Twinleaf Hunt, and More Updates

Yesterday was a pleasant day. I toured around south of town in the morning, but still did not find much in the way in migrants.  Yellow-headed Blackbirds have been quite visible in the fields near Grande Pointe this year.  I came across this one near the roadside.

They nest in the lower Lake St. Clair marshes, so it is not unusual to see them around Mitchell's Bay and surroundings.  They used to nest at St. Clair NWA in good numbers, but due to habitat change there, they have not in many years.  It was our "go-to" place to see them!

In the afternoon it was so nice, I went for a long walk at Reid CA.  Butterflies (4 species) and other insects were out enjoying the warmth.  

Narrow-headed Marsh Fly

There were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and a single Palm Warbler to keep one's interest in birds.

As well, a pair of Tufted Titmouse has arrived.  They produced young the last two years, and will likely do so again this year.

I did manage to find the patch of Twinleaf at Reid.  I overlooked it just by a little bit the other day!

Twinleaf is a somewhat uncommon plant found in rich woodlands.  The name refers to the unique shape of the leaves.

Today was a cold and wet day, so birding and birds were at a standstill for the most part.

The Piping Plover I found last Sunday was again seen this week out Rondeau's south beach. It was an unbanded bird, so difficult to determine origin.  One unbanded bird was at Point Pelee late last fall, so perhaps it was the same individual.

Last May, we had two out south beach.  They were banded.  I was given some information this week, where those two ended up.  One was a male named "Han", and it went on to Toronto to nest with "Chewie".  They raised two chicks.

The other eventually went to Pennsylvania and found a female to raise two chicks!

Interesting to find out this information, as we thought those were a male and female at first.

The Keewatin should be at its destination in Hamilton by now.  For those wondering, it is referred to as an "Edwardian" ship since it was built during the reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910).

One will notice the size and height of the smokestack.  Ships in those days burned coal, so the stacks were built high to disperse the coal smoke.

It had four coal-fired Scotch marine boilers.  Two were removed from the ship, but two were left and cut open for viewing.

Here and There January 14-16

 It was too cold to do long walks this weekend, but I got out to various places in search of birds.  Friday I started at Rondeau in dismal weather.  Some sun was forecast all week for Friday, but that never materialized till late in the day.

There was not much to be found, as some birds bailed or were laying low in the cold weather.

After some time at the Park, I headed east to John E. Pearce Provincial Park where I sometimes walk in the winter.  I actually found quite a few birds, including some wintering Long-eared Owls.  Difficult to get a clear view of the four though.

Along the treeline were several birds including a few Tufted Titmouse, Red- breasted Nuthatches, etc.

While there, 12 Sandhill Cranes flew over heading west.  The last couple of days many have been reported heading west.  They bail when the weather gets consistently cold!

On the way home, I toured many backroads but nothing of significance appeared.  It is a rather quiet winter for birds!  My last stop was a short walk at Wilkesport.  At least nine Eastern Bluebirds popped up--a nice surprise.

Saturday I had the notion to head up to north Lambton.  Ausable River Cut CA was birdless!  I moved on to Pinery PP.  P9 is the best area for birds in winter as many people come to feed the chickadees, titmice and nuthatches.

After Pinery, I headed south and stopped at Ipperwash.  It is always hit and miss there as one might hope for finches or Bohemian Waxwings.  Most common bird was American Robin around the MNR parking lot area.

I recorded a conservative 33, but I know many more were farther back in.

I decided to head to Sarnia and look for gulls and ducks there, and along the river.

Although there are lots of Herring Gulls, there are very few white-winged gulls this winter.  Only a couple Glaucous and a couple of Iceland Gulls are around.

More ducks are on the river now that ice is forming.  A Harlequin female has appeared at the south end of Courtright, but in a difficult location.  I did not see it on Saturday.  I suspect it is the long-staying Sarnia bird, since that one disappeared some time ago.

Today, I wanted to see the Greater White-fronted Geese on the Thames River. I arrived at the right time, just before all the geese took flight.  The numbers have varied in the area, but I counted 14.

I was not able to get good photos looking through phragmites, as I did not want to spook the birds.

Some Snow Geese were there as well, but I did not get a good look at the entire gathering of geese before they took off.

Since there was not much to see farther on due to the frozen landscape, I headed up to the St. Clair River.  It was just too nice of a day with clear skies and no wind to pass up.  Unusual for a weekend!  Conditions were perfect along the river today.

With ice now collecting in the river, there are more ducks to be seen, as well as gulls.  Geese are in the thousands.

Redhead is the most common, as we rarely get many Canvasback anymore.

Some Ring-necked Ducks were there as well, but like most of the ducks, they were sleeping.

At the old ferry dock in Sombra, one has to sort through all the Redhead to find the annual hybrid Redhead X Ring-necked.

We have seen up to three in past years.

I stopped by Cundick Park near Stoke's Point but did not see the Blue-winged Teal found by Lars Bouman the other day.  Blue-winged Teal are 'outta here' when cold weather comes, so it is a novelty in winter!

I stopped at various points along the river, and even made three passes for the Harlequin Duck on my way to Corunna.  A no-show, but I know it was there somewhere.

Guthrie Park at Corunna is good in winter, but on a day like this, the gulls were too far out and lighting was very harsh.  I did not linger there, so headed back south.

Lo and behold, I did catch a glimpse of the female Harlequin Duck on my last pass by the location!  There was no chance for a photo though.

One last walk was at Moore WMA.  A few birds were present, and I was finally able to cross the creek.  No Yellow-rumped Warblers this winter, I do believe.  I have been visiting this spot for almost thirty years and this is perhaps only the third winter I have not found those 'butterbutts'!

It is nice to see more seasonable weather, but with no snow.  It can stay cold, but I have no use for a lot of snow!

Recent Odds 'N Sods

Saturday I decided to check the shore trail at Mitchell's Bay early in the morning.  It is a good spot for early morning as the sun is at your side.  There were a few warblers and vireos along the trail as well as flycatchers (one Olive-sided).

Yellow Warbler

It is a good place for heron types.

Green Heron

I went on to Point Pelee to walk Ander's Footpath and the Cactus Trail.  A few more warblers were flitting about.  Another Chestnut-sided Warbler was photogenic.

There were quite a few flycatchers, mostly Eastern Wood Peewees, especially at the Cactus Trail.  I was interested in trying to find the recently reported Tufted Titmouse.  After a half hour there, I almost gave up, but I then heard it.  It was a bit distant though for a respectable photo.

For whatever reason, a Tufted Titmouse is rare in Point Pelee.  I have seen them in the park on three occasions in the past though.  Black-capped Chickadees are not all that common either.  I did come across a couple on this trip.
This little skink made an appearance at De Laurier.

Out along the onion fields, I looked for Buff-breasted Sandpiper to no avail.  Rick Mayos and Jeremy Hatt were also looking, but came up empty.  There will be more to come!

Today was rather gloomy, even though it was not supposed to be.  I did not go far.  Among other local places, I spent some time at Peers Wetland.  It was rather quiet, but a family of 5 Cooper's Hawks did not help matters!

The only warblers were a pair of American Redstarts and a Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Three Great Egrets were present, but have been off and on all summer.

Some dragonflies included a Lance-tipped Darner.  They are one of the more common darners, especially this time of year.

Around the yard, some birds are moving through.  A short while ago, I heard a Black-capped Chickadee, which is very odd for here in summer.
I have been watching the garden and a good variety of butterflies have stopped by.  Yesterday a Common Sootywing briefly hesitated. I think it is a first for the yard.
The last few days I have been seeing a Common Checkered-Skipper.

Peck's Skippers have been around as well.

It is back to work tomorrow, as the summer wanes.

Northward on Sunday

A change in direction was in order for Sunday, so I headed north!  The previous day, a Eurasian Wigeon was found at Northville near Port Franks.  I had never seen one in Lambton, so it was certainly worth going for.
On the way, I passed along Brick Yard Line in hopes of seeing the Gyrfalcon.  Of course I did not.  Some have seen it right away, but usually some patience is required.
Later, I arrived at the flooded field near Port Franks and found a bonanza of puddle ducks.  It was chucked full of Wood Ducks, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and some Mallard and Black.
After some scanning, I spotted the Eurasian Wigeon.  It got up with some other ducks and I saw it in flight.
I did not take photos since they were distant and lighting was poor.

With Pinery Provincial Park just up the road, I went in for a few hours.  Nothing special was seen, but nice to walk around.  I used to go to Pinery quite often and have seen some good birds there.

It is one of the best spots in Ontario to find a large number of Tufted Titmouse.

I did not notice until later that the above had a band, as well as the one below.

I did quite a bit of walking there in hopes of finding some good birds.  Pinery has had quite a few Townsend's Solitaires over the years (at least 7) and I was even co-finder of one once.  Nothing like that yesterday!

Some interesting scenery along the shoreline:

I checked out the old Lake Smith area for swans, but most have already gone through and virtually none were to be seen.

Since I was up in the area, I continued on to Dashwood for the visitation for Maris Apse.

On the way home I again passed on Brick Yard Line with no luck.

Just north of Wallaceburg, I stopped to look at some swans.  A couple stood out which appeared to be young Trumpeter Swans.
Trumpeter Swans are certainly becoming more common in recent times with the numerous sightings in Essex County and the pair at Shrewsbury last month.

Today I took off work to attend the funeral of Maris Apse, so Brick Yard Line got in the way again!  On the way back I should have scanned a corn field, as I am sure the gyr was sitting there.  Paul Pratt saw it there less than a half hour before...

Some Tundra Swans were still in the field north of  Wallaceburg, as well as a Snowy Owl.

Winter Birding at Pinery

I headed up to Pinery PP today to check out what birds were around.  I used to go to Pinery quite often, but am lucky to get there 2 or 3 times a year anymore!  It is an excellent birding park, especially in migration times, but it is interesting in the winter as well.
First stop was the visitor centre where a number of feeders are set up.  Needless to say it is the busiest spot for birds at this time of year.

There were large numbers of certain birds such as White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse.

A group of 15 Common Redpolls was hanging out the backside of the centre. One could best see them through the window of the Friend's store.

I walked a bit of Cedar Trail there, and found quite a ruckus of birds.  Blue Jays were making quite a noise, but chickadees and nuthatches were annoying the heck out of an Eastern Screech-owl.  It was a bit too far for a photo though. It was sort of comical as the chickadees and nuthatches peaked into the hole many times.

Another spot to go is P9 parking area.  Here you will find birds looking for handouts.  Many people go here to feed chickadees, nuthatches, etc.  Someone was already there feeding, but after they left I got out to play with the birds.

They must have been terribly hungry as they landed all over your body, or anything held out!

Besides chickadees, titmice and nuthatches came to my hand.

I walked Heritage Trail in hopes of seeing one of the resident Red-headed Woodpeckers, but failed with that species.

I worked my way home and stopped at a favourite spot near Sarnia.  Here I found a Long-eared Owl.  This was a first for the year, as they are somewhat scarce this winter.  I came upon it rather suddenly, so it was a bit startled.

Down the road I had a Snowy Owl and a Northern Shrike to add to the day's list.

Another red nut....