Fall Birds & Some Turtles!

A Little Blue Heron was the "star" of the show this week when it was discovered in Lambton County! They rarely venture north of the Great Lakes. It has likely been 30 years since one was found in our area. Although adults are a bluish/purple mix, our visitor was an immature bird. First year birds are white in colour. Mingling in mixed flocks of white herons in the southern U.S., immature Little Blue Herons blend in with mixed species groups, gaining extra protection against predators.

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

Greater Yellowlegs - The top of the yellow legs are barely visible in this photo and they have a noticeably long bill! Greater Yellowlegs are seen mostly during migration as they pass between nesting grounds in the mosquito-ridden bogs of boreal Canada and wintering territories on marshes across the southern U.S.

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

3 well camouflaged Greater Yellowlegs, feeding in the Thames River in London, ON.

10 Greater Yellowlegs flying over Lake Huron. The long bills are visible in the silhouette.

Mourning Dove feeding along a trail in London.

Pileated Woodpecker taking a break on a Hydro Pole.

Purple Finch populations have been decreasing since the more aggressive House Finches were introduced in New York City in the 1950's, spreading across eastern North America. Purple Finches have large, seed-cracking beaks, and they seem to have a preference for black oil sunflower seeds. 

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

Every once in awhile, a Red-shouldered Hawk will grace the skies above us!

Rusty Blackbirds are easier to identify in their fall plumage when the feather tips show a rusty colour. In the breeding season, adult Rusty Blackbirds are a glossy black colour with a light coloured eye. 

Turkey vultures swirling in a thermal. In a few weeks, these birds will have migrated south for the winter.

On some of the milder days, turtles such as this Northern Map Turtle can be found basking in the sun. The sun's warmth helps them to digest their food more quickly, allowing them to eat even more calories. Fat stored on their bodies helps them to survive the winter buried while in mud under the water.

A Snapping Turtle "lurked" slowly through the shallow water in Canatara Park this week. Nearby, a Mallard Hen was keeping a close eye on the predator. A clump of mud is visible on the top of the turtle's shell.

As I watched, the Painted Turtle on the left (top picture) turned around and rested his head on the shell of the other Painted Turtle (bottom picture), while a Pond Slider looked on!

 OFO Grand Bend, North Lambton

I joined a Field Ornithologists event in North Lambton last Sunday. A group of 20 birders visited the Grand Bend Beach, Kettle Point, Forest Lagoons and Pinery Provincial Park. These Pectoral Sandpipers were flying at the Forest Lagoons.

The Pectoral Sandpipers spooked easily, but continually returned to their feeding station. They are currently migrating to South America for the winter and this stop was a food fueling station for them. Since their breeding grounds are in easternmost Russia, across Alaska and into northern Canada, some Pectoral Sandpipers make a round-trip migration of nearly 19,000 miles (30,500 kilometres) every year!

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

Northern Harrier flying low over Lake Huron at Kettle Point.

Turkey Vulture flying high above us at Kettle Point.

Ring-billed Gulls relaxing on Grand Bend Beach: Scientists have discovered that migrating Ring-billed Gulls use a built-in compass to navigate. When tested at only 2 days of age, chicks showed a preference for magnetic bearings that would take them in the appropriate direction for their fall migration. The gulls also rely on landmarks and high-altitude winds to provide directional cues.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-billed_Gull/overview

Common Drone Fly - nectaring on Goldenrod in a sheltered part of Grand Bend Beach.

Winter bird food! Juniper berries.

Kilally Meadows, London

Environmentally Significant Area

We explored the 10 km of trails at Kilally Meadows, located in north-east London. The 146 hectare property stretches along the North Thames River and Meander Creek, between Adelaide Street and Highbury Avenue.

https://thamesriver.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024-KilallyESA-brochure.pdf

An estimated 60 Cedar Waxwings were spotted. We found them in several corners of the property.

Berries such as those found on Juniper trees were an attractive food for the Cedar Waxwings. (notice the berry in its beak in the lower photo)

Fall Colour!

Meander Creek

A Belted Kingfisher was heard long before I actually located it as it cruised up and down the river channel!

The camouflaged bark of Sycamore Trees always adds variety to the landscape.

Sycamore Leaves

Although only one was spotted, White-tailed Deer are common in the area. The diversity of habitats along the river corridor meets the needs of many mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects/butterflies!

 Canatara Birds in October!

On recent sunny days, there has been a fair bit of birding activity in different pockets of Canatara park. At one of the usually active locations I was surprised to see that everything was quiet. Then I noticed a distant lump on the Willow Tree. A Cooper's Hawk was waiting in the shadows, well camouflaged in the branches. They are considered to be among the bird world's most skillful fliers. Cooper's Hawks are common woodland hawks that fly through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds.

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

The underside of leaves are used as hiding spots for many insects. Birds including this Nashville Warbler have learned to search for food in those locations.

Swamp Sparrows have longer legs than some other sparrows. This adaptation allows it to wade into shallow water to forage for food. It sometimes will stick its head under water to try to capture aquatic invertebrates!

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

Swainson's Thrushes are sometimes called "mosquito thrushes" for their flycatching habit of eating flying insects.

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

White-crowned Sparrow, adult male

White-crowned Sparrows (immature or female, above) eat mainly seeds of weeds and grasses but also consume considerable numbers of caterpillars, wasps and beetles during the summer months. Using their large feet, they vigorously scratch among the leaf litter in search of food. This motion creates a rather loud scuffling sound on the forest floor.

https://cwffcf.org/en/explore/resources/encyclopedias/fauna/birds/whitecrowned-sparrow.html

 

Eastern Phoebe

Energetic Ruby-crowned Kinglets are VERY busy flitting amongst the trees and shrubs. Sometimes they pause on low branches long enough for a closer look. The ruby crown is usually only visible when the bird is agitated.

4 Wood Ducks in a row! A very handsome group!!

A Yellow-rumped Warbler was walking along sticks floating just under the duckweed. It reached down several times to grab unsuspecting aquatic insects.

A Winter Wren popped up onto a fence with a spider in its beak! This species usually holds its tiny tail straight up and bounces up and down.  It can be challenging to get a good view of a Winter Wren as they hop and scamper on the forest floor among plants and fallen logs in their quest for insects to eat.

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

 North Bay, Final Day!

Sunset park, on the shores of Lake Nipissing. At the right time of day with sunny conditions, the sunsets are likely spectacular!

American Crows, out for a stroll.

American Pipit - The best look I've ever had of this species! 5 of them were running around on the rocks near me.

Ring-billed Gull

Wooly Alder Aphids: When wooly aphids feel threatened, they do a “Boogie-woogie” dance, swaying their bodies back and forth. Although I was close to them for this photo, temperatures were a little too chilly for them to perform their dance.

Red Squirrel waiting for food delivery at an empty feeder.

Ross's Goose! Deryl made the discovery which was one of the best bird finds of the OFO weekend! Ross's Geese breed in the arctic and migrate west of the Great Lakes. Finding one in Ontario is a treat! They resemble a smaller version of the Snow Goose with a stubbier bill and shorter neck.

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

Great Black-backed Gull, immature.

Arrowhead Provincial Park, Huntsville

We made a stop at Arrowhead Park on our way home. Photo of Arrowhead Lake was taken from the main park road.

When we visit Arrowhead PP, we like to make the time to walk the 2 km trail to Stubb's Falls. The moderate hike passes through a hardwood forest which is home to a variety of tree species including sugar maples, basswood, yellow birch and hemlock. Stubb's Falls is on the Little East River.

These rocks are an unusual sight in the area. They were carried here from hundreds of kilometers away by the last glacier to advance over Arrowhead Provincial Park.

Stubb's Falls: There is a lack of vegetation and soil around the river. The dirt was swept away by the meltwater of the glacier. During that time, a much larger waterfall scoured and polished the bedrock.

Views along the trail!