Pinery Birds and Stories in the Snow!

We had a beautiful snowy walk at Pinery Provincial Park on January 17th. Many birds were easy to hear but hard to see. Vocal Blue Jays took turns "yelling" into a tree cavity. Making alarm calls near tree holes is typical behaviour when they are warning other birds of predators such as owls. A Screech Owl may have been in the cavity but the Blue Jays were being vocal at several holes.

A noisy White-breasted Nuthatch also got in on the action! Several song bird species will join together in the winter months....more "eyes" to watch for predators.

We heard a Pileated Woodpecker drumming long before we saw him at his new cavity.

Fresh sawdust littered the snow below the cavity.

We eventually found at least 2 Pileated Woodpeckers! Their main habitat requirements include large trees, both dead and dying. The widely distributed species occurs across the southern half of Canada and through the U.S.

https://abcbirds.org/bird/pileated-woodpecker/

We didn't see any Wild Turkeys, but their tracks and ground scraping told the story of where they had traveled. In fall, winter, and early spring, they will scratch the forest floor for Acorns, Beech Nuts, Black Cherries, and White Ash seeds. In their search for nuts and berries, many oak leaves were exposed above the snow.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory

Wild Turkey tracks were well-defined on the icy channel.

As we walked along one of the roads, countless mouse tracks crossed our path. The tail drag is visible between the tracks.

Signs of a commotion in the snow caught our attention and we tried to figure out the story these tracks were telling. We could see 2 large wing marks in the snow with mouse tracks leading to the centre of the photo. We believe a Great Horned Owl swooped down from the tree above, using his sharp talons to catch the mouse. It’s always fun to try to decipher a story from tracks in the snow!!

From the Riverside trail, raccoon, coyote and squirrel tracks could be seen crossing the frozen Ausable Cut.

A Red Squirrel stayed close to its shelter log.

A Black-capped Chickadee sitting on a Juniper Tree.

Out and About in January!

From a distance, the trees appear to be covered in leaves.

But upon closer inspection, thousands of Snow Buntings were roosting in 5 trees!

Ice has been forming on lower Lake Huron making it more difficult to find ducks.

Tracks in the snow can tell stories about animal behaviour. This path seems to be the runway for a few different species. They'll have to be wary of the local coyote!

European Starlings can be skittish, making them difficult to photograph. One stayed in the sun long enough for a photo which highlights the "stars" on their feathers. First brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century, European Starlings are now among the continent's most numerous songbirds.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/European_Starling/overview

White-breasted Nuthatches are not migratory and can typically be found year round in much of North America.

A Downy Woodpecker moved quickly around a dead tree in search of food. 

American Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch

The "glowing helmet" of a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

 Bursting Into Song!

Sunshine and singing birds welcomed us to LaSalle Park Marina in Aldershot on Sunday including this male Hooded Merganser! Hooded Mergansers are small ducks with a thin bill and a fan-shaped, collapsible crest that makes the head look oversized and oblong.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id

Two Carolina Wrens happily foraged for food at ground level, alternating with singing from the "dead tree" tops.

A Winter Wren sang from a high perch, which is unusual behaviour for this species. Winter Wrens are often seen hopping and scampering through the understory moving more like a mouse than a bird as they investigate upturned roots and decaying logs for food.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Winter_Wren/id

The perch was a minimum of 15 feet above ground level!

An interview with a Trumpeter Swan! An attempt to record their trumpeting sound was made, but the birds were not particularly vocal at the time. (The photographer almost got "goosed" by a swan from behind!) They are our biggest native waterfowl, stretching to 6 feet in length and weighing more than 25 pounds - almost twice as massive as a Tundra Swan!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/overview

A juvenile Trumpeter Swan with head tucked in, was "lulled" to sleep despite all the commotion around it.

A pair of Trumpeter Swans flew a circular route before landing. 

Although the American Coot swims like a duck, it doesn't have webbed feet. It is more closely related to Cranes and Rails than ducks.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Coot/overview

The iridescent colours of a male Bufflehead are visible in the right light. From a distance or in poor light, the head can appear black. The name "bufflehead' is derived from "buffalo-head", for the male's distinct and puffy head shape, which is visible in this photo.

https://www.ducks.ca/species/bufflehead/

I didn't realize that this Ring-billed Gull was standing right in front of me. He was well camouflaged against the snow.

Larger and plumper than a Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeons are tubby birds with small heads and short legs. Four Rock Pigeons wandered around amongst the Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese and many ducks.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rock_Pigeon/id

Icy Conditions on the Sarnia Bay

 and St. Clair River!

I stopped for a quick walk at the Sarnia Bay on a very cold morning. A pair of Canada Geese were resting away from the water.

Lots more Canada Geese - huddled on the ice.

I laughed when I saw this row of chairs. They provide a front row seat to action on the St. Clair River, without being blocked by nearby parked cars. Most people will be waiting until warmer weather to take advantage of the rest spots with a view!

Female Wood Duck

Female Common Goldeneye

A few dozen gulls, including a Great Black-backed Gull rested on the trapped ice...

...while other gulls floated downriver.

I had turned away from the river, but when I looked back, all the gulls were in the air. They were likely disturbed by a cruising Bald Eagle.

Ice fishermen always seem to be out on the ice before it has had a chance to properly thicken.

A freighter traveled up the river causing some Red-breasted Mergansers to take flight.

 A Visiting Harlequin and other Ducks!

The highlight of the day was finding a first year male Harlequin Duck by the Sarnia Lighthouse.

This species breeds on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and can be found on the Great Lakes in the winter. Deryl first found it in the morning at the cove by Canatara Park but by the afternoon, it had moved a bit west. The Harlequin Duck is a small, relatively uncommon sea duck, roughly half the size of a Mallard. In the winter, they locate their food by diving in shallow waters over wave-pounded rocks and ledges to find and pry prey from crevices.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/birds/harlequin-duck/

He spent some time with a Long-tailed Duck. They often synchronized their dives. There was a small patch of open water where they constantly dove for food. The ice was keeping them close to shore.

Ice circles formed in the current.

A very frosty seat looking out towards Lake Huron. January 8th was the first day that Lake ice was visible as it floated down from the north. Ice Cutters are now busy in the river, creating "open" passage for freighters still in transit.

Suncor Trail

Despite the frigid conditions at Lake Huron, the water in the channel at the Suncor Trail was still partially open on January 9th and the ducks were taking advantage of the calm waters. A male Wood Duck, displayed its beautiful colours at the water's edge.

Swimming amongst the Mallards was a Green-winged Teal (centre of both photos). They are the smallest dabbling duck in North America weighing between 140-500 grams! Most of the population has flown further south, so it was a surprise find!

https://www.ducks.ca/species/green-winged-teal/

A close relative of the Mallard, the Black Duck is better adapted to wooded country. With the clearing of forest, it has steadily lost ground to spreading populations of Mallards. They can often be found swimming with Mallards.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-black-duck