Laurier Woods, North Bay (cont.)

Located inside the city of North Bay, this 250 acre property includes a provincially significant wetland, rocky outcrops, upland forest and habitat for a broad range of wetland and woodland creatures. A 6.5 km trail winds through the property. 33 species of birds nest in the Conservation Area!

https://nbmca.ca/conservation-areas/find-a-conservation-area/laurier-woods/

Bee Hotel! Some species of solitary bees and wasps use hollow reeds, holes in trees or crevices in rocks to make their nest. Bee hotels simulate these environments by bundling together tubes of bamboo or reeds, or by drilling cylindrical holes in wood. It's important to remember that bee hotels require maintenance as dead larvae left in the hotels can spread disease to other bees. Identifying parasitic flies and replacing hotel parts are all necessary for responsible Bee Hotel management!

https://bestbees.com/bee-hotel/#maintenance

Boardwalk trail.

We observed 29 bird species during the walk, including a Brown Creeper. Brown Creepers spend much of their time spiraling up tree trunks in search of insects. Long curved claws on their short legs hook into the bark and the stiff tail helps them to brace themselves. They rarely climb downwards. Once they have climbed high in a tree, they fly down to begin a new ascent at the base of a nearby tree.

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

Hairy Woodpecker

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Lots of Pine Cones in the top of a White Pine tree! These cones act like seed suitcases, holding the seeds until they are ripe and ready to fall to the ground.

Birch Trees

Powassan Lagoons

Fall colours were at their peak!

A Garter Snake was trying to warm up in a sunny location on a cooler day.

Bear Scat! Our group leader informed us that the scat was not on the trail the day before our visit so a Brown Bear had walked the route overnight or in the morning before our arrival!

Small Bristleberry: Found on the trail. Leaf resembled Virginia Creeper, but it had prickly stems.

Leafy Hallowe'en mask for a small critter!

This was the first of 3 Merlins that we saw up north; one each day! Medieval falconers called them "lady hawks" because noblewomen used them to hunt Sky Larks. Merlin populations have largely recovered from twentieth-century declines, thanks to a ban on the pesticide DDT and their ability to adapt to life around towns and cities.

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

 Cranberry Marsh Conservation Area!

North Bay

We joined the Ontario Field Ornithologists Convention in North Bay and explored some "new to us" trails led by local birders. Located along the northwest shore of Callander Bay, the 319 hectare Cranberry Marsh was designated as a protected Conservation Area in 2002. The Wetland contains swamp, marsh and fens and provides important fish spawning and waterfowl habitat. The walk from the parking location to Lake Nipissing is 2.7 km.

We had an unexpected tour guide for close to 15 minutes at the beginning of our walk. A young Ruffed Grouse foraged along the trail staying 5-10 metres ahead of our group. We often hear the drumming sound made by males but rarely see the actual bird. When drumming, males quickly rotate their wings forward and backward, pushing air beneath the wings and creating a miniature vacuum that generates a deep, thumping sound wave that carries up to a quarter of a mile!

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

Early morning fog near the trail head.

Common Grackle singing high in the trees.

Overlooking the Cranberry Bog.

Viewing tower at edge of the cranberry bog.

The bog is open to anyone so I picked a few cranberries!

Philadelphia Vireo - an unexpected find!

White-crowned Sparrow, female or juvenile

White-crowned Sparrow, male

I saw something move and initially thought it was a blowing leaf, but a closer inspection revealed a tiny Wood Frog! The dark line through the eye is diagnostic for the species.

View from trail end, looking towards Lake Nipissing.

On Sunday we walked a second time along the Cranberry Trail. At the start we were told that porcupines had been spotted so we walked with neck's bent up scouring the tree tops. We walked all the way to the end without spotting one. On the return trip we had a different angle of the tree tops and found one sleeping high in a tree. This is the best look I have ever had of a Porcupine as they often rest in Pine trees where they can stay hidden within the pine needles. It is estimated that Porcupines have over 30,000 quills. If some quills are lost in an encounter with an enemy, they are able to grow new ones.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/mammals/porcupine/

 Hawk Cliff Woods Migration Weekend!

Members of the St. Thomas Field Naturalist Club have been counting and recording fall raptor migrations from Hawk Cliff since 1950. The data collected is added to a master database which indicates the long term trends in raptor populations right across North America.

Totals on September 27th as of 2:00 p.m.

Young Bald Eagle and Turkey Vulture: During our visit to Hawk Cliff, most of the birds were high in the sky, making photography challenging. Hawk Cliff is located on the north shore of Lake Erie, approximately 100 feet above water. Migrating birds travel from northern Quebec and Ontario using warm air rising from the ground. Soaring in these thermals, raptors rise up to several thousand feet and then stream out to the bottom of another thermal following a hip-hop pattern. This mode of travel conserves essential energy for their long trip south, thus reducing the time spent finding food. (Hawk Cliff sign)

Probable Broadwinged Hawk

A series of presentations were held throughout the weekend. The Canadian Raptor Conservancy has been in existence for over 20 years. This organization provides education about Canada's various species of birds of prey and introduces viewers to the wonders of nature. Great Horned Owls have 500 pounds per square inch of crushing power in their talons whereas an average adult human male has about 60 pounds per square inch in his hands!

https://canadianraptorconservancy.com/

Great Horned Owl: All the birds are trained for “free flight” allowing viewers to see the different flight styles. Only one bird at a time was "on stage". The birds flew back and forth between 2 perches while the handler provided educational commentary. 

The Harris Hawk was the only raptor not locally native. They are the most social of North American raptors, cooperating at nests and hunting together as a team! When hunting, a group of Harris Hawks surround their prey, flush it out for another to catch, and take turns chasing it.

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

I watched about a dozen American Kestrel's fly overhead at Hawk Cliff, but none of them were as close as this captive individual!

Red-tailed Hawk

Despite its large size, we learned that the Golden Eagle is the 7th largest Eagle in the world! This individual is 40 years old.

Magnolia Warbler

The Hawk Cliff North Meadows consists of an East and West Field. These fields are important food and rest stations for migrating birds. In 2023, over 200 kg of seeds (55 species) were sown in the 34 acre East meadow. 50 species of plants were seeded in the 39 acres west field. Because of the windy day, few butterflies were seen, but we did see many Meadowhawk Dragonfllies and other larger dragonflies that were too distant for identification. (Hawk Cliff sign)

A 1.1 km walking trail provided views of a ravine in Hawk Cliff Woods. We heard that mosquitoes were active last week but we didn't have a problem with them on Sunday.

 September Birds!

Many birds are filling their bellies in Canatara Park as they take a break and rest up during migration. A Least Flycatcher sat on a Hawthorn Tree watching for flying insects.

An Eastern Phoebe quietly popped up onto a fence near me! This species winters farther north than most other flycatchers and is one of the earliest returning migrants in spring.

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

Gray Catbird posing in the underbrush: Their name comes from a "mewing" call often made by the male while defending his territory. Gray Catbirds belong to the family Mimidae. They are able to mimic other birds, incorporating those sounds into their own variable song.

https://cwf-fcf.org/en/explore/resources/encyclopedias/fauna/birds/gray-catbird.html

A Lincoln's Sparrow was also hunting near the Hawthorn Tree. The species remains among the least-studied birds on the continent, partly because it runs mouse-like through dense vegetation rather than showing itself. It also gurgles a song more like a wren than what one would typically expect from a sparrow.

https://www.birdfact.com/birds/lincolns-sparrow

Magnolia Warbler

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can beat their wings about 53 times per second. They have extremely short legs, preventing them from walking or hopping. They are eastern North America's only breeding hummingbird. In terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/overview

Common Yellowthroat

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-throated Sparrow reaching for grass seeds.

Henderson C.A.

At Henderson Conservation Area, Canada Geese were lined up on a log with the start of fall colours in the background!

Two Great Blue Herons chased each other away from favourite hunting areas.

A probable Great Blue Heron feather on a trail.

Lesser Yellow-legs lifting off from the water

Fall colours starting at Henderson C.A.

Seeds from Common Milkweed were bursting from their pods.

A Peck's Skipper was dining on some New England Aster in the sunshine.

From my experience, 2026 has been a bumper year for Northern Walkingsticks. as we have seen many at Pinery Provincial Park. In the past 10 years I have seen only a few Walkingsticks at Henderson C.A. but on a recent walk we found 2 mated pairs!