Nest Building:

I found a pair of "Bearded" American Crows today. I'm 

pretty sure there's no such species, but their beaks were stuffed 

so full of plant material it looked like they had forgotten to shave!

2 Turkey Vultures ignoring air traffic controller warnings!

Look up on a clear day and you may see Turkey Vultures soaring through the air, riding on the thermals. The Turkey Vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It finds its meals using its sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by the beginnings of decomposition. They have flat feet that are relatively weak and poorly adapted to grasping. They don't kill their food, but eat it once it is already dead. (Canadian Raptor Conservancy)

A pair of Eastern Bluebirds have returned to Canatara Park. The male sat still on a branch for a few moments to have his picture taken.

Bloodroot is starting to peek through the forest floor. The roots of this plant are extremely poisonous although Native Americans have used it for medicinal preparations and as an insect repellent. The red juice from the plant has also been used as a dye for clothing and for decorating skin, various tools and household items. (Canadian Wildlife Federation)

 A Bit of This and That:

Somebody got a little excited about Easter and laid an egg this week. The abandoned egg was on the side of the Lake Chipican trail. Canada Goose Egg. (Length: 3.3 inches or 8.3 c.m. The Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

A Canada Goose has again chosen a nesting location on top of a building at the Animal Farm. The Cornell lab says geese choose locations where they can see in all directions and this spot definitely fits that requirement!

Another unconventional nest site was investigated by a Mallard Hen who spent over 10 minutes checking out the location. The offspring of this ground nesting bird would not be happy dropping to the forest floor after hatching.  An hour later when I checked again, it appeared she had abandoned the idea.

I saw my first Great Blue Heron in Canatara this weekend. He landed in a tree right above me then quickly flew away when he noticed me below.

The Grey Eastern Screech Owl made a rare appearance early Saturday morning.

The Modeland Road Flooded Field provides a great rest and feeding stop during migration for many species, including these 4 Wilson's Snipe. They feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for insect larvae, worms and other invertebrates. The bill is at least 3 times the length of the head. The bill's flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed. Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil. (The Cornell Lab, All About Birds.)

It is very disappointing that these flooded fields are being developed into a residential area and will not be available as a migration stop in the near future.

 Cavity Nesters in Canatara!

I saw my first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the year on Thursday! Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill rows of tiny holes in live trees which attract insects to the leaking sap. The Sapsucker later returns to feast on the bugs that are drinking the sap from his drilled holes!  Many creatures depend upon these "sap wells", including hummingbirds who time their spring migration in some parts of Canada with the return of these birds. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

The Sapsucker followed a Downy Woodpecker to a few trees.

Nearby, a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches made many trips to a natural tree cavity, bringing nesting materials into the hole. He closed his eyes as he squeezed through the opening. White-breasted Nuthatches don't seem bothered by nest holes considerably larger than they are. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

Another stick into the hole.

After one of the Nuthatches flew inside the cavity, a Red-bellied Woodpecker showed up to inspect the work. I'm pretty sure he wanted to go in but chose not to battle the little Nuthatch. I was really hoping the Nuthatch would pop up for a picture, but no such luck.

After the inspection was done, the woodpecker flew to the next tree and entered an unoccupied hole, probably looking for food.

A friend (thanks Dave) pointed out the yellow marks on the front of a house at the edge of Canatara Park. A Red-bellied Woodpecker has been drilling holes in the siding this spring and the home owner chose to fill the holes with yellow foam. Drumming on loud surfaces makes a satisfyingly loud noise that proclaims the bird's territory and helps attract a mate. Once breeding has begun, the behaviour is likely to stop. (Cornell Labs, All About Birds)

 Butterflies and Birds:

A beautiful Eastern Comma rests on a sunny tree.  There were 3 butterflies and many flies taking advantage of the warmth.

Wings closed on another Eastern Comma 

exposes the white "comma" on the underwing.

A Black-capped Chickadee enjoys the fruit on Staghorn Sumac.

Time for a break!

A Golden-crowned Kinglet sat preening for 6 minutes while I photographed it! Unbelievable!(I confirmed the duration by checking the time on the first and last photo.)

She took the time to sing me a song!

Sunrise reflected off a passing barge as it enters Lake Huron, Tuesday morning .

 

St. Clair National Wildlife Area

A recent visit to Windsor provided the opportunity to stop at the St. Clair National Wildlife Area. A 10-15 minute walk will get you to the Viewing Tower which elevates viewers above the phragmites. Work has been done on removing the invasive phragmites, but it continues to be a problem. The wetlands are adjacent to Lake St. Clair.

View from tower looking towards Lake St. Clair.

A pair of Sandhill Cranes "bugled" for us as we walked along the trail. Sandhill Cranes have long windpipes that coil into the sternum. This helps the sound to develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds.) I never tire of hearing their sound!

Meanwhile, back in Lambton County...

Mallard Reflections in Lake Chipican!

Brown Creeper looking for food. These tiny birds can burn between 4-10 calories per day. By eating a single spider, a Creeper gains enough energy to climb nearly 200 feet vertically. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

Black-capped Chickadee nibbling on Silver Maple flowers.

A Red-winged Blackbird, with wing patches flared, struts in confidence along a branch informing a nearby male that this is HIS turf!

Our neighbourhood Wild Turkey is making appearances again. I found her peeking out from behind a tree in Canatara recently.

Black Pussy Willows in Canatara Park. 

 Butterflies on St. Paddy's Day!

The "Luck of the Irish" was with me today as I found 9 butterflies, spanning 3 species at Henderson Conservation Area near Petrolia! All 3 species overwinter at the adult stage! A great start to the spring butterfly season!

The first Mourning Cloak that I found was easy to see as it rested on the boardwalk. The second one was much better camouflaged in the leaves. Mourning Cloaks overwinter as adults in tree crevices, log piles and other sheltered places.

They can almost disappear when they fold their wings. By tucking in their antennae and becoming completely still, they can sometimes fool predators into thinking they are just a piece of bark. (Canadian Wildlife Federation)

On 2 occasions, I saw a "battle of the butterflies" in the sky. To defend their territory, a male butterfly will have a flight contest with the intruding male. The butterflies will circle each other in flight until one eventually flies away from the area, leaving the winner to take up their spot in the sun! (Earth Rangers)

A very unexpected find was a Compton Tortoiseshell. Unexpected because I had never seen one at this sight before. It is possibly the longest-lived butterfly in Ontario at the adult stage. He looks a little tattered, but not too bad considering he survived the winter!

The Eastern Comma was the most elusive to photograph. I saw 3 individuals, all on high alert for predators. If I got within 15 feet of one, it would fly away.

 Weekend Bird Stuff:

Our stop at Peers Wetland caused this Red-winged Blackbird to defend his home. Male Red-winged Blackbirds fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territory defense. He will chase other males out of the area and attack nest predators, sometimes going after much larger animals, including horses and people. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds.)

Killdeer have returned! We saw over a dozen yesterday. Killdeer get their name from the shrill, wailing kill-deer call they give. Eighteenth-century naturalists also noticed how noisy Killdeer are, giving them names such as the Chattering Plover and the Noisy Plover. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds.)

A Great Horned Owl slept in a swaying tree, 45-50 feet off the ground today. Getting a shot of this fellow was difficult as branches and twigs cast shadows across his face. Sometimes the tree in which the owl was resting would sway from one side of the view finder to the other.

On the way home, we found 2,500 Tundra Swans outside of Wallaceburg.

On Saturday, a Snowy Owl took a break at the Sarnia Marina.

Common Grackles have been frequenting our backyard platform feeder. A recent sunny day allowed this Grackle to show off his glossy iridescent colouring. 

No feathers on this reptile, but finding a Painted Turtle basking in Canatara Park on March 11th was another good sign of the coming spring weather!