Drink your Teaaa!

The classic Eastern Towhee song, given by males, sounds like a loud "drink-your-tea"! A pair of Towhees have spent the past few days in or near our yard. This bird is typically found in the undergrowth, so we were delighted to have it break out in song while in a clear location! They are most often found scratching in leaves on the ground, making a loud rustling sound.

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

Eastern Towhee, female.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was eyeing up possibilities for her next snack! Many flies were at the tree, drinking sap dripping from holes made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are one of the smallest song birds in North America. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been reported drilling sap wells in more than 1,000 species of trees and woody plants, though they have a strong preference for birches and maples because of the higher sugar content. The sap attracts insects, an important food source for the species.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/overview

Butterflies, such as this Eastern Comma, and many other insects are currently benefiting from sap dripping from trees. The bark is dark because it is covered in dripping sap.

Mourning Cloak butterfly with wings open.

Mourning Cloak butterfly, wings closed while drinking tree sap.

Sarnia Bay has been a popular resting spot during migration this week. Recent rainfall and subsequent run off from farm fields makes it difficult for birds to forage for food in the cloudy waters of Lake Huron. A few of the species found in the clearer waters at the Bay are below:

Male Bufflehead sporting his iridescent colours in the sunlight.

As many as 9 Common Loons have been reported at Sarnia Bay. I managed to locate 5 of them.

Immature Common Loon, with juvenile colours. (From a distance I had originally hoped that this was a different loon species.)

Immature and Adult Common Loons

Double-crested Cormorant: The "stringy, feathery double crests" are visible on males only during breeding season.

Horned Grebe, moulting into spring breeding colours.

Red-breasted Merganser, male. This species was the dominant species at the Sarnia Bay with well over 500 individuals being seen.

Female, or immature Long-tailed Duck

 More Spring Things!

Eastern Bluebirds were checking out a nesting location! The male Eastern Bluebird displays at his nest cavity to attract a female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it. That is pretty much his contribution to nest building; only the female builds the nest and incubates the eggs.

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

Midland Painted Turtles on left, sharing a floating stick with a non-native Red-eared Slider.

A very vocal Red-bellied Woodpecker was drumming up attention at this nesting cavity. Perhaps he was still trying to attract a mate? When exiting the cavity, he cautiously poked out of the hole, making sure the coast was clear of potential predators.

Red-winged Blackbirds continue to make announcements to anyone who will listen!

On a very windy morning, some Turkey Vultures chose to roost in a tree rather than tackle the windy conditions. Turkey Vultures use their sense of smell to locate carrion. The part of the brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, when compared to other birds. It can even detect dead animals below a forest canopy!

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

Northern Cardinal reflection

Grabbing a snack! A Black-capped Chickadee enjoyed the Staghorn Sumac fruit.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are native to North America but are considered by many to be a nuisance bird. They have been implicated in the decline of several endangered species, including the Kirtland's Warbler. Female cowbirds make no nest. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species who then raise the young cowbirds, often to the detriment of their natural offspring.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/overview

Song Sparrow, taking a break from singing!

Female Bufflehead: I had been watching this bird paddling, about 50 feet in front of me. She suddenly took flight and landed directly across from where I was standing! She must have wanted her picture taken!

It's nesting time for Eastern Screech Owls. Males choose a roosting location which gives them a view of the nesting cavity where the female sits.

Easter Bunny relaxing after a busy weekend.

 Warm Temperatures, Active Insects!

A truly unexpected find at this time of year was a Bronzed Tiger Beetle! Their fast-running and fast-flying behaviour is one way of identifying these members of the beetle family. The adults fly or run down their prey and can capture both walking and flying insects! They are native to Canada and are not commonly found in our area, especially this early in the spring!

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/tiger-beetles

A beautiful day of sunshine and warm temperatures woke up many insect species! An Eastern Comma was lined up with the flies to have a taste of sap.

A Mourning Cloak recently played "peek-a-boo" with me!

Small Milkweed Beetles are in the family of Seed Bugs. Most are plant-eating, feeding on seeds and sap of host plants. Some species are predaceous and feed on other insects.

https://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/insects/insectpages/lygaeidae.htm

Plants that don't have bright and colourful flowers often have flowers with a strong odour. The odour helps to attract early season pollinators including Western Honey Bees!

Cellophane Bee

Cellophane Bees are already active! I located two groups of these ground bees which were searching for mates. (pair mating in centre of above photo) I counted approximately 75 bees hovering sightly above ground at one location and 50 at another. They emerge in early spring, creating small holes in the ground for nesting. Unlike honey bees, they don't form hives, but live in groups. They waterproof their nests with a unique glue-like secretion while also serving as vital pollinators for early blooming plants.

https://nativebeeology.com/2021/04/22/cellophane-bees-the-one-who-glues/

Lots of creatures are happy that insect food is available!

I was "shocked" when a Golden-crowned Kinglet perched for a rest. These birds seem to be in perpetual motion as they search for insects to eat. Perhaps it had a full tummy!

Northern Flickers have returned in large numbers.  Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and drill on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main source of food, and the flicker digs into the dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants. If you look closely, mud is visible on the beak of this bird!

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

First American Toad of the year! Also an insect eater!

First Canada Goose egg of the spring!

Cooper's Hawk nest under construction! The pair have been busy adding sticks to the pile!

 Ausable Gorge and Ipperwash Trails!

A Vernal pool, home to Salamanders, ducks and many other species! Vernal pools are wetlands and like all wetlands, they provide critical habitat for many species including frogs, salamanders, and invertebrates. Because they dry out in the summer, vernal pools don't support fish which might otherwise eat the eggs or young of these species. Vernal pools are like "predator-reduced" nurseries.

https://ontarionature.org/top-4-reasons-why-vernal-pools-merit-our-attention-on-world-wetlands-day-blog/

Skunk Cabbage grows in wet areas such as marshy woods, wetlands, stream banks, bogs and vernal pools. The flowers have an unpleasant odour that is sometimes described as smelling like skunk, garlic, cabbage or mustard. The flowers are pollinated primarily by flies, gnats, and beetles, which are attracted to the smell.

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2026-02-06-skunk-cabbage-springs-earliest-and-hottest-native-plant

Hepatica Flowers can not be properly identified to species until the leaves grow. The flowers always bloom ahead of the leaves. Hepatica can be an important early food source for many pollinators, including butterflies, bees, flies and beetles that visit the flowers during the month-long bloom period. (April to May)

https://www.fernsfeathers.ca/main-blog/how-to-grow-and-care-for-native-hepatica-in-your-woodland-garden

These Sharp-lobed Hepatica leaves grew last year and stayed protected over winter under the snow.

A highlight of our adventure was finding Salamanders, including this Spotted Salamander

Mole Salamanders refer to a group of nocturnal salamanders that spend the day in leaf litter or in burrows on the forest floor. They can range in length from 4-12 inches, have flattened tails, small eyes, stout bodies, smooth skin and short, rounded heads. Some species have bright spots. They eat insects and invertebrates.

In the early spring, some species of mole salamanders migrate in large groups to ponds or streams to breed. They lay their eggs in clumps on submerged material in the water. Young mole salamanders live in the water and have external gills. Most species eventually lose their gills and move onto land, but some species spend their entire life in the water.

https://nhpbs.org/wild/Ambystomatidae.asp

Blue-spotted Salamander

Eastern Red-backed Salamander

Snuggle Buddies - 2 salamanders in the photo!

Salamander eggs

Trees in a vernal pool.

Black-legged Tick, first of the year. Although they are not pleasant to find, regular tick checks on clothes greatly reduces the chances of being bitten. It was crawling across my sleeve. Tucking pants into socks and wearing light coloured clothes (so they are easier to see) are good rules to follow to stay "tick safe".

Although we saw few insects, some beetle larva are bark borers and make their own "highway systems" as they chew through the wood. The chew patterns can help to determine the species of beetle!

Dunes and Swales, North Lambton

The Infant! That is the actual name given to this uncommon adult moth. (It seems an odd choice of names, considering an "infant" typically refers to a youngster, which in this case would be a caterpillar.) Thanks to a friend for corralling it so we could see it upon our arrival. We found 2 more, but they did not land. They have a beautiful red underwing.

My first Eastern Comma of the year! I'm glad it stayed still for a photo!