OFO Oct. 4, 2025 trip to Rondeau, Eireau, Keith McLean Conservation lands and Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
Saturday, Oct 4 was a gorgeous, sunny but hot early autumn day at Rondeau PP. Our fearless leader Peter Sproule led me and 12 other OFO members on a trip around Rondeau. We started at the visitor centre and walked the beach. Our first bird of the day was a gorgeous Peregrine Falcon, followed by a Cooper's hawk and Merlin! Raptor morning! There were many gulls out on the sandbars, Ring billed and Herring Gulls. We were pleased to see a juvenile Red headed woodpecker perching high up on a dead tree.
The beach was gorgeous, the water still and placid, and I was surprised to see White Tailed Deer tracks leading into the water, maybe they went for a swim, or a drink! It was getting warm at 15 C already and we knew we were in for another unseasonably hot day. With enough water and sunscreen to get us through, we headed back into the bush where Peter led us on South Point E trail, apparently one of the best birding trails at the park. My usual birding spots are the Marsh trail, Warbler woods and Pony barn. It is good to explore new areas!
This trail was productive, with Blue headed vireo and Eastern Towhee as treats. Warbler action was slow with only Tennessee warbler visible . It was nice to see some fellow birders from HBMO on the trail. We also saw a gorgeous Eastern Comma on the trail!
Considering the birds in the area, Peter decided we must go to Keith McLean to check out the shorebirds. It was a wise decision! We were welcomed by a large raft of Green Winged Teal! The peeps put on a show as well with Black bellied and American Plover, Killdeer as well as Stilt, and Semipalmated sandpipers and the piece de resistance was the 2 Long Billed Dowitchers, lifers for me! The highlight for me , though, was the gorgeous Green Heron that popped up on a dead tree by the water. This skulky bird has been a challenging bird for me to photograph, this was the first time I have been able to get decent shots of it...I was so happy!
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Green Heron
Jean Iron has written a book on Shorebirds and one of our members produced a copy! I knew shorebirds were her favourite but I didn't realize she had written a book on them!
It is nice to bird with people of varying experience. I would say I'm an intermediate birder, we also had some beginners and of course some expert. There is never any judging when you go out with birders, and never a dumb question, everyone just likes to get out and experience the wonder of birds, especially the miracle of migration!
Next on the agenda was the Eireau Marsh trail. It was very birdy, especially considering the time of day. The beginning of the trail provided us with some good looks at a nice mixed flock of warblers. Common Yellowthroat, Redstarts, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Palm and a few Yellow rumped warblers, as well as a single Northern Parula! I was pleased to see my birding pal Arthur Q. on the path and he indicated that there was an abundance of American Coot, which was true, over 200!
By this time the group was ready for a break. One of our group recommended The Cottage Cafe a few steps away in Eireau. It was wonderful, and the best Iced Coffee I've ever had! Ok maybe I was a bit dehydrated!
Time to move on to the Blenheim sewage lagoons! We had lost a couple of participants by then, we had just completed 4 birding areas and it was getting on. I was curious about the Blenheim sewage lagoons as the last time I was there I saw the American Avocet. Peter had his permit in hand and we effortlessly wandered in. There were some waterfowl but it was low on shorebirds, just a single Greater Yellowlegs. That was okay as the treat was seeing 2 Eastern Meadowlark popping up in the grassland. It was nice to chat with an elderly lady who had birded here often and has such a wealth of knowledge about the area. The Harrier from the North has been present all day, floating over us in many of our wanderings! Such a gorgeous bird! Yellow bellied sapsuckers, Brown creepers and the Kinglets have been ever present as well!
It was a wonderful day! A bit too hot for my liking, but good to see new and old friends and learn new places to explore!
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