Friday the 13th: A Recollection

Just reminiscing today, as yesterday was Friday the 13th.  Whether you have superstitions about the day, or have a motorcycle and go to Port Dover, I recall day in the distant past.
Back in April 1984, there was an historic ice jam on the St. Clair River.  Ice built up right to the bottom and virtually stopped the current at times.  The worst area was around Port Lambton and down through the St. Clair Flats.

Friday, April 13th 1984 was the worst day.  Ships were stuck in the ice off Baby Point (Brander Park, Port Lambton).  In fact, there were well over a dozen ships between Marine City, Michigan and Harsen's Island.

Note low water level

Some ships had engines full ahead and were not moving at all.  There was even a case when a ship had engines full ahead, both bow anchors down, and was still moving backwards due to the force of the ice.
Other incidents involved ships bumping into each other as the ice pushed them around.

The CSL ship Murray Bay was forced aground off Algonac State Park.

I took these photos at the south end of Port Lambton. With the black sky in the background, I called it "Black Friday".

Icy Sombra Scenes

The St. Clair River is now full of ice, and jammed fairly solid to north of Sombra.  There is open water to the east side of Fawn Island, and as usual, to the south of the ferry dock causeway.

As a result, ducks are concentrated at Sombra.  Nothing unusual has been seen, but there is good variety.

Ships are getting stuck, and the Mississagi was no exception.

Not sure how the gull situation is at Sarnia, but there seems to be fewer around.  Perhaps I will check on Saturday!

No Swimming Today!

Rondeau Wintering Birds

I headed down to Rondeau on this blustery and frigid day to see what was around.  With the strong wind and a little snow, there was a lot of drifting along the Bay side.

My first stop was the visitor centre.  Not much was around at this time, but I did see the male Eastern Towhee.  Later on, Jim Burk and I found both the male and female here.  It was almost a week ago they seemed to show up.

Golden-crowned Kinglets were plentiful throughout the park, actively moving from tree to tree in desperate search of food.

We walked the campground and found the usual group of birds towards the south end, however, no warblers were to be found.  It was the same flock in the same area, but one wonders if the warblers have perished.

"white nut"

No Ruby-crowned Kinglets were found either, but we did come across a single one later at the north end.  It did not co-operate for a photo as it was very actively moving.

"red nut"

Along Lakeshore Road we came across a lone Hermit Thrush.

Beside maintenance, I found the young Northern Mockingbird in its favourite shrub.  It was actively eating the berries.

A calmer day would likely reveal more birds and perhaps an Orange-crowned Warbler.!

little syc

Late this afternoon I got the urge to check out the ice situation at Port Lambton. Of course on the way, I saw my usual Snowy Owl--this time flying across a field.  Must get that daily Snowy Owl fix!

At Port Lambton, five ships were visible and stopped in the thick ice.  An icebreaker was in the distance offering assistance.

Herbert C. Jackson off Walpole Island

It is truly amazing how much ice piled up in such a short period of time.  There was a bit of an open spot off the north end of Algonac State Park where I could see several ducks.  Most were Canvasback and Redhead.  A couple of Bald Eagles cruised by while I was sitting at the dock.

Canada Geese over Algomarine