A Day Out With Tracey and Jenny

Let's treat this planet as if we plan to stay here and not as if it is a disposable item. Mars is not ready yet and never will be.

Monte Hummel

      05 December 2020

     Two of the participants on one of my recent COVID walks were Tracey and Jenny, both of whom are very enthusiastic about nature, and were quite thrilled with the birds they saw on that walk. I promised them I would take them to the north shore of Lake Ontario for "Waterfowl 101" and I was delighted to meet up with them to spend a day's birding, and hopefully to help them to expand their knowledge of the various species that would greet us out on the lake.

DesJardins Canal, Dundas, ON

     Our usual starting point is at the DesJardins Canal, and we headed directly there.

     Sadly, the first experience of the location was marred for Tracey and Jenny by the activities of Homo ignoramus and that noteworthy subspecies Homo ignoramus deformius. Taxonomy usually has this species ranked as Homo sapiens but it hardly seems to fit the bill.

     Why would you dispose of your unwanted Christmas frippery correctly when you could just throw it out in the parking area at the canal? That's in the spirit of the season, isn't it?

     And as for those old tyres, why pay a small fee to have them disposed of in an environmentally responsible way when you can toss them on the ground?

     After all, having just bought four new tyres who can afford a couple of bucks to get rid of the old ones? They're just junk don't you know?

     And so is this.

     And this.

     And this.

     And so were the plastic lids with plastic straws Tracey was picking up. And all the other crap.

     I tell you, we humans are a sorry species.

     We moved away from the area sullied by trash to take a picture of Tracey and Jenny to memorialize the day.

     There was still an abundance of the detritus of humanity present, not quite as visible and buried in the vegetation, but there nonetheless.

     I wonder if this Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) looked down on us with disdain.

     Let me confess at this point, that I am not nearly as diligent as Miriam when it comes to taking pictures, and I have little else to offer from this stop. Later in the post, to illustrate some of the waterfowl, I have delved into the archives, but the pictures are drawn from that location, so they are not lacking in integrity.

All species: Canada Goose, Mallard, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Ring-billed Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, House Sparrow, Common Redpoll, American Goldfinch, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal  Total: 15

Urquart Butterfly Garden, Dundas, ON

     It is an easy walk from the canal to the butterfly garden, with a great view looking back over the canal.

     It will be evident to all that there are no butterflies present in December, but the area is often quite birdy, especially for sparrows and other seed-eating species, but not today unfortunately.

     It was a good chance to get another picture of Tracey and Jenny at the information board.

     The walk back along the shore of the canal was characterized by excellent views of several Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), a familiar species, but always an exquisite encounter.

All species: Ring-billed Gull, American Crow  Total: 2

Grindstone Creek, Burlington, ON

     As we pulled into the parking area, a couple of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) were feeding on berries, but they left and did not return to say hello.

     We saw our first Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) of the day, gloriously handsome birds, and a thrill to see.

     It was a very agreeable sighting for Tracey and Jenny, for they had seen Trumpeter Swans earlier in the year at Wye Marsh, near Midland, ON, where many of them breed.

     This duo actually came over to greet us, and that pleased us greatly.

     Perhaps they even wished to have a chat.

     It was at this location that Jenny saw her first Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) and was quite taken with the name! We may give it to her as a nickname, so tickled with it was she!

     The birds were too far out across the bay to get a picture, so I am including a picture of a male from our folder.

 All species: Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ring-billed Gull, Cedar Waxwing.  Total: 6

Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, Burlington, ON

     This trail leads right off from Grindstone Creek and we walked a couple of hundred metres along it before turning back.

     It was characterized by many birds of several species, with lots of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) feeding from people's hands, with White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) and even the odd Downy Woodpecker being brave enough to give it a try.

     One group ahead of us, having had enough of hand-feeding, dumped their seed on the ground, and a group of birds immediately took advantage of this bonanza.

     As you can see in the picture above, at one point there were six Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) enjoying the feast, and they were joined at times by Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). 

     Cardinals do have a way of stealing the show.

     Just as we were leaving I spotted a very distinctive species, a rare migrant in fact, Pulchra rufus, which arrived at our latitude from the British Isles via a circuitous route, having made landfall here after transiting through Mexico.

     Until quite recently, I had never seen this enigmatic species, but I suspect that it may not be difficult to spot again.

All species: Mallard, Ring-billed Gull, Turkey Vulture, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, Common Redpoll, Northern Cardinal. Total: 12

LaSalle Park and Marina, Burlington, ON

     It was lunch time when we arrived at LaSalle and it was pleasant enough, with the temperature right around zero, to sit on a bench and eat outside. 

      In no time at all, we were joined by a couple of Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis), hoping to glean a few scraps from careless or beneficent humans, but they were sorely disappointed, I am afraid.

     Tracey and Jenny both commented on the beauty of the bird, proving without a doubt what smart ladies they are!

     A male Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) swam by at a leisurely pace in the bay right in front of us.

     These are pretty special lunchtime companions.

     After lunch we took my telescope and went over to the west side of the harbour to scan the water. We could see with the naked eye that there were large numbers of ducks, most of which were new for my eager companions. A large raft of Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) was especially attractive, as are all stifftails (highly recommended: Ruddy Ducks & Other Stifftails, Paul A. Johnsgard and Montserrat Carbonell [1996]).

     It is here that we saw a lone American Coot (Fulica americana); doubtless there were others somewhere hidden among the thousands of ducks bobbing up and down on the gentle swell.

     The same could be said of the only Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) of the day.

     There were many White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca) and I thought I saw a few Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) but they were too far out to be sure.

      As might be expected Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) were quite common, some fairly close to enable excellent viewing.

Greater Scaup ♂

Greater Scaup ♀

     We saw but one Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) in contrast to the many Trumpeter Swans present.

     As we meandered around the lake, and along the woodland trail abutting the water, we spotted Canvasback (Aythya valsineria) several times. It is a handsome, sleek duck, always quite regal to my eye.

      Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) as expected seemed to be keeping company with every other species, the males looking especially jaunty with their curly tail feathers.

     I recall seeing only one male Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) but females were quite common.

     This one seemed to be trying its hand at snorkelling!

     A single drake Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) has been present for some weeks now and seems destined to spend the winter at LaSalle. It is indeed among the very handsomest of ducks.

     The treed area of the park slopes down quite steeply to the water and erosion can seriously undermine some of the root structures of shallowly anchored trees.

     On the way back along the boardwalk, where Tracey was delighted to be able to hand-feed a White-breasted Nuthatch, we met Franc and Carol who had been to Niagara Falls and had called in at LaSalle on the way home. We all decided to go to Woodland Cemetery together to see if the Eastern Screech Owls (Megascops asio) were in an obliging mood today.

All species: Canada Goose. Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Mourning Dove, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.  Total: 26

Woodland Cemetery, Burlington, ON

     The owls decided that they were not going to put themselves on display for gawking humans, and we left with out success. Maybe next time.....

All species: Canada Goose, Bald Eagle, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee. Total: 4

Sioux Lookout Park, Burlington, ON

     Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), normally a reliable species in winter on Lake Ontario had eluded us all day, so we decided to give it one last try at Sioux Lookout Park. There were huge rafts of ducks at this location, but other than for small numbers of Common Goldeneye close inshore, all were very far out. In fact, at the horizon, thousands upon thousands

of ducks were staging a fly past, but it was impossible to determine the species given the waning light and the sheer distance.

     We did, however, pick up one pair of Long-tailed Ducks in the scope. Success right at the end of the day!

Long-tailed Duck ♂

Long-tailed Duck ♀

All species: Mallard, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Ring-billed Gull. Total: 5

General Comment

     A day spent away from one's immediate environs is a welcome change during this period of COVID-restricted movement, and I was fortunate to spend it birding with two charming companions, whose company I enjoyed greatly. I certainly hope we can do again!    

Tuesday Rambles with David - A Full Day Out

      The pandemic has kept us pretty close to home since it first started to dominate our lives in March, and we were itching to revisit some of our favourite spots a little farther afield, and decided to head down towards the north shore of Lake Ontario.

     

DesJardins Canal/Urquart Butterfly Garden, Dundas, ON

     For many years we have started our day's outing at this location, with reliable expectations of seeing certain species, depending on the time of year. 

     Moments before the above picture was taken about a half dozen Hooded Mergansers (Lophotdytes cucullatus) were present. Obviously they did not realize we had come to see them, for they took to the wing before we had a chance to take their portrait.

     Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a species that has evolved from extreme rarity to expected, over the last thirty years or so, and we were happy to hear the loud, rollicking song of this species, seemingly disproportionate to its size.

     Two individuals were flitting about, generally in dense cover, but every so often, one would perch in the open, albeit briefly, for all to enjoy.

     A handsome White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) contentedly fed on the ground.

     The seed pods of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seemed to be exploding all around us, scattered hither and thither by even the gentlest of breezes.

     A couple of Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) were finding food on a range of seed-bearing plants.

     House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) were numerous, and aggressive, and made sure that they harvested their fair share of high-energy seeds.

     A Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) alerted us to its presence by its distinctive rattle, and perched often, but never close.

All species: Canada Goose, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Rock Dove, Ring-billed Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Common Starling, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Cardinal

Woodland Cemetery, Burlington, ON

     For many years, a pair of Eastern Screech Owls (Megascops asio) has occupied a cavity in a tree, and sometimes obligingly sits on the rim of the hole. Today was not one of those days, unfortunately!

      We had to be content with a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) maintaining vigil over us.

All species: Ring-billed Gull, Cooper's Hawk, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee

Grindstone Creek, Burlington, ON

     Grindstone Creek is one of those spots that often delivers the exceptional, and always delivers the interesting.

     Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) were ubiquitous, feeding on the copious quantities of berries, especially at this location on Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii).

     They single-mindedly went about their business, totally indifferent to human observers.

     In similar fashion, groups of Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) busily fed in their characteristic frenetic way, yet all the while permitting photographs. I think that Miriam captured some enchanting images of this captivating tiny bird.

     How could you ever tire of their antics?

     Jim Huffman has the habit of zeroing in on a bird and doggedly staying with it, no matter the distance or the impossibility of identifying it initially, and in this manner we saw our only Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) of the day, lost among the Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) to everyone but Jim.

     And, as though to make up for the inconsiderate behaviour of their cousins at the canal in Dundas, a flotilla of Hooded Mergansers paraded before us.

     A pair of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) seemed to be paying close attention to the critical task of  maintaining their feathers in prime condition.

     It is sickening, but predictable, to see human junk at the water's edge, as we continue to engage in that never-ending pursuit of sullying and destroying the very environment that sustains us. After all why dispose of garbage responsibly when you can simply toss it in the lake? If dangerous chemicals leach out and threaten the wildlife, who cares?

     This attractive seed, is a member of the Asteridae if I am not mistaken.

     How beautiful it is in its simplicity; how effective its design.

     Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a native species (hooray!) and was dotted here and there.

     Gulls, I think it is safe to say, are ignored by many people, even by birders, but they are uncommonly interesting and handsome, as is evident in this Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis).

     Most Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), those that have escaped the obscene and unjustified slaughter of these magnificent denizens of our waterways, have migrated out of our area, but a few remain and make a living even during the winter.

All species: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ring-billed Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.

Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, Burlington, ON

     In some respects Grindstone Creek and Hendrie Valley are different segments of the same complex, but both have their individual attractions.

     Not far along the trail it was closed so we were unable to explore to any extent.

     White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) were our constant companions most of the way.

     

     A Merlin (Falco columbarius) put on a fabulous aerial display for us as it twisted and jinked through the air in pursuit of prey.

     This Ring-billed Gull appears to have a deformed bill, but it seems not to have affected its ability to survive.

     And this individual posed as though an emblem on the gates of a grand mansion.

     Just don't stand behind it for too long!

All species: Mallard, Common Merganser, Greater Yellowlegs, Red-tailed Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Merlin, White-breasted Nuthatch.

LaSalle Park and Marina, Burlington, ON

     

     Ironically, the first thing to attract our attention was a plant! Common Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) still retained its form and colour and was a pleasure to see.

      The weather was pleasant, and quite warm for the time of year, and we were able to sit outside and enjoy our lunch. As might be expected a couple of gulls came to see what they could mooch from us, but we were glad to see them.
     A Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator), the signature bird of this location was not long in greeting us.

     A large contingent of Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) was far out on the lake, with few coming close enough for a decent picture.

     Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola) have begun to arrive to take up winter residency and their number will increase as we move further into winter.

Bufflehead - male

Bufflehead - female

     American Herring Gulls (Larus smithsonianus) are common winter residents on Lake Ontario.

     This is a large gull as may be gauged from the picture below where the size of the gull may be contrasted with a Mallard.

     It was good to see young Trumpeter Swans, still under the watchful guardianship of their parents.

     Woe betide any other braggart foolish enough to mess with them!

     Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) are recent arrivals on Lake Ontario, and they will soon be abundant. Virtually all that we saw today were females.

     As expected, the woodland trail was home to many Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and White-breasted Nuthatches, none of whom were reluctant to alight on an outstretched hand offering seeds.

     And here is a look at the two-legged wildlife!

     Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) was spotted several times (see the female below), but Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) have still to arrive.

     Waterfowl the world over are noted for their exquisite plumage and while one may debate the merits of various species, I think that none is more elegant than Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). If it were human it would have been a patron of the finest bespoke tailor one might conclude.

     Francine told me that Jim had expressed the wish to find a pintail today, so perhaps this was his reward for showing us the Green-winged Teal.

     The berries of Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) were prolific, but we saw no birds taking advantage of them. This species is highly invasive and has the potential to outgrow and kill native species.

     Perhaps for birds it is a food of last resort.

     Mute Swan is an agreeable inhabitant of LaSalle Park, and when viewed purely from an aesthetic standpoint, is perhaps more appealing than the Trumpeter Swan. It is certainly the stereotypical swan most people would bring to mind.

     It is not always easy to find pure American Black Ducks (Anas rubipres) and LaSalle Park is one spot where you stand a very good chance of doing so.

All species: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Gadwall, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch

     It was a very agreeable day's birding. I will be leading three outings for Waterloo Region Nature to this area in early December, and as the numbers and species of winter ducks move in there will be commensurate opportunities for even greater success. I will look forward to introducing others to this wonderful world of winter waterfowl and other delights.