By Cameron Chevalier
See below for a summary of the 2024 bird observations in Essex County, along with several other local bird-related articles.
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By Jeremy Hatt
The love of Laridae was in the air, but alas, no larids in weather unfair. Yes, the Windsor Feminist Bird Club’s first ever Gull-entine’s Day was met with wintery road conditions, cold temperatures, sleet, and mist, and virtually no gulls, but our small, intrepid group of six made the most of it!
I was honored to host Gull-entine’s Day for the Windsor Feminist Bird Club (WFBC), an LBGTQ+-friendly event created by WFBC’s coordinator, Kate Derbyshire. The Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club (ECFNC) continues to promote and support 2SLGBTQIA+ events in the region, a mission to ensure safe and welcoming events to the community in a time when they are more important than ever. In particular, recent attacks on the Trans Community have made it imperative for ECFNC to strengthen their support and provide visibility to 2SLBGTQIA+ voices.
We held the outing on February 15th, just one day after Valentine’s Day, at Lakeview Park Marina, where just two weeks prior, gulls of multiple species were present in the hundreds. This was due to the polar vortex freezing up all open waters of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair and concentrating gulls to the Detroit River mouth, which stays open all winter due to the strong river current. Unfortunately, mild temperatures following the vortex opened up areas of water on Lake Erie at the Lower Detroit River mouth and gulls seemed to prefer this location for feeding and roosting.
We saw exactly three(!) gulls during the event: two Ring-billed Gulls (an adult and first winter) and an adult American Herring Gull. I felt particularly bad for a visitor from Lansing, Michigan, who drove all the way to learn about gulls, but I did still go through identification of several of our regular species; it just wasn’t quite the same without the study subjects to admire.
Thankfully, Lakeview Park Marina always delivers on ducks, and this day was no exception. We got to enjoy large numbers of several species of overwintering waterfowl, many of which were close to the marina, providing great views and photographic opportunities. We went through identification tips for males and females of each species (Mallard, American Black Duck, Canvasback, Redhead, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, and Ruddy Duck). Several Mute Swans also put on an entertaining show chasing each other around for fish.
After Lakeview Park Marina, a few of us went over to the Little River Pollution Control Plant to see what waterfowl were present on Little River, which stays open during the winter due to warm water effluent form the control plant. Here we were offered great looks and photos of a continuing Mallard x Northern Pintail hybrid swimming in the cement pools of the plant.
A beautiful Mallard x Northern Pintail hybrid showing aspects of each species – photo by Corinne Allsop
There are plans for another gull event down the road with WFBC so stay tuned. You can follow their Instagram page @ windsor.fbc to look out for upcoming events. WFBC’s mission is “Promoting inclusivity in birding for women, BIPOC, & LGBTQ+ folks. Everyone is welcome outdoors.”
Also save the date for two other upcoming events celebrating the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. The first is Birding With Pride at Point Pelee on May 3rd, an event run by the Ontario Field Ornithologists during the Festival of Birds. This is a chance for members of the community to socialize and attend guided bird hikes from Northwest Beach. The next is ECFNC’s annual Pride Walk at Ojibway led by Jennifer Nantais and Jeremy Hatt. This popular nature walk will be held during Pride Month on June 15th as we explore the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Park and Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park.
By Janice Boussey
Planning a field trip in February comes with challenges. The largest of which is the weather. The club planned a winter walk through Wheatley Provincial Park on February 8, 2025. The weather for the week leading up to this outing came with days of cold rain. Once the temperature dropped it left a frozen landscape behind.
Not to be deterred, a small but dedicated group of club members decided to brave the elements. Warm winter coats, hats, scarves and mittens were adorned. A few group members also sported slip on crampons on their boots, which was a wonderful asset to those that had them. Preparedness is a must when trekking out in unpredictable winter weather.
Meeting at gate of the park we paused to watch the chickadees that gathered there. This proved to be the park hotspot of activity for the day. A common visitor during the coldest of months it’s always amazing to think how these little birds survive the worst that winter throws at them.
We started off slowly down the frozen wonderland. Everyone did their best penguin walk along the ice covered road. Pausing to look at some interesting tree bark patterns and the odd woodpecker passing by, both downys and flickers, we made the best of the morning. After it proved to be too much of a task to keep going we all turned around and headed back to the gate.
Two Creeks Conservation area was chosen as a back up destination. We were not going to get off that easy, however. This area too experienced the same level of ice covered trails. Out of abundance of caution it was decided not to venture any further into the park.
Reconvening at a local coffee shop for some hot beverages and conversation, it was time to warm up. With full bellies and warmed fingers a few individuals decided to brave the elements for one last chance to see nature at it’s most challenging.
To finish off the day a stop to Wheatley Harbour was our last destination. Large numbers of geese were found sheltering as well as a handful of tundra swans. Unfortunately several white winged scoters were lying dead on the beach. Suspected victims of bird flu, they served as a reminder to be mindful of its growing presence in the area. Amongst the geese were small numbers of ducks who didn’t seem at all to mind the cold winds and icy waters. Everyone then parted ways before the next bout of nasty weather was scheduled to roll in later that day.
A reminder to get out there despite the weather! Winter can be an incredible time to explore your surroundings. A huge thanks to those who were brave enough to take a chance and join us. As always, use your best discretion and most of all be safe out there.
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