Common Loon On The Thames River In Springbank Park

cl - Common Loon On The Thames River In Springbank Park
This morning while walking in Springbank Park, I observed this Common Loon in winter plumage on the Thames River.

Today started the same way many of my Sundays do, with a call from my Dad. Most weekends, my Dad and I try to meet for a walk somewhere and enjoy the various sights and sounds of nature while we catch up on each other’s week. This morning we decided on walking along the Thames River in Springbank Park. Those of you that have followed my blog for a while will know that this is one of my favourite locations to bird during the winter months. With an abundance of waterfowl, songbirds, and birds of prey, there is always something to see.

Our walk started out with us observing many of the usual species including Mallards, Canada Geese and a few American Black Ducks. Among the diving ducks present were small numbers of Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, and Common Merganser. Some of the more abundant songbirds present were Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, and a large flock of American Robins calling from the trees along the near bank of the river. Many of these birds could also be observed foraging on the ground in area where melting snow was running down the bank into the river. A lone Red-tailed Hawk was observed as it left its perch from high in a tree and soared out over the river.

All in all it was a pretty typical walk for us along the Thames River with a nice variety of birds, ones that we would expect to see at this time of year. As we made our way further through the park, just upstream from the old pump house, a large bird in the middle of the river caught my eye. After stopping to take a closer look, I could identify the bird as a Common Loon in winter plumage. This bird sat motionless as we watched it for several minutes. The whole time we watched, it never dove, and spent periods of time with its head under its wing.  

Common Loons typically overwinter along the Atlantic Seaboard, with some birds overwintering on the Great Lakes, This is not a bird we would regularly see inland on the Thames River at this time of year. Common Loons; however, are known to make brief stops on inland bodies of water in our area during migration, so this particular bird may be late making its way south or early making its way north. Another possibility is that with the cold weather this past week, the area in which this Common Loon came from may have recently iced up. 

I don’t imagine this bird will remain in the area for very long, so if you are interested in viewing it, I would try to get to the river as soon as you can. The closest access to this bird is from the park’s easternmost parking lot (the one nearest Wonderland Road). From the parking lot there is a set of stairs leading to the pathway adjacent the river. These stairs are not maintained during winter months, so exercise caution if using them. After reaching the path, walk slightly downstream towards the old pump house. When I left the park, this bird was still visible at this location in the middle of the river. 

Good birding,
Paul

 

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6 thoughts on “Common Loon On The Thames River In Springbank Park

  1. Thank you, Paul, for posting this! Gina and I saw your post on the Middlesex Birds list just a few minutes after you posted and rushed down to see him. By about 2:00 he seemed to have vanished. Thanks again!

  2. Hi Paul,

    The Loon you saw was likely the one released in the past few days by Brian Salt of Salthaven, who had cared for it after it was delivered to Salthaven by a friend of ours in West Elgin. She had found the loon exhausted in a cornfield near Clachan in West Elgin early last week. She kept it warm overnight in a cat cage, then took it to Salthaven the next day, where it was found to have no injuries but needed some TLC. At Salthaven, it devoured $30 worth of minnows before being released, likely on Thursday. Brian Salt may have more details.

    Anita and Stan Caveney.

    1. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this information Anita. It’s a good thing your friend discovered the loon as it would not have been able to feed or take flight from a corn field and would have perished for sure.

  3. Hi Paul,

    The loon is still on the river in Springbank. Yesterday it was just below the dam, and was feeding(diving) raising up and flapping the wings. There is a parking lot just there o easy to access.

    1. Thanks for the update Kay. I’m glad to hear that the loon is actively feeding, as it seems this bird was recently released from the care of a local wildlife rehabilitation facility.

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