Birds of Summer!

Although much of my time in the summer is spent looking for invertebrates, birds are found on a daily basis. Once green leaves open up on trees and bird parents are busy feeding their young, finding birds in the summer can become a challenge.

Earlier this month, a Caspian Tern was flying above the St. Clair River.

Cliff Swallows often swarm around bridges and overpasses in summer. Clusters of their intricate mud nests cling to vertical walls. When a Cliff Swallow is home, you can often see its bright forehead glowing from the entrance. If you look carefully at the dark nest entrance in the centre of the photo, the glowing forehead of a Cliff Swallow is peaking out of the chamber.

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

American Goldfinch nest later in the summer than most birds. The blooming cycle of thistles seems to be a factor because the fluffy seed heads are important nesting materials. The plant also produces seeds which are eaten by the adults, then regurgitated for the young to eat, back at the nest.

https://www.wild-bird-watching.com/American-Goldfinch.html

Canada Thistle seed fluff - perfect for Goldfinches!

A House Wren, belting out its song from the roof of a nesting box.

Although the Killdeer appears to be adult sized, the fuzzy/fluffy feathers indicate that it hatched this year.

Northern Cardinal

American Robin carrying something for the kids to eat, back at the nest!

Red-winged Blackbird females are carrying food to feed their hungry young.

A Sedge Wren surprisingly popped up for us to see during a walk at the Dow Wetlands. Sedge Wrens live in wet fields and shallow marshes and have a reputation for being shy birds. They spend much of their time out of sight as they hunt for insects and spiders near the ground.

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

Great Crested Flycatchers tend to hunt high in the tree canopy. When they swoop to catch flying insects, they sometimes crash into the foliage. They are the only Eastern flycatchers that nest in cavities and will sometimes make use of nest boxes.

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

Great Blue Heron, waiting patiently for food to approach; either dragonflies in the air, or aquatic critters in the water.

 A Blue Frog and a Black Witch!!

A blue, Green Frog! We all learned in primary school that mixing blue and yellow makes green. A genetic mutation can disrupt the production of yellow pigments in the frog's skin. If the yellow pigment is missing or significantly reduced, the underlying blue pigments become visible, resulting in a blue frog! In some cases, a frog's diet can also influence its colour. Frogs obtain certain pigments from the foods they eat. If a frog lacks a crucial dietary component required for yellow pigment synthesis, the frog may become blue!

https://iere.org/why-would-a-green-frog-be-blue/#google_vignette

The Black Witch is a migratory moth, commonly found in the tropics of the Americas. They are primarily found in the southern U.S., Mexico, and Hawaii. In the summer season, they sometimes fly as far north as Canada! Adults do not feed. They live from a few days to a couple of weeks, using the energy stored during the larval stage for sustenance. The Black Witch Moth is culturally significant in different parts of the world. In many cultures it is associated with folklore surrounding death and bad omens. While in other cultures, it's seen as a symbol of good luck or fortune! I felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to see it!

https://www.whatsthatbug.com/black-witch-moth-all/

There are lots of colourful names in our local species:

Black Swallowtail on Purple Cone Flower

Orange Sulphur (deep yellow, depending upon the light)

Bi-coloured Striped Sweat Bee

Red Admiral: Red Admirals can be found in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The range of this butterfly is very broad because of their host plant. Larva will eat any of the 50 species from the nettle family, which grow in all of the listed regions. Red Admirals living in more northern latitudes will migrate to the southern states in the fall to avoid a loss of food resources in the winter. This migration is not as famous as the journey of the Monarch, but is a response of local populations seeking food sources through out the year. Climate change patterns are expected to impact insect species that follow plant populations in bloom.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/red-admiral-butterfly.shtml

Blue Dasher

Common Yellowthroat - female

Common Yellowthroat - male

Scarlet Tanager - High in a tree

Orange Mint Moth - The caterpillars feed on the leaves of mint plants.

Visible colours on both the Great Blue Heron and Red-winged Blackbird can help to identify each species. In the photo, the Blackbird was harassing the Heron because he felt the Heron was too close to his nest.

Silvery blue colour shines on a Silvery Blue Butterfly!

 Sarnia Bay & Point Lands!

A grey-coloured Crow had been reported at Centennial Park so we headed to the area in hopes of finding it. There are no crow species of that colour in our area. We assume it is an American Crow with a genetic colour morph. We didn't find the crow, but we didn't find ANY crows, which made us laugh. When we aren't looking for crows, they are usually very abundant!

Although we didn't have luck with the grey crow, we took the opportunity to explore the area. From the top of a manmade hill, we could look south down the St. Clair River. It's possible that I haven't stood on top of this hill since the kids were young and we took them tobogganing. 

It was quite windy in the morning with the approach of afternoon thunderstorms, but we found a few butterflies clinging to plants at the top of the toboggan hill! Common Checkered Skippers were one of the species.

A Clouded Sulphur also clung to a dandelion.

In our quest for the grey crow, we wanted to cover as much ground as possible so toured the perimeter, passing the grain elevators where we found several Swallows. Some Barn Swallows landed within photographic range, but the Cliff Swallows were a little too far away.

A Ring-billed Gull surveyed the surroundings from high on the roof of a nearby building.

Canada Geese were watching sail boats head up river into lower Lake Huron for the start of the annual Bayview Mackinaw Boat Race. It is the world's longest, continuously run, Freshwater Yacht Race. Skippers may choose to race north on Lake Huron from Port Huron along the 235 mile Michigan shore line OR travel the 290-mile Southampton Course before finishing at Mackinac Island.

https://mackinawcity.com/event/port-huron-to-mackinac-boat-race/

Looking north, up the St. Clair River as sail boats head towards the Bluewater Bridges and into Lake Huron for the start of the race. Approximately 200 boats enter the race each year.

As we continued our perimeter tour, we spied a flying Black-crowned Night Heron! It seemed to be searching for a place to rest. It was my first siting of the species in 2026, and was not expected at this location!

A small pond provides the necessities of life for a number of wetland species including these Halloween Pennants in a mating wheel!

Nesting boxes provide nesting spots for Tree Swallows. I only managed to photograph the tip of its tail as it dove head first into the box with food for the babies.

Question Mark butterfly

Finding a Common Sootywing was an unexpected surprise in a gravelly area near one of the parking lots.

A Spotted Sandpiper steadily walked along the sand looking for food. It is checking out a fly on the sand in the above photo.

The fly was caught by the Spotted Sandpiper making a nice snack! This bird marked the end of our walking tour but we will continue to be on the lookout for the grey Crow! 

 Charismatic Tree Frogs!

We found 4 Gray Tree Frogs, which we jokingly referred to as 'Sedge Frogs' as all of them were sitting on sedges and not trees! They were approximately 12 mm in length. These frogs are usually gray, brown or green, and change colours much more slowly than a chameleon does. The ability to blend in and hide is their number one defense against predators!

https://wildlifeinformer.com/facts-about-gray-tree-frogs/

Just wanted to say, "Hi"!

Mouth wide open!

Hmmm. Let me think about that!

Having a little chuckle!

Hang on tight!

One more belly laugh!

The movements the tree frogs were making in the above photos are likely because the frogs were shedding their skin! As frogs grow, their old skin becomes too tight and must be replaced. Shedding removes parasites, bacteria, and damaged cells. Frog skin is permeable and plays a role in breathing. Fresh skin ensures efficient oxygen absorption. Many frogs eat their shed skin, recycling proteins and nutrients. 

https://www.amphibianlife.com/do-frogs-shed-their-skin/

I didn't realize the Broad-winged Skipper was staring at a Tree Frog until I saw the photo on the computer! I’m sure the skipper was surprised to see the little frog! Many other critters were found at the 170 acre Reid Conservation Area during a Lambton Wildlife outing including the following:... 

 Carolina Grasshopper.

Chokecherry Leafroller Moth

Broad-winged Skipper

Broad-winged Skipper

Dion Skipper 

Emerald Spreadwing

Short-lined Chocolate Moth - a new species for me. Looks like chocolate!