Journey to the Southern Cone: Part 10 (Patagonia: Sierra Baguales to Tierra del Fuego)

Introduction
January 8, 2016 - Santiago area, Chile
January 9 and 10, 2016 - Quintero pelagic, Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
January 10, 2016 - Farellones, Chile
January 10-11, 2016 - Embalse El Yeso, Chile
January 12-13, 2016 - Nothofagus forests in Talca, Chile
January 14-15, 2016- Chiloé Island, Chile
January 16-17, 2016 - Chiloé Island penguins, Puerto Montt, Chile
January 18, 2016 - Patagonia: Puerto Montt to Sierra Baguales, Chile
January 19, 2016 - Patagonia: Sierra Baguales to Tierra del Fuego, Chile
January 20, 2016 - Patagonia: Tierra del Fuego, Chile
January 20-24, 2016 - Punta Arenas, Chile to Puerto Deseato, Argentina
January 25-26, 2016 - Valdes Peninsula and Las Grutas, Argentina
January 27-28, 2016 - San Antonio Oeste, Punta Tombo, and Bahía Blanca, Argentina
January 29-30, 2016 - Buenos Aires, Argentina


January 19, 2016

The temperature during the night plummeted to only a couple of degrees above the freezing mark. It was not the most restful sleep I had ever had and after what seemed like an eternity the sky over the mountains to the east began to lighten.We quickly made camp and began birding, attempting to shake off any remaining cobwebs as the day began.

Andean Condor - Sierra Baguales, Chile

Guanaco - Sierra Baguales, Chile

It was a great morning of birding and slowly but surely the hillsides and stream edges came alive with song. The calls of Least Seedsnipes beckoned from the pebble-strewn hillsides and it wasn't long until we had picked out a few perching on rocks.

Least Seedsnipe - Sierra Baguales, Chile

Least Seedsnipe - Sierra Baguales, Chile

Least Seedsnipe - Sierra Baguales, Chile

This was our second species of seedsnipe on the trip after finding a handful of Gray-breasted Seedsnipe in the hills near El Yeso above Santiago earlier in the trip. There are only four species of seedsnipe in the world, all restricted to the Andes and Patagonia. The Least Seedsnipe is, of course, the smallest individual of this family, ranging from Patagonia north to northern Peru and southern Ecuador. 

In the first couple of hours after dawn the birding was excellent and we quickly added a number of species to our growing list, including most of our main targets in Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant, Band-tailed Earthcreeper and Yellow-bridled Finch, along with our first Common Miners. Unfortunately the Yellow-bridled Finches were quite distant and disappeared over a hillside before we could obtain better looks.

Common Miner - Sierra Baguales, Chile

Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant - Sierra Baguales, Chile

Around mid-morning I decided to take a quick break to have a nap in the car, as the cold temperatures the night before had prevented me from getting much sleep at all, and I was starting to come down with a nasty cold. It had been all I could do to bird up to that point in the morning so a few minutes in the car with my eyes closed was a welcome relief. Adam joined me in the car as he was pretty tired at this point as well, while tireless Dave ventured down the road to keep birding. Only a short amount of time had gone by when I was woken up due to distant shouting down the road. It was Dave, with word of a small group of White-throated Caracaras that he had just found about a kilometer down the road! The three of us quickly made our way to the spot and fortunately one of the caracaras was still visible, perched on a fence post. A pretty sweet bird to end our time in the Sierra Baguales!

White-throated Caracara - Sierra Baguales, Chile

Our adventures in this part of Patagonia was nearly complete, but not before we made a quick stop at the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park. There are a series of wetlands in the area that play host to Austral Rails, a poorly known species with a restricted range in the southern Andes. Prior to 1998 there had only been a couple of sight records over the past hundred years, but intensive surveys in the years since have proven this species to be a little more widespread.

view of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

We pulled up to our desired wetland and quickly heard a few of the rails calling from within. We tried to to get a visual and were eventually successful when a single bird flushed and land back down into the marsh, but mostly we just enjoyed hearing the rails call from their wetland. Several Wren-like Rushbirds and Spectacled Tyrants were also seen in the wetland, while numerous Sedge Wrens sang from the rushes. It seemed pretty strange to be listening to Sedge Wrens singing here at the other end of the world, considering that these are the same species as the Sedge Wrens we see in wet prairies and sedge meadows back in Ontario.

Guanacos were unusually abundant along the access road to the national park!

Guanacos - Torres del Paine entrance road, Chile

Guanacos - Torres del Paine entrance road, Chile

Leaving Torres del Paine behind, we drove back south on the gravel roads through endless open plains on our way towards Tierra del Fuego. Our rental car had some issue in which clouds of dust came in through the vents and by the pedals, quickly filling the car with a thick coat. We drove with the windows down the whole way, and Dave and Adam made good use of their bandanas!

While any roadside wetlands held good concentrations of ducks, geese and shorebirds, the barren steppe in between was somewhat devoid of life.

roadside birding in the Patagonian steppe, Chile

It is difficult to eke out an existence in these conditions. This perished Guanaco was one of several that we encountered.

perished Guanaco - Patagonian steppe, Chile

We had some information where a pair of Ruddy-headed Geese had been observed near the town of San Gregorio. The most difficult of the five sheldgeese species, Ruddy-headed has been undergoing declines in mainland South America, though a large population can still be found on the Falkland Islands. We were pretty happy to see that this pair of geese were still in their roadside wetland! The distance combined with the heat haze did not lend itself to good photography conditions and even views in the scope were quite "shimmery".

Ruddy-headed Geese - San Gregorio, Chile

By late afternoon we found ourselves in the Pampa Larga area, a well-known spot where both Tawny-throated and Rufous-chested Dotterel can often be seen, as well as White-bridled Finch, which is in my opinion one of the more spectacular finch species. A series of watering holes alongside the road provide fresh water and help congregate the birds.

Of course, one cannot drive anywhere in Patagonia without stumbling across Guanacos, it seems!

Guanaco - Pampa Larga, Chile

We spent an enjoyable couple of hours slowly cruising the roads, staking out various watering holes, and chasing down shorebirds in the fields. At least 12 Tawny-throated Dotterels were found and they allowed a reasonably close approach. I am quite partial to shorebirds and relished the opportunity to study this interesting species from up close.

Tawny-throated Dotterel - Pampa Larga, Chile

Tawny-throated Dotterel - Pampa Larga, Chile

The watering holes produced the greatest variety of birds. Correndera Pipits were abundant!

Correndera Pipit - Pampa Larga, Chile

It took some searching but we eventually encountered a White-bridled Finch! It was a little skittish but I positioned myself in such a way that I would be ready with my camera as I peeked over the edge of the grass into the dirt track where it had been seen. Unfortunately I completely blew the opportunity and the bird flushed before I could crack off any photos. Dave however managed a couple of great shots which are included on our eBird checklist.

Our last new bird for this area was a family of Patagonian Mockingbirds adjacent to the roadside.

Patagonian Mockingbirds - Pampa Larga, Chile

Patagonian Mockingbirds - Pampa Larga, Chile

By 8:30 PM we had reached the ferry terminal in Punta Delgado. It was a short crossing, taking only 15 minutes or so, but of course we kept an eye out for birds the entire time! Not much was seen in the way of seabirds - though we enjoyed studying the South American Terns - but we did see several spectacular Commerson's Dolphins as they cruised beside the ferry. The combination of white body along with black fins and head is quite striking on this species!

Upon arriving at the ferry terminal on Tierra del Fuego we drove to the southwest along the main road towards the town of Porvenir where we would be spending the night. Days are long in Patagonia in January; this photo was taken around 10 PM.

sunset on Tierra del Fuego, Chile

It was a long uneventful drive, but the surrounding landscape was stunning as the sun slowly slipped over the horizon. We kept our eyes peeled for Short-billed Miner, a range-restricted species that is common on Tierra del Fuego, but none were conclusively identified during the drive. We did have a flyover Black-crowned Night-Heron and the boys spotted a Short-eared Owl which disappeared before I could get on it. It was late when we arrived at our hostel for the night but we enjoyed a celebratory beer after another successful day. In the morning we would search for Magellanic Plover, one of the most unique shorebird species in the world, followed by a visit to a King Penguin colony located several hours south of Porvenir. I could hardly wait!

Birdathon results (May 13, 2017)

Jeremy, Dan and I planned to complete our Birdathon within the confines of the Point Pelee Birding Area on May 13, 2017. Compared to Big Day attempts elsewhere in the province, Point Pelee Big Days are highly dependent on the local conditions, in particular the variety of migrant species that happen to be in the area on a given day. While Big Days completed in central and eastern Ontario can rely on a good diversity of breeding species, especially if one is not limited to a small geographic area, the success of a Point Pelee Big Day is based almost exclusively on the selection of migrant species that one catches up with. During some days it may be possible to see 160+ species while during other days 110 may even be a difficult number to reach. Dan, Jeremy and I all happened to be in the Point Pelee area from May 12-15, and after some scouting on May 12 we determined that May 13 would be the day of our attempt. Theoretically, this date is near the peak of bird migration with a nice selection of both earlier and later migrants.  

From left to right: Daniel Riley, Josh Vandermeulen, Jeremy Bensette. Photo credit: Ken Burrell

We were up by 4:30 and as we stepped outside the neighbourhood was already alive with the familiar song of several American Robins, our first bird of the day. We motored out of Leamington towards Hillman Marsh where we hoped to pick up a few marsh birds before heading into the park. A quick stop at the Leamington Airport provided a few Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrows, singing away while the sky was still mostly black. These species can be difficult at times within the Point Pelee Birding Area. 

We only spent a few minutes at Hillman Marsh as dawn was approaching. Rails remained quiet or at least had their voiced drowned out by the hoardes of blackbirds, but we did have a Hooded Merganser fly over us here, our only one of the day. 

New birds were quickly added as we entered Point Pelee National Park and by the time we reached the Marsh Boardwalk we were near 40 species. Walking around the boardwalk was quite productive – a Marsh Wren rattled away, several Wood Ducks flew over, but best of all was a great look at a flyby American Bittern while a second “blonk-a-donk”ed from somewhere out in the marsh. 

We made our way towards the Tip, adding numerous warblers and other species as the forest awoke. It was apparent that a few new birds had arrived overnight including good numbers of the early-ish warblers such as Nashville Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Parula, but the conditions were not ideal and many of the later migrants had yet to appear. As we were birding among the crowds in the woods near the Tip we spotted a White-eyed Vireo at eye-level, which had somehow gone undetected by the crowd until that point! We completed a brief vigil at the very Tip, scoping the waters for gulls and ducks while occasional orioles (and not much else) flew off the Tip. A Bobolink suddenly appeared in a Hackberry at the Tip, while a Tufted Titmouse also alighted in a nearby tree a few times throughout our Tip watch. Tufted Titmouse is quite unusual within the Point Pelee Birding Area, so it immediately became a candidate for Bird of the Day. We scoped a few Greater Scaup and a female Bufflehead off of the Tip, the four “expected” species of gulls, and both Common Loon and Horned Grebe. We were in decent shape with our day list quickly approaching 80. 

Tufted Titmouse - Point Pelee National Park

The rest of the morning consisted of wandering trails throughout the southern half of the park. Our warbler tally hit 20 by late morning, though we only added a few more in the afternoon to bring us to 22 species on the day. Notable misses included a few of the earlier migrants (Pine, Blue-winged) and several of the later species (Blackpoll, Mourning, Canada, Wilson’s). Speaking of warblers, we spent 30 minutes with the Prothonotary Warblers on the Woodland Nature Trail; perhaps not the best strategy on a Big Day, but it was hard to tear ourselves away from the “Swamp Candles”! 

Prothonotary Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

Tilden’s Woods was probably the most productive area though it was the busiest I had ever seen it with birders and photographers! The tall trees in the sloughs provided a Golden-winged Warbler and our only Cape May, Orange-crowned and Bay-breasted Warblers on the day. A bright Acadian Flycatcher was associating with a Least Flycatcher at the Shuster/Tilden’s intersection, though we couldn’t catch up with the Hairy Woodpecker that several birding parties had noted in Tilden’s Woods previously.

As the afternoon wore on our energy and motivation levels began to wane somewhat, and we spent too much time socializing with all of the familiar faces we came across. But we continued to slowly add new birds, such as Lincoln’s Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Winter Wren (a nice surprise so late into the season), and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Try as we might, we couldn’t pull out an Indigo Bunting or Swainson’s Thrush!

By 5:00 PM we were finally ready to leave the park. Our list was over 110 species and 130 still remained a possibility. We scored a couple of Ring-necked Pheasants at a typical location in the Onion Fields and by 5:30 PM began to bird Hillman Marsh. An American Woodcock with several fuzzy, super cute babies had been spotted in the grasses near the parking lot; a nice addition to our Birdathon and saving us a stop later in the evening.  

American Woodcock - Hillman Marsh Conservation Area

At the shorebird cell we quickly added the expected ducks – Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal and Lesser Scaup – though Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck and Ruddy Duck were nowhere to be found. Other than a few Dunlins, shorebirds were also almost non-existent and our ambition of reaching 130 species was quickly fading. We made the decision to walk along the dyke towards the southwest corner of the shorebird cell and here we lucked out, adding Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher in quick succession. Both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were nowhere to be found and the same could be said for Ruddy Turnstone, Willet, Semipalmated Plover and several other hoped-for shorebirds. We lucked out with a few Forster’s Terns and a single Black Tern in the main part of the marsh – those would have been embarrassing misses! By 7:15 PM we had wrapped up at Hillman Marsh, with 126 species to our name. 

At this point Dan and I called it a day as there were very few possibilities left to get, but Jeremy continued until dark. Thanks to his efforts, four new species were added to the day list – Solitary Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Swainson’s Thrush, and Eastern Whip-poor-will.

When it was all said and done we had tallied 130 species. It was a number that was a little less than what we had hoped for, but considering the modest diversity present that day we were quite happy with our final count. For those wondering, some of our big misses for the day included Red-tailed Hawk, Indigo Bunting, Ruddy Duck and Blue-winged Teal. Can’t get them all! 

We would like to thank everyone who sponsored us on our Birdathon! There is still time to donate if you haven’t had a chance – click here to visit the link. 

Good birding!

Josh, Dan and Jeremy

from left to right: Jeremy, Dan, Josh. Photo credit: Sarah Lamond

Bad photos of good Niagara birds

It was a productive spring of birding here in Niagara Region and I was lucky to connect with quite a few of the rarer species. Overall I added nine birds to my Niagara Region list, bringing me up to 266 all time - well behind John Black with his impressive 337 species! The new additions are as follows:

258. Forster's Tern
- Port Weller East (April 5) and Port Dalhousie (April 10)

Forster's Tern - Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines

Most spring records of Forster's Tern for Niagara are in mid-April as small numbers pass through the region, often before the Common Tern migration begins. The bird at Port Dalhousie was quite accommodating, allowing me to take several photos as it whirled around.

259. Wilson's Snipe
-Stevensville (April 8), Wainfleet Bog (April 23) and Port Weller East (May 2)

Wilson's Snipe - Port Weller East, St. Catharines

A long overdue species for me in Niagara! The bird at Port Weller east (photographed above) was a new one for my local patch.

260. American Bittern
-Mud Lake CA (April 8)

American Bittern - Mud Lake CA, Niagara Region

Formerly a more common breeding species in Niagara, American Bittern has declined substantially across its range and now is an extremely local breeding species in Niagara Region. In fact, some years this species is not recorded at all in Niagara. According to Birds of Niagara (authored by John Black and Kayo Roy), "there is little evidence to suggest that (American Bitterns) migrate through Niagara in the spring". The book further elaborates to say that the numbers of these birds breeding in Niagara have declined substantially over the years from 1966 to 2006. I discovered this individual at Mud Lake on April 8; fortunately it hung around long enough for Blayne and Jean Farnan to race over and observe it, though others searching later in the day were not as successful as the bittern had retreated to the less visible portions of the marsh.

261. Common Raven
-Wainfleet Bog (April 10)

This species has slowly expanded its range in Ontario to the south and there are now a few known breeding pairs in Niagara Region. I was fortunate to have a bird fly over me calling as I was herping in the Wainfleet Bog in early April. It turns out that Common Ravens are now nesting on the old Robin Hood factory along the Welland Canal at the north end of Port Colborne; no doubt the source for the Wainfleet individual.

262. Louisiana Waterthrush
-Port Weller East (May 1)

This bird was a nice surprise during a fallout on Port Weller East on the first day of the month. I discussed that day's birding in this blog post. 

263. Ruddy Turnstone
-Airport Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake (May 26)

Ruddy Turnstone - Airport Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Back on May 9 I discovered that a flooded cow paddock on Airport Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake was providing great shorebird habitat. This Ruddy Turnstone found by Marcie Jacklin on May 25 was my first for the region. Other highlights among the 15 species of shorebirds found here this spring included ~350 Lesser Yellowlegs on May 9, an adult Stilt Sandpiper on May 16, regular White-rumped Sandpipers including a high of 6 on May 26, Short-billed Dowitchers (griseus subspecies) on May 15 (2 birds) and May 18 (3 birds), and 3 Black-bellied Plovers on May 22 and 23. It is unusual to experience such great shore-birding in the spring in Niagara and the excessive rain throughout May allowed this cow paddock to remain productive throughout the month.

264. Olive-sided Flycatcher
-Moore Rd S, Port Colborne (May 28)

Olive-sided Flycatcher - Moore Road, Port Colborne

Blayne and Jean Farnan discovered this bird while birding along Moore Road on May 27 and called me the morning of May 28 to indicate that it was still present, so Laura and I drove down to check it out. Olive-sided Flycatcher is one of my favorite flycatcher species, in part because its can be difficult to turn up in migration despite its inclination to perch high at the top of a dead tree. Eastern Wood-Pewees are sometimes confused with Olive-sided Flycatcher because they also appear "vested", but one great field mark to help separate the two is the surprisingly short tail on an Olive-sided.

265. Brown Pelican
-Niagara River, north end of Fort Erie (May 29)

Brown Pelican - Niagara River in Fort Erie

The bird of the year so far in Niagara, this Brown Pelican was first discovered on May 27 by some Buffalo birders (I am not sure who the finder was) and remained on the river until at least June 6, which is the last report I can find on eBird. When I observed the pelican it chose to remain on a buoy on the far side of the river, making even digiscoped photos next to impossible! There are two previously accepted records of Brown Pelican for Niagara Region, and eleven in total for Ontario.

266. Yellow-breasted Chat
-intersection of Willson and Garringer Roads, Wainfleet Bog (May 31)

Yellow-breasted Chat - Wainfleet Bog

Another great bird found by the Farnans and Marcie Jacklin! The trio first heard a Yellow-breasted Chat singing from a traditional spot in the Wainfleet Bog and even had brief views of it on May 30. I was on site before dawn the next morning and after a short wait the chat joined in with the dawn chorus. Eventually I located it perched out in the open and I watched it sing for the next hour. Ontario is at the northern edge of the range for Yellow-breasted Chat. Chats were more common in the province several decades ago but it is another species that has undergone recent declines and is now listed as Endangered. Hopefully a female joins this Yellow-breasted Chat as it has been a number of years since this species has been detected breeding in Niagara.

Violet-green Swallow twitch to Thunder Bay

On June 12 local Thunder Bay birder Chris Johnston observed an unusual looking swallow at the Thunder Bay marina. She deduced that the bird was a female Violet-green Swallow and posted her sighting to the NWObirds group, the message board for bird sightings in northwestern Ontario. The most unusual aspect of Chris' discovery was that the Violet-green Swallow appeared to be paired up with a male Tree Swallow. They were seen carrying nesting material into one of the nest boxes and the male would chase off other prospective suitors. While Violet-green Swallow and Tree Swallow look superficially similar, this hybrid combination is quite rare, and has only been documented a couple of times.

The Violet-green Swallow continued to be seen the following day and appeared to be getting comfortable so I decided to do something crazy - I would fly up to Thunder Bay to chase this bird. After all, Violet-green Swallow is a species that had only been observed four times previously in the province, with none of those birds particularly chase-able (though a lucky few were successful with the Ottawa bird in 2013). Opportunities to chase birds that would be new to my Ontario list are few and far between these days and Violet-green Swallow is definitely one worth trying for. I convinced Jeremy Bensette to come along with me and by 11:00 that evening we were on a flight to Thunder Bay, using some of my saved up aeroplan points. It just so happened that Glenn Stronks, a local Thunder Bay birder, was also on our flight as he was returning home after a few days of work in Toronto. Glenn kindly offered his place for us to stay for the night, and by 1:30 his wife, Joanne, had picked the three of us up and driven us back to their place.

The morning dawned windy and cold with a steel gray sky and the threat of rain. After an hour on site Glenn, Jeremy and I had not seen the Violet-green Swallow and an iota of worry began to creep into my brain. While we waited, this Beaver swam past us, not the least bit concerned with our presence. I guess this one is used to a lot of foot traffic.

Beaver - Thunder Bay marina

At approximately 9:20 AM an "interesting" looking swallow materialized then quickly vanished into the nest box that we had staked out, followed closely by what appeared to be a male Tree Swallow. After a tense few seconds a swallow appeared at the entrance of the nest box - it was the Violet-green! We all instantly felt a wave of relief; at least I did!

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

The hour long wait was well worth it as the Violet-green Swallow continued to hang around the area for the next few hours. It would alternate between sitting in the nest box, perching on nearby poplars and a dead snag directly in front of the next box, and foraging over the nearby pool and surrounding fields.

female Violet-green Swallow - Thunder Bay marina

We quickly clued into its routine and over time she became very easy to pick out in flight among the other swallows due to her smaller size and unique impression she gave off due to her white face and collar and extensive white along the sides of her rump. This is one of few flight photos of mine that turned out; unfortunately not showing any of the above mentioned features!

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

The male Tree Swallow kept a close eye on his exotic beauty, keeping watch especially when she was inside of the nest box, though they both took turns entering the nest box. We never did see either bird carry nesting material into the box but they certainly appeared to be paired up, with the male making several unsuccessful copulation attempts!

female Violet-green Swallow (left) and male Tree Swallow (in box) -Thunder Bay marina

male Tree Swallow (left) and female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

male Tree Swallow (in flight) and female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

With nothing better to do (what could top a cooperative Violet-green Swallow?) Jeremy and I continued to bird around the pond, occasionally connecting with local birders who dropped in to take a look. It was great to run into Michael Butler who was in the area for field work, as well as Fred Jennings who I hadn't seen since January of 2012 back when he was hosting a Spotted Towhee at his house in Longlac. Chris Johnston, the finder of the Violet-green Swallow, soon arrived to check in on the rare visitor. Chris, along with her husband Jim, chauffeured Jeremy and I around for a few hours in the afternoon to visit a few local hospots. The generosity of people in northern Ontario always amazes me!

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

While Violet-green Swallows appear somewhat similar to Tree Swallows there are some clear differences. Overall Tree Swallows are a bit larger, though this is difficult to see without direct comparison to other swallows. Violet-green Swallow also has much longer wings which extend well past the tail tip when at rest.

female Violet-green Swallow (left) and male Tree Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

One of the more noticeable features, as I mentioned above, is the extensive white, which wraps around the sides of the rump so that the bird shows much more white from above. Violet-green Swallows also show much more white on the face including the area above the eye, while Tree Swallows have a striking blue head with while restricted to the lower half of the face. This feature is a little reduced on females but is a striking field mark on males.  Being a female, the Violet-green Swallow had a neat brown cap contrasting with the green of the upper back.

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

Violet-green Swallow quite clearly gets its name from the brilliant green and violet feathers that adorn its mantle and rump feathers. Even the females, normally the duller sex in the bird world, are strikingly beautiful. Even apart from its rarity in this part of the world this makes it a bird worthy of study. 

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

During our stay both the male Tree Swallow and female Violet-green Swallow frequently entered the nest box, though nesting material was never observed being brought in. During a lull in the action when both birds were foraging over the pond we took a quick look inside of the nest box. While the bottom was covered with feathers a defined nest was not present, nor were any eggs. Birders visiting a few days later noted a possible predation event by a Red Squirrel. The rodent visited the nest box for a few minutes to the agitation of the two swallows, though it was apparently unclear whether it actually consumed any eggs. It will be interesting to see in the coming days if the Violet-green Swallow continues to frequent the area and if she attempts to nest.

female Violet-green Swallow -Thunder Bay marina

Finally by early afternoon we tore ourselves away after a thoroughly enjoyable five hours with the bird. Chris Johnston and her husband Jim offered to drive us to Mission Island to see what birds and mammals we could scare up. Some of the deer on Mission Island are exceedingly tame, leading to easy photo ops.

After an enjoyable few hours birding with Jim and Chris we made our way back to the airport as our flight back home beckoned. The trip may have only been just 26 hours in length but it will certainly go down as one of the highlights of the year. Thanks to Glenn and Joanne for their hospitality and to Chris for discovering the bird!

Early April herping

Early April in southern Ontario is the ideal time to do two of my absolute favorite activities. The first is searching for amphibians, in particular Ambystomatid salamanders, as they migrate to and breed in ephemeral wetlands. The second activity is returning to a favored location where it is easy to see dozens of Northern Ribbonsnakes, Eastern Gartersnakes and other species as they bask on wooded hillsides near where they spent the previous winter hibernating within. Back on April 8/9 I had the opportunity to do both activities!

Saturday was a glorious warm, sunny day, and though Laura and I had plans earlier in the day, we decided to head down to our favorite set of ponds near Cambridge that evening. The temperature would be dropping to the low single digits overnight and rain was not in the forecast so we were not expecting to see the mass rush of Blue-spotted and Spotted Salamanders heading to the ponds. That being said, it was a nice night to be out and we had a lot of fun turning up some herps. Stepping out of the car, the chorus created by the Spring Peepers and Western Chorus Frogs was deafening, while the low, quacking calls of the Wood Frogs could also be heard if one was listening closely.

We spent a little bit of time searching for Four-toed Salamanders and eventually turned up two individuals. This diminutive species is one of my favorites and always a treat to see. While somewhat common in suitable habitat in Ontario, Four-toed Salamanders are rarely observed except by those searching specifically for this species. Unlike the much more common Red-backed Salamander that any naturalist in Ontario would be familiar with, a species which can be found in a variety of woodland habitats, Four-toed Salamanders are quite specialized in their habitat choices and prefer treed swamps with an abundance of sphagnum moss. The salamanders spend much of the year living inside clumps of moss, with females laying their clutch of eggs in a section of sphagnum overhanging a pool so that the freshly-hatched larvae can drop down into the water. I have occasionally found this species under logs and rocks throughout the forest, but most of my sightings involve individuals hiding within the sphagnum. One has to take care so as to not rip or dislodge chunks of moss when looking for this salamander as it is very easy to damage this type of habitat. I did not have my camera with me this time so here is a photo of one from a few years ago.

Four-toed Salamander

After our success with the Four-toed Salamanders we met up with a friend of ours from university, Pauline, who had recently moved back to Guelph after a stint in Winnipeg. The three of us explored a large pond that has been productive in the past. Even though the wetland was beginning to fill in and a few small fish were seen along the edges, salamanders were still breeding in the pond as numerous egg masses were visible. Most were from Spotted Salamanders but there were also a few from the Blue-spotted/Jefferson Salamander complex as well. Eastern Newts were quite commonly seen here; no doubt they prey on the numerous salamander eggs. While the frenzied rush of breeding had likely already occurred there were still a few salamanders in the wetland and we were happy to see a couple of Spotted Salamanders. Below is a photo of one from a few years back.

Spotted Salamander

The following day I returned to the same area with Laura as well as my parents as it was forecast to be a warm, sunny afternoon; perfect for snaking!

Before beginning our hike we went for a drive to see if we could turn up any interesting birds in the nearby fields. Great looks were had of a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, a favorite of my mom's, but the highlight was this pair of Sandhill Cranes that were content to forage on a lawn not far from us.

Sandhill Cranes

Upon our arrival it was evident that it would be a perfect day to find snakes and it did not take long before we came across our first few rustlers, easily audible from several meters away. Finding snakes is as much about listening as it is seeing, especially in a forest carpeted with dead, crispy leaves this time of year!

Laura with a Northern Ribbonsnake

Eastern Gartersnake

Northern Ribbonsnake

This particular woodland is home to about equal numbers of Eastern Gartersnakes and Northern Ribbonsnakes. While most people in southern Ontario are quite familiar with Eastern Gartersnake, the latter is a species at risk that is more restricted in its habitat preferences.

The Northern Ribbonsnakes at this site prefer to spend their summers in several large wetlands, but they appear to hibernate in certain wooded hillsides surrounding the wetlands. In early spring it is easy to see a dozen or more in an hour, if you pick a suitable hillside with ample hibernacula opportunities and a southwest facing slope. This one we spotted before it spotted us, allowing a stealthy approach. It happened to be coiled in a very photogenic position and remained there for a few minutes while we photographed it.

Northern Ribbonsnake

Occasionally one can find Dekay's Brownsnake or Northern Redbelly Snake at this site, especially during early spring when they are more likely to be discovered out and about. Mom made a great spot with this tiny redbelly, moving through the leaf litter.

Northern Redbelly Snake

Many of the woodland wildflowers bloom in April and May, before the profusion of new green leaves in the canopy later in the spring limit the amount of sunlight that filters to the ground.

Round-lobed Hepatica

Several of the vernal ponds were alive with the odd quacking calls of Wood Frogs. Wood Frogs are one of the earliest amphibians to become active in the spring and they are likely the quickest to wrap up their breeding activities. While other early spring breeding species like Western Chorus Frog and Spring Peeper will call into late spring and even early summer, Wood Frogs usually go silent by the middle or end of April; their sprawling, globular egg masses the only remaining evidence of their presence.

Wood Frog

Wood Frog

Several butteflies were flitting around - about even numbers of Mourning Cloaks and Eastern Commas.

Eastern Comma

Birds were few and far between on this spring day as our attention was focused elsewhere, though occasional individuals were identified. Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Brown Creepers were in full song; nice to hear after a long winter!

It was an awesome spring weekend with some of my favorite people!