Return to Rondeau

It had been way too long since my last visit to Rondeau, so that is where I decided to head yesterday.

Although birding was my main intention, I didn't really take any photos of birds, so you'll have to live with some plants and insects :)

First things first, I went to Keith McLean CA, along the Rondeau causeway. Always worth a stop I find. There had been a Yellow-headed Blackbird seen there the day prior, but no sign of it when I went. Plenty of Marsh Wrens however, as well as some more unusual birds for the time of year, like Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, and Semipalmated Sandpiper. In the group of gulls sitting in the field, I found a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. 

It was time to head into Rondeau. My first stop was the South Point Trail. Not too much bird song, other than the usual suspects, but a pair of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and a Least Flycatcher (a species I often don't encounter in the summer, oddly enough) was nice. I went out to the beach at the light beacon, and found a new species of sedge for me, Sand Sedge or Mulhenberg's Sedge (Carex muehlenbergii). Much more robust and impressive than I imagined it being!

There were some loafing gulls further down the beach, so I decided to keep going. Nothing special among them however, only Bonaparte's, Ring-billed, and Herrings. I continued until I hit the washout, then headed back along the trail.

There were a few Painted Skimmers along the way.

I encountered this grass as well, which I have tentatively called Schribner's Grass (Dichanthelium oligosanthes var. scribnerianum).

I had originally keyed it out to Common's Grass (Dichanthelium commonsianum) using Michigan Flora, but have since revised my identification (this genus is hard!). While we're on the topic, the genus Dichanthelium is a real mess. It used to be the genus Panicum, however Panicum was then split into several more genera (while some species retained the genus name). Even within Dichanthelium, things are confusing. It seems every species name is a synonym for something else! Not to mention the numerous varieties. With some authorities, such as in the checklist of plants for Ontario's Carolinian zone, D. commonsianum is included under D. ovale ssp. pseudopubescens. 

Next, I decided to go to the Tulip Tree Trail. Largely had the place to myself, which was nice. Almost immediately, I heard an Acadian Flycatcher, soon followed by two more. This was my main target for the day, as it was a species I had never seen in Rondeau before. A couple other goodies rounded out the bird list here, including a Wood Thrush carrying food, a Prothonotary Warbler, and a singing Black-throated Green Warbler. Maybe it is just a very late migrant, but I guess it isn't out of reason for a Black-throated Green to attempt to breed here. 

Another Dichanthelium for you, this one a bit more straightforward: Broad-leaved Panic Grass (Dichanthelium latifolium).

I then intended to go to the Marsh Trail, but on the way passed Spicebush Trail. Last minute I decided to turn in and give it a go, because why not? Glad I did!

Nothing really of note bird wise, but as I was walking along I noticed this sedge (Carex).

I recognized it immediately as something in Section Griseae, and felt as though it was something I hadn't seen before. I had a sneaking suspicion it was Eastern Narrow-leaved Sedge (Carex amphibola), which is somewhat similar to the common Inflated Narrow-leaved Sedge (Carex grisea). I consulted a key, and found that my initial thought seemed to be correct, it appeared to in fact be Eastern Narrow-leaved Sedge, a rare species in Ontario, ranking S2 (between 5-20 known occurrences, I believe). Despite its rarity in Ontario, it is actually considered to be the most common species in its section further south of us. The perigynia of this species is triangular in cross section, and seems to be relatively a bit narrower and longer than in Inflated Narrow-leaved Sedge. 

Compare to Inflated Narrow-leaved Sedge. I took this photo back in late May in London. The perigynia aren't completely mature here, but they are mature enough to see the difference. 

I saw another member of the section Griseae along the same trail. Hitchcock's Sedge (Carex hitchcockiana) is a fairly distinct species, with hairy lower stems. 

My last stop in the park was the first little bit of the Marsh Trail. Not really much of note.

Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus)

Silverweed (Argentina anserina)

Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)

Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)

Greater Straw Sedge (Carex normalis)

My eBird checklist for the day: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90074662

I went to Shrewsbury after and drove around looking for the Eurasian Collared-Dove, but no luck. Only saw a few Mourning Doves!

I went to Stefina Line east of Blenheim, and saw the reported Dickcissels just before heading back home. Always a nice one to see!

I took some backroads home, but didn't see too much. I had debated about going to check a field that gets Dickcissels each year, but opted to just go home. One was found there this morning! Oh well. 

Gotta love this time of year!

Mid-May Birding Highlights

What a week it has been! I have had some pretty great birding, and here are some of the highlights. 

Last Friday finally saw some movement (coincidentally, last year the 'drought' ended on May 14th as well), so I made a point of going to Kilally Meadows ESA first thing in the morning. Although it was not crazy, I still manged to tally 80 species in the five hours I was there (see the eBird checklist here). Highlights included Evening Grosbeak, Broad-winged Hawk (seemed a bit late), FOY Blackpoll Warbler, and my county lifer Golden-winged Warbler. 

Just as I was leaving, I got a call from Bill Lindley who had White-rumped Sandpipers at the Strathroy Sewage Lagoons, so that's where I headed next. Although I struck out on the White-rumpeds, I did end up finding a small flock of Short-billed Dowitchers. Not a species I was exactly expecting to see this year in the county! I also saw my FOY Dunlin and Semipalmated Plovers. 

As soon as I had gotten home, I got another call from Bill, letting me know a Wilson's Phalarope had been reported at Dingman Wetland, on the south side of the city. I was off again...

I arrived and immediately saw the female Wilson's Phalarope. What a gorgeous bird, the photo does it no justice. 

The next morning I went back to Kilally. It was a bit slower than the previous day (eBird checklist here), and I tallied a few less species. Nevertheless, it was nice to see my FOY Scarlet Tanager and Bay-breasted Warblers, as well as getting some decent looks at another Blackpoll. At one point, I was surprised to find a Savannah Sparrow in the tree right above my head! Odd place for such a bird. 

Savannah Sparrow

Blackpoll Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Later that afternoon, I saw that a Prairie Warbler, a species not seen in Middlesex since 2002, had been found at Cavendish Woods earlier that morning in the middle of London. A couple phone calls later, and Bill, Gord, and I were on scene. 

To make a long story short, we spent a couple hours (with a short intermission to go see a White-rumped Sandpiper at Dingman) looking, but came up empty. We went back the next morning and found out from the guy who found it that the bird had stopped singing by early afternoon anyways. 

What we did find however, was a Hooded Warbler! I got some pretty bad photos of it, but you can tell what it is. Patagonia Picnic Table effect anyone?

I did my usual Kilally route on Sunday morning, followed by that return trip to Cavendish Woods, but nothing really of note.

I saw there was a chance of rain in the afternoon (spoiler alert: it didn't happen), so I went out to look for shorebirds. My first stop was Strathroy, which in addition to my FOY Black-billed Cuckoo, I saw some more dowitchers. Spent some time photographing shorebirds.

Short-billed Dowitchers

Dowitcher and Lesser Yellowlegs

Least Sandpiper

Dunlin

Dowitchers in flight

Afterwards I went to Dingman. There were many shorebirds to sort through, and I had 45 or so Semipalmated Plovers, which was my personal high count for southern Ontario (have had flocks of over 100 up on James Bay though), as well as my FOY Semipalmated Sandpiper. I was also pleased to get some better looks at the White-rumped Sandpiper. 

Digiscoped White-rumped with many Leasts

The next morning I went back out to Kilally, and was pleased to find a bunch of birds had come in, including my FOY Mourning, Canada, and Wilson's Warblers, Eastern Wood-pewees, Red-eyed Vireos (finally), and best of all, a Red-headed Woodpecker. Not a picture taking morning! See the eBird checklist here.

Later in the evening, I caught wind of Ruddy Turnstones down at Dingman (which is so inconveniently far away), and I was out the door before you could say "Arenaria interpres".

After some frantic scoping in the evening light, I managed to find them. A county bird for me, and one I was really hoping to cross paths with this spring. First Middlesex record in five years I believe. 

Another digiscope

A couple other birders showed up, and we stayed until dark. Paid off, since a Black-bellied Plover flew in!

The next morning I stuck to my neighbourhood (I wanted to be able to get home in time for the opening of vaccine registrations!), but I still managed to find my FOY Philadelphia Vireo and Alder Flycatcher. Compared to Kilally, not much going on though! 

I finally set up my moth sheet on this night as well, since it was warm out. Not much in the way of moths, but I did add a new neighbourhood bird when I heard a couple Long-tailed Ducks calling as they flew over. 

Kilally the next morning didn't yield much other than a few more Canada Warblers, and a lateish Common Loon. Still found nearly 70 species though. In the evening, I had my FOY Common Nighthawks flying above my yard.

The next morning once again started with Kilally (lol). FOY Yellow-billed Cuckoo was nice, but other than that no more year birds. I did have four Canada Warblers and three Mourning Warblers though, so hard not to be pleased with that I guess! 

After I got home, I got an alert for Red-necked Phalarope and some Wilson's Phalaropes at the Strathroy Sewage Lagoons, so I bet you can guess where I ended up in the afternoon! It took a loop of the north lagoon, but I finally spotted both species of phalaropes (one Red-necked and four Wilson's). This was my first time seeing a breeding plumaged Red-necked.

Wilson's, Red-necked, and a Mallard

And so that brings us to today, and of course I went to Kilally. Overall, it was pretty uneventful, although there was one highlight. As I was walking along the paved path, I heard a flycatcher vocalization deep in the woods that caught my ear. I suspected Acadian Flycatcher, so I investigated. Sure enough, I managed to get a better listen and a visual, and it was indeed an Acadian! The first one I have seen in four years. The species breeds regularly in a few woodlots in Middlesex, although there are very few records for right in London. It is no mega rarity, but it was nice to find something.

I have some audio recordings on my eBird checklist.

It was a fantastic week, and there should still be more to come! Still have a few species to catch up with, maybe tomorrow...