Sunshine at Rondeau Park

Finally!  A full day of sunshine and seasonable temperatures.  Great for a hike on the Tulip Tree Trail.

By 5 p.m. people started arriving at the Park for the Victoria Day long weekend.  It is our understanding that the Park management have closed some sites that are still flooded with water.  One particular RV has been unable to leave the park  because it's too muddy for them to hook on to their trailer.  It's unlikely that we and some other campers will be able to have a camp fire because some fire pits are still flooded with water.

Scarlet Tanager



White Violet flower

Great Crested Flycatcher

A red (old) Trillium

Robin feeding its young

Shagbark Hickory sapling

Visitors' Centre and bird viewing station

Yellow Warbler

Woodstock area couple with renovated Trillium trailer

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Rondeau mid-week

Finally! Some sunshine, and an opportunity to take a hike on the Spicebush Trail.  Lots of warblers and thrushes but very difficult to "capture" them with our existing camera.  They move so quickly. 

( See Spicebush Trail photos below )

Lots of Trilliums this year

Jack-in-the-pulpits (early stage)

Cottage on the "bay" side of point

 

Rondeau day 3

Morning weather was a big improvement from yesterday... warmer temperatures and nothing more than a fine drizzel until about 4 p.m.  Then the skies opened up once again.  By evening the water level on our site was as high as (if not higher than) when we arrived on Sunday.

Judy got some more pictures this moring of the Cattle Egret.  After lunch we headed to Ridgetown to pick up a few items, then south eastward as far as Dutton.  Where Coyne Road runs dead end at Lake Erie we saw 3 strange, discarded metal tanks (see picture below), each one bearing a number.  Does anyone know what they are?

While driving along Lakeview Line about 1 kilometre West of Coyne Road Judy pointed out a couple of Turkey Vultures perched in a tree.  Peter made the comment that they were likely bald eagles, at which point he was ordered to stop and back up for a better look.  Would you believe they actually were mature bald eagles?

Another show of the resident Cattle Egret (across the road)

Yellow warbler

Rose Breasted Grossbeak on our window feeder

Immature female Baltimore Oriole

Peter and Garret heading to the lake

Mysterious tanks near the beach on Coyne Road

Bush scene on Coyne Road

A pair of bald eagles

Freshly graded country road

Shoreline at Clearview Park on Lake Erie

High water once again at our site (6 p.m. today)

Rondeau Day 2


Another rainy day, but that didn't seem to bother the birds.  Lots of Baltimore orioles, an Orchard Oriole, Red Headed Woodpecker and a Cattle Egret. Went through 4 cups of sugar water (for orioles and humming birds) and lots of bird seed between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. by which time the feeders were empty.  Also saw a Black Throated Blue Warbler at the Visitor Centre.

Rondeau is noted for its old growth trees... Oaks, Maples, Tulip Trees, Sassafras, Sycamore and Hickory.  However, the leaves tend to be rather late coming out this spring.

Judy just returned from an evening drive and reported that she saw two deer and two racoons.  No pictures though... too dark.

 Oriole feeding frenzy

Red headed woodpecker in Sycamore tree on our campsite



Some adjacent camp sites under water  

Cattle Egret on water tap post near our camp site

Typical old growth trees at Rondeau

Another soggy campsite

Playground area also waterlooged

Rondeau Avenue facing the bay

Sycamore tree

Mature Maples

 Konijn's also on vacation

Rainy Rondeau welcome

Rondeau Provincial Park is located on the North shore of Lake Erie, approximately 205 kilometres from Waterloo.  During the last leg of our two and a half hour drive we experienced heavy rain and upon arrival at the park found a very soggy camp site.  Fortunately the area under the RV had a good coating of gravel and was able to support the RV weight without any difficulty.
 
Rondeau is a spring destination for many birders who come to view the many species of birds that migrate throught this point of land which extends southward into the lake.  Within minutes of placing orange halves and bird feeders at the camp site we were greeted by Baltimore orioles, rose breasted grossbeaks, flickers, blue jays, cardinals and red wing black birds. 

The rain has now tapered off and although the forecast isn't great for the next couple of days, the end of the week looks better.  Regardless of the weather, we're looking forward to some rest and relaxation for a week.  Tomorrow we hope to see some of the various species of migrating warblers.

Camping beside "Lake Rondeau" - Site 43

A neighbouring campsite

What some people will do for the birds

The rain didn't seem to bother this nesting mourning dove

An oriole fest

Party crashers