Return to Rondeau

It was a gorgeous day to be out exploring and fortunately I had arranged time off today to explore Rondeau and area.  It's been a year since my last park visit and the park did not disappoint  that time.  I was hoping for the same results today.


Arriving in the park a bit before noon, first stop was the visitor centre and Tulip Tree Trail.  The main target was Prothonetary Warbler, a species that I've narrowly missed on past visits here.  It wasn't hard to figure out where to go as there was a crowd of birders intently scanning a patch of swamp.  The birds had been showing, but were not around when we arrived. Fortunately it wasn't long before we heard and then saw a couple individuals. 

They didn't seem at all concerned with all the birders and this guy spent some time foraging quite close to the boardwalk.

This was a promising start to the day and I hoped the trend would continue on the next stop at the marsh trail.  A Yellow-throated Vireo was the first bird encountered there.

Most likely because of our late arrival at the park, warbler variety wasn't as great as had been reported in the morning.  Yellow warblers seemed to ignore that trend and were one of the most numerous birds encountered.

A Sora was heard calling along the trail. 


I happened upon this struggle of life and death as this toad was preparing to meet its end.

A couple more trails were walked, but nothing unusual was found.  I wanted to head back to Tulip Tree Trail on last time before leaving the park.  This time, I was able to observe the Prothonotary Warblers again, but without such a big crowd.

I attempted a final drive down Lakeshore Road in search of the White-Winged Dove, but it did not show.  I did at least manage to see it last year so it wasn't a big loss.


After leaving the park, I checked into the nearby Keith McLean CA where American Avocets and Willets had been seen.  Both appeared to have moved on but just when preparing to leave, another birder pulled in to tell us that a Yellow-Headed Blackbird was being seen on the causeway outside the park.  This would be a lifer for me and fortunately within a couple minutes was watching this gorgeous bird sitting on a nest in the marsh.

It was a great day in Chatham-Kent.  Enjoy spring migration while you can, it will be over before we know it.

It's That Time of Year Again

Last week while on my way over to check on things at our rented farm, I noticed this big guy right in the middle of the road.




Look at that mossy shell

This big ol' snapping turtle was mostly likely in search of a suitable place to lay her eggs.  Unfortunately slow moving turtles can easily become road casualties.  If it is safe to do so, observing which direction the turtle is headed and helping it across can significantly increase its chance of survival.  Keep in mind that turtles like this snapper can deliver a nasty bite.  I recommend this site for tips on how to safely do so. Having read the information provided there, I managed to safely help this turtle to the other side of the road.  Considering that snapping turtles can sometimes live to 100 years or more, I feel it important to respect my elders :-)


Of course it is most important to ensure your safety and that of other drivers.  If it is not safe to stop, it's not worth the risk.  One can easily navigate around a turtle on the road, providing that you carefully scan the road ahead and that the vehicle is travelling at a safe speed.

On another note, I'm eagerly looking forward to a trip to Rondeau this Tuesday.  Hopefully I will have some sightings of interest to post about when I get back.