Scenes From The Past Week

 Nothing earth-shattering came my way in the past week, as the "nice" weather continues.

Last Tuesday, I walked out Rondeau's marsh trail to the half way point.  Bird of the day was Dark-eyed Junco!  I tallied about 280.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were numerous as well, with close to 200 of those.

There were not all that many sparrows.  This Chipping Sparrow stood up at one point.

Thursday, I headed up to north Lambton for a change in scenery.  It was a nice calm and clear morning, but I heard no crossbills!  Purple Finches were numerous, as they have been this past week everywhere.

One of the stops was Ausable River Cut CA.

A Cooper's Hawk stirred things up a for a while.

Heading back home, I stopped at Forest Sewage Lagoons.  I had not been there in a long time.  There were some shorebirds including several Greater Yellowlegs, a couple Lesser Yellowlegs, and a couple of Pectoral Sandpipers.

There were very few sparrows. Seems to be the trend everywhere lately, so lots are likely to come.

One last stop was Moore WMA.  I did not find much in the way of mussels.  It has not been a good summer for finding them!  Other than many Giant Floater, this White Heelsplitter stood out.

Friday was rather uneventful.  A stop at Peers Wetland revealed many Rusty Blackbirds.

The wetland has been the driest I have seen it in a very long time.  Lots of mud. Not much water for ducks!

Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk at Reid C. L.

At one point, I came across a patch of small Blue Ash trees, far removed from where I usually see them.  The square stems are a dead give-away.

Today I headed down to Rondeau.  Not much variety in the way of birds, but lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers kept me busy.  There were a couple of other species of warbler including Tennessee and Blackpoll that I saw.

I walked a bit of the dune area near the light beacon.  Lots of Seaside Sandmat which is only found in a few places around the Great Lakes that have appropriate habitat. Rondeau is one of the better places.

Over at McLean's, there were some shorebirds, including a Long-billed Dowitcher on the "island".

Walking back, I managed to see a Nelson's Sparrow pop up.  I was not able to focus on it very well, but at least I photographed one!

One more target for the day was the party of five Western Cattle Egrets in a usual pasture north of Erieau.  Nice to see multiple birds!

We see at least one Cattle Egret here every year.

All for now during this spooky month.

A Few Autumn Colours and Notes

 Fall colours are in full swing now.  A few days ago I took a short walk at Reid C. L.  Here are some scenes along the trail.

Also went into the woods to the "tall oaks" section!

I took note of another Chinquapin Oak at Reid.  I saw the leaves on the ground a year ago but did not find the tree.  I finally found it this week.  Not a big tree by any means, but that brings my count there to five small trees, and one very large Chinquapin at Reid.

Of course, I have been to Mitchell's Bay a couple of times, but bird diversity is now low.  I am looking for quality birds now...

If you like blackbirds, that is the place to be.  There were hundreds on my last visit roosting in trees and feeding in the field, so it was quite noisy!  I did not pick out any with yellow heads this time though.

A Wilson's Snipe was in the same spot two days in a row.

I seem to have  habit of taking a photo the water tower each time....

Peers Wetland has not been very productive lately, but I get there maybe three times a week for a walk.

Colourful Scene at south end of Peers.

Purple Finches are almost in every location right now.  Some are hanging around the yard taking advantage of the seeds in the trees or garden.

Yesterday, I went to Rondeau to try a lakewatch.  I have been anxious to do one, but conditions have been less than ideal this fall so far.  It was better this time, but no too exciting.

Looking SE

However, I did catch sight of a "decent" bird in the form of a Red Phalarope.  Distant scope views were only obtained, but it is a bird we can expect this time of year.

Looking NE

The day was threatening rain, and it did start just as I decided to leave.  Therefore, there was no other birding for the day!

Random Roadside Scene

On the way home, I got word that a Cattle Egret was spotted in the usual pasture at the corner of Bisnett and Erieau Roads.  It is almost an annual thing here, and there have been at least five that I can think of here over the years.  They are called Western Cattle Egret now.  There must be an Eastern Cattle Egret somewhere....

It was too late to head back down, so this morning I did so.  Unfortunately, it was in a bad location upon my arrival.  There is no place to properly pull off on Erieau Road, especially when most drivers are going at excessive speeds (like every place else!).

LOL

Here is a distant view from Bisnett!

Angus the cow

While in the general area, I decided it would  be a good day to visit Keith McLean Conservation Lands.  It was indeed, as there were a lot of birds there. 

 

Upon arrival, there was a lot of activity in the trees not far from the parking lot.  Yellow-rumped Warblers seemed to be streaming in over the field (and still were when I left), so I have no idea how many went through.

Lots of sparrows too, especially Chipping and White-crowned.

Chippie

The mudflats had quite a few shorebirds, including a couple of dowitchers with long bills, Dunlin, both yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and a flock of Pectoral Sandpipers which flew in while I was standing there.

Pecs

LBDO

Greater Yellowlegs

Just before I left, coming up to the parking lot, a Peregrine Falcon went through.  All the ducks and shorebirds got up.  I had no idea there were that many Killdeer there....

That is it for now, as yet another weekend approaches.