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...

Pelee Big Day

Last Saturday I joined up with some friends and we did a Point Pelee Area big day. I thought it was a huge success! Due to the rain/cold/lots of action, I didn't take too many photos, so visuals may be lacking, but I'll try to get into as much detail as I can!

We started around 5:30 am. At the Visitor Centre we picked up a few early birds, including American Woodcock, a target of ours for the VC.

Our first stop was the Tip of Point Pelee. It was quite miserable at first, especially with the wind, rain, and lack of birds, but soon it picked up. One of our first highlights of the morning were the groups of terns flying by. While the majority were Common Terns, early on we managed to pick out four Black Terns in with the Commons. Certainly a nice bird to "get out of the way".

We managed to pick out both Common and Red-throated Loon. The Red-throated in particular was a nice surprise, and personally my first bird that I have seen in the spring.

Red-throated Loon

Plenty of small birds, especially warblers, were around. There was actually what some people were calling a mini-fallout. I didn't take any photos, but we managed to see probably close to 12 species of warblers, including Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Bay-breasted, Black-and-white, and Wilson's. Plenty of Baltimore Orioles and a female Scarlet Tanager also made an appearance.

After spending some time at the Tip, we made our back to the VC via some trails through Sparrow Field and Post Woods. We came across a few birds of note, including Warbling Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Lincoln's Sparrow, and Spotted Sandpipers. Plenty of warblers and Least Flycatchers were around as well.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

We walked a little bit of Woodland Nature Trail on our way back, and were rewarded with a flyover Great Egret and a roosting Common Nighthawk.

After a quick stop for a break at the VC, and quickly tallying our total thus far (90 species or so in the first few hours!) we went back out to Woodland to have a look for Prothonotary Warblers. Although we missed the Prothons (in fact, despite trying again later, we missed them for the day!) we managed to see a few new birds for the day list. There was a Northern Waterthrush singing, as well as our first and only Red-headed Woodpecker of the day. It is a miracle we even saw the Red-headed, as I had been looking at a Black-and-white Warbler, and in behind the warbler I managed to spot the woodpecker through a tiny opening in the branches!

Horrible picture of a Northern Parula

There was a nice Canada Warbler on Redbud trail.

 There was also a very cooperative Chestnut-sided Warbler, which entertained us for a bit.

Despite the pouring rain, we did a quick run of Tilden's, where we managed to pick up a Solitary Sandpiper. We also found an active Carolina Wren nest with four young birds.

We got a message about a cooperative Hooded Warbler behind the VC, so we went over to check it out. There was no crowd (very strange for Pelee), so we almost walked right past her. She was all wet, and the lighting was horrible, but thankfully the white outer tail feathers were obvious, which sealed the identification.

Just as we were about to leave the park for Wheatley, we got another message about a cooperative Mourning Warbler on Woodland, so we took a little jog for it. Unfortunately, by the time we got there it had hunkered down, but we managed to see a White-eyed Vireo and a Cooper's Hawk, which were decent consolation prize.

I saw my 100th species for the day, Field Sparrow, behind the Visitor Centre. Pretty convenient to go and claim my 100 species challenge pin!

We headed out to Wheatley, picking up Red-tailed Hawk, Short-billed Dowitcher, American Golden Plover, and Black-bellied Plover along the way. When we arrived in Wheatley we were soaked to the skin, but happy, because as soon as we pulled up the Dickcissel, the rare bird we had driven to see, was singing.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Satisfied, we moved on to the harbour, which was just down the road. There were a few birds, including Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, and Chipping Sparrow. Just as we were about to leave, a Whimbrel flew by, definitely a highlight of the day.

We took a drive down Mersea Road 21, where we managed to find a few good things. Highlights included Short-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Savannah Sparrow, American Pipit, Horned Lark, and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Short-billed Dowitchers

Semipalmated Plovers

Great Black-backed Gull

Hillman was pretty quiet, but we managed to find Forster's and Caspian Terns. Just outside the marsh, as couple of us managed to pick up Trumpeter Swans and a Green Heron.

We returned to the park, where a couple of us managed to find Indigo Bunting and Yellow-throated Vireo. Also a few more warblers were around.

Northern Parula

Our last trail of the day was Woodland Nature Trail. The highlight here was definitely seeing a Mourning Warbler (we'll just disregard the whole "is that a Connecticut?!?!" thing) This was the first time I have been able to get some photos of this elusive warbler.

And with the light fading, we called it a day. As a group we saw just over 130 species, myself personally seeing 127 of them. It was certainly a big day!

It is going to be another busy weekend...I will be birding the Bruce Peninsula!

eBird checklists:

Point Pelee National Park (morning)

Onion Fields

Wheatley Harbour

Mersea Road 21

Hillman Conservation Area

Point Pelee National Park (evening)

Butterflies, Birds, and Mosquitoes

Today was the Skunk's Misery Butterfly Count. I joined Blake on his sections of the count. From what I heard it was a very slow day, although altogether we tallied 50 species. For most there were only a few representatives from each. The butterfly that was seen the most was Cabbage White, with over 400 (if I remember correctly).

In the morning, we walked about five kilometers down Centerville Rd.

A few butterflies greeted us as soon as we got out of the car, including Monarch, Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, European Skipper, Peck's Skipper, and Northern Crescent.

Orange Sulphur

Common Milkweed and Butterfly Weed were abundant, so the Milkweed Beetles were out.

Eastern Comma seemed to be easy to find, and were common in pockets here and there. There were some Gray Commas too.

Eastern Comma

A few Question Marks were to be found as well.

An exciting find was a Compton Tortoiseshell. These are rare in Middlesex, and aren't found every year. It is quite the stunner.

A few Tawny Emperors could be found.

The damsels and dragonflies also caught my attention.

Eastern Pondhawk

Aurora Damsel 

Little Wood-satyrs were numerous, as were Red Admirals. There were a couple Silver-spotted Skippers along the forest edge.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Red Admiral

There were a couple Appalachian Browns and Common Wood-nymphs throughout.

A. Brown

This Monarch is newly emerged. You can see the chrysalis on the right.

Only one Mourning Cloak was seen. It appeared quite fresh.

Only ONE hairstreak was seen on our route the entire day. It was a Banded. Apparently last year this count had the highest number of Banded Hairstreaks anywhere in North America.

As for birds, Hooded Warblers, Mourning Warblers, Pine Warblers, Ovenbirds, Veerys (Veeries?), Indigo Buntings, and a Broad-winged Hawk were just some of the species seen.

I almost got FULL FRAME shots of an ADULT MALE Hooded Warbler!!! I bushwhacked into where I heard one singing, then pished for a couple minutes. I saw it fly over into a bush, so I walked over to a clear area and started pishing again. Literally only seconds after I started pishing, one came in and perched on a bare branch about 3 meters away at eye level. I lifted my camera, but the darn bird caught my movement, squeaked, then flew off never to be seen nor heard again. ARGGHH!

After lunch, we headed farther afield.

A quick stop in County Line Woods yielded Eastern Tailed Blues and Ruby Meadowhawks.

E T Blue

Ruby Meadowhawk

Another location along the river had a lot of Great Spangled Fritillaries, European Skippers, and Delaware Skippers.

Great Spangled Frit

Delaware Skipper

I didn't know I had seen a Painted Lady until I was reviewing my photos. I just dismissed it as a Red Admiral. This brings the species count up to 51. However, I imagine that the official tally will remain 50.

Indigo Buntings were pretty common today. It wasn't uncommon to find one singing beside the road while we were looking for butterflies.

Is that a dragonfly on the log or not? I'll let you figure that out!

The final stop of the count was a small patch of wildflowers. It was pretty quiet.

Butterfly Weed

Common Milkweed

After we went to the BBQ to compile the lists and socialize. Exploring the property, we found a pair of Eastern Bluebirds and my first Pearl Crescent of the year.

It was discovered that more participants are needed for the Clear Creek count on July 22nd. If you are interested, then please come out (I'm not really sure about the details.)

Overall, despite lack of numbers, it was a good day. Below are the species that I personally saw. If it is bolded, then it was a lifer.

1. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
2. Cabbage White
3. Clouded Sulphur
4. Orange Sulphur
5. Banded Hairstreak
6. Eastern Tailed Blue
7. Great Spangled Fritillary
8. Pearl Crescent
9. Northern Crescent
10. Question Mark
11. Eastern Comma
12. Gray Comma
13. Compton Tortoiseshell
14. Mourning Cloak
15. Painted Lady
16. Red Admiral
17. Tawny Emperor
18. Northern Pearly-Eye
19. Appalachian Brown
20. Little Wood-Satyr
21. Common Wood-Nymph
22. Monarch
23. Silver-spotted Skipper
24. European Skipper
25. Peck's Skipper
26. Northern Broken Dash
27. Delaware Skipper