Happy Earth Day!                       Spring Migrants and a Cute Regular: 

Black-capped Chickadees are entertaining throughout the year! I watched a chickadee shred a wood chip on a trail in Canatara Park. In the above photo, she has "grown a moustache" with pieces collected in her beak! In the following pictures, she has a tight grasp on the wood chip with her feet and beak, as she shreds it into thin pieces that will be used to line the nest cavity.

Black-capped chickadees will excavate their own cavities, but also use natural cavities and abandoned Downy Woodpecker cavities. Nests can be found at ground level, to more than 20 m high, but are usually between 1.5 and 7 m high. They tend to excavate in dead snags or rotten branches. Once the nest chamber is hollowed out by both parents, the female builds the cup-shaped nest using moss and other coarse material for the foundation, then lines it with softer material such as rabbit fur.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory

Though the Palm Warbler's name might imply it is a tropical bird, it's actually nests in the boreal forest as one of the northernmost breeding of all warbler species. They got their name when a specimen was collected in the Caribbean amongst a lot of palm trees.

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

My first Pine Warbler of the spring was hunting for insects in a White Pine Tree! He's hanging by his toes in the second photo as he reaches for a snack!

Affectionately nicknamed, "Butter-butt", the Yellow-rumped Warbler is a biological success story. While most warblers are strictly insectivores, forcing them to make long, energy-sapping migrations to the tropics every autumn, the Yellow-rumped Warbler has evolved the ability to consume and digest the waxy coatings on certain high-energy berries, allowing it to winter much farther north than any other member of its family.

https://lovethebirds.com/yellow-rumped-warbler/

A Red Admiral landed briefly on our house this week. Red Admirals can't survive the frigid winter temperatures in Southern Ontario. They migrate to the southern U.S. in the fall and a new generation will return north in the spring. Monarchs are not the only migratory butterflies! Unlike Monarchs, Red Admirals do not have a single known overwintering site. During migration, they can be found in a wide range of habitats from tundra to the subtropics.

https://cvc.ca/conversations/red-admiral-butterflies-are-on-the-move/

 

The American Lady is another butterfly migrant! I expect to see one in my backyard soon as they lay eggs on the Pearly Everlasting which is growing in the garden.

Eastern Comma's are able to tolerate harsh winter climates. Adults tuck into wood crevices to wait out the winter weather.

I finally saw my first Trout Lilies in bloom. A Cabbage White butterfly was using the flowers as a nectar source!

 Rainy Day(s) Birding!

Despite the rainy forecast, we have managed to spend large chunks of time outside without becoming soaked, unlike the wildlife!

I have had fleeting glances of an Osprey this spring as it flew away from me. This morning, a damp-looking Osprey sat, resting on a branch. It was keeping an eye on the water below, but eventually flew away without catching anything during my watch. Several years ago, Osprey began nesting locally and they have become an expected species each summer in our area. They can regularly be seen hunting in Canatara Park. Osprey are unable to dive to more than about 3 feet below the water's surface. They therefore gravitate toward shallow fishing grounds, such as Lake Chipican.

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

Nesting material collection by many bird species, including American Robins.

Brown Thrashers are secretive birds and can be hard to spot under dense vegetation. They sometimes make a lot of noise as they rummage through the leaf litter, which can help to locate this species.

Eastern Screech-Owl pairs are usually monogamous and remain together for life. Red and gray individuals occur across the range of the Eastern Screech-Owl, with about one-third of all individuals being red. I thought this pair had chosen a nesting cavity but finding them together in the White Pine Tree makes me think they are reconsidering their cavity decision.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id

White-breasted Nuthatch

While walking along a short trail in Canatara this week, I encountered over 30 American Toads, making their way to a nearby pond for mating season. They breed from late March to early June, depending on how far north they live. They lay 2,000 to 15,000 eggs in long strands that are wrapped around aquatic vegetation or deposited on the bottom. The eggs hatch in 2 to 7 days and the tadpole stage lasts from 6 to 9 weeks. Emerging toadlets are among the smallest newly transformed amphibians and soon disperse into the surrounding habitat. American Toads have thick skin which helps to prevent dehydration and allows them to use drier habitats than would be suitable for many other amphibians. 

https://ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/american-toad/

An American Toad was 'hiding' in a washroom building so I returned it to the water's edge where many other Toads were "trilling" their mating call.

I was surprised by the amount of spider web activity this early in the season that was visible on a dewy morning.

Mayapples: Natures umbrella for life on the forest floor!

Four legged creatures such as the Eastern Cottontail are also preparing their nesting sites!

Striped Skunk: This skunk and I were on a trajectory in which our paths would eventually cross. The skunk spotted me first, and retreated back from the trail, but continued to keep an eye on me. Skunks have long, straight claws for digging out the burrows of mice, ripping apart old logs for grubs and larvae, and digging in the sand for turtle eggs. They move slowly and deliberately. If threatened, running away is rarely done. Instead, they rely on their scent glands. They can discharge a bad smelling fluid to defend themselves, but only as a last desperate attempt after all other warnings have been exhausted. The musk is produced rather slowly at a rate of about one-third of an ounce per week.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/mammals/striped-skunk/

 Blooming Flowers, Insects and Birds!

Spring Ephemerals have begun blooming! Bloodroot flowers are opening, while the leaves are still curved around the stem. When the leaves open, they remind me of large, green, butterflies!

Hepatica (sp).The 3-lobed leaves will not emerge until the flowers have fallen. The leaf shape is important in identifying the exact species of hepatica.

Pussy Willow (sp) catkins are now flowering!

The willow flowers are attracting many insects including a Cellophane bee which is covered in yellow pollen. Catkins are important because they appear very early in the year, providing a critical first source of nectar and pollen for newly emerged insect pollinators. This early supply helps to bridge the food gap before other plants begin to bloom!

https://biologyinsights.com/when-do-catkins-appear-on-willow-trees/

Insects are attracted to the Willow Catkins for food. The insects then become food for birds such as this Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The Kinglet secured a personal feast by chasing away other approaching kinglets.

More and more insects are being spotted on the sunnier, warmer days. I watched 6 Green Darner dragonflies rapidly skimming along the meadow. They kept crossing the path beside me. I had some good looks, but not one of them landed for a photo. While trying to keep my eye on the dragonflies, I started noticing other insects in the meadow, including a couple of Virginia Ctenucha moth caterpillars.

Holarctic Azure! First of year! (There are 2 possible Azure species found in this area at this time of year.)

Hundreds of tiny ants emerged from the ground. They will make excellent food for birds such as the Northern Flicker!

Canada Goose letting me know the trail belongs to him!  After a lengthy discussion he finally agreed to let me pass!

Mallards are not known for "playing nice" when it comes to mating season.

Raccoon in a tree cavity.

 Drink your Teaaa!

The classic Eastern Towhee song, given by males, sounds like a loud "drink-your-tea"! A pair of Towhees have spent the past few days in or near our yard. This bird is typically found in the undergrowth, so we were delighted to have it break out in song while in a clear location! They are most often found scratching in leaves on the ground, making a loud rustling sound.

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

Eastern Towhee, female.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was eyeing up possibilities for her next snack! Many flies were at the tree, drinking sap dripping from holes made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are one of the smallest song birds in North America. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been reported drilling sap wells in more than 1,000 species of trees and woody plants, though they have a strong preference for birches and maples because of the higher sugar content. The sap attracts insects, an important food source for the species.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/overview

Butterflies, such as this Eastern Comma, and many other insects are currently benefiting from sap dripping from trees. The bark is dark because it is covered in dripping sap.

Mourning Cloak butterfly with wings open.

Mourning Cloak butterfly, wings closed while drinking tree sap.

Sarnia Bay has been a popular resting spot during migration this week. Recent rainfall and subsequent run off from farm fields makes it difficult for birds to forage for food in the cloudy waters of Lake Huron. A few of the species found in the clearer waters at the Bay are below:

Male Bufflehead sporting his iridescent colours in the sunlight.

As many as 9 Common Loons have been reported at Sarnia Bay. I managed to locate 5 of them.

Immature Common Loon, with juvenile colours. (From a distance I had originally hoped that this was a different loon species.)

Immature and Adult Common Loons

Double-crested Cormorant: The "stringy, feathery double crests" are visible on males only during breeding season.

Horned Grebe, moulting into spring breeding colours.

Red-breasted Merganser, male. This species was the dominant species at the Sarnia Bay with well over 500 individuals being seen.

Female, or immature Long-tailed Duck