Just like that, spring has come and gone. While the occasional Blackpoll or Tennessee Warbler can still be heard singing, and certain flycatcher and cuckoo species are still arriving, and shorebirds are moving through in decent numbers, for the most part migration has slowed to a crawl as we hurtle towards summer. Late April through the month of May was a whirlwind for me and many sightings never made it to the blog. Below are a random collection of photos from the past month or so.
I tried to make it out to Port Weller as often as I could, in between Pelee weekends and work trips. Often my visits were only weekly as it can be hard to find the time to do everything! April 29 was a good day to visit the pier, and I even added two new birds to my all-time Port Weller east list - an Eastern Bluebird, and a Great Egret (long overdue) that flew over. I also had a three corvid day, all seen from near the parking lot at Jones Beach! Common Raven is nesting in the area as they continue to reestablish themselves in Niagara, and of course everyone knows the story of Fish Crows by now.
May 1 provided another Great Egret sighting at Port Weller - three birds this time - plus a flock of thirteen Fish Crows. Several Rusty Blackbirds were nice to see and hear as well.
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| Great Egret - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region |
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| Rusty Blackbird - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region |
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| Fish Crow - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region |
Turtles are abundant in the Big Pond at Port Weller east and on warm, sunny May mornings virtually every individual likely hauls itself up on one of the many logs around the pond. The vast majority are Midland Painted Turtles, along with several Snapping Turtles and a handful of introduced Red-eared Sliders.
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| Red-eared Slider and Midland Painted Turtles - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region |
On May 15 I birded Port Weller and Waverley Woods with my dad for the day. While numbers were down a little bit compared to some previous days, the birding was generally really solid. Highlights included Orange-crowned and Blue-winged Warblers at Port Weller, a flock of Black-bellied Plovers at Port Weller (#217 for my Port Weller list), and three Blue-winged Warblers and a Pileated Woodpecker at Waverley Woods.
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| Northern Parula - Waverly Beach, Fort Erie, Niagara Region |
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| Pileated Woodpecker - Waverly Beach, Fort Erie, Niagara Region |
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| Warbling Vireo - Waverly Beach, Fort Erie, Niagara Region |
My favorite migrant trap along the south coast of Niagara is Morgan's Point Conservation Area near Port Colborne. On May 2 the park was full of new migrants, with the highlight being a nice male Hooded Warbler that I heard singing from the parking lot upon my arrival. He was hard to photograph but eventually I managed some record shots. Hooded Warblers are increasing in southern Ontario and breed in several locations in Niagara, but finding one during migration here is always fun.
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| Hooded Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
A singing Gray Catbird from the same day.
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| Gray Catbird - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
Local birders Jean and Blayne Farnan located a Golden-winged Warbler on May 9 at Morgan's Point. I was at Point Pelee at the time, but on May 13 and 14 the Golden-winged was easily found during my visits. Laura was with me for the May 14 visit and was happy to add Golden-winged Warbler as a lifer!
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| Golden-winged Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
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| Golden-winged Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
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| Golden-winged Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
And a Killdeer on a nest, from May 13 at Morgan's Point.
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| Killdeer - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
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| Killdeer - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region |
May 14 was a beautiful spring day with warm weather, calm air and migrant birds everywhere. I had a quick site visit to complete on the Bruce Peninsula and so I took my time on my way back home. Isaac Lake in particular was quite birdy and I lucked out with some great views of Sora and Virginia Rail, along with a nice variety of migrant songbirds.
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| Virginia Rail - Isaac Lake, Bruce County |
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| Virginia Rail - Isaac Lake, Bruce County |
A check of Red Lake Road near Mar for Brewer's Blackbird was very productive. I enjoyed listening to this male Brewer's Blackbird sing for some time! Brewer's Blackbird is a rare species in most of southern Ontario, but certain areas of the Bruce Peninsula hold a sizable population.
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| Brewer's Blackbird - Red Lake Road, Mar, Bruce County |
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| Brewer's Blackbird - Red Lake Road, Mar, Bruce County |
I'll finish this post with some photos of two Endangered salamander species in the genus
Desmognathus which we are fortunate to have in Niagara Region, as they inhabit parts of the Niagara River gorge (the only known populations in Ontario). As these species are classified as Endangered I cannot disclose the exact locations.
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| Northern Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region |
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| Northern Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region |
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| Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region |
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| Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region |
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