Point Pelee weekend - part 3

The mild weather had continued overnight, so much so that the snowmelt in the fields was coming along quite nicely. During mid-morning, I received a text from Jeremy Hatt that he had found a Greater White-fronted Goose along Concession Road D, so I drove off in that direction as I was only a few minutes away.

Sure enough, the goose was almost too easy as it was one of the closest individuals to the road. The Ross's Goose, presumably the same bird from yesterday, was also swimming amongst the corn stubble and at times directly beside the white-fronted.

I had a busy day planned with a few other places I hoped to check on my way home. I managed to find two different Cackling Geese south of Hillman Marsh, my first of year. I also stopped by Muddy Creek near Wheatley harbour where this recently arrived Great Blue Heron kept a wary eye on the open water.

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Something grabbed its attention, so it lifted up and flew a short distance, eventually settling down on a nice log.

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Great Blue Heron - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

I also grabbed a few more photos of the Common Mergansers which were still hanging around. The Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers and American Coot from yesterday were long gone, however.

Common Mergansers - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

Common Merganser - Muddy Creek, Wheatley

As I was leaving Wheatley the sun began coming out and a familiar sight greeted me up in the sky - the first soaring Turkey Vulture of the spring! It seemed to be a good day for raptor migration, as I noticed quite a few migrant Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures throughout the rest of the drive home. An adult Red-shouldered Hawk on a roadside hydro pole near Port Alma was certainly a highlight as well.

My next plan of attack was to bird London, in particular to search for a Harlequin Duck that had taken up residence along the river weeks ago. Unfortunately, its whereabouts are somewhat sporadic as it never seems to hang out in one place for more than a few days. I birded a large swath of the Thames River, but ultimately there was too much open water to cover in the amount of time that I had allotted, and I missed the bird. It wasn't all a waste, however, as the birding was still excellent. Redhead, Canvasback, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, and all three mergansers stand out as some of the highlights; good birds for an inland waterway.

My last stop was in Hamilton to see what I could find along the Burlington lift bridge. Light was running out fast, preventing me from checking other areas around the lakeshore. But it was fun to see some distant Red-throated Loons and re-aquaint myself with some other Ontario "year birds" such as Long-tailed Duck, Horned Grebe, White-winged Scoter, Peregrine Falcon, etc.

I finished with around 75 species on the weekend including some excellent early spring sightings. It was a good way to kick off spring!