Wild Canatara + A Musky! 

A Bald Eagle followed the Lake Huron shoreline, in his hunt for food.

The Eagle didn't pay attention to the 4 foot long Muskellunge (Musky) that had washed up onto the Canatara shore a few days earlier. This was my first time seeing a Musky!

A friend open it's mouth so I could photograph the rows of teeth. Any prey caught by that fish was not going to escape!

Another view of the teeth!

Adjacent to a very small inland pond (which often dries up) a Tree Sparrow posed for me! 3 Tree Sparrows have been lurking in the reeds surrounding that pond.

On the afternoon of November 18th (11 degree C.) I noticed a lump in Lake Chipican. Initially the head was submerged and I wondered if it was a log, but after a few moments the head emerged and I could confirm that a Snapping Turtle, covered in mud, was out for a slow swim. Reptiles can come out of the mud in search of a drink of water on the warmer days.

An Eastern Grey Screech Owl is appearing more frequently at the entrance hole to the wood duck box. The feathers on the top of the head seem to have a brown tinge. Perhaps this owl has some genes from the Red Phase of the Eastern Screech Owl which also live in the park.

I wasn't able to determine if this Black-capped Chickadee was eating a seed, or a juicy insect.

An adult Cooper's Hawk was perched high above the Redhead Ducks in the water below. They mainly eat birds, and although it appeared to be watching the ducks, it was likely hoping for a meal in the form of a Dove, Flicker, Robin or Starling.

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

This beautiful fungus caught my eye, growing on a fallen log. According to iNaturalist, it is a Silverleaf Fungus which can be harmful to fruit trees, but is generally not considered a problem in forested areas.

 Canatara Waterfowl 

An uncommon Brant Goose flew along the Canatara shoreline. This was an exciting find as we don't see this species every year. Nesting occurs on Arctic marshlands and tundra. During migration, they fly south along the eastern and western Canadian coast lines and occasionally make it inland to the Great Lakes. It is a compact, small goose with a stubby bill and a relatively short neck, when compared to most geese. They are larger than Mallards and smaller than Canada Geese.

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

Meanwhile, back at the edge of Lake Chipican, several Canada Geese were having a snooze.

Lake Chipican is an area of refuge during stormy weather and fall hunting season which has been ongoing in lower Lake Huron. A Northern Pintail took a break on the little lake.

A lone Wood Duck, amongst the Redheads.

Wood Duck on the run.

As many as 1800 Redheads have recently been found on Lake Chipican! Their diet is varied, but the main staple is submerged aquatic vegetation. Above, two ducks have retrieved plants from the bottom. Another is stretching after a big meal.

Redhead dripping with water after surfacing.

 Pileated at Pinery PP!

We headed to Pinery Provincial Park on November 13th in hopes of finding some winter finches. We saw Red Crossbills and heard White-winged Crossbills, but they were too high in the trees for photos. A nice consolation prize was a Pileated Woodpecker who hunted for food near the road and wasn't too bothered by our presence.

He was very busy looking for insects in tree cavities!

We only saw the male, but the female was likely not far away as Pileated Woodpecker pairs stay together on territory all year round. These "crow-sized" birds, will defend their territory, but will tolerate new arrivals during the winter months. Dead or dying trees in our backyards may attract woodpeckers and nuthatches to forage or possibly even nest in them!

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

Boardwalk on Riverside Trail: Another Pileated Woodpecker distantly hunted along the trail. They have nested nearby in past years.

While standing on the boardwalk, a Golden Eagle made a fly by! As it approached, it was backlit by the sun, so we only managed photos of the tail end as it flew away.

Moss covered log in the channel.

We explored the beach at parking area #3. There were some interesting patterns in the sand from the previous days' high wind and wave action. Seven Red-throated Loons were far out in the lake. 76 Bufflehead, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Horned Grebe, and 5 Bonaparte's Gulls were among the finds viewed from the stairs.

The 14 km driving loop through the park was still open so, we stopped to feed the Black-capped Chickadees. Gate closures for the winter months will possibly happen next week.

A curious Red Squirrel, hoping for a hand out.

Our final stop was at the Nipissing Trail. Instead of going straight to the tower, I walked the 1.9 kilometre trail which takes walkers to the top of Pinery's oldest and largest dune ridge, the Nipissing Beach Ridge. There is a 20 metre elevation change, which is a lot for Lambton County!

Northern Red Oak, leaves and acorns: The patterning and texture on the acorn were different from the White Acorns that I more normally encounter.

We found a deceased Hairy-tailed Mole, which was the first  mole I can recall ever seeing. The spade-like paws and claws (visible in photo) are adapted for digging as they live primarily underground. Sensitive whiskers and hairs on the nose and feet help to make up for its poor vision.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47049-Parascalops-breweri

 In the Heat of the Night!

Common Looper Moth:

We have likely used the moth trap for the last time in 2024. In order to set it up, temperatures must remain above 10 degrees Celsius in the overnight hours. October 30th and 31st met the temperature requirements. Moth numbers were down compared to earlier in the season, but that is to be expected and we still managed 10 species each night!

The trap is made up of a large bin that supports a light. The inverted bowl protects the light from moisture. Plastic supports help to direct the moths downwards. 

Inside is a funnel that the moths slide down.

Egg cartons are placed in the tub underneath the lid. Each section acts like a "room" for the moths.

The hole must be plugged in the morning so that the moths don't fly out of the trap towards daylight.

When the cartons are removed from the tub, it is important to look closely at both sides to watch for hiding critters.

Boston Dart: We have the only record in Lambton County for this species! The next closest report is 150 km to the east.

Maple Spanworm Moth - When at rest, it holds its wings in such a way that it resembles a fallen leaf. We see a lot of these each year.

Bi-lobed Looper - It looks like its wearing sunglasses!

Small-eyed Sphinx are able to hover which makes them efficient pollinators of flowers.

https://www.whatsthatbug.com/small-eyed-sphinx-moth-all-you-need-to-know/

We can usually convince the moths to walk onto a small stick, then move them to a piece of wood for photographing. Of course, some escape during this process. At the end, all moths are safely released in sheltered areas of the backyard. Our finds are recorded on iNaturalist, a citizen science forum that provides valuable data to scientists studying these species.

 LaSalle Park and the Dundas Valley

We enjoyed a walk along the path at LaSalle Park in Aldershot with views of the Hamilton/Burlington Bay. Seed had been placed on a railing and many birds, including a Red-bellied Woodpecker were on the hunt for food. The 'red belly' which often can't be seen, is visible in the lower photo.

We don't normally visit this area in November so were surprised to see only 2 Trumpeter Swans. An interpretive sign provided more information about the Swans which are only found in North America and are the largest swans in the world. They were almost hunted to extinction. In Ontario, a captive breeding program began in 1982, using eggs from a flock found in Alaska. Born to captive parents in 1990 at Wye Marsh, a Trumpeter known as "Pig Pen" for her messy eating habits, became the first Trumpeter Swan to nest in the wild when she found a mate in 1993. That same year, she became the first Trumpeter Swan to migrate in Ontario in 107 years when she flew from Wye Marsh to LaSalle Park to spend the winter. Each year she and her mate returned to LaSalle with their young, and others soon followed. LaSalle Park is considered to be the most important Trumpeter Swan overwintering site in the Province with up to 200 Trumpeters being found there from the end of November to mid-Feburary.

Even though American Coots swim like a duck, their feet are not webbed. They are actually members of the Rail family. Coots are kleptoparasitic, meaning that sometimes they do not hunt for their own food, but steal it from other birds.

https://animalia.bio/american-coot

A Great Blue Heron patiently waited for food to swim within striking distance.

A Grey Squirrel, hoping for food at the local squirrel cafe.

Dundas Valley Trail Centre

While walking along the rail trail between Pleasant Valley and the Trail Centre, we had good views of the surrounding area from our elevated location. In total we saw 5 White-tailed Deer.

A young Buck was well camouflaged in the trees and was difficult to photograph.

A watchful Cooper's Hawk kept an eye on the area. He is probably the reason for only seeing/hearing 10 bird species during our 90 minute walk. Most of the birds were distant and some, like the very vocal Carolina Wren were only heard.

White Birch Trees along the trail.