More May Meanderings (May 19-24, 2020)

Migration was in full swing this week with some decent days.  Some days were hopping, while others were rather slow as birds are in a hurry to their breeding grounds.
On May 19 I went to Rondeau in the morning under sunny skies.  A good variety of birds were seen including a Golden-winged Warbler along Harrison Trail.

A while before that, I encountered an insect-like buzz which I recognized to be a Worm-eating Warbler.  However,  it was about two sloughs back and there was no chance in seeing it!


On May 20 I checked out Reid CA early morning which turned out to be rather quiet.  Breeding birds certainly had not arrived in big numbers yet.  However, I did find a Wood Thrush on a nest!

Waterfall at Reid CA!

On May 22 I decided on a change in scenery and went to Skunk's Misery.  I drummed up ten singing male Hooded Warblers which is about right for there.
Ovenbirds were singing all over and the count tripped the eBird filter!
Great-crested Flycatchers were numerous, but I failed to turn up an Acadian Flycatcher in a usual spot.  Perhaps it was farther back out of range.

Shy Blue-winged Warbler

While in the neighbourhood, I took a quick look around Wardsville Woods.  Blue-winged Warbler is always there, and last year I found a "Lawrence's".  This year, I thought I had just seen a Blue-wnged, but it had yellow wingbars which indicates a hybrid.

Saturday May 23 I went to Rondeau and it was a good choice as it was one of the better days that one could wish for.  Large numbers and varieties of birds were present.
I started on south point for a change, but walked the edge of the woods along the dunes to avoid all the water.  Lots of birds along the way kept me busy.  I distant bird over the lake caught my eye at one point, as it got closer, I realized it was a swan!  A Trumpeter Swan was indeed an odd sighting for the location and time!

I did quite a bit of walking on Saturday, probably at least 20 km, as my sore feet can attest.  Birds were everywhere so no matter where one went, there was something to look at

Flycather with a yellow belly

At one point I found an Acadian Flycather calling for "pizza".

I decided to walk down the west side of south point trail which I do not often do.  Near the end, a Prothonotary Warbler was singing and possibly on territory.  This is where we used to find them when I first started birding, before we knew anything about birds in the park!

At one point along the trail, I encountered a tiny snake which I thought was a Fox Snake before I took a closer look.  Turned out to be a Northern Watersnake in the middle of the woods!

Just a baby!

Many species were in big numbers especially Tennessee Warblers (60+ on my list!).  Several Pine Warblers are still around which leads one to believe they may stay to nest.  They have in the past.
Swainson's Thrushes were all over the place and one birder was all "thrushed out" by mid day.

While walking through the campground with a couple from Leamington, I saw a White-crowned Sparrow.  They are getting scarce by this date, but I recognized it as a "Gambel's" type.  I usually try to look for these each time I see White-crowns--they have a white lore.  I have seen several of these over the years.

After 3 p.m. I was getting tired and decided to head home.  A ways up Kent Bridge Road I heard that the Erieau Rail Trail was hopping with birds including some decent ones.  However, I was too tired to turn back!

Today, I went back to Rondeau and it was rather quiet.  As the saying goes, "here today, gone tomorrow"!  The weather was just too nice and birds were anxious to head to the breeding grounds it seems.
Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were in good numbers today, often in pairs.

"Screech" the owl was still keeping watch from his hole along Bennet Road.

Near the north end of the park, a Connecticut Warbler was spotted along Lakeshore Road.  It took some time to relocate the bird, but we managed to get a look at it.  Photos were less than ideal.

I wanted to add some shorebirds to the list, so I went back to south point and checked out the beach.  Whimbrel was high on the list, and oddly enough, a single Whimbrel took off just as I arrived!

Next on the agenda was Erieau.  I struck out on the reported rarities (just bad luck!) but there were lots of birds to look at.  Included was an obliging Hooded Warbler.

A few more Whimbrel were in the field to the north of McGeachy Pond.  I did not see any large flocks yet this year.

It  was a good week, and still lots to come, but migration will soon be behind us. Keep looking up!

Holiday Weekend Birding

Sunday was a gloomy day, but with lots of birds.  There was a good variety of species and some with large numbers.  Birding was good except for the three hours it rained (of course it had to rain on the weekend!).  We really don't need rain until about August now with water levels as high as they have been in decades in some cases.  The ground is saturated.

Many species of birds were "checked-off" for the year.

Tennessee Warblers were still in big numbers, and more Blackpoll Warblers were present.

I came across a nice Blue-winged Warbler on south point trail.  It was one of the nicer looking ones I had ever seen.

Flycatchers were certainly numerous with many Alder, some Yellow-bellied and of course Olive-sided.  There were several Olive-sided in the park on Sunday with some ordering 3-beers! No photos.

Vireo from Philadelphia

During the rain, we finally caught up with the elusive Cerulean Warbler, singing near the pony barn. It was singing atop the tallest trees, as they often do.

At the VC feeder area was a "Gambel's" White-crowned Sparrow.  A few of these type slip through each year.  Probably a lot get missed though!

The east beach from south point to dog beach has been good for shorebirds lately.  It was a bit windy there on Sunday though.
While waiting out the rain, I saw 17 Whimbrel fly by.

It was steady birding all throughout the park and difficult to leave for home later in the afternoon.  I was just too tired to continue!

Today, Monday, was a different story.  There were few birds to be found.  As per usual this time of year, the birds were on a mission to head quickly north.

American Redstart

However, things started off nicely with a Worm-eating Warbler on Harrison Trail.  Late Sunday, Todd Hagedorn and Reuven Martin found the bird (unseen) singing for a bit.
This was our first stop this morning and the bird was still present in the same location, constantly singing.  I even got a brief look at the bird before it disappeared deeper into the woods.

I did quite a bit of looking around and did not find many birds.  This Blanding's Turtle was treat to see on Harrison Trail.

I was out of the park by 11 a.m. as there was not much point in trying for anything else.
After lunch I went for a walk at Reid CA.  It is not a place for any number of birds, but there were a couple of Blackpoll and Blackburnian Warblers working through the trees, among the resident birds.

As I have mentioned before, Reid is the place to look for butterflies.  There were several Juvenal's Duskywings and some Silver-spotted Skippers.

In just under a month, I will be looking for the Southern Hairstreak!

Weekend Bird Adventures

The weekend was challenging due to the typical weekend weather.  Today we even saw ice pellets! Monday will be nice again of course, not surprisingly I have to say.

Back on Thursday evening, I received a message about a Worm-eating Warbler north of Sombra.  I was not sure that I would be able to see it, but sure enough the bird was present when I arrived, quietly feeding in an apple blossom tree.  Mike Bouman found this bird in his yard!
Around the same time, a Worm-eating Warbler was found in Canatara Park at Sarnia.  One only wonders how many could have actually have been around.
The photo from Mike is much appreciated.

photo courtesy Mike Bouman

Saturday started out horribly with pouring rain and high winds.  After things settled down, birding was fairly good with lots of diversity.  I observed 24 species of warblers at Rondeau Park.  Northern Parula, one of the more attractive warblers, was in good supply.

Lots of Tennessee Warblers were around as well, and others were plentiful too.

A perched Whip-poor-will was an attraction on south point trail.

The long-staying Solitary Sandpiper was still in the same slough off Rondeau Avenue!

I did not get too many photos Saturday due to the poor lighting we usually see on weekends.

At Blenheim Lagoons, a large number of swallows were struggling to find food in the cold weather.

A single Short-billed Dowitcher posed for a photo.

I ended up with 130 species for the day, but I think it would have been higher if the weather had co-operated.

Sunday was colder, but bouts of suns helped during the day.  Still, lots of birds were seen by the many birders scouring the park.
Cape May Warblers were numerous Sunday and often found in bunches.

A few Orange-crowned Warblers were around this day, but not too photo-genic.

Lots of Lincoln's Sparrows were around, especially along Harrison Trail.

A Prairie Warbler, one of the more sought-after regulars, was seen near the visitor centre, but I did not catch up with it.  We saw one last Thursday though.

The White-winged Dove is still attracting birders along Lakeshore Road.  I heard it while I was walking along Harrison Trail.  Later, I saw it while passing by on the road.

Flycatchers are now starting to arrive in bigger numbers.  I heard my FOY Olive-sided today.

Birds were quite low today due to the cold weather.  Some of the sloughs were good to look for birds.

Plant growth is quite retarded along the lake due to the cold spring, but the Showy Orchis is soon to bloom.

Various violets among other wildflowers are decorating the woodland floor.

One of Rondeau's attractions is the nesting Prothonotary Warblers.  They are quite reliable on tulip tree trail.