or so.
Also the two White-winged Scoters were present (there since early January).

The rest of the river was disappointing for ducks (and gulls).  One of the Iceland Gulls was still at LGS and two Glaucous were off Guthrie Park.
The five White-winged Scoters were still at the head of Stag Island off Corunna (there most of the winter).

I went inland to walk a few spots and birds seemed to be absent!  It was a nice sunny day, but no birds to look at (!).

inland geese along Telfer Road

At McKellar I checked a duck box and found a Screech-owl.  Not uncommon to find them sleeping inside during the day in winter.  Interesting what you might find in those boxes. One winter we found flying squirrel parts!  Obviously a meal cache for an owl.

One of these days it is going to warm up and melt all this ice and snow.  Rondeau Bay is opening up and lots of waterfowl are moving in.

Last Kick at the Can (2011)

Today I went as far as Point Pelee.  I originally thought I'd go New Year's Day instead, but looking at the weather forecast, it turned me off.  It will probably be nice though, as today's forecast was totally wrong (as usual).
It was supposed to be sunny (did anyone see the sun?).
I started at the severely eroded Tip noting quite a few Bonaparte's Gulls.

Walking back along the trail, I caught sight of a red morph Screech Owl.  I could not get close, so this photo will have to do.    This is only the fourth of this colour morph I have seen. I heard there is another up by Sanctuary Pond, but I have not seen it yet.


Usually this time of year, lots of birds are along Shuster Trail eating the berries.  There was a fair number of birds today including White-throated Sparrows, Robins, Cardinals, a Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Carolina Wren.  Speaking of wrens, I turned up a House Wren here!  I heard it first, then it popped up briefly, but I was not able to get a photo before it disappeared.  Nothing was responding to pishing today  (like all month!).

As I drove by the entrance to the campground, I heard a Robin and other birds.  I stopped and got out to find quite a movement of birds.  About 15-20 Yellow-rumped Warblers were here with many Robins and a few Golden-crowned Kinglets.  They were quickly moving, so I lost sight of them.
More Robins were on Chinquapin Trail.
Absolutely nothing at De Laurier!

On the way out, I drove through the Onion Fields area and could not find the two Snowy Owls I saw earlier on the way in.
I had hopes this weekend of seeing a Black-legged Kittiwake in the area, but that was dashed upon learning that one was found dead yesterday.

I motored on up to Lighthouse Cove and saw lots of gulls.  Quite a few Great Black-backed here today.  At least 3 Double-crested Cormorants.
At Jeannette's Creek at least 3 Great Blue Herons were along the river, some ducks and a Kingfisher.  I could hear tons of ducks over in Bradley's!

Mitchell Bay water tower in background

On the way home, two Snowy Owls were north of Grande Pointe and one just south of Wallaceburg.  So, only five Snowy Owls today.  No doubt there are more out there.  All have been way out in fields.  The only one up close was the very first one I saw this month north of Wallaceburg.
More Snowy Owl blobs:

Golden-crowned Kinglets seem to be around as I encountered them in various spots today.

Owls

Funny thing, yesterday on the way home from work, I spotted a Short-eared Owl hunting alongside a back road.  Later that evening, Dean Ware reported seeing one down his way.  I never saw one all of last winter, even though I keep my eyes open.  They prefer pasture areas, but pastures are a rare commodity anymore.  There used to be lots north of Wallaceburg.  No wonder grassland species are severely declining!
I had my camera with me, but not ready.  Too late in the day anyway.

When I first started birding we used to go out on winter outings and owls were always part of the trip.  One time we came across an injured Short-eared Owl.  I think it was the first time I had ever seen one.  It was taken to a rehab somewhere.  This was back in the 1980's.

Once in a while you luck on to Short-eared Owls, as was the case a couple of winters ago NE of Wallaceburg.  I was heading up to a spot to look for Long-eared Owls, but I caught sight of one on a fencepost beside the road at two in the afternoon!  Turns out there were around a dozen there and they stayed for several weeks.  That pasture disappeared that follwing spring!

The Long-eared usually roost in pine trees, but not always.  I found some NE of Wallaceburg one winter.

We have Screech Owls here in Wallaceburg.  They have always been here and I remember them when I was about two or three years old.  No kidding!  They roosted on the fenceposts at dusk in the backyard.  I still hear some occassionly, especially in the summer.  Sometimes, the young ones will roost in the backyard cedars.  I haven't seen young ones in a  couple of years, but here is a photo of a family.

It was interesting to watch them at dusk as the parents fed them earthworms.

There are other owls especially seen in the winter.  The only Boreal Owl I have seen was near Exeter one winter (on private property).

Birding in the Rondeau Area

Today I birded with Jim Burk in the Rondeau area. The short of it is that it was disappointingly quiet!  The weather is too nice!
I arrived at Rondeau a bit too early so I tried for a couple of Screech Owls along Rondeau Road. One came in easily.
Hermit Thrushes were plentiful along the roadway as they sometimes are just before sunrise.  One had to dodge them with the car.  I tried a photo in the dark...

Hermit in the dark

We started on south point trail.  At one area there were lots of birds including kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Robins, Bluebirds, etc. It was fun to try and sort through them, but nothing unusual showed up.  A lone Red-eyed Vireo was the standout.
Several Purple Finches were around today, but no Pine Siskins.
Many sparrows to sort though as well.
We later checked out Ridgetown Lagoons and found numerous of Canada Geese and Dunlin.  The only other shorebird was a White-rumped Sandpiper.
Erieau marsh trail had lots of sparrows including Fox.  A Sora called from the marsh.
Thousands of ducks are on Rondeau Bay if one wanted to spend time scoping them.

Bullfrong at McGeachy

Chickadees were moving at breakneck speed along the lake.  On McGeachy Pond dike they looked like arrows coming at you.  One wonders why these chickadees are in such a hurry to get out of Ontario!
One of these days we will get a Boreal.
Blenheim Lagoons now have high water, so no shorebirds.  Lots of ducks including a large number of Bufflehead were in.
Several Buckeye butterflies were there.

On the way home I decided to see if the Cattle Egrets were still present near Pinehurst.  They were, but a third individual had joined them!  The cows were "coming home" when I got there.  The last one jumped as the third Cattle Egret flew in.  Chatham-Kent is doing well with Cattle Egrets this year.

Agitated Kinglets and Chickadees=....

As I took my usual morning walk at Brander Park (Port Lambton) this morning, I heard a group of agitated and noisy kinglets and chickadees.  It could only mean one thing...an owl!
I had my hopes up that it would be a Saw-whet, but it was actually a Screech Owl.  It was too early in the morning to try for a photo, but I managed to get close to it.  Unfortunately it was in the thickest and most tangely part of the woodlot, so it was difficult to get to.
It is actually a new addition to my list for Brander Park (199). I have had the occasional Horned Owl, but not a Screech.
After work, I went to the same spot and the owl was still there.  It was well hidden and I could not get a good photo.  To boot, it was starting to rain heavily and dark clouds were overhead.
One learns that agitated birds can indicate that an owl is present.  I have found Saw-whet and Screech Owls through this process.

I remember one time I came across a Saw-whet Owl that was being mobbed by nine species of warblers, a Winter Wren, a Swainson's Thrush, A White-throated Sparrow and a Junco! This was up at Lake Superior P. P. back in 1999.

To wait out the rain, I went to Port Lambton dock and saw a group of mallards swimming around. One stood out.  Not sure what to call this one, but perhaps some sort of hybridization has occurred. 

After the Storm

American Tree Sparrow

Quite often after a snow storm, one or more Tree Sparrows will show up at my feeder. They are generally uncommon in town and usually not seen at feeders. Every winter this seems to happen. One showed up this afternoon.

Today was calm, crisp and clear. I went for a ride in the countryside north of town late this morning. Small flocks of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks were in the fields. Always better to see after some snow!

Hawks are very scarce this winter--I didn't see any at all until one Red-tailed was flying over a woodlot that I was walking through.

Chickadees, Titmice, and nuthatches were here and there.

I walked through a woodlot north of town. Woodpeckers were noisy, but there were not many other birds.

One low spot-an ancient oxbow-is neat to walk through this time of year. It has lots of Buttonbush and sedges.

There are a couple of Wood Duck boxes within that we erected about seven years ago. One always has a Screech Owl every winter. It sleeps in there during the day and is very dopey. You could handle it if you wanted and it will not open its eyes.

Eastern Screech Owl

Woodpeckers are busy working the trees. Ash trees affected by the Emerald Ash Borer are particulary attractive. They are easy to recognize with the chipped bark.

All Ash trees are now affected. Whether it is in a woodlot, tree line, urban yard or just an isolated tree, the Emerald Ash Borer has found its mark. It is unstoppable!

This time of year we can see bird nests that are usually hidden in the warm season. As well, wasp nests stand out well.

Rondeau Park on Saturday

Rondeau Bay (note deer at right)

We finally have some nice weather for a weekend. It was a bit cool this morning, but I headed down to Rondeau Park to get some fresh air and exercise. I walked most of Marsh Trail first thing. There is still quite a bit of ice, but Rondeau Bay is mostly open. Probably upwards of 20,000 ducks are out there, plus hundreds of Tundra Swans and some geese.

The best bird was the first Sandhill Crane that flew by me along the Bay shoreline. Red-winged Blackbirds are very abundant making endless noise all around.

lone Sandhill Crane

I encountered one Purple Finch along the trail, and a few Song and Tree Sparrows. Not much else, and not a single raptor.

I also walked the south end of the campground and heard a couple of redpolls flying over. At one point, surprisingly, I heard the tremelo of a Screech Owl. I look towards the sound and saw a gray morph Screech Owl poking out of a hole in a tree! I tried to approach a little closer, but it popped back in out of sight. It was not to be seen again! One does not often hear a screech owl in the middle of the day, but this one was making itself known.

White-breasted Nuthatch in the campground

I headed out towards Erieau after my walk, but little did I know a Black Vulture was less than two kilometres away.....until I got home! (This has always been my nemesis bird anyway, so what is new?).

Ice off McGeachy Pond, Erieau (note how it was driven towards shore and the spile "cut" through the ice!)