A September 17th visit to Pinery PP.

A Northern Parula was displaying his beautiful sunrise throat as he searched for the insects we were trying to photograph!

Male Eastern Towhee at puddle edge. A dripping tap in one of the campgrounds provided a bath opportunity for the birds!

Female Eastern Towhee

Video: Eastern Towhee having a bath.

Red-eyed Vireo caught a caterpillar. In the second photo it appeared satiated by its snack!

Black and White Warbler searching for insects under the bark. They have an extra long hind claw and heavier legs than other wood-warblers, which makes it easier for them to hold onto and move around on bark.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler/overview

Swamp Sparrow looking towards the swampy area.

We have been visiting the Pinery, taking advantage of the good weather to search for insects before they go into their winter hibernation. Some of our recent finds follow:

Hemlock Looper Moth

Skiff Moth caterpillar. This time it was on the underside of the leaf!

Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar

Boreal Pine Looper Moth: Many moths and other insects were found on the exterior walls of the comfort stations. Lights on the buildings attract these night time flyers, who then sleep through the day.

Fringed Dart: A new species for us that is only found in the Grand Bend area!

Winter Firefly

3 Turkey Vultures, just before they took advantage of the winds and soared over Lake Huron.

Turkey Vultures catching the wind!

 Canatara, Naturally!

This was possibly my best ever look at a Philadelphia Vireo! They breed in the boreal forest and are most often seen during Spring and Fall Migration in southern Ontario. They are smaller and less aggressive than Red-eyed Vireos and tend to forage for food in the upper canopy of trees to avoid competition with the larger vireo. Favourite foods include caterpillars, spiders, beetles, wasps, ants, moths and flies. Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos sing very similar songs. Where these two species overlap on the nesting grounds, the Philadelphia Vireo may sing perfect imitations of Red-eyed song. Scientists speculate that these imitations might help the smaller Philadelphia to avoid aggression by the larger, heavier Red-eyed Vireo.

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

I was lucky to find this Bay-breasted Warbler still wearing fairly bright spring colours. Typically in the fall, they become a greenish colour, making identification difficult. Their population numbers vary from year to year and are likely to increase quickly during population explosions of the Spruce Budworm.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/bay-breasted-warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler with a larva snack!

On the cooler mornings, if you look in "just the right places", it is possible to find Common Green Darner Dragonflies and other species drying off their wings and waiting for the sun to warm them!

Shadow Darner

Paper nest made by Bald Faced Hornets (Yellowjackets.)

Great Blue Heron

House Wren - a very noisy chatterbox!

This Asteroid Moth Caterpillar was so well camouflaged that I had to take a couple of looks to determine I was actually looking at a caterpillar and not a leaf!

Young Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak that likely was raised in Canatara Park.

I followed a "murder" of American Crows as they cawed incessantly. Often it means they have uncovered the hiding spot of a Hawk, Owl or Eagle, but this time I think they "just wanted to make noise!!"

The noisy crows led me down a path where I noticed this White Underwing Moth. These moths which are members of the 'Family Noctuidae' have evolved a trick for dealing with bats. They can actually hear the bats as they are attuned to the exact frequencies of sound that bats use for echo-location. When the moths are flying about and hear a hunting bat, they will fly downward in an erratic manner, seeking a place to hide until the bat departs!

http://naturenorth.com/fall/underwing/uwingF2.html

Ring-billed Gull Play time! A Ring-billed Gull spent several minutes playing with the short stick. It kept dropping it and picking it up before the waves could carry it away!

New Butterfly&Dragonfly Species!

A new butterfly species for us! Native to Europe, North America and Asia, the European Common Blue was first recorded in 2005 near Mirabel Airport in Quebec. It has since been slowly spreading east, south, and westward with the earliest record in Ontario in 2012. There are now many records in the Greater Toronto area.

https://www.rom.on.ca/magazine/new-blue-block

Underwing of the European Common Blue which we found near Hamilton.

The Great Spreadwing is listed as Critically Imperilled on iNaturalist. The only known Canadian population was in Essex County, but none have been reported in that area since 2024.  A population was found this summer in Lambton County!

2 pairs of Great Spreadwings were recorded mating at the Lambton County site. Hopefully they will be able to establish a population!

We spent a relaxing morning walking the trails at Henderson Conservation Area near Petrolia.

A well camouflaged Great Blue Heron is sitting in the branches of a fallen tree, providing a great vantage point for hunting!

The reservoir behind the back weir at the Conservation Area had just the right amount of water for some migrating shore birds!

Spotted Sandpiper - running along the rocks at the edge of the water.

Lesser Yellowlegs - We saw about 28 individuals. They were scouring the mud for invertebrates. 

Osprey hunting for fish

Turtle nest cover to protect the eggs from skunks, raccoons and other predators.

One of our goals at the C.A was to find slug moth caterpillars. We found 3 species. Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth caterpillar

Red-crossed Button Slug Moth caterpillar

Purple-crested Slug Moth - so well camouflaged!!

Spotted Apatelodes Moth

Small reservoirs were created over fifty years ago at Henderson C.A. to help slow the flow of water as it continued down stream. Drop-tube inlets were installed so water would have an exit without flooding surrounding land. One of the drop-tube inlets (shown on the right), sprung a leak back in the spring. It has since been plugged and alternate flood control methods have been installed.

However, the lack of water at the shallow end of the small pond has allowed plants to grow where they normally wouldn't be found. Hopefully the pond will fill up naturally with rain water in the coming months to improve aquatic habitat for the species that depend upon it.

Monarchs are continuing to pass through the region on their way to Mexico!

 Pinery and North Lambton

It was another good day to find Northern Walkingsticks! Prior to this summer, it had been several years since I last saw a Walkingstick, but they seem to be doing well at the Pinery. This pair was the first of several pairs that we found mating!

Definite Tussock Moth - attracted overnight to the building lights.

Lyric Cicada - also attracted to building lights, thus easy to find in the morning.

Orange-humped Mapleworm (probable)

Drexel's Datana Moth caterpillars: Larvae of this genus are gregarious feeders, working in groups to consume leaves of host plants. They are late-season defoliators of hardwood trees. Despite conspicuous damage, they typically cause minimal long-term impact to tree health. Natural enemies such as birds help to control their populations.

https://bugswithmike.com/guide/arthropoda/hexapoda/insecta/lepidoptera/noctuoidea/notodontidae/phalerinae/datana/drexelii

This Pied-billed Grebe swam along the river cut, past the boardwalk of the Riverside Trail. It regularly sunk and surfaced as it hunted for food below the water. They tend to "deflate and sink" rather than dive head first like most diving birds.

Shadow Darner's were performing aerial maneuvers over the water and were very difficult to photograph. This one must have worn itself out and luckily rested in our view!

Closed Bottle Gentian: Growing 1 to 2 feet tall in moist areas, Bottle Gentian blooms from August through October. The closed flower structure creates a fascinating pollination puzzle - only the strongest bumble bees can force their way inside to reach the nectar!

https://plantnative.org/native-plants/bottle-gentian-gentiana-andrewsii-2.htm

Skiff Moth caterpillar: Although I have seen adult Skiff Moths numerous times, this was my first time finding the larva! Skiff Moth larva don't seem to have any venomous defenses. Some experts believe they may rely on their non-caterpillar appearance for evading predation or disturbance.

https://norfolknaturalist.ca/2025/08/23/moth-miscellany-part-3-limacodidae/

Candy Apple Waxy cap - Species name has not yet been confirmed, but it has a very cool name!

Tiny, pin-like mushrooms in the Pinwheels and Parachute family of mushrooms.

Viceroy - overlooking the water

Northern Walkingsticks mating at Ausable River Cut Conservation Area.

Virginia Sphinx Moth - eating the Virginia Creeper vine growing on a tree. The leaves on the vine were almost completely eaten but other vines were nearby.

I found a Monarch near Port Franks that was tagged so its journey to Mexico could be tracked. I submitted the on-line form to Monarch Watch providing the details of the find. Since 1992, a new series of unique codes is generated for each tagging season and printed using permanent inks on all-weather tags with a pressure-sensitive adhesive backing. When applied as directed, the tags do not interfere with flight or otherwise harm the butterflies. If you photograph a Monarch with a tag, upload the information to https://www.monarchwatch.org. In a new project this year, over 100 Monarchs were fitted with tiny Blue Tooth receivers! iPhones or androids with the app, can help to track the movement of monarchs for scientists who are studying them!