Fun Stuff This Week

We enjoyed watching this Red Squirrel nibble sunflower seeds while sitting on the floor of the Saloon!  He didn't seem to want to take a seat on one of the stools.

At Henderson C.A. I found my first Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar in years.  It and another larva were hanging out on a Tulip Tree.  

We have been listening to the sounds of Tree Frogs during the past few weeks.  Trying to find one in a tree is next to impossible (I think), but one decided to sit on an old mail box at work outside my office door. 

You just never know where to expect wildlife.  I watched this Great Blue Heron land on a metal light standard this morning in Canatara Park.  A leashed, but noisy dog scared it out of the pond.

OFO Conference, Hamilton 2019

Lots of great field trips to choose from.  Our first trip was a Bird and Butterfly Walk at the Beverly Swamp Conservation Area.  Weather conditions were good for butterflies and dragonflies, but we didn't see a lot of birds.  I was thrilled to see my fourth Common Buckeye of the year!

 This Eastern-tailed Blue posed nicely for the camera!

A Question Mark was visible in the parking lot, along with several Eastern Commas.

Other wildlife included a tiny Dekay Snake (above) and a pair of White-faced Meadowhawks. (below)

A trip to Princess Point for a Cattle Egret provided glimpses through the bushes, but the Immature Black-crowned Night Heron put on a better show when it flew overhead!

LaSalle Park Marina hosted a pocket of warblers including this Common Yellowthroat.  Several Trumpeter Swans were resting along the Lakeshore.

         Hummingbirds in Canatara, September 25, 2019

4 Hummingbirds chased each other in a big game of tag.  They seemed oblivious to our presence, narrowly missing us on many occasions.  Once in awhile one would stop to nectar on a flower.





This little hummer stretched out its neck like a giraffe, watching over its territory. 

Everyone needs a rest eventually!  We were hoping for a rarity, but all of the hummers ended up being Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

Monarch Magic

What a great year for Monarch Butterflies!  I found 6 mating pairs this summer!

 Monarchs enjoyed Butterfly Weed and Missouri Ironweed in our backyard.

Bonnie Doon hosted a Roost of Monarchs on Friday evening, September 13th.

Since we were seeing and hearing reports of Monarch roosts along the Lake Huron shoreline, first thing Saturday morning I headed to Canatara Park where I had found a roost last year. I wasn't disappointed!  The magic had returned!

Vacation 2019

Our first rare find of the trip was this juvenile Piping Plover. What a cutie! 😊

A highlight of the trip was finding a family of 3 Black-backed Woodpeckers.
3 of them even posed for a picture!

A pair of Arctic Fritillaries allowed me to increase my butterfly life list!

Our visit to Algonquin Park provided the only rainy day of the trip and boy were the bugs bad!! This Common Raven was more interested in snapping at the bugs than paying attention to us. We heard the constant clacking of his beak as he snapped away at the annoying buzz.

Visiting the Carden Alvar created many photo opps including a family of Sedge Wrens.

A covered blind allowed me to get close to a juvenile Barn Swallow.

Lots of Common Milkweed provided food and shelter for Monarch caterpillars. Milk was dripping from the fresh bites in the leaf flesh.