Spring Wildflowers - April 2020

Yesterday's warm weather has created a burst of colour on the forest floor. Pollinators were busy collecting pollen and nectar from the yellow Trout Lily which is sometimes called Adders Tongue, amoung other names.

The white Trout Lily, almost identical to the flower above is rare in our area.

Round-leaf Hepatica is a species I rarely see. The flower usually blooms before the leaf.

Purple violets are blooming in little clumps on the forest floor.

I saw my first Trillium of the spring.  It also was entertaining a pollinator.

My most exciting find was a Twinleaf. Like the Bloodroot, the flower petals 

are short-lived. The leaf is in 2 parts, thus a "Twin Leaf".

May Apples are carpeting the forest floor in Canatara. Once they reach their full size, (up to 18 inches) they make good shelter for small forest critters from hungry predators.

Another one of my favourites is Spring Beauty with its pale pink, candy-striped petals.

Bloodroot surprisingly is still flowering. I can't remember a year when the petals lasted more than a couple of days. Once the leaves in the forest open on the trees, shading the ground, all of these perennial plants will die back to the ground and won't flower again until next spring.

End of April Finds:

You know School Buses have been sitting a long time when Robins feel confident enough to build a nest on the steering wheel!

Four gosling families are swimming in Canatara Park, mostly in Lake Chipican.  Early in the morning, and during nap time, they can be found sleeping under Mom or Dad's wing. I know they become annoying later on but they are pretty cute at this stage!

With all those goslings, come grumpy adults! (I really wasn't that close to this guy.) 

Pine Warblers have been cooperating for photos this weekend!

Fingers crossed for more spring-like weather in the coming days!  

We look forward to the arrival of many more migrating birds!

A New Yard Bird!!

I was not expecting to see any food running around on the lawn while heading out to get groceries at lunch today.  Its a good thing Turkey, wasn't on my grocery list!

On Monday, Deryl found a Black Vulture meandering around a field near Forest. It was a surprising find for Lambton County! They are expected in South-Eastern US, but are expanding their territory to the north. In order to find a Black Vulture for our bird list, we usually need to travel to Queenston Heights and attempt to pick one out of the hundreds of Turkey Vultures soaring high above the Niagara Gorge!

If you look carefully, a little raccoon face is peeking out of the tree hole.  I can't imagine he is a very large animal, or he wouldn't be able to move in and out of the cavity.

Another creature "stuffed" in a hole! This Red-phased Screech Owl 

was enjoying the sunshine near Petrolia earlier in the week.

A female Red-breasted Merganser spent some time 

relaxing on a log close to shore in Canatara Park.

A Brown Thrasher surprisingly posed for the camera at Camp Saredaca.

This male Red-bellied Woodpecker seemed to be waking up with the morning sun. I have yet to see a female with him.  He has been busy calling and excavating at the end of our street. We think its the same one that comes to our backyard feeders.

Lots of invertebrates are emerging from their winter hibernation.  A couple of water striders  "skated" along the surface of the pond earlier in the week. Despite the cold temperatures, they were active because of the warm, sheltered location.

Lots of Spring time Activity

Many Flickers were busy finding mates this weekend. The males were 

trying to look their best by showing off their yellow shafts to the lady Flickers.

Other courting behaviour was obvious with several pair of Tree Swallows 

at the Point Lands, some of them touching bills with their chosen mate.

A Tree Swallow in need of a mate.

Female Red-winged Blackbirds have returned to nesting grounds in Canatara Park.

Still waters early Saturday morning created a calm reflection.

This year's Coopers Hawk's nest started out as a very rough looking squirrel's nest.

They have since added considerable stability to the original structure.

The local pair of Coopers Hawks dined on Starling last evening.

Yesterday on a neighbour's lawn, 2 Mallard Drakes were discussing who was the best candidate to get a date with the hen. I hope she had a say in the decision!!

A couple of Hot Heads!

Male Ruby-crowned Kinglets regularly have a flared crown in the spring, but this is the first time I have been able to capture it on film. They are speedy little birds who rarely sit still for more than a few seconds.

When I saw the first Kinglet, his ruby coloured crown was not flared.

But when the second Kinglet showed up, an "argument" began!

It made my day having a "front row" seat to these 2 birds!

Some Recent Favourites!

Despite the weather, we have been finding a surprising number of new migrants. 

The facial expression on this Purple Martin made me laugh.

Yesterday a White-breasted Nuthatch removed about a dozen leaves from a tree cavity.  The hole is far too big for him to use (easy for predators to enter). Perhaps he was retaliating against a nearby noisy squirrel!

It is nice to see the bright spring colours of returning Yellow-rumped Warblers! 

Osprey are back. One has been seen circling Lake Chipican for dinner in the early evening.

I saw my first shore bird of the year on the weekend... a Greater Yellow-legs in the flooded field at Modeland Road. It is unfortunate that a housing development will soon be destroying this habitat.😦

During a lunch walk last week, a loud splash drew my attention to 2 muskrats swimming away from a hungry mink. He did not catch either rodent while I watched.

Many muskrats are active near their lodges including 
this busy threesome enjoying the sunshine..

Not sure who lost this feather...perhaps a Ruffed Grouse.

The Bloodroot poking out of the forest floor last week is now blooming!

A male Kingfisher watches for a meal in Lake Chipican.

Creating a Chickadee Nesting Cavity!

I have another excuse for photographing these cute little black and white birds! Last weekend, I discovered a pair of Chickadees excavating a cavity for a nest. I've been taking photos through the past week and have the following ones to share.

The quick motion of the busy birds initially caught my attention.

When I stopped to watch the activity, one Chickadee entered a hole in a tree stump.

Chickadee nesting cavities are often round. 

This is the first time I have seen one in the shape of a rectangle. 

The 2 little birds were constantly entering and exiting.

Their mouths were very full of sawdust!

This fellow wasn't making any noise. 

He was just trying to spit ALL of the wood sawdust out of his mouth!

A few times both birds would squeeze through the hole at the same time!

Today, I noticed that the "parents to be" could fit in the hole together!

It has been a busy week of excavating for them!!

I haven't seen any sign of soft, nesting material being taken 

inside the hole so it still may be awhile before eggs are laid.

Deryl also found a Chickadee nest being excavated during the past week.  

This one has the traditional round hole.It is a very busy time for these, and other birds!