Birding Pointe Mouillee and Oak Openings Metropark

Black crowned Night Heron with Fermi cooling towers in the background

Pointe Mouille is about 30 minutes south of Windsor if you were to cross the Ambassador Bridge. There are some incredible shorebirds that show up to this 700-acre manmade wetland. Its interesting to read about how this area was made and how duck hunters, birders and government use this area. According to the US Army Corps of Engineers:  "The primary purpose of the Pointe Mouillee Confined Disposal Facility is to contain 18 million cubic yards of contaminated dredged material that will be removed from the existing navigation channels in the Detroit and Rouge Rivers" (USACE).

I brought my mountain bike because the distances required to navigate this area are in the units of miles. Bring water, portable snacks and sun protection if you go. Also, print out a map. I was not feeling too good when I arived at this park, so I did not stay long. In my short time there, I did see Green and Black Crowned Night Herons, GB Herons, Great Egrets, A flyby Least Bittern (seen near the middle causeway and the long-pond and vermeet areas)... Not as good a look at one as I had last summer at St Clair NWA. Hooded Mergansers and Pied billed Grebes were seen. A recent blog posting had incredible birds here including: Little Blue Herons, American Avocets and White faced Ibis. I did not make it to Cell 3 (the shorebird cell) because the middle causeway was blocked with a gaggle of geese!

 

 

I really like Pointe Mouillee but I must say I hate crossing the border. I find the border guards to be unneccesarily rude... "Wutz a matter,,, don't they have birds in Canada no more?" is one of the nicer comments I've had in my three birding visits. Give me a break. I'm sure Americans on their way to Point Pelee are not treated in the same manner.

Oak Openings is an awesome metropark in Toledo (Swanton Ohio actually). Check out this website for more details. Its about 1 hour from Windsor, or 30 or so minutes past Point-Moo-Yee. This park is similar to Ojibway Park in Windsor but it boasts breeding species including Blue Grosbeaks, Lark Sparrows, Prarie Warblers and Yellow breasted Chats. See the ebird.org chart for this hotspot for more details.

Upon arriving to the park, I birded a few fields which are highlighted on the websites' literature as hotspots but really did not see too much. I would imagine its just way too late in the season to bother seeing some of the rarities. I will try to return in June next year. Some things seen in my short time at Oak Openings were Red headed Woodpeckers, Indigo Buntings, Chipping and Song Sparrows, American Copper, and Pipevine Swallowtails.

Cylindrical Blazingstar

An interesting thing about this park is that the visitor center is unstaffed. It has some interpretive displays and nice pamphlets but nobody in the room. Great park nonetheless and the visitor center is still really nice.

A little closer to home, things have also been quiet. Holiday Beach produced my first Hackberry Emperor as well as Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Common Moorehen and the common herons and egrets were around as well.

 

Anyone know what flower this Giant Swallowtail is feeding on?

Good birding,
Dwaynejava


Sources:
USACE, "Pointe Moullee - Beneficial Use", April 24, 2005, obtained: July 26, 2011,
http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/newsandevents/publications/publications/pointemoullee-beneficialuse/

Dimorphism of the Indigo Bunting

American Goldfinch in a sea of wildflowers at Ojibway Prarie

I did a quick walk at Ojibway this afternoon. I just absolutely love going there and spending time witnessing the beauty of nature. I could seriously spend a full day going to the various parts, like the Black Oak Heritage Park or the Spring Garden area. But, I find I'm constantly looking at my watch thinking, its already been an hour?

Anyway, today I think I've photographed my first female Indigo Bunting. I think I saw one last summer with the first Indigo Bunting I had seen at that point, but I did not get a photograph of it. Below are two shots of the female, followed by a previously taken photo of a male Indigo Bunting. (Post script: The title of this post is a mis-nomer. It should really be 'sexual dimorphism' of the Indigo Bunting. Its not like there are two morphs for Indigo Buntings... as you might find a Red Morph or Grey Morph for Eastern Screech Owls.)

 

More can be read about these wonderful birds at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Indigo_Bunting/id.

I also found out what 'scolding' calls are for House Wrens.  I was walking with my wife in the Ojibway Prarie when we both heard what we thought was a rattle snake! But, as I looked around, I saw no snakes (Mississauga Rattler?) ... I saw a tiny little rust-coloured House Wren.

Scolding House Wren (I actually used flash).

This blog has incredible, extensive listings of bird calls: (http://pjdeye.blogspot.com/2009/03/wren-calls.html).This link would actually let you listen to the rattle-snake like scolding of the House Wren.

I also saw two Green Herons today in the waterway in front of the nature center. This shot below really shows the beauty and texture of its green plumage.

At the risk of self engrandizing, a photo of this site's author with his son. The backback was given to me by my neighbor who was having a garage sale.

Author with his son, amongst the 'weeds' of Ojibway.

 By the way, this image below should compliment/suppliment the "Save Ojibway" posting I recently did.

The red area shows where the Big-Box development would go. Notice also the yellow line on the top of the image. The new DRIC bridge crossing will follow Huron Church (#3) then take a sharp left below the EC Row to the river. This will cut very close into the Black Oak forest area from my understanding.

Good Birding,
Dwayne