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Winter birding on the St. Clair River
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Sometime before the 1960's, the river used to freeze solid enough so that you could drive a car across it. Of course, there would be no ducks then. Then later, with the warm water being pumped in by industry and milder winters, the river never really got a chance to freeze. Ice jams would occur, but there would always be open pockets of water for ducks to congregate. The most common "diving" ducks we see are Redhead and Canvasback, with lesser numbers of Scaup, Mergansers, Goldeneye, Bufflehead and some others. Excellent areas to see these concentrations are at Fawn Island and Sombra Bay.
Some uncommon species include Long-tailed (Oldsquaw), Harlequin, and the 3 scoter species. Iíve only ever seen one Long-tailed in the river (Dec. 24, 1988 at Seager Park), although they are frequently seen at Sarnia. One male Harlequin was seen at the Sombra ferry dock from January 22-February 7, 2000. Scoters are uncommon in the river, but I have seen all three species. White-winged are the most common and are seen occasionally, but not every year. (There is a duo of first winter birds around Fawn Island this winter). I have only one record of a Black Scoter, near Fawn Island (Dec. 26-28, 1998). This past December, two Surf Scoters were around Fawn Island (Dec. 23-28, 2002).
There is a record of a female Barrow's Goldeneye on December 30, 1995 near Sombra. This is a very rare duck in Ontario. Some have been seen near Sarnia also. A first winter male Tufted Duck (European) spent the winter of 1994 at Sombra.
There used to be a hybrid Hooded Merganser X Common Goldeneye that would show up in some winters near Fawn Island. Dennis Rupert used to talk about this one, and would make a point to see if it showed up each winter. I observed one there in 1997 and again in 1999.
We also watch for "dabbling" ducks that are uncommon in the winter. These include American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Shoveler, Pintail and Gadwall.
Gulls are another fascinating winter bird to watch for, and I enjoy the challenge of identifying them. This past month was exceptional on the St. Clair. Over 3000 Herring Gulls were around, as well as some other species. There were many Glaucous, as well as a few Iceland and a couple of Thayer's. Gulls tend to like ice, although there had been no ice this year when they were around.
The icy winter of 1995-96 was notable for gulls also. It was December 23, 1995 that I found a first winter Ivory Gull north of Cathcart Park. It caused quite a stir, as hundreds of people came to see the northern visitor. There was even a segment on the Discovery Channel about it. Just recently I noticed there were a couple of photos of it on a popular video tape about gull identification that is narrated by a well known ornithologist from the States. The accompanying photo of that Ivory Gull was taken by a friend of mine, Alfred H. Rider of Forest.
Other birds to watch for are Bald Eagles. There tend to be at least two every winter somewhere along the river, hunting fish and small ducks. I watched one a couple of winters ago carrying a Common Goldeneye, then drop it. The duck was still alive as it flopped helplessly on the ground.
Canada Geese have been very abundant in recent winters. I do a survey every January, and this year I noted about 1200 from Walpole Island to Sarnia. Last year it was somewhat less. I also noted two different Snow Geese (blue morph), which is quite a rare sight for the river. One was at Brander Park, while the other was at Sarnia Harbour.
Every year brings something different, and I enjoy what the St. Clair River brings.
