November Gales, Tales and Swales

 Been here and there the last few days trying to find things of interest.  November is an interesting time of year no doubt for birds as well as ship history.  Lots of windy days lately, as November often brings us. Gales of November are upon us.

This past Friday I went northward to Ipperwash in hopes of seeing some finches.  It is an irruption year for northern finches, so that fact has made birding interesting.  Not the biggest irruption we have ever had, but all the finches have made an appearance to some degree.

Best spot is the old MNR parking lot at Ipperwash.  There are adjacent sand barrens and a trail winding through the 'swales'.  The swales harbour lots of winterberry holly, which is quite attractive to Pine Grosbeaks.

Some of these attractive grosbeaks were seen the previous day, but I could not come up with any this visit.  However, I did manage to check off practically all the other finches!

Just out of the car, some Evening Grosbeaks flew over.  I heard the odd Redpoll (all one species now!) go over, as well as lots of Purple Finches.  Some Pine Siskins were mixed in.

Later on, a White-winged Crossbill flew over (then another shortly thereafter) much to my delight.  There have not been many crossbills in this particular irruption, so it was a bonus.

Although I did not get any Pine Grosbeaks, I was happy with the morning's results.  As well, several birders I know were around, so as always, it was a social event too.

Next day I did not go too far from home.  Stopped by Mitchell's Bay first thing (yes, I am still hopeful for a goodie there!).  Water levels are still dropping, exposing lots of mud here and elsewhere.

Of note, a late Greater Yellowlegs was feeding on the mud.

An preening!

Later on, I went up to Reid C. L.  I noticed that they have started some 'improvements' by trimming down some of the thick stuff in hopes of making it more suitable for the Northern Oak Hairstreak.  The "open" area was getting quite overgrown, and fewer and fewer nectaring sources each year were available.  Some things such as hemp dogbane will be planted there.

I was out basically just for a walk in the woods, which I love to do.  Best bird was an Eastern Towhee which did not come out to face the camera!

It was quite warm in the afternoon, so some insects were out.  This member of the long-tailed aphideater complex was on one of the last flowers in the garden.

Sunday, was forecast to be sunny with a very strong NW wind.  You guessed it, I headed up to Lake Huron, namely Ipperwash, for a lakewatch!

There were not many ducks, but lots of gulls.  I missed an adult Black-legged Kittiwake that was seen (adults are very rare on the Great Lakes), but did see a Parasitic Jaeger.  A jaeger is good on any day it seems!

It was too windy for land birding, even though I tried for a bit.  I did finally see a couple of Pine Grosbeaks though.  Hopefully I can go back for some better looks someday.

Today, I had little ambition to go anywhere, so finished cleaning up the yard in the morning. In the afternoon, it was nice and sunny, so went for a walk at the "go-to" place.

A couple of scenes:

This date in the past is notable for some marine history facts.  I have written about these in the past, but are always significant to my eyes.

On November 17, 1972, the Michipicoten broke in two in the Gulf of St. Lawrence whilst being towed overseas for scrap.  I remember well seeing this ship at Port Lambton in the summer of 1972.  So much so, my dad commissioned a line drawing for me as a Christmas gift.

line drawing by Frank Crevier

It was originally built in 1905 as the Henry C. Frick.

An identical ship built in 1905 was the William E. Corey. It was eventually renamed the Ridgetown and retired in 1969.  As many of you know, it still exists today!  However, it is now a rusty old breakwater at Port Credit.

(I once found a Western Grebe here!)

Tomorrow will be the 67th anniversary of the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley on Lake Michigan.  A very tragic event indeed.

The husband of my father's cousin sailed on her at one point, so there is a family connection there.  He took these photos, among others, which I possess.

Don and Dorothy Langridge

So, this month is memorable for me in many respects.

Point Pelee Tip lifering (when water came up and washed it away)

North Lambton Birding November 18

It was northward bound today, as I headed up to Ipperwash and Pinery.  This is a good time of year to check things out in north Lambton.  I was hoping to find some finches, but there were not many. All these finch-type birds coming from the north are motoring right on through.  Very few are staying in SW Ontario.

I first checked Ipperwash Dunes and Swales.  There are several trails, but the best choice today was the Dunes trail which is more open and has lots of Pines and Spruces.  It also leads back out to the main road and the big parking lot.

Things were rather quiet. As I mentioned, the finches and all those chickadees did not stick around here.  I did have a couple of Pine Siskins and Purple Finches fly over, as well as a single Common Redpoll.

Bald Eagle

There were no waxwings on this walk.  I have seen Bohemian in the big parking lot in past years, so that is why I checked it out.

remains of old cabin along Dunes trail

After a look on the quiet lake, I headed up to Pinery Provincial Park.  Parts of the park are  now closed for the winter, so the only spots to check out are at the visitor centre, along the river beside the campground or P9 beach parking lot.
My first stop was Cedar trail beside the VC.  It is good for birds this time of year.
Not far in, I heard a ruckous of chickadees and nuthatches and knew they had an owl.  Here is what I found just a few steps off the trail

Upon arrival at the viewing deck along the river, I heard a curious bird sound, which turned out to be an Eastern Phoebe.  It did not come out for good looks though.

The VC feeders were somewhat busy with common birds, but certainly no northern finches.

I then went to P9 and walked out to the lake.  A Red-throated Loon was fairly close, but otherwise not much was on the calm lake.

My next walk was along the river beside Riverside Campground.  This is often an excellent spot in winter time for birds.
Another Eastern Phoebe started things off.

Some American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds were briefly seen.

At the far end of the campground, another Eastern Phoebe was making its rounds.

At one point, I had a Common Redpoll fly over.

I went back to the VC to check the feeders, and added Cedar Waxwings to the day list.

Before leaving the park, I stopped by the store and canoe rental place beside the river to have a snack.  I noticed some birds across the river, so I got out and walked around.  There were several American Robins and other birds.
At one point I heard a unique bird call, which I determined to be Pine Grosbeak.  Although I heard it several times, I could never get a visual on the bird.  It was one of the target birds I had hoped to see today.

I walked onto the bridge and watched the robins and other birds feeding nearby.  At one point I saw another (or perhaps the second Eastern Phoebe I saw nearby earlier).

Far to the east, I heard Sandhill Cranes migrating south.  I counted at least 90, but they were distant and through the trees.

One more walk for the day was at Ausable River Cut CA south of Pinery. I had never been here before and actually never knew about it until recently.  It is a neat little place beside the river cut.

My walk started off with yet another Eastern Phoebe!

There is nice scenery along the river cut, and I will be checking out this place more often in the future.

Hopefully some of these northern finches will stop soon and unpack their bags to stay a while!

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!

Some Early November Birding Rondeau Area

With anticipation of decent weather (for a change), I headed down to Rondeau Park early this morning as a finch invasion is underway.  Sure seemed strange to not be dodging rain!  The weather was bad all week ( with way too much rain), opposite to what it has been all year.

I birded throughout the morning with Steve Charbonneau, starting with a bit of a lakewatch at dog beach first thing.
Not much was moving today, as the lake was calm.  We did see a few loons and at least one Red-throated Loon among the ducks and a few Horned Grebes.
A couple of Common Redpolls flew over as we were leaving the beach, starting our finch list for the day.
Along south point trail, a few Pine Siskins were moving as well as several Purple Finches.
Yellow-rumped Warblers have thinned out considerably, making it easier to spot some other late warblers.

At one spot, Steve noticed a tardy Cape May Warbler.

This same spot held a Northern Parula, which was very active but never posed for a photo.
At one point I thought I saw a Nashville as well (it may well have been).

Now that it is November, the campground is closed for camping, and birders have free reign. Late fall is the best time for checking this locale and many good birds can be found.  It is a must stop on each visit this time of year.
Early on, we heard the first Evening Grosbeak of the day.  Although Steve was one lane over, I managed to get a good look at the bird as it flew northward.  I never got a photo of one today, so an old photo will have to suffice. Target bird of the day achieved!

There were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers in the area, but the best warbler of the day was a Bay-breasted.  It was very active, so no decent photo was obtained.

It was near the north end, and in the very tree I found the Townsend's Warbler last year--the only day it was seen WITHIN the park.
The Bay-breasted may be record late for Rondeau, but I have no other information at this time.

Lots of Cedar Waxwings were around, but their cousin that sports a cinnamon butt was nowhere to be found.  I have faith that one will be seen soon!

Three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were together in the campground which was interesting to see.

A couple always spend the winter here, so perhaps these may stay.

We then moved to Water Street near marsh trail where a number of birds were actively feeding.  A lingering Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was still present.  Also, another three Evening Grosbeaks briefly made their presence known.

The Great Kiskadee was looking good near the curve in Water Street.  There are still many birdwatchers seeking this rarity.

Later, I headed over to Erieau and checked out McGeachy Pond dike.  This is another good spot at this time of year, for whatever reason.
A number of birds were present, but at one point I was going to stand on one of the docks, when I flushed an interesting bird.
It was only a brief view, but I instantly knew it was a nightjar!  It gave a sound when flushed and my initial impression was Whip-poor-will.
I alerted Steve and he came over within a half hour.  We checked the same area, and luck was with us, as the bird flushed again.  We got a fairly decent view to confirm it as a Whip-poor-will!

Strangely, back on 4 November 2012 (the last good finch year!) we saw one at Rondeau park which was record late.

I checked out Blenheim Lagoons before heading home.  Shorebirds have thinned out considerably since last weekend.  About 20 Greater Yellowlegs and one Lesser were present among Dunlin.  At least one White-rumped and a possible Semipalmated Sandpiper (never got a decent look) were still hanging around.
The two Trumpeter Swans were still in the area as well.

Sunday I will be heading in the opposite direction which should prove interesting.

Sunset at Mitchell's Bay this past week