Back to the Port Rowan Sewage Lagoon

Eastern Meadowlark at the (former) Port Rowan Sewage Lagoons
December 28, 2013

Found at (the Former) Sewage Lagoons

Graham found an Eastern Meadowlark at (the former) Port Rowan Sewage Lagoons late this afternoon.

When he went back with a camera he got this shot.


Great Horned Owl - December 27th Port Rowan

Christmas Bird Counting on A Wintry Day in Port Rowan

Diamond the Dog and I wandered over to Bird Studies Canada (BSC) earlier today.
 
You could hear, but not really see,  the Tundra Swans, in the Inner Bay which is ice covered as far as you can see through the snow. 

It is pretty much blizzard conditions here. 

As I write, the BSC weatherboard says it is minus 7.9 with a wind chill making it feel like minus 15.9.  Winds of about 25 kilometres per hour mean I’m going to do my birding from indoors today.

That is not the case for the hearty Christmas counters.  Two of them departed from our home around sunrise this morning.  Early reports include sightings of an Eastern Towhee and a Catbird.
 
Some of you will undoubtedly know the history of the Christmas Counts.

Not that long ago the Christmas holiday season was an occasion to haul out your gun and go out and shoot as many birds as you could find.

In 1900 ornithologist Frank Chapman came up with an option to killing birds that, if not sport, at least seems more sporting. 

Toward the end of the 19th century the conservation movement was starting to grow and Chapman developed the idea of a bird census for Christmas Day that year.   That first Christmas event was held in 25 different locations around North America.  Apparently there were 27 counters covering these 25 locations suggesting an extremely solitary pursuit for most participating counters.  A total of 89 species and about 18,500 individuals were recorded when all the counts were combined.

The list from 1900 includes at least two species that aren’t in good shape 113 years later.  The Greater Prairie Chicken, for one,   was once abundant in Ontario is almost gone due to habitat destruction.  Another bird, the White Headed Woodpecker is on the threatened list in Canada with only a few birds breeding in the South Okanagan.  Unlike woodpeckers that we are familiar with it likes seeds (not insects) and prefers ponderosa pines for its habitat.

Two of these first counts were in Canadian locations – Toronto and Scotch Lake, York County, New Brunswick (near Fredericton.)  At Scotch Lake William H. Moore spent an hour on Christmas morning and recorded 36 birds representing nine species. (See The Christmas Bird Count:  A Long Tradition by David Christie at http://www.elements.nb.ca/theme/winter/david/david.htm)

Find out more about the Christmas counts at http://www.bsc-eoc.org/organization/bscnews.html

Sightings from the last Couple of Weeks

Here are some birds family members have seen over the last couple of weeks.  Maybe the counters will find them today.

We've had some different sightings lately.

Some you could expect.  Others maybe not.

In the expected category there are, of course, lots of Tundra Swans and Sandhill Cranes around these days.  Usually we are seeing them in large numbers west of Highway #59 along the Lakeshore toward and beyond Lee Browns.

Graham got a shot of this American Pipit on November 30th on our way to look for Yellow Headed Blackbirds.

We didn't find those blackbirds on that occasion but later on December 7th Graham and Ross photographed one on the First Concession. The picture was good enough for ID purposes but not to include here.




Around the same time three Snowy Owls were observed.  Here is one in flight.

The same day we had the Pipit we had this guy.  A Pigeon (I believe called a Roller)
                   

on our back porch could be called unexpected.

Algonquin Park in November

We haven’t been too diligent documenting birds around town lately.

We were, however, up at Algonquin this past week and managed to see a few birds.

Son Ross leads us to a number of regular stops in what has become a regular mid-November routine for him.

At the west park gate a few minutes after having caught a glimpse of a skittish moose we observed eight evening grosbeaks at quite a distance. We struggled to capture them on camera. 

The Gray Jays weren’t terribly interested in us at the Spruce Bog Trail.  Yes, I thought it was our warm personalities and chipped sunflower seed.  But the only two seen were busy on a large suet feeder and barely looked at us as we passed.



Opeongo Lake Visit November 2012

Purple finches were seen at the Visitor Centre, Ross got a couple of Black Backed Woodpeckers on the Opeongo Lake Road and two common loons were about all that could be found at the Outfitting Station. 

The south end of the lake was nearly all
frozen over unlike our visit in 2012.



 

The Gray Jays off the Mizzy Lake Road behaved in more characteristic Gray Jay style as we hiked along the old railroad bed.

As the sun was about to set we caught sight of a Ruffed Grouse flying in front of our car on the Mizzy Lake Road.

Algonquin Park postings can be found weekly at http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/news/algonquin_park_birding_report.php
 

Cattle Egret

We finally got out of the house to see the Cattle Egret.

It was located, without much effort, with the cows at 8^th Concession and Hazen just before sundown.  That is north and west of the village of Walsingham, which is on Highway #59.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/cattle_egret/id), the Cattle Egret is originally from Africa and found its way to North America in 1953 and quickly spread across the continent.

You’ll find it in fields, not streams, where it eats insects and small animals.

Most spend their winters in the southern United States where the temperature rarely falls below 5 degrees Celsius. Some find their way to more northern coastal areas where winters are mild. Their North American range is still expanding.

On the way home, we headed west along Lakeshore where we picked up fifty or so Sandhill Cranes on the north side before Port Royal, another 30 on the south side just west of Port Royal.   One individual was grazing at Lee  Browns.

Tundra Swans are moving around town and Northern Saw-whet Owl Banding continues at the Long Point  Bird Observatory Old Cut Banding. Station. (See www.birdscanada.org/lpbo)
    
Banding closes for the season on November 15th


Northern Saw-whet being banded October 30th at Old Cut.
 

 

Thanksgiving Day - Port Rowan

Thanksgiving Day is a gorgeous one here in Port Rowan.

We took a little hike up by the St. Williams Forestry Centre (http://www.forestryfarm.ca/index.htmand ) on the way back home found this Wilson's  Snipe just about 400 metres from Wood B &B.

True to the Sibley Guide this solitary individual bird was found in the muddy stubble of a flooded field south of the decommissioned sewage lagoons.





Graham photographed this Wilson's Snipe on Hunter Drive North about 300 metres north of Front Road.

Notes from Bird Studies Canada Annual Meeting

We attended the Bird Studies Canada (BSC) Annual General meeting last week in Port Rowan.
There was, of course, lots of dry but necessary reporting. But some exciting stuff as well.
The feature presentation came from Dr. Doug Tozer on BSC’s  Lakes Loon Survey  that is now in its 33rd year.  The database for this work is large encompassing  4,550 lakes and 25,000 breeding pairs, I believe. (http://www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/clls/resources/CLLSsummary.pdf)

The work, which looks at loon chicks as reported by volunteers across the country, reveals how our lakes are doing.  Probably because of mercury pollution and acid rain eastern loon chicks aren’t doing that well.  While still producing at levels that will maintain decent populations, birth rates are going down. 

Meanwhile, loon reproduction does much better in Western Canada but these reproduction rates are going down considerably faster than in the east.  I’m not a scientist but what I get from the research is that mercury and maybe acid rain continue to have an effect on our lakes even after their prevalence in the atmosphere has been reduced.  More research is needed.

An exciting development is a $3.5 million dollar research project that will use new technologies to study migratory routes of birds and bats.  BSC President and CEO George Finney briefly described the project in his remarks.
Scientists from Western, Guelph and Acadia  have come together on this.  You can read an undated description of the project written by Mitchell Zimmer at http://www.uwo.ca/sci/news/silent_seasons.html

Zimmer quotes biologist Chris Gugliemo:

“The big overarching goal of this is a twenty year commitment to link all of Canada’s birds to their migration and wintering areas to create a migration atlas which doesn’t exist anywhere in the world.”

In the article, Guigliemo notes that some species have an 80% mortality rate during their extended migration.

“(Y)et those flights are largely a black box. Where do the birds go on their way south, where do they stop to rest and refuel, why do they die?”

The research is important to learn more about species at risk and also climate change.

As I said, this is exciting stuff.

Learn about Dragonflies

Here is an event in our back yard of which we’ve just become aware.
It is one-day course designed to educate and train participants about the conservation, ecology, and life history of dragonflies.

It is being put on by Migratory Dragonfly Partnership.

According to the Partnership’s website, “Dragonfly migration is one of the most fascinating events in the insect world, but also one of the least-known.”

The Migratory Dragonfly Partnership is composed of dragonfly experts, nongovernmental programs, academic institutions, and federal agencies from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Together, they are combining research, citizen science, and education and outreach to better understand North America's migrating dragonflies and promote conservation of their wetland habitat.

Participants will be trained to become citizen science contributors for the Migratory
Dragonfly Partnership's North America-wide citizen science research projects.

The course, which is free, will run Saturday September 28th from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM EDT at the Long Point Bird Observatory/Bird Studies Canada.  They’re located just west of beautiful Port Rowan Harbour at 115 Front Rd in Port Rowan.

You can find out lots of details on the event and dragonflies at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e82tceaj9a685417&llr=tnjebhdab

Labour Day Weekend in Port Rowan

This was the first year we’ve been around Port Rowan for Bayfest weekend.  Originally called Tomato Fest the event highlights the tomato that was packed and processed here in great numbers at Innes Foods from 1963 – 1981.  According to Down by the Bay A History of Long Point and Port Rowan,   local farmers delivered trailers with up to four tons of tomatoes to the plant.   At the plant on the western edge of Port Rowan, the hand-picked field grown vegetables were canned in four hours.  A large parade and fireworks are among highlights of Bayfest



.

Lisa "longball" Vlooswyk drills a 300 yarder.

We were surprised when we moved here that Port Rowan hosted a Canadian Championship.  That would be the Long Drive Championships http://www.internationallongdrivechallenge.com/canadian_nationals.html which is now part of the Labour Day weekend festivities.    We caught the Women’s Final at Stark’s Golf Course where Burlington’s Fareen Samji defended her championship in a close contest over seven time champion Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk.  Many drives over 300 yards were recorded in the Sunday final.

On the birding front things were  slow at the old Cut Banding Station but staff tell us they should pick up when the cold front comes in later this week.  My niece did get the opportunity on Sunday to hold a Wilson’s Warbler after it had been banded.   


Wilson's Warbler

                                                               

Migration - All Year at Long Point

(I've updated this short piece that appeared originally at http://foreveryoungnews-com.factorepreview.ca/posts/2304-bob-s-blog-bird-of-the-month-baltimore-oriole)

I’ve heard it said that migration happens all year at Long Point. This is our first full summer year so we are still learning the patterns.

For example, for two months beginning in early May we had regular and frequent visits to our
backyard oriole feeders from Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles. That stopped for a few weeks. Now, in August we are again having  frequent visits from male Baltimores.

That is because our "May to July" Orioles have left; gone south. What we are likely seeing now are migrating Orioles from farther north.

No complaints though.

The male Baltimore Oriole is arguably Southern Ontario’s most eye catching bird.

My old Peterson Field Guide describes it as “fiery orange and black.” It is smaller than a robin.
They were around enough this spring/summer that I began to recognize their whistling call. Cornell does a lot better job of the call than I do. Info on the Baltimore Oriole including its various calls can be found here http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/baltimore_oriole/id

 

Related to this I just looked back at a video son Graham did two years ago. The video does a bit of a comparison of birds seen in our old backyard in Burlington to the greater diversity and numbers down here in Long Point/Port Rowan.  You can find that video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY-gHnbIduk

Fall Migration Starting

 Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) will kick off their fall migration program in middle of August.

LPBO began collecting standardized data on bird migration at Long Point, Ontario in 1960.  That makes them the oldest bird observatory in the western hemisphere.

They have three banding stations – The Tip, Breakwater and Old Cut.

The Old Cut Station is the only one accessible to the public.  Banding goes every morning weather permitting.  Visitors are not only welcomed but encouraged.  Banders provide an ongoing narrative as they work.

I’ve got some knowledge of these activities as my son Ross was employed as a Warden and Assistant Warden from 2008 – 11 by LPBO.  (Now he is off on Longridge Point on James Bay with a Project run by the Royal Ontario Museum in partnership with others like Bird Studies Canada.  (Here are Jean Iron’s pictures and notes from of this project from two years ago. (http://www.jeaniron.ca/2011/JamesBay2011/))

But back to Long Point/Port Rowan….

In 1986, LPBO coined the term “migration monitoring.” ” That term is now widely used to describe the use of standardized daily counts of migrating birds as a method of monitoring populations of many migratory species.   Read more about LPBO notes on their website (http://www.bsc eoc.org/longpoint/index.jsp?targetpg=index&lang=EN)

 Migration Starting

I’ve heard it said that migration happens all year at Long Pont.  This is our first full summer year so we are still learning the patterns.  For example, for two months beginning in early May we had regular and frequent visits to our back yard oriole feeders from Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles. That has stopped.  Now we get only rare visits from male Baltimores.  That is because “our May to July Orioles" have left; gone south.  What we are likely seeing now are migrating Orioles from farther north.  

No complaints though. 

I just looked back at a video son Graham did two years ago which does a bit of a comparison of birds seen  in our old backyard in Burlington to the greater diversity and numbers down here in Long Point/Port Rowan.  Take a look.  

C:\Users\Lee\Videos\Listing Ontario with The Wood Bros Ep8_ Backyard Birding - YouTube.mht

Shorebirds at the Tip

I see that the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) is providing opportunities to go to the Tip of Long Point again.

If  you ‘re interested in experiencing fall migration at the Tip  they’re making a private cabin available for guests to rent between August 25 and October 25.  There is a minimum five-day stay.  

For more information, take a look at their website at http://www.birdscanada.org/longpoint/index.jsp.   Book your adventure by mailing lpbo@birdscanada.org

Two years ago son Graham headed out there to help out his older brother.  Ross was an LPBO staffer at the time. 

Graham posted a couple of funny videos that included good shots of the shorebirds you’ll find at the Tip in early fall.  Here is one of the videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW5bTpvhFCQ

Ross's Goose Visits Port Rowan

Cold enough for you on Friday?

This Ross's Goose was hanging out with some Canada Geese just north of Port Rowan on the east side of Bay Street around 
the 1st Concession.

According to Ron Ridout of Bird Studies Canada (http://www.bsc-eoc.org/) this is the latest spring record at Long Point by more than two months for this species.

However, Ron jokingly pointed out that given Friday's "frigid temperature and north winds maybe it's our earliest fall record."

Birds Returning to Long Point/Port Rowan

Yesterday we had 42 species of birds fly by our house in about an hour.

I know that because sons Ross and Graham, with good eyes and expensive binoculars, counted them just after we finished our family Easter dinner.

Ducks in flight over our house on March 30th

I've been convinced to report them in a relatively new sight called









e-birds http://www.youtube.com/watch?

This seems like a good way to pursue what is known as citizen science.  In fact E-Bird tells me that "every time that you see and identify a bird, you are holding a piece of a puzzle. Whether you are casually watching birds in your backyard, or chasing rare species across the country, you are helping to put this puzzle together."

So, this may be useful. 
  
But I've about keeping such a list before.  I wrote about it on a Blog I do on Forever Young Information Website.  http://foreveryoungnews-com.factorepreview.ca/posts/1869-bob-s-blog-birdwatching-in-the-backyard-count-me-in

I'm repeating myself here seven months later because, well,  I tend to dwell on things.
   
 We are going to be doing some B & B.  Since our B & B will cater to birders it has been suggested that we ought to keep a list of all birds seen in our backyard.   Now,  in the world of birding there is etiquette or rules or some sort of code that defines a backyard bird.  I don't think that takes into account, though, the potential demands such a list (or lists) could place on a neophyte B & B operator.

So, for me,  there remain, however, a number of vexing issues that developing a list presents.

For example, to be counted does a bird actually have to touch down in my yard?  That would be a fairly clear-cut definition to use. But what if, for example, one observes a “good” bird flying over one’s yard?  We had an immature bald eagle fly past just a few days after we moved to Port Rowan.

Now,  to be frank it is probably more accurate to say it was over the neighbour’s yard.  Let’s face it, my list would be a better one if I could add that bald eagle. So I’m leaning to the criterion being, “seen from my backyard.”  That’s should make for a better quality list.

But here’s another worry. From my front yard I have a distant view of Lake Erie and this will surely produce many shorebirds and an enhanced list. It will probably be more gratifying for my guests if that backyard list captures anything that can be seen from the front yard as well.

I’m certain the guests will be keen to contribute to the list. In fact, repeat visitors (should anyone actually return) could be encouraged to have their own personalized list. Perhaps this will be an incentive to return.

Do I anticipate problems?  Well, some birders can be competitive and argumentative even within a family.  Take mine for example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObbfMqN3kDo&feature=player_embedded#!

So if there are disputes on sightings will it fall to the reluctant but affable host to resolve?  And will guests be trampling all new lawn to maximize their viewing range?

Lots to think about....

Geese to be Found

While it is busy at Long Point/Port Rowan these days with blackbirds and we

still have numbers of Tundra Swans,  Graham thinks we should note the

Geese you can find down here. We’ve got Canada Geese and you do too but

let’s look at five other unique species.  

Cackling Goose

The Cackling Goose is a smaller version of the ubiquitous Canada Goose. In

2004 it became a new species when DNA work identified it as separate from

the Canada Goose.



Cackling Geese in flight.

• 

 












Brant


Brant (in background with ring around neck)
grazes with Canada Geese

This bird also looks like the

Canada Goose but is

much smaller. You can

easily find them on our east

and west ocean shores in

summer. 





Snow Goose

Unlike many species Snow Geese are increasing in numbers and are now

among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent. 

Adult and Immature Snow Geese swim with Canada Geese.

Ross’s Goose

When you see snow geese you could find the much smaller Ross's Goose

(a miniature version of the Snow Goose) among them.  It breeds in the central

Arctic and winters primarily in central California, but it is becoming more

frequent farther east.

Ross's Goose landing on rocks.

 

 

Greater White-fronted Goose

The Greater White-fronted Goose has one of the largest ranges of any
 
species of goose in the world and is seen more now east of the Mississippi

River. It can be consumed with barnyard geese.

Greater White-fronted Goose nests on the low tundra. 

All of these geese are passing through on their way to Arctic breeding grounds.

You can find more information on these species at either of these sites.

http://birds.audubon.org/species/cacgoo

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478

 

Long Point/Port Rowan is the Place to be for Birds

While it is snowing right now in Port Rowan the fact that my feeders are being visited by grackles and red wing blackbirds means that the spring migration is on its way.

I’ve been told that around Long Point migration goes on twelve months per year.

But it seems when people talk about bird migrations, in southern Ontario anyway, they seem to think Point Peele is the be all and end all.

That’s not true.  Long Point/Port Rowan is the place to be.

Here is a video that talks about migration and the banding program at the Long Point Bird Observatory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPHDnZDfUHw

And if you haven’t seen it already on the right side of this page take a look at Long Point birds in the winter of 2010-11.  I’m taking it down when I’ve seen the last of this snow.  That’s a promise.

Algonquin Wildlife and City Folk

I'm sure there are lots of birds on Ontario's South Coast today but I'm not there to see them.


Snow conditions are better
today for Karen Wood

We’re up in Port Stanton
(http://www.portstanton.com/) for a few days.  Karen reports that the cross country skiing is better than it was in February which is somewhat surprising given the temperature is currently 3 degrees.

Sometimes when we are here our adult kids use the place as a jumping off point to go up to Algonquin Provincial Park and do some birding.

That was the case last November when my older Burlington based son (who used to work at Long Point), my younger Port Rowan based son (who takes the pictures) and your blogger encountered wildlife and “citidiots” in Canada’s oldest provincial park.  Here is the story which originally appeared in Forever Young News.

http://foreveryoungnews.com/posts/2035-bob-s-blog-moose-and-gray-jays-make-our-day-in-algonquin-park

If this interests you there is an earlier YouTube effort that documents a late winter trip to Algonquin in 2011. 

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxJRuN-Mb4

Sandhill Cranes at Long Point/Port Rowan

There have been Sandhill Cranes here all winter.

There was a report earlier this week from @jodyallair that there were 120 of them here.  Today we went looking and found some on Lakeshore Rd just to the east of Port Royal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm3t06zAWMc&feature=youtu.be

Rough Legged Hawk

Last Saturday (February 23rd) while the Ontario Bird Banding Association (http://ontbanding.org/index.phpen) was having their annual meeting at Bird Studies Canada we found this Rough Legged  Hawk on the ice in the Inner Bay. 

What was it eating? 

On examining Graham's photos it was clear it was a rabbit.

Ice Fishing in Port Rowan

I've been asked how the ice fishing has been this season.  I don't fish.  But this mink seen in Port Rowan Harbour on Sunday February 17th seems to be having some success.

First Post

I've set this blog up primarily to show the various wildlife to be found on Ontario's South Coast - i.e., the Port Rowan/ Long Point area.

I started posting son Graham's pictures at When The Mayor Smiles, a site where I've written about municipal politics for nearly seven years.  It seemed a strange spot to show a mink eating a carp on a frozen bay but there is probably an apt metaphor there that is escaping me.

So,  if you want municipal politics you've come to the wrong place.  Here is where you should be: http://whenthemayorsmiles.blogspot.ca/
   
I'm envisioning this site being a modest attempt at trying to keep a record of current wildlife comings and goings on Ontario's South Coast.

You'll know that the Long Point/Port Rowan area offers some of the best birding opportunities in North America. Featuring a large number of accessible birding locations, at last count the area can boast of a species tally of nearly 400 birds.  One hundred and seventy six species breed in the area which has been designated as a World Biosphere Reserve.

       

 .