Rondeau Big Day

Yesterday I conducted a "big day of sorts" in the Rondeau birding circle. It wasn't a true big day in the sense I was out for 24 hours, so perhaps I better call it a "big 12 hours". I ended up with 131 species in the circle, which surpassed my goal of "let's see if we can hit 100". Of course, after I got home and checked eBird I saw just how many things I missed. Perhaps the worst was driving right past Keith McLean in the evening, which had six species of shorebird species I "needed", but hey, that's birding!

I started around 7:30, making a quick stop into Keith McLean. A few birds kicking around, but as it turned out nothing there was "crucial" for the final tally. Notable were my first Yellow Warblers, Marsh Wrens, Warbling Vireo, and Bobolink of the year. There was a Sora way the heck out.

Sora

Upon arriving at the park, I first walked around the campground. Nothing too unusual, but there was an Eastern Wood-Pewee. perhaps a tad early. There was also an odd looking swift, which I determined to be a Chimney Swift. Seemed a lot larger and stronger flying than any one I've seen before.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Solitary Sandpiper being solitary

Black-throated Green Warbler

Veery

Afterward, it was over to the maintenance loop. But not before getting a look at a "lifer" of sorts, a Brewster's Warbler. Brewster's Warblers aren't their own species, but rather a hybrid between Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers. There is another "version" of the hybrid, the Lawernce's Warbler, that was seen on this day in Rondeau, but I didn't see it.

Maintenance loop and Pony Barn ended up being uncharacteristically quiet. Just a few birds here and there. And by "few" I mean species, hundreds of White-throated Sparrows!

Hermit Thrush

Ovenbird

After seeing a Black-billed Cuckoo in the campground (hi Josh), I went over to check the bay. A couple of new species for the day.

Black-billed Cuckoo

Forster's Tern 

Northern Waterthrush

Black-and-white Warbler

I then decided to to the "first little bit" of the Marsh Trail, which for those who don't know is seven kilometers in length one way. The "first little bit" soon morphed into "just a tad bit further" which eventually ended up with "oh hey, I reached the end". I managed to do the whole 14 kilometers in about four hours, three hours to walk out, and an hour to get back, so I like to think I made pretty good time. This was my first time going further than the old observation tower (which is now gone), and I must say, it was quite the nice trail.

Red-headed Woodpecker

There were hundreds of birds along the trail, especially along the second half. The majority were sparrows, comprised of largely White-throated. White-crowned, Song, and Swamp. Other included many Marsh Wrens, which replaced the House Wrens once I reached the more open marsh section of the trail. There quite a few warblers as well, such as Palm, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped, and Yellow, working their way north. A couple individuals of American Redstart, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, and Orange-crowned were seen here and there as well. There was a Wood Thrush along the open marsh section, which seemed like an odd place for one.

American Redstart

Palm Warbler

There were plenty of marsh birds, including at least 23 Soras, 6 Virginia Rails, and 7 American Bitterns. The rails even ran across the path every once in a while. There were a number of Sandhill Cranes in the marsh as well.

American Bittern 

Sandhill Crane

Plenty of ducks, and a couple families of Canada Geese.

Near the end of my return trip, I was surprised to find an American Tree Sparrow. It is likely to be the last one I see this season, unless one pops up in the Bruce Penisula (like one did last year, not that'd you'd know because I procrastinated big time, and ended up never writing a post on that trip!)

Upon arriving back to the car, my dad enlightened me to the fact he had seen a Hooded Warbler fly right through the parking lot! Arrgh, another miss on this day (I should have done Tulip tree trail!)

The White-winged Dove was back to its old shenanigans, and I missed it, even after two attempts. At least I scored Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Pine Siskin at the VC feeders!

I did a quick walk of Bennett, but nothing of note there. Next up was Spicebush Trail. Not too, too much action, but Blue-winged Warbler and Least Bittern were gotten in quick succession.

Blue-winged Warbler

One last quick loop of Maintenance revealed Tufted Titmouse, as well as a flyby Cooper's Hawk. Just before leaving, I scoped out the bay and secured Pied-billed Grebe (I was getting worried!) and Ring-necked Duck. 121(.5) species just in the park, not too shabby!

I picked up American Kestrel and Savannah Sparrow on the way to the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons. My first kestrel for Chatham-Kent actually!

The lagoons were quite birdy. I didn't stay too long, but managed to see four new ones for the day; Bank Swallow, Eastern Meadowlark, Northern Shoveler, and Redhead. I had surpassed my personal best for a big day. and the final push to 130 was on!

Bobolink

McGeachy pond in Erieau did not produce any more shorebirds (I only saw 4 species in the circle that day, eek1!), but did give me a Great Egret. #129, one more!

There were no birds on the pier when we arrived. Uh oh. I turned my attention to the distant beaches of Rondeau, and there in all its glory, was a Great Black-backed Gull. Twenty of them actually.

Just as I thought my day was over, I heard it. Buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz. Clay-colored Sparrow! #131!

It was a pretty good day, despite the birds I missed. And next weekend I get to do it all over again in Point Pelee!

Kettle Point Produces

Today I went on the annual Nature London trip to the Kettle Point area. I didn't go last year, but in 2015 it was very successful...and this year it was no different!

We stopped in at the Forest Sewage Lagoons first. This spot often yields numerous ducks that are hard to get on the lake. We had numerous Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Ducks, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Bufflehead, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, and Long-tailed Duck.

One of the highlights was a White-winged Scoter.

Ruddy Ducks and White-winged Scoter (2nd from R)

Many gulls, mostly Ring-billed and Bonaparte's, were present.

We managed to hear a late Common Gallinule in the reeds along the side of the cell.

Kettle Point was next. We immediately were off to a great start with a few dozen ducks, including Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Redhead, and Red-breasted Merganser.

Surf Scoter

There were a few Pied-billed and Horned Grebes as well. At one point, I thought I spotted a Red-necked Grebe way off in the distance, but I couldn't rule out it being a merganser.

At one point, a Great Blue Heron flew in.

Many blackbirds were present, including these Rusties.

There were also a couple Double-crested Cormorants and Mute Swans.

Near the point, at the little park with the gazebo, we managed to find a nice group of Common Mergansers some Bonaparte's Gulls.

There was also a single Long-tailed Duck.

We drove along the beach, which resulted in a few additions to the day list, including the first Turkey Vultures I've seen in a few days. We couldn't find anything within the dozens of Canada Geese, but the Bonaparte's Gulls kept us happy.

Moving toward the Pinery, we finally found a couple Bald Eagles. They didn't care to be photographed, so my only picture is quite bad!

The feeders at the Pinery VC were quite active. Tufted Titmice (Titmouses?) were quite regular, which was nice to see. American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, and White-breasted Nuthatches were present as well.

The lighting was very bad, and the camera didn't want to cooperate!

Tufted Titmouse

American Goldfinch

We walked Riverside Trail, where we found a number of Cedar Waxwings, robins, nuthatches, and a Tufted Titmouse.

The highlight of the trip was found soon after...a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers!

Although Red-headed Woodpeckers are expected, they are definitely are very uncommon. The pair seen here are my first for Lambton county.

After Riverside, we drove out of the park, but not before checking out the beaches. Nothing much except a large-ish raft of Greater Scaup.

The real excitement was on the opposite side of the road, on the forest side. After a little bit of scanning, we were able to find dozens of Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, and even a pair of Purple Finches!

After this, we decided to call it a day and head back home.

Huge thanks to Paul for driving me around (and sharing your lunch!) Sorry we couldn't find you a Cackling Goose (or Pine Siskins!)

The Rarities of 2016

2016 was an amazing year for rarities (check out my post on a 2016 Ontario Big Year for a list of rare birds). I didn't get to see all of them (Common Ringed Plover and Crested Caracara being the most painful not to see), but I caught up with a few of them.

The first rarity I was successful in seeing was a Greater White-fronted Goose in London.

This is typically more a "western goose", however large numbers showed throughout 2016. This individual was somewhat tame, and many birders got close enough to take decent photos. The bird that showed up in London appeared to be a "Greenland" type.

Nearly a month later a Gyrfalcon showed up in Warwick, Lambton.

The bird stayed for at least a month, and offered great views. This Gyrfalcon was a gray morph, and appeared to be male. Great bird for Southern Ontario!

A week after the Gyr, an Eurasian Wigeon showed up in Lambton as well. I didn't get a picture, nor did I get a good look at the bird, but it was a Euro Wigeon nonetheless, so it was a great find.

The next rare bird I was able to lay my eyes on were Loggerhead Shrikes.

While a regular breeder in Ontario, they are only about a dozen pairs in the province. Carden Alvar boasts over half of these pairs, and this is where I found the Shrikes.

Piping Plovers aren't really "rarities" in Ontario, but finding a successful nesting pair sure is!

Darlington Provincial Park hosted two successful broods in 2016, the first in over 80 years! I'm not alone in hoping for their return this year.

An Eurasian Collared-Dove the next week was a great bird in Guelph.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove is making it's way northward, and I'm sure it won't be long before they regularly breed  in the province.

Marbled Godwit was next almost a month later in Hamilton.

Marbled Godwits are hard to come across in Ontario, with only a few records, if any, each year.

I saw a Red Knot the same evening as the Marbled Godwit in Hamilton.

The light was fading fast, but I managed to find the bird and get a some record shots. Red Knots migrate in the thousands through Ontario way up north along Hudson and James bay, but we usually only find around a dozen down here in southern Ontario.

Two months later I catch up with another rarity...Cattle Egret in Blenheim.

Like the Greater White-fronted Goose, 2016 was a great year for Cattle Egrets in the province as well, and there could have been as many as two dozen, maybe even more.

November was highlighted by a Western Sandpiper at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons. This bird sure made people confused. Originally identified as a Semipalmated Sandpiper, It wasn't until a couple weeks into it's visit that the possibility of it being a Western really got going. After a few days of debate and examining pictures, we reached the conclusion of it being a WESA. I would have attempted for a photo if I knew it was a WESA, but I figured that I've seen lots of Semis, so I don't need any photos. I'm kicking myself now!

A Red-headed Woodpecker was a great local rarity that I found (with the assistance of some companions) on the London CBC4Kids.

RHWO are hard to come across during the breeding season, and even harder to find in the Winter. The bird this past December was a juvenile.

A female King Eider in Hamilton was a great bird.

King Eiders are regular but usually hard to find. So far this winter has been a good one for this duck. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before an adult male is found.

Black Vultures are a Niagara specialty.

Black Vultures are becoming increasingly more common in Ontario, especially along the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. They can be separated from Turkey Vultures by the silvery spot on the tips of their wings.

My last rarity of 2016 was a Little Gull.

I've been searching for Little Gulls since I first learned about this species in July, 2015 (not all that far back, but I started birding in March, 2015). 2016 wasn't the best year for this rare gull species, but those who do a little birding in Niagara  are usually successful. They can be separated from a Bonaparte's Gull by their dark underwing.

Well their you have it. All the rare birds I saw in 2016. Hopefully 2017 will be even better, and I'm already off to a great start!

London CBC4Kids 2016

Today was the Christmas Bird Count for Kids here in London. I volunteered as a group leader, and by 9:30 am, after the introduction, we broke up into our groups and went to our respectable areas along Springbank Park and Greenway Park.

As soon as we arrived we looked up in time to see a Common Loon flyover. Loons at this time of year in Middlesex is quite a good sighting. Ring-billed Gulls, Chickadees, and Goldfinches flew over here as well.

A little bit down the path we found the highlight of the entire bird count....a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker! This bird is fairly rare at any time of year in the county, so this bird is very exciting. 2016 seems to be a good year for RHWO in Middlesex, as there was a presumed breeding pair in the Strathroy area. Maybe this bird is one of the fledglings!

This isn't a B&W filter...the lighting sucked!

I have labeled the area of the observation for anyone who wants to try to find the bird.

red x marks the spot

highlighted area is the spot of the RHWO

I saw it storing food of some kind, so maybe it will try to overwinter.

Other birds seen along the route included Cardinals, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Kinglets, Common Goldeneye, Canada Geese, and Juncos.

We met back an hour and half later to share our sightings. A bird that rivaled the RHWO was Sandhill Crane....28 of them flew over Greenway Park! Unlike some friends in counties such as Chatham-Kent or Lambton, who see dozens more of these birds, here in Middlesex it is hard enough to come about one or two cranes, let alone 28....flying over downtown!

Together we had a total of over 600 individuals, down from 1000+ the last two years, and 32 species, which is a new record on this count.

In a couple weeks I'll be down in Rondeau doing the CBC there. Hopefully I can get in some birding before then!