News

Rondeau Report – Piping Plover, etc.

In the Rondeau area, a PIPING PLOVER was found yesterday at Erieau by
Drew Monkman. It was seen at 5:00 pm about 1000 feet from the
breakwater. The bird was with 3 Semipalmated Plovers.

DIRECTIONS:
From Hwy 401, take exit #90, go southeast on Chatham-Kent Regional
Road #11 about 10 km to hwy #3, turn right (west) and go 5 km to
Erieau Road, turn left (southeast) and go about 10 km to Erieau,
continue through town, bearing right until you reach the breakwater.

In the park itself, what birders are looking for is a few good
warblers. One of these was a Brewster’s in a very interesting plumage
on South Point Trail. Other noteworthy birds included Northern Parula
at Pony Barn and on South Point Trail; Blackpoll on Maintenance Loop,
at Pony Barn and on South Point Trail; Northern Waterthrush on South
Point Trail; Mourning on South Point and Tulip Tree Trails; Wilson’s
on South Point Trail; and Canada on Maintenance Loop, at Pony Barn and
on South Point Trail.

Among the non-warbler passerines, there was a molting male Summer
Tanager on South Point Trail. An adult male Orchard Oriole was
singing at the South Point Trail parking lot.

A Red-headed Woodpecker has been seen regularly entering a cavity in
the general vicinity of the Visitor Centre.

Thank you to everyone who has supplied Rondeau birding information for
this report.

Good birding

Rondeau – Blue Grosbeak, etc.

It’s Always an adventure at Rondeau! A Blue Grosbeak female was
discovered on South Point Trail today near km post #5 at 3:00 pm.
This is a short distance south of the South Point Trail parking lot
(the lot at the end of Lakeshore Road). Sorry for the late posting –
I just returned from Blenheim Lagoons.

Afternoon additions to our passerine list included a Yellow-throated
Vireo on South Point Trail and Scarlet Tanagers on 4 trails.

Yesterday evening on our Marsh Trail Hike, we observed the Bald Eagle
nest, saw American Woodcock display flights, and heard several
American Bitterns and Whip-poor-wills calling. Sandhill Cranes were
also heard calling yesterday from South Point Trail.

Birders and photographers are reminded that they are NOT to use
electronic playback devices to attract birds in the park. We
appreciate your cooperation. If birders encounter problems in this
regard, please contact park staff, and wardens will be notified
promptly.

Outside the park, my group saw a variety of shorebirds at Blenheim
this afternoon, despite near gale-force winds and whitecaps on the
Lagoons! An incomplete survey yielded about 50 Dunlin, 4 Semipalmated
Sandpipers, 1 Least Sandpiper, and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs. Five Ruddy
Ducks were seen riding the waves. Cliff Swallows were present in good
numbers.

Our appreciation goes to those many birders who help us out by
providing sightings information for this report!

Good birding.

Rondeau Migration Report – May 16

Despite the early showers, birding at Rondeau was busy this morning on
South Point Trail and on the Maintenance Loop.

Our warbler tally was 24 species for this morning. Highlights
included the Yellow-throated, Orange-crowned, Northern Parula,
Cerulean, Mourning, Hooded, Wilson’s and Canada.

A Great Egret and 2 Bald Eagles flew over South Point Trail at 8:30 am.

A adult male Summer Tanager was observed on Tulip Tree Trail near the
Visitor Centre parking lot at 10:30 am.

An Acadian Flycatcher was seen and heard well yesterday on South Point
Trail, about 2 km south of the parking lot on GARDINER Rd. (NOTE –
this is not the parking lot on Lakeshore Road).

Little Gull was noted offshore of the light beacon yesterday on South
Point Trail.

Birders and photographers are reminded that they are NOT to use
electronic playback devices to attract birds in the park. We
appeciate your cooperation. If birders encounter problems in this
regard, please contact park staff, and wardens will be notified
promptly.

Outside the park, approximately 100 Black-bellied Plovers were
observed yesterday off Erieau Road about 1 km north of McGeachy’s
Pond.

Merci beaucoup to all those who have provided sightings information
for this report!

Today at 1:00 pm, I will lead an outing at the Blenheim Lagoons. I
will report on sightings there in an upcoming posting.

Good birding

Rondeau Report May 14 – Laughing Gull

A Laughing Gull at Rondeau’s South Point yesterday at 7:15 pm is our
rarity of the moment. The bird was found by Blake Mann, and was in
alternate plumage. It was found on the beach near the light beacon
trail, and was last seen flying south along the beach. Also rather
unusual for this date was a Long-tailed Duck offshore at South Point
Trail.

Our morning warbler tally was 26 species. The ‘best’ of these was a
Connecticut on Spicebush Trail.

Additional warblers of note included Blue-winged on South Point Trail;
Golden-winged on South Point Trail; Northern Parula on Maintenance
Loop, Spicebush and South Point Trails; Blackpoll on Maintenance Loop
and South Point Trail; Northern Waterthrush on South Point Trail and
Maintenance Loop; Mourning on Maintenance Loop, at Pony Barn and on
South Point Trail; Wilson’s on South Point Trail; and Canada in the
Campground, on Maintenance Loop and South Point Trail.

Also attracting considerable attention was the Yellow-throated seen at
a cottage on lakeshore near the Visitor Centre. Birders looking for
the Yellow-throated are asked NOT to visit the site before 8:00 am,
are reminded to show proper respect for property and privacy, and to
park at the Visitor Centre NOT along the road. Groups visiting the
site should be of small size – NO large groups, please.

Other noteworthy songbirds this morning included a Summer Tanager
female at Pony Barn and a Yellow-throated Vireo on the Maintenance
Loop. A new arrival was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at the Visitor
Centre parking lot.

Birders and photographers are reminded that they are NOT to use
electronic playback devices to attract birds in the park. We
appeciate your cooperation. If birders encounter problems in this
regard, please contact park staff, and wardens will be notified.

Outside the park, over 300 Short-billed Dowitchers were seen yesterday
in the area near McGeachy’s Pond and Erieau – this is very likely a
record-high count.

My sincere thanks to all of the birders who have supplied Rondeau
birding information for
this report.

Good birding!

Rondeau Migration Report – May 12

For this morning, Rondeau has had reports of 23 species of warblers.
The highlight was a Connecticut at Pony Barn at 9:00 to 9:30 am.

Other good warblers include Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Northern
Parula, Blackpoll, Wilson’s and Canada. Most of these were seen on
South Point Trail, which has been our hot spot for the last few days.
This trail had impressive flocks of warblers, with birds almost
“dripping from the trees” at peak locations.

Also of note was a Yellow-throated Vireo singing at the South Point
Trail parking lot.

Yesterday evening on the Marsh trail hike we found a Sora, 2 American
Bitterns, as well as calling Whip-poor-wills and American Woodcock
doing display flights. We also saw the Bald Eagle on its nest.

Thank you to everyone who has supplied Rondeau birding information for
this report.

Good birding

Rondeau Migration Report – May 11

Rondeau has had reports of 25 species of warblers today. The rarest
of these was a Yellow-throated, still visiting a site on Lakeshore
Road near the Visitor Centre.

Birders looking for the Yellow-throated are asked NOT to visit the
site before 8:00 am, are reminded to show proper respect for property
and privacy, and to park at the Visitor Centre NOT along the road.
Groups visiting the site should be of small size – NO large groups,
please. The Yellow-throated has also visited the feeders at the
Visitor Centre.

Good warblers today included Golden-winged and Blue-winged, both on
South Point Trail.

Other warblers of interest included Orange-crowned, Blackpoll,
Northern Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Wilson’s and Canada, all on
South Point Trail. Blackburnians were in good numbers. These and
many other songbirds must have moved in overnight on the south winds
blowing across Lake Erie.

Our best birding trail continues to be South Point. The treetops were
abuzz with warblers and other songbirds this morning in a mini feeding
frenzy of activity. There were 2 Yellow-throated Vireos along the
trail, as well as one on Lakeshore Road just south of Gardiner. A
Bobolink at South Point was also a good bird for the park.

In the raptor department, an adult Golden Eagle flew over the Pony
Barn area at 10:30 am, headed east to west.

Thank you to everyone who has supplied Rondeau birding information for
this report.

Good birding