This month has been fairly quiet for me in terms of new additions to the yearlist, and just birding in general honestly. I have been working 5 days a week, and on top of other commitments I haven't had much spare time! On my way to and from work I often stop to check the Oliphant shoreline, as it has a lot of potential this time of year. This season the water levels are quite nice, much better for shorebirds than they were a few summers ago. I haven't seen anything too interesting yet, but a Sanderling and some peeps were nice honestly... Just a sign that there are birds stopping there.
On August 17th Bob & Anne-Marie found a Baird's Sandpiper at a small pond in some random cattle field in South Bruce. Conveniently it was only 25 minutes away from MacGregor Point (where I work), so after my shift ended that day I scooted over and immediately found it foraging on the mud. This was the easiest bird that I had left for the year, so it was nice to add it so close to home.
 |
| - Baird's Sandpiper |
A few days later I decided to be ambitious and try to hit Exeter Lagoons and West Perth Wetlands before dark. I get off work at 4:15, and considering the lagoons were over an hour and a half away, plus the fact that sunset is earlier nowadays... meant that I would be cutting it pretty close. Erik Van Den Kieboom joined me for the trip, providing some welcome company for the drive and an extra pair of eyes. My hopes weren't super high for yearbirds, as the only realistic options I had were American Golden-plover and Red Knot. Neither are that rare, but it was on the early side of their migration.
First we hit Exeter, arriving just after 6pm while the light was still fairly decent. The back cell, also known as the shorebird cell, was almost devoid of water with only a few small pools remaining.Prime shorebird habitat! We started scanning though the mass of yellowlegs and peeps gathered there, picking out a Short-billed Dowitcher, a White-rumped Sandpiper & several Stilt Sandpipers and Baird's Sandpipers. Then we came across a small, long-billed peep mixed in with some Semipalmated Sandpipers... a Western Sandpiper! Ironically this was much more uncommon than the yearbirds I was looking for (until recently it was on the OBRC review list), but I had already seen 2 back at Pelee in the spring. It was still a new bird for the self found list though, and one I have been trying to find years.
The bird was pretty distant, so these crumby record shots were the best I could do...
 |
| - Western Sandpiper |
The Western distracted us for a fair amount of time, so we left later than anticipated and had to rush to get to West Perth before dark. The West Perth Wetlands, or Mitchell Lagoons as they were formally called, is a decommissioned sewage lagoon that is now being managed for shorebirds and ducks. This is a much nicer spot to visit than Exeter, as it is open to the public and also doesn't smell of foul things! The birdlife here was quieter than Exeter though, and we didn't see too much on the shorebird front besides some yellowlegs and a Stilt Sandpiper. We left just as dusk was falling and several Common Nighthawks were hunting overhead... A nice way to end a productive day of birding.
Next up was the Red Knot. On August 22nd a few were reported at Presquile Provincial Park, so I was considering chasing them the next day (which I happened to have off work). Red Knot isn't exactly a rare bird, but it's uncommon enough in the fall that it is worth chasing... would be quite an embarrassing miss after all. Luckily I didn't have to make the 5 hour drive there though, as Dan McNeal found another Red Knot on the evening of the 22nd... this one just outside of Guelph, only a 2 hour drive away.
The next morning the bird was seen again, so I drove down to Bellwood Lake in search of it. Bellwood Lake is 12 kilometer man-made reservoir (as many lakes in this area seem to be) that seems to be a popular spot for boating and fishing. As it turns out it is also a good birding location, as the large muddy shores of the lake is great habitat for gulls, shorebirds and waterfowl. The location where the knot was reported was around 800 meters down the shore from the parking area, so I donned my rubber boots and slogged through the mud. These human created lakes just have a different feel to them, and in my experience the shorelines tend to be much less enjoyable to walk on than those of natural lakes. This held up to be true here, with every step I took my boots disappeared into thick, algae covered mud. this, coupled with a sunny, 30 degree day and an annoying lack of wind, made the walk less than enjoyable. It was worth it in the end though, as the knot was peacefully feeding next to a Stilt Sandpiper as I walked up. A grey shorebird with a thick rounded body and a short stubby bill, the Red Knot is striking in it's own way. Not a super flashy bird. but a new one for the big year!
 |
| - Stilt Sandpiper (front), Red Knot (back) |
 |
| - Red Knot |
On the way home from that chase I detoured through Simcoe County in search of a golden-plover, but ended up dipping on that one. Not really a concern though, as I should get one fairly easily within the next few weeks.
Apologies for the horrible photo quality on this post...
No comments:
Post a Comment