Around the County

Each year more and more American Robins seem to spend the winter in Southern Ontario. As long as they can find a solid food source such as these Juniper Berries, most of them should be able to survive the cold conditions. Food provides energy which helps to keep them warm.

While at Kettle Point, I almost got "hit" by a small flock of Snow Buntings. A collision really wasn't imminent, but when I turned around, they were headed straight for me than flew up and over my head before landing.

Bonaparte's Gulls cruising over Lake Huron

An American Crow found some type of trinket which didn’t look edible.

A Great Blue Heron spent some time hunting for food. It finally retrieved a tiny fish from the murky water. Perhaps he needs to invest in a net like the one in the next photo?

A fisherman caught minnows for bait in the St. Clair River, under the Bluewater Bridges.

Ring-billed Gull, just watching the people walk by.

Pied-billed Grebes - before they sunk like submarines! These small brown birds have unusually thick bills. They inhabit sluggish rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes and estuaries. They use their chunky bills to kill and eat large crustaceans along with a variety of fish, amphibians, insects and other invertebrates. They are rarely seen in flight and are often hidden in vegetation.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe/overview

The fast flight of this Sharp-shinned Hawk caught my eye as it flew 180 degrees around me. I was surprised when it landed in a tree allowing me a slightly clear view to take a photo! They are the smallest hawks in Canada and the United States. They are acrobatic fliers known for navigating their deep-woods homes at top speed in pursuit of songbirds and mice.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sharp-shinned_Hawk/overview

An American Tree Sparrow found an insect snack on phragmites. They were misleadingly named by European settlers who were reminded of Eurasian Tree Sparrows back home. However American Tree Sparrows are ground birds. They forage on the ground, nest on the ground and breed primarily in scrubby areas at or above the tree line.

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

I enjoy watching Brown Creepers spiral up a tree as they search for insects under the bark with their curved beak. When its time to move on, they fly low to a nearby tree and continue the upward spiral.

American Goldfinch are wearing their pale winter colours. This individual was finding seeds to eat on the Common Teasel plant.

Grey Cross Spider on a pink wall! Dozens of these spiders can be found on bridge girders, lock gates and lamp posts. They benefit from light pollution because their food is attracted to the light source. It is one of the few spiders that deliberately seek out artificial light, and one of the few that prefers metal and concrete to a tree or bush!

https://spideridentifications.com/gray-cross-spider.html

Changing colours on an Oak Leaf.

 Early November Wings; 

(And A Couple of Feet)

The brightly coloured feet and bills of Mallards are caused by changes in hormone levels during late fall and winter. The feet of both male and female mallards turn bright orange, almost red, in December and January during courtship and pairing.

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/webbed-wonders

The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America. They spend the summer in northern Canada and have returned to Southern Ontario for the winter.

This White-throated Sparrow jumped up from the forest floor right beside where I was standing. I guess he wanted his picture taken!!

Wooly Bear caterpillar on the move across a grassy trail! 

Common Buckeye searching for food. The asters have gone to seed so the butterfly is going to have a hard time finding nectar. 

I attempted to remove a thick dead stick that was lying across a bough on a Sugar Maple Tree but I couldn't budge it. A closer inspection revealed that fungus on the dead stick had grown around twigs and branches on the Sugar Maple. A bit of research determined it is called "Glue Crust Fungus". - something I had never heard of before!

Mourning Dove in the morning light!

Field Sparrow, found at the beach, and not in a "field". It was likely taking a rest and refueling with food on a pit stop during migration.

Great Blue Heron hunting in the channel. Lots of hiding places for little fish and crustaceans but the heron is a good hunter!

Eastern Screech Owl, peeking out of a tree cavity.

Every fall, a delightfully sweet aroma from a Katsura Tree can be experienced along a trail in Canatara Park. The tree is native to Japan and China. When the leaves fall to the ground and begin to decompose, they release a strong, sweet scent. The compound responsible is maltol and the scent is strongest in slightly damp conditions. So if you smell caramel or cookies baking while walking in a forest, there may be a Katsura Tree nearby!

https://arborpedia.com/trees/katsura

 Life at the Pinery in October!

We headed to Pinery Provincial Park in hopes of seeing some winter finches such as Crossbills, Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings. Late October/early November is traditionally a good time to see these species, but they are hard to find when the weather is warm enough for butterflies to be flying!! A beautiful Eastern Comma posed nicely along a trail. Eastern Commas will overwinter under tree bark or other sheltered area for the winter, emerging in March when the weather begins to warm up.

Autumn Meadowhawks are still finding mates this late in the season!

Boardwalk on Riverside Trail.

When we reached Beach #3, we found a large raft of ducks. Over 500 Red-breasted Mergansers were in the group along with a few Common Mergansers. Fly-bys included White-winged Scoter, Red-throated Loons, Common Loon, and Bonaparte's Gulls that were trying to steal food from the mergansers. 

Lots of interesting patterns on the beach! Receding water dragged sand past some pebbles.

An interesting set of tracks! A dime is beside the tracks in the lower photo to provide some scale. No sign of the actual critter, but possibly a spider? The critter left several linear tracks in one square cubic metre.

Beach art! This stump was attached to a tree trunk which was buried under the sand. The shape at the centre top seemed to resemble either an owl or otter, looking over its shoulder!

Feather trapped in the sand.

After moving away from the beach, we spotted 2 Golden Eagles soaring down the Ausable Cut. It was a good day for hawk movement as we also saw 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 6 Bald Eagles, and 4 Red-tailed Hawks!

Juniper berries were a big attraction for the Cedar Waxwings. We tried hard, but couldn't find a Bohemian Waxwing in the crowd. Cedar Waxwings are highly social, often seen in large flocks, especially when foraging. They are known for their cooperative feeding behaviour, passing berries beak to beak, down a row of birds!

https://www.birdfact.com/birds/cedar-waxwing

American Goldfinch, still sporting some of his yellow colour which will fade in the winter.

American Herring Gulls are one of the most familiar gulls of the East Coast and many people just call them "seagulls". Approximately 2 dozen different species of gulls live in North America, and not one of them has the species name of Seagull.

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

Morning fog on the Ausable Cut.

Green Frog, resting in the sun on the Ausable Cut.

New stairs providing protection to the fragile dune, leading to Lake Huron in the Dune's Campground.

 6 Legs in Autumn!

Common Checkered Skipper resting on a Swamp Milkweed Seed pod in our garden. The wings contain numerous white or pale spots arranged against a darker gray or black background, creating the checkered pattern. 

https://butterflyn.com/common-checkered-skipper/

A migrating Monarch was found on October 30th along the south shore of Lake Huron. Many Monarchs have already reached Mexico. She has a long trip ahead of her and is going to be needing suitable flying weather!

Viceroy, the Monarch mimic with the extra lateral black line crossing the hindwings.

Clouded Sulphur

Common Checkered Skipper found on October 30th. I typically find this species on sunny days in late October.

Common Buckeye seem to prefer sunny areas close to the ground. I often find them on bare ground, soaking up the sun.

Praying Mantis, "praying" for a meal to land nearby.

Wild Indigo Duskywing. They will overwinter at the caterpillar stage.

A tiny Sweat Bee on Wild Chicory

Chickweed Geometer Moth is a day flyer that prefers prairie grassland, fields, meadows, lawns and gardens.

https://minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/chickweed_geometer.html

A North American Spur Grasshopper species, sheltered in the plants.

Common Whitetail, female

Common Looper Moth, a day flying moth.

This member of the Blister Beetle family doesn't have a common name. Scientific name is: Meloe campanicollis. Touching a blister beetle can cause painful blisters on the skin.

On cool fall evenings, insects search for a place to shelter during the overnight hours. Once morning arrives, they will remain in the shelter until the weather warms up enough for them to start moving.

Bumble bee protected by a flower "umbrella"!

Bald Faced Yellowjacket nest. (previously called Bald Faced Hornets).The dark entrance hole is visible on the lower right. These insects make paper from combining saliva with chewed wood and using the resulting paste to make paper walls and cells for raising the brood. Nests are started by overwintering mated queens. Once the queen has raised a few workers, they take over the task of building and feeding while the queen focuses on egg-laying.

https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/whats-bugging-you/bees-and-wasps/identifying-bees-and-wasps/yellowjackets-and-baldfaced-hornets