Long Point and Columbia Lake

24 April 2021

Long Point, Norfolk County, ON

     We decided that a visit to Long Point was in the cards, so armed with lunch we left for a day at Lake Erie. The weather was passable and we agreed it would be good to get away for a change of scenery.

     The last time we went to Long Point we noticed a property with many Purple Martin (Progne subis) houses in readiness for the return of the birds, and it was good to see that serious attention was now being paid to the accommodation on offer.

     If I am not mistaken all rooms are heir conditioned!

     In Port Rowan harbour there were many Bonaparte's Gulls (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) patrolling close to shore and dropping to the water to snatch fish.

     We spent much of our time along the causeway, where Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) was easily found.

     Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) seemed to be everywhere, and Miriam astutely noticed this pair when one obliging bird gave another a boost in order to see a little farther!

     No doubt the view was appealing because no sooner had the upper bird dismounted he jumped back up for a second look!

     Ah, those Killdeers!

     I am used to seeing Killdeers feed in typical plover fashion, running along and stopping to pick up prey located visually, but this individual seems to have found a choice morsel in the water.

     Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) is a handsome duck, and as the genus name implies, is equipped with a bill reminiscent of a shoveler.

     Agreeably, several pairs were dabbling quite close to shore.

     We concluded that the area must have been especially conducive to filter feeding, for several Northern Shovelers (Spatula clypeata) were present alongside the Blue-winged Teal.

     Males seemed to outnumber females by a wide margin.

     A Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) was busy feeding alongside the ducks.

     A case could be made that a male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is a candidate for the title, "World's Most Handsome Duck". No doubt some might dispute that claim, but it would certainly rank in the top five, I would think.

     We found a very agreeable spot to park and have our lunch, looking out over a marsh.

     Way off in the distance a couple of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were scanning the lake. It's not a great picture, but it was a long way off.

     Earlier we had seen a lone Lesser Yellowlegs, but while we ate lunch, several birds in a feeding frenzy, dashing here and there, and sieving through the water, entertained us royally.

     No trip to Long Point is complete without a visit to the Long Point Bird Observatory at Old Cut, especially during spring migration, but COVID once again exerted its evil influence.

     We had to be content with a walk down to the shore to gaze out over Lake Erie.

     It was all in all a very pleasant day.

27 April 2021

Columbia Lake, Waterloo, ON

     Our local waterways seemed to be universally bereft of gulls this year and not a single one was seen at Columbia Lake. I am not sure why this should be, but the sighting of a gull is getting to be a surprise. 

     A Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) probed the shallows for food.

     Tawny Cotton-grass (Eriophorum virginicum) looked especially attractive.

     It is also known as Bog Cotton, quite a lovely name, really.

     Common Reed (Phragmites australis) is elegant and beautiful, but highly invasive, and damaging to native vegetation in a wetland.

     Once established it is extremely difficult to eradicate.

     The star of the show was a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at the pinnacle of its breeding plumage, and looking very handsome indeed.

     With great patience it stalked its prey.

     Is this not a study in concentration?

     With one lightening jab, we knew that fish was on the menu.

     After downing the fish in one swallow, the heron gave its plumage a good shake before flying off a couple of hundred metres along the shore to try its luck there.

     We are now into peak spring migration so we will have to see what we can bring you next time, even though we will be unable to visit some of the best hot spots - like the Long Point Observatory, they are all closed!

Another Grab Bag of the Meanderings of Miriam and David

      The realities imposed by the global pandemic are a daily feature of our lives, but by careful planning, common sense and respect for others we have been able to continue on with our lives without undue hindrance.

Forwell Park/Hillside Park, Waterloo, ON

     Often, after dinner, we go for a walk through Forwell Park to Hillside Park, and are bound to encounter other walkers and cyclists, but everyone seems to be well aware of the precautionary measures to be taken, and it is a pleasant experience all round. I don't think that we have ever encountered another birder there, but many have inquired as to what we are looking at, and a few have given us tips about birds they have seen farther along the trail. 

  

     Common Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) appear to have had a successful breeding season and we frequently see large flocks with many hatch-year birds. Adults are underrated beauties in my opinion.

     A couple of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers (Empidonax flaviventris) were probably early migrants.

     This cat was handsome and very friendly but we hate to see felines wandering at large. They are fearsome predators of birds and other small wildlife, and seem to kill with abandon, their lethal pursuits bearing no relation to hunger.

     An American Robin has captured a tasty morsel or two.

     If there has been a constant component to our walks at Hillside Park this year it has been the presence of Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). There is ample high quality nesting habitat for them and they have had a successful breeding season based on our observations.

     I always think we pay less attention to the sky than we should, other than looking for birds above us, and Miriam rectified this shortcoming with a dramatic intersection of branch and cloud.

     The faint outline of a rising moon is no less charming.

     It is a little early for even incipient signs of fall and I suspect that this tree has been subject to stresses of one kind or another. Perhaps its root system is unduly shallow and has suffered from drought. Whatever the cause, I do not think it represents a genuine herald of autumn.

     Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) were dotted here and there, enlivening a backdrop of green.

       To the best of my recollection, and that of Miriam too, this is the first occasion when we have observed  a Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) bathing in the creek.

     On the way out of the park we noticed this handsome Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor), a pleasant discovery indeed. Perhaps there are others, seeded from tiny acorns, likely hidden and forgotten by squirrels; we will be sure to look.

Columbia Lake,  Waterloo, ON

     The level of the water at Columbia Lake is regulated, but for reasons not apparent to us, it seems to have fluctuated unreasonably this year. It has gone from depths where Ospreys (Pandion haliaeetus) were able to plunge dive in pursuit of fish, to conditions where we could walk across the lake  with ease. Such was the case this evening.

     These conditions are favourable to shorebirds and there were groups of Semipalmated (Calidris pusilla) and Least Sandpipers (C. minutilla) feeding on the mud and in shallow water.

     Ever skittish, they rapidly took to the air if we approached too close, only to land again on the mud a few metres away.

     There were several Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) present, often serenading us with their high, whistling call.

    A Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) was mainly content to feed in a delicate manner, deliberately picking insects from the surface of the water. It appeared positively well mannered compared with the frenzy exhibited by the peeps all around it!

     Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) is at its peak in late August and presents a glorious sea of yellow.

     It is highly prized by pollinators of every description.

     There are many species of bumblebee seeking nectar, and I am not sure as to the exact species of the following individual.

     Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) was ubiquitous.

     Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) is at its peak in southern Ontario from about mid June through mid September.

     Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is among the most catholic of eaters, dining on just about anything it can swallow, and the low water level doubtless concentrated fish into shallow pools making for easy pickings.

Milverton Sewage Lagoons, Wellington County, ON

     Immediately upon arrival at the sewage lagoons we had the incredible good fortune to spot a Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) among a large gathering of Lesser Yellowlegs. Actually, in all conscience we cannot lay claim to having spotted it; an old friend, Ken Dance, had arrived a little before us, and had already located the bird and pointed it out to us.

     It is a small bird - compare its size with a Lesser Yellowlegs.

     There were about a dozen or so Solitary Sandpipers present, all birds of the year making their first migration from the boreal forests to their winter quarters in South America. Their plumage is crisp and clean, not yet having endured the rigours of a year's life on the wing. The yellowish tinge to the legs is another clue that these are hatch year individuals.

     Lesser Yellowlegs was clearly the most common species and this bird was wrestling with some tasty food item hidden from view.

     Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) was also in attendance, though in much lower numbers than Lesser Yellowlegs, as is usually the case.

     Numerous Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) rounded out the contingent of shorebirds.

     It is hard to beat a Wilson's Phalarope for the "bird of the day" but a hunting Merlin (Falco columbarius) could perhaps lay claim to the honour.

     We first saw this young bird juking its way across the water in hot pursuit of a shorebird. The range of manoeuvers at mind-boggling speed was incredible, but the shorebird won the day and the falcon gave up. No doubt inexperience in the hunt played a role in the outcome; this youngster has much to learn in the honing of its survival skills.

     

     It perched on this snag, periodically leaving and making a circular flight, returning to the same branch.

There seemed to be no purpose to these forays that we could determine and they did not appear to reflect a bird in hunting mode.

     That all changed when it shot off the branch and returned mere seconds later with a bird in its talons.

     Success!

     It wasted no time in plucking and devouring its prey.

     It rested for a short period, perhaps to allow its food to digest, and then left the area completely.

     I would counsel those shorebirds, "Don't relax your guard. The Merlin will be back!"