Wetland Secrets! 

Wetlands provide the food, shelter and space for numerous species, which are adapted to hiding within wetlands. They also improve water quality, soak up water to offset the affects of flooding, and provide recreational opportunities such as nature appreciation and fishing.

Soras are secretive birds so it was a treat to find two walking around together at the Forest Lagoons! We tend to hear their descending whinnying call more often than laying eyes on the bird. Their thick, stubby, bright yellow bill is fun to see when one does come into view.

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

Soras play an important role in controlling insect populations in wetlands. They walk slowly through shallow wetlands, a bit like a chicken that has had too much coffee, nervously flicking its tail and exposing the white feathers below. They rake floating vegetation with their long toes (see photo) in search of sedges, bulrushes, grass, rice and smartweed seeds. They also peck at the water's surface for seeds and aquatic insects such as dragonflies, flies, beetles, and even snails.

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

A Canada Goose pair were getting ready for parenthood. Mom was preparing the nest, and Dad was standing guard. The female makes a brood patch by plucking her feathers. The feathers are used in the nest construction and the brood patch allows the eggs to be warmed directly against her skin during incubation.

Lots of Muskrats were visible at the Forest Lagoons. According to Hinterland Who's Who, a muskrat is basically a large field mouse that has adapted to life in and around water. They have large hind feet that act like paddles when swimming. Specially evolved teeth protrude in front of the cheeks and lips, allowing the lips to close behind the teeth This feature allows muskrats to chew on stems and roots when under water, while keeping their mouths closed!

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

A pair of Tree Swallows were staking claim to a nesting box. These Swallows get their name from their habit of nesting in tree cavities (and nesting boxes.)

Forest Lagoons

Canvasbacks are often called the "aristocrat of ducks" with the long sloping forehead giving it a distinguished look. Males stand out with a rusty head and neck and a gleaming whitish body. Females are pale brown overall, but the Canvasback head shape is diagnostic.

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

Midland Painted Turtle, resting above the water level.

Lines on the carapace (shell) and skin resemble contour lines on a map, giving the Northern Map Turtle its name. They can be found in rivers and marshy areas of lakes, preferring shallow water with moderate flows and good basking habitat such as logs, rocks, and exposed banks.

https://www.sydenhamriver.on.ca/sydenham-sar/turtles/northern-map-turtle/

The Spotted Turtle is one of Ontario's smallest turtles with a shell that is rarely more than 13 cm long. (This individual was between 10-13 cm, so is definitely large for the species.) It is easily recognized by its smooth black shell which is speckled with bright yellow-orange spots, resembling confetti. They eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and worms. The most significant threats are habitat destruction and illegal collection for the pet trade. Activities altering the water table during winter hibernation, such as digging a ditch along a road can wipe out an entire population. Nest predation, pollution, and road mortality have also contributed to its decline. Since this turtle is slow to reach sexual maturity (up to 15 years), population recovery is slow.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/spotted-turtle

Flowing creek at Dumphries Conservation Area, Cambridge: Although not visible at a quick glance, hundreds of invertebrates can live in fast moving water, clinging to rocks, hiding in the mud, or swimming freely. Invertebrates make up most of the biomass in a stream and are important sources of food for fish, tadpoles, etc.

https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2022.716573#KC1

A type of invertebrate with a hard shell and more than 10 legs. Crustaceans include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and roly-They make up most of the biomass

The total weight of all the organisms in a particular area, including all the plants and animals that live there.

All the different kinds of life found in a particular area, including all the animals, plants, and 

Shade's Mills Conservation Area.

While walking in a Conservation Area in Cambridge, we spotted a Great Horned Owl across the creek! Luckily it landed in the open and I was able to find a window through the tree branches to take a photo!

 Ausable River Wandering!

Wednesday was an ideal day to meander along the 1 km trail to Mystery Falls. We took our time, looking at the flora and fauna along the way.

An unexpected discovery was an arrowhead! It appears to be authentic and was carved from obsidian, also called volcanic glass. Obsidian had value for indigenous people who traded it as they moved from one area to another.

Trailhead sign

Skunk Cabbage is a strong-smelling plant that grows in wet areas and can be viewed along sections of the Mystery Falls Trail.

Trout Lilies

The less common, White Trout Lilies

Azure sp. on Violet sp.

This cup-shaped fungus grows on decaying wood in shaded areas. iNaturalist suggests it could be Scarlet Elfcup.

Carolina Spring Beauty: A pretty flower with a fitting name!

Adult Eastern Red-spotted Newts are generally found in slow-moving water. They have an interesting life cycle in which the eggs are laid in the water. When the larva hatch, they swim in the aquatic environment looking for insects to eat. After a few months, they reach the juvenile stage, lose their gills and spend between 2 and 7 years on the surrounding land as an Eft. When the Efts reach maturity, they transform into adults and return to the water to breed. Like salmon, most newts return to breed in the water where they were born. Newts may live for up to 15 years! They contain toxins in their skin which are lethal to most predators, except garter snakes.

https://ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/red-spotted-newt/

Eastern Red-spotted Newt eggs: Notice the lines within the jelly. Tiny Salamanders have hatched from the eggs. They can use the gel as a source of food to help them grow in their early days. Although the jelly surrounding the egg mass is important to protect the eggs, it also causes oxygen deprivation. The embryos must breathe as they develop. Salamanders have developed a symbiotic relationship with a special type of algae known as Oophila amblystomatis. The algae grows and blooms inside the jelly. It absorbs carbon dioxide and other waste made by the embryo. During photosynthesis, the algae produces oxygen which can be used by the salamander embryos! 

https://snakeinformer.com/what-do-salamanders-look-like-identification-guide/

Trail Sign providing direction for the trail between Mystery Falls and MacDonald Drive.

A special find for the day was a West Virginia White Butterfly! This species is listed as Vulnerable on the Endangered Species list. The host plants for the larvae are members of the Toothwort Family. The invasive Garlic mustard is related to the Toothwort Family. Unfortunately, if an adult butterfly lays eggs on Garlic mustard, the caterpillars refuse to eat the plant and will not survive.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/west-virginia-white

                         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/