Pelee Birding, Rondeau Birding and a Western Grebe!

 Saturday it was an Essex County day for me.  I attended the Essex County Field Naturalists annual banquet in the evening, but I spent the day at Point Pelee.  It was a fairly decent day of birding, as I ended up with 80 species in the park.  Pretty good for the date, even though I missed some species others saw during the day.

I did not take many photos (it was a gloomy day, despite the forecast calling for some sun).  

I first walked De Laurier, then went to the Tip.  Several birders were already present, so I joined them for a while in the Tip area.

There were lots of Common Loons swimming off the east side of the Tip, and a large number of gulls around.  No rarities though!  Some scoters too.

Sparrow Field had lots of birds, including a Blue-headed Vireo, a large number of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and others.

Along the road, we spotted a moth that had been hit by a car.  It was still alive though.

Herald Moth

Later, I birded the north end of the park.  Notable was a late Black-throated Blue Warbler along Sanctuary trails.  It was quite busy for birds along the trails!  Especially American Robins.

During the day, several small flocks of Dunlin were seen.  This weekend there was a very big movement of Dunlin through southern Ontario.  Many locales reported large numbers of Dunlin.

Sunday, I went down to Rondeau to see what was around.  First off, I joined Steve at dog beach for a lakewatch. I was a bit late, since I got in late the night before, and there was dense fog around Wallaceburg.

The previous day, Steve found a Western Grebe off dog beach.  A while after I arrived on Sunday, we spotted it again!  It was always too distant for a proper photo.

It was the second Western Grebe I have seen at Rondeau, the first being in June 2013 off the south beach.

It was certainly a balmy day, and butterflies were out.  Several Eastern Commas were on south point trail.

An Orange Sulphur was near the yacht club.

Monday, I stayed close to home, and as usual, did not find anything of note!  It was supposed to be rainy, but as usual we never had a drop and had quite a bit of sun!

Today, I went back to Rondeau.  Winds were not ideal for a good lakewatch, but I did one anyway.  A few loons and grebes were moving.  No Western Grebe, but I did see a Red-necked Grebe.

I checked out south point trail again.  A late Blue-headed Vireo was singing at the start.  I did not find any late warblers, and only a few Yellow-rumped Warblers.

A couple of Green Darners were flying in the warmth.

Pine Siskins were in big numbers, as well as Cedar Waxwings.  I tried scrutinizing for Bohemian, but to no avail.

Before leaving the park, I walked the north end of the campground.  More Cedar Waxwings and Robins.  The Red Cedars are loaded this fall, keeping these birds happy.

A Merlin was standing watch nearby.

Next stop was Keith McLean C. L., which turned out to be quite birdy.  Shorebirds included over 400 Dunlin, a Greater Yellowlegs, seven Killdeer, and a single Semipalmated Sandpiper with one leg.

Many of the Dunlin were up the creek!  Water levels are quite low now.

Early on, raptor movement was good.  Among other things, I saw three Golden Eagles and three Red-shouldered Hawks.  Pretty sure I saw a American Goshawk, but lighting was very poor at that time.

This spot can be quite good for raptor watching on the right wind, as you have a big expanse of sky to watch.

Also sighted was a Tree Swallow and a late Barn Swallow.

A grey Catbird is still in the tangles at the pond.

I actually ended up with more species at McLean's than in the park today!

Supposedly will rain tomorrow, but likely will be sunny....

Pinery Birding and a Bonus Grebe

A change in scenery was in store for today, as I headed up to Pinery Provincial Park.  I do not get up there as often as I used to, so it was nice to check things out.  I met some friends up there to do some birding, starting at Riverside Trail.
The last couple of days, some Pine Grosbeaks were seen along the trail.  Unfortunately we could not find any today.  There will likely be more.  It has been a long time since I have seen any!

A territorial Red-headed Woodpecker was there the whole time chasing away various birds.

Lots of Black-capped Chickadees were throughout the park, especially at Riverside trail.  They are irrupting south as well.

Other finches included a single Common Redpoll, some Pine Siskins and Purple Finches on the trail.

We parted ways and checked out some other areas on our own.  Deryl Nethercott saw a couple of Common Ravens along the river.  I am fairly certain I saw a couple as well near the store.  They are being seen with increasing frequency in recent times.

We then decided to join Sean Jenniskens at the viewing tower on Nipissing trail.  It has an excellent vantage point and good for seeing hawks.

Things were slow at first, but raptors starting moving later on.

We saw at least four Golden Eagles, several Bald Eagles and other hawks.

Although most were quite distant, a good selection of raptors were seen before we departed.

Various passerines went by as well.  Some Evening Grosbeaks went by a couple of times in quick fashion.  Seems these finches are motoring on through, and few are sticking around.

Six Sandhill Cranes were observed migrating at one point.

I went back to Riverside trail just in case the Pine Grosbeaks made an appearance.  However it was not to be.  Still lots of time to get some!
I did see an Evening Grosbeak flyover at close range as I approaced the boardwalk.

I left the park and thought I would take a quick look around Ipperwash.  However, at Army Camp Road, I received a message that a Western Grebe had been found at Bright's Grove by local birder Matt Parsons.  As this was not all that far down the road, I headed straight to the village.

Red-throated Loon at Bright's Grove

Upon arrival, several local birders were already viewing the grebe.  It was rather distant when I saw it.  Nice to see of course, even though I found the one off Port Credit back in early April of this year.
This will be the fourth record for Lambton now.  (One at Grand Bend May 1996, one in upper St. Clair River January 2013, and one I found one off Pinery back on 18 November 2006)

All in all, it was a decent weekend for birding and with decent weather!

Birding Lake Ontario Shoreline

Saturday morning I was up early to head towards Toronto.  This weekend (Sunday) was the annual meeting of the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC).  When I was on the committee before, I always went up a day ahead of time to look around.  I do not get to that locale often.  Seems I used to in the distant past though!

Skies were clear most of the weekend, but the unseasonably cold weather continued.  In fact, I heard comments that we are on our third winter for this year!

My first stop was J. J. Plaus Park in Port Credit. 

This small park at the mouth of the Credit River is often a good spot in winter to see waterfowl and waterbirds.  I also recall Yellow-rumped Warblers here in winter a number of years ago.  

This day, there was not much around but I did a see a few Red-necked Grebes in the distance.
Many years ago, a pair of Great Cormorants were hanging around here.  This is one species I went to chase!  The two were perched on the bow of the old laker when I saw them.

It is also a spot I like to view the old lake ship Ridgetown that has been in place since the early 1970's.  It is looking a little worse for the wear!  I would imagine the steel is getting rather thin.

This ship was one of four sister ships built in 1905.  Originally named William E. Corey, it sailed for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company (later United States Steel).  In the 1960's it was sold Canadian to Upper Lakes Shipping and named the Ridgetown (for the village in Chatham-Kent).  The latter name is long since worn off, but the original name can actually be seen peaking through on the bow.

I then moved east to Colonel Sam Smith Park at the end of Kipling Road in Toronto.  This is a very popular birding stop for many.  

Here, a large number of Red-necked Grebes can be seen.  They littered the place.

This area is no doubt the largest staging area for this species in Ontario.

I estimated over 200 of them in my visit.  Last week, David Pryor et al. estimated around 2000!

While there, the Red-necked Grebes were quite vocal and many were paired up and displaying.  Others were singletons.

A good variety of ducks was around during my visit.

After a quick lunch, I headed back west to J. C. Saddington Park, on the west side of the Credit River.  It is a popular spot to view the lake for waterbirds.

I sat on the rocks for a while looking at waterfowl.  I then started walking west and stopped to scan again, and noticed something intriguing.  A Western Grebe!  I was not even carrying a scope (too lazy!), but this bird was just close enough to be seen well.  Very distinctive.

On this trip, I did not bother to bring the big camera, so I just had the Canon G16 for record shots.

first view

This is the second "self-found" Western Grebe for me in Ontario.  I found one off Pinery Provincial Park in 18 November 2006 which is an odd story in itself.

The Port Credit bird is interesting, as one shows up in this area almost every year at this time.  In fact, a couple of the birders present predicted one would show up this very weekend!  Quite possibly, it is the same returning bird (just like a dove at Rondeau!).

I put out the word on Ontbirds.  I stuck around, and soon many birders started arriving.  Included was David Pryor who was sick in bed when he got the word!

I stayed quite a while helping birders spot the grebe.  The Western Grebe moved around quite a bit and even went right up to the Ridgetown and into the mouth of the Credit River.

The was a good raft of White-winged Scoters present as well (up to about 60), and a couple of Surf Scoters.  A Common Loon or two was also seen.

After two hours there, I was chilled to the bone, and left to find a motel for the night and get some supper.

I did not do any birding today, but the trip into Toronto and to the ROM went well.

A New Grebe At Rondeau!

Got home from work today and was surprised to see a message about a Western Grebe at Rondeau.  But it was seen yesterday.  Is it still there?  I was tempted to head down, but first sent a message to Jim Burk.  He was heading out to look and shortly afterwards I got word that he and Steve saw it.
My best bet was to head to Erieau.  I was at the pier in about 50 minutes and spotted the subject grebe in the distance right away.  Although walking out south beach would have afforded better views, it was identifiable by scope from Erieau.  It did move a little closer as I stood there.

Allen Woodliffe soon joined me as well as Keith Burk.  Allen had just been out south beach to view the bird.
Local birders were happy on this day for one reason.  It is a new bird for the Rondeau checklist!  It may be difficult to believe, but this species has never officially been recorded for Rondeau.  It was long overdue and year after year we have talked about a Western Grebe.

So, congrats and kudos to Pauline Catling who photographed and reported on this fine bird!  A bonus while doing turtle surveys!  Link to her photo:
Western Grebe Rondeau

I have missed a few over the years, not by much.  The one this past winter on the St. Clair River was a disappointing miss.
This is only my fourth ever seen Western Grebe, but back on November 18, 2006 my self-found one was off Pinery Park.

On another note, what is with all these Caspian Terns lately?  I saw at least a dozen while at Erieau.  Could be up to 20 in the area today.

Weekend Birding on Lake Ontario

View from CSS Park

The Annual Ontario Bird Records Committee meeting was on Sunday, so I headed up to Toronto and area on Saturday morning just to check out some areas.
I first went for a walk at Riverwood Park along Burnhamthorpe Road. I became familiar with this park a year ago in the winter. It is a large park with trails and connects with Erindale Park to the south. Soon after my arrival, I heard Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Winter Wren singing. I saw a few birds, and some local people pointed out a Cooper's Hawk at a nest site along the slope.
After lunch, I headed down to the waterfront.

Red-necked Grebe

I went as far east as Colonel Sam Smith Park. It is a good spot for waterfowl and other waterbirds. Dozens of Red-necked Grebes were around as well as a few Horned. I just learned today that a Western Grebe was there briefly Saturday morning, as seen by Mark Peck and company! There is an excellent photo of it on the Toronto Bird Forum by "Denis".
I did not scope for long, and the wind was cold and raw when I was there.

Port Credit

There are many parks along the shoreline and some are good for birding. More and more parks are being created or expanded, as they are very popular with the urbanites for recreation! All the parks I stopped at had many people out and about. Some even brought their BBQ's!

Of course a must stop is the mouth of the Credit River at Port Credit in Mississauga. There is a small park on the east side of the mouth (J. J. Plaus Park), or the larger J. C. Saddington Park on the west side. Here we can see the rusting hulk of the Ridgetown which is now 105 years old. It was put there as a breakwater in 1974. It was originally built in 1905 as the Wm. E. Corey, and was the flagship of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

A pair of Trumpeter Swans was in the river, but they were too far away to get tag numbers.

"Ridgetown"

Just west of Port Credit is Jack Darling Park which connects with Rattray Marsh. There is a trail around the marsh and a nice trail through the woods at the west end.

Rattray Marsh

I walked a bit along the creek and fish were way up in this creek. They must have swam up there during higher water. There were dozens!

Lots of gulls and waterfowl were out on the lake, most of which was too far away for scoping. I saw my first Caspian Terns of the year.

Grebes

With this very cold weather, the river has jammed up and little open water is available. There is one small open spot on the Snye near where I work. A few Canvasbacks have been hanging in there, and today (Tuesday) after work I noticed a Horned Grebe. An uncommon sight for winter around here! There was one between Christmas and New Year's at Fawn Island, so maybe it is the same one that has stuck around. (This is where some of the Gadwall were this past weekend as well. A couple were still there yesterday).

Sometimes Red-necked Grebes will show up in early February as very early spring migrants. Back in early February 2003, several showed up around here and southern Ontario as early migrants. Some got caught with a quick freeze-up later on.

Red-necked Grebes are quite uncommon in my area, and that was the first time I had seen them in winter.

Last year there was one at Rondeau in mid February, and I saw two at Sarnia near the end of the month.

Pied-billed Grebes will sometimes stick around here in milder winters. There are always some around Christmas time on our CBC's. The last one I saw this winter was early January near Sarnia on the St. Clair River while I was counting waterfowl.

I have never seen an Eared Grebe around Wallaceburg. The closest ones have been at Sarnia or Rondeau, and in the late fall.

Then there are Western Grebes. I have only seen two. The last was one I discovered at Pinery PP on November 18, 2006.