Lambton County Finds:

On a recent visit to Henderson Conservation Area, we found some fresh Pileated Woodpecker activity. Wood chips from the excavation were lying on top of the snow fall from the day before. We also heard some distant drilling of the Pileated. In all my years of working there, this may be the closest I have come to that species at this location!

Somebody has been making and placing bird houses along some of the trails at Henderson C.A. The chew marks on the enlarged hole indicate squirrels have taken over this shelter.

Beauty is always evident in the colours on the female and male Northern Cardinals!

We also found a seasonally decorated Spruce Tree near a trail that had been marked with other hanging Christmas decorations.

Pinery Provincial Park:

Since the forecast for Tuesday was for sunshine, even though it was a cold day, we headed to the Pinery for some hiking and birding. We hiked close to 10 kilometres but saw very few birds, except at Beach Parking lot #9 where they were waiting for food.

Temperatures were much colder than the last time we hand fed the birds, so mitts ended up being a necessity. This little Black-capped Chickadee managed to stuff 2 sunflower seeds at one time into its beak. He tried for a third but wasn't successful.

I was able to use my macro lens with my right hand to snap close ups of Tufted Titmice that landed on my left hand. I was amazed at the detail in the feathers and the area surrounding the eye!

 Snow Buntings And

A Rough-legged Hawk!

A flock of about 175 Snow Buntings were actively ingesting grit on some rural roads in Lambton County this morning.

Grit helps their gizzards grind up the seeds they eat, making the seeds easier to digest.

These birds flushed frequently but continued to return to the same location.

A Snow Bunting with its own patch of grit!

A Rough-legged Hawk was cruising the fields looking for prey. These birds 

breed in the arctic but head to Southern Canada during the winter months.

Keep your eyes looking up! We found a Snow Serpent in a White Pine tree this morning. 😉

 A Pair of Peregrines!

Deryl was in the right place at the right time to capture two Peregrine Falcons on a light post! This species has been nesting on the Bluewater Bridges since 2005 with mixed reproduction success. They can fly at 90 kilometres per hour, but when in hunting mode, can dive at speeds exceeding 300 km/hour to catch their prey!

The local Wild Turkey often found meandering around Canatara (and sometimes our street) could have cared less that I found it on a fence beside a trail.

It was too busy preening its feathers!

We participated in the annual Port Huron, Michigan Audubon Bird Count last weekend. (One portion of the count circle extends into Sarnia and south to St. Clair Township.) We started with a pretty sun rise and found some good birds (Eastern Meadowlark) but no good shots of our avian friends.

Some of the seed eaters, including this White-breasted Nuthatch, were locating the caches of other birds and re-locating the seeds!

Point Edward Residents have done a wonderful job of decorating the walking trail that connects Canatara Park to the St. Clair River River!

Merry Christmas!

 A Very Woodpecker Week!

A friend invited me to hike some trails around St. Thomas and Alymer. While visiting Springwater Conservation Area, we encountered a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers!

Wood chips were flying as the male searched for insects. After he departed, I photographed the pile of wood chips at the base of his excavation activity.

A Hairy Woodpecker was flying and feeding near the Pileated Woodpeckers. Perhaps it was looking for the insects they missed?? This bird, although it appears similar to the Downy Woodpecker (below), has a longer beak than the Downy.

We enjoyed a walk at the Yarmouth Natural Heritage Centre with trails meandering through  200 acres of Carolinian Forest and looping around a 24 acre wetland. Apparently it is a great spot for spring warblers! We saw many Downy Woodpeckers including one little fellow who was scouting out "ball galls" on Goldenrod plants. 

The Goldenrod Gall Fly Larva will spend the winter inside the gall, protected from the elements but still susceptible to predators. The jagged hole in the ball gall closest to the Downy's beak, indicates that the larva has already been extracted from its winter shelter.

A little further down the trail, he opened another gall. Look closely at the picture and you can see his pink tongue reaching into the hole to grab the juicy larva. Woodpeckers have long, barbed tongues suited to grabbing insects from holes in trees.

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker sneaks in and grabs a 

peanut before the Blue Jays notice at our backyard feeder.

 Pheasants on the Loose!

10 days ago, Deryl noticed close to 100 Ring-necked Pheasants running loose, outside of the caged area at the Pheasant farm in rural Lambton County.

This past weekend, they were still roaming free. I can't imagine trying to catch a pheasant and it doesn't look like they have had any success, if they have been trying!

Most of the birds were wearing plastic blinders resembling "Elton John" glasses. 

The blinders prevent cannibalism which is a problem with captive birds.

It was difficult finding a pheasant without the glasses.

From a distance, a handful of the birds appeared to be black but were an iridescent green/purple when viewed up close. It is known as a melanistic colour variation.

Signs of Beaver at the Pinery.

A couple of other pics from our Pinery visit on the same day. Beaver have been extremely busy along the Riverside trail. 

We found evidence of a newer lodge, visible from the boardwalk.

Feeding Frenzy at the Pinery!

It was a slow week for picture taking and I wasn't sure what I was going to use for today's blog. Not long after arriving at the Pinery this morning, I had my subjects! Parks Staff are not providing seeds during the pandemic so we had a good sized flock of hungry birds visiting our out-stretched hands!

It has been a few years since the Tufted Titmouse would hand feed. They have always been in the vicinity but were usually waiting on the sidelines for seed to fall to the ground.

They were very fond of peanuts today!

As you can imagine, the Black-capped Chickadees were not to be left out!

We heard lots of Chickadee chatter!

And witnessed many arguments!

When Deryl answered a text, the birds still expected to be fed!

If you have a chance to visit the Pinery this winter, take the time to visit Beach Parking Lot #9. Bring some sunflower seeds and you will most likely find many birds "flocking" towards you! There is a lot of scientific evidence showing how spending time in nature is beneficial to our overall health!