Deryl's Green Big Year! 

As 2022 draws to an end, I wanted to highlight Deryl's Green Big Year! All birds were found without the use of fossil fuel powered transportation.

✔ Total Species:                 247

✔ Km. Walked:                   900

✔ Km. Biked                    2,100

✔ Km. on Snowshoes            4

✔ Km. on Skis                        5

✔ Km. by Kayak                     4

The following pictures showcase some of the rare, unusual and harder to find species in Lambton County that Deryl found in 2022!

Black-legged Kittiwake

Dickcissel

LeConte's Sparrow

Ross's Goose

Stilt Sandpiper

Whimbrel

He is looking forward to continuing Green Birding in 2023!

 A Noah's Ark Kind of Day!

The first few species that I saw when I entered the park were all in pairs which reminded me of the story of Noah's Ark. I usually don't find Black-capped Chickadees posing this close together unless they are at a known feeding station.

Most of the pairs didn't cooperate for a picture, but I was able to photograph one half of each pair including one of the Carolina Wrens. I usually find these wrens when they are vocalizing, but their movements down low in a brush pile caught my attention.

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker searched dead trees for bugs hidden within the cracks on the tree trunk. His female companion was one tree over.

A pair of White-breasted Nuthatches were easy to find because they were vocalizing loudly!

Deryl has also noticed some birds in pairs and decided to create a "dating profile" to attract a mate for our resident Eastern Screech Owl! 

"Meet Scarlet. She is currently single and very available. Scarlet is looking for a short term relationship with no desire for a long term commitment. She considers herself to be a bit of a night owl and prefers to watch the sun go down, although she might be interested in watching the sun rise with the right partner. Her favourite meal is skewered deer mouse, but she is not opposed to the more simple pleasures like backyard rodent. If you think you have what it takes to shake her tree, send a TRILL to scarlet@hoot-hoot.com"

 An Owl in the Family!

I like to say I got an owl for Christmas! When I looked out the window on Christmas Eve!  The nesting box that Deryl installed last winter finally had a resident! A red-phase Eastern Screech Owl has turned the box into an Air B&B! His bed is in the nesting box and breakfast can be found at the nearby feeder!

He showed its face several times during daylight hours on Boxing Day! It was startled when a Mourning Dove landed on the roof, causing the owl to pop back inside.

Many people are feeding squirrels in local parks. They are cute, but over population of squirrels decreases the number of available cavities required by Screech owls. There is a lot of competition in a forest for wildlife to find shelter.

Some birds can make their own cavities. We could hear drumming in a dead tree for over 5 minutes before this male Red-bellied Woodpecker finally peaked out of a hole. We were surprised that there was room inside the trunk for the woodpecker to move around.

2 Kinds of Waxwings!

Bohemian Waxwings have returned to Lambton County!  We only see them during "irruption years" when there is a lack of food in Northern Ontario. There were up to 9 birds mixed in with a flock of Cedar Waxwings when we visited Pinery Provincial Park on a rare sunny day.

Notice the rusty undertail and white rectangular patches of the Bohemian Waxwing. The tail is tipped in yellow.

Cedar Waxwings are commonly found in Southern Ontario. They are pale under the tail and lack the white rectangular patches on the wings. The body is brownish in colour, compared to the grey body of the Bohemians and they also have a yellow-tipped tail. 

The birds shifted among the different tree species but kept returning to the Red Cedar (juniper) to snack on the berries. They have an uncanny ability to find fruit nearly everywhere, almost like they have a GPS tracker for berries! 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bohemian_Waxwing/id

Both Waxwing species were thirsty. Since the nearby puddles were all frozen, they "drank" snow that was laying on the tops of branches.

The birds occasionally fed snow to each other.

Cedar Waxwings in a Red Cedar Tree.

 Down River!

We headed down river in hopes of finding some sunshine today. No luck with sunshine or blue skies, but we did find a large group of Mute Swans.

There was also a pair of Tundra Swans in the group. They are the smaller swans at the back of the group with black bills.

The birds didn't seem concerned about a passing freighter.

The odd piece of bird art can be found when checking the docks along the St. Clair River! Although this is an abstract bird, the American White Pelican is a western species that occasionally makes its way into southern Ontario waters.

Some of the 167 Sandhill Cranes we saw in a distant field near Wallaceburg: During migration they forage for grains and invertebrates. They do not hunt in open water or hunch their necks the way herons do.

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

We also saw our first Snowy Owl of the winter season!

 Things With Wings in December:

So much life becomes dormant in the colder months, that finding moving things to photograph in December can be a challenge. However, we always find "things with wings" at Pinery Provincial Park. White-breasted Nuthatches are one of the species that are typically easy to find at Beach Parking #9. 

Black-capped Chickadees are almost universally considered "cute" thanks to their oversized round head, tiny body and curiosity about everything, including humans.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/overview#

Tufted Titmice are acrobatic foragers. They often flock with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. They are regular visitors to feeders, where they are assertive over smaller birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/id

Heritage Trail

The large lump on the bark reminds me of a Koala Bear climbing a tree. I can even see an eye! These tree lumps are called "Burls" and can result from an injury and subsequent infection by viruses, fungi, bacteria or insects. While they may look malignant, most burls don't have much of an effect on the overall health of a tree. Within a burl, the process of cellular reproduction has been interfered with causing cells to reproduce rapidly, resulting in a random distribution of cells. https://www.silive.com/news/2017/11/what_are_those_lumps_on_tree_t.html

Red Crossbills have been taking advantage of food and shelter available at Pinery Provincial Park. On my last visit, we had a blip of sunshine which allowed Deryl to take a better photo of this visiting winter species. Look closely and you can see the crossed bill!

 Bald Eagle in Canatara:

As I began my morning walk, I noticed a "new" lump on a tree and realized a young Bald Eagle was perched above the trail. Based upon the amount of white in the face, I am guessing it to be approximately 4 years old. Bald Eagles are generally 5 years of age before they display the all white head and tail. I was able to walk along the trail below without seeming to disturb him.

After I moved to the far side of Lake Chipican, he left his perch and kept a watchful eye on a Mallard swimming along the shoreline. The Drake did not seem to be bothered by the menacing predator only a few feet away.

The Eagle later flew directly overhead as I walked along the shore of Lake Huron. 

At one point he was so close, he didn't fit within the camera frame! After circling once, he headed towards Michigan. I didn't see any indication that he had a successful hunt in Ontario.

It was a beautiful morning to watch the sunrise today! 

 A Walk in the Forest:

I enjoyed a walk through a south Lambton Forest with friends on December 9th. This is the only Tulip Tree that we encountered. There were many large pockets of Beech trees, some Oaks and the biggest Black Cherries I have ever seen!

A lack of trails required us to look down as we stepped. We found a beautiful assortment of mosses including a Brocade Moss species.

Haircap Moss species

Christmas Fern: If you look carefully and use your imagination, each leaflet resembles an upside down little Santa Sleigh.

Shedding of deer antlers happens annually. Timing is dependent on many factors and searching for "shed" can be very difficult. Squirrels and mice love deer antlers for their calcium. Chew marks are visible on this specimen which is the first time I have ever found "shed". Whitetail deer shed their antlers between mid-December and early April.

https://outdoorever.com/when-do-deer-shed-their-antlers-and-how/

Decomposing stump and leaf litter.

Late fall in the forest!

 Life Bird!

I scored another life bird this week thanks to a Black-legged Kittiwake that has been hanging around the St. Clair River for the past several days. This species is considered to be pelagic, meaning it only comes to shore during nesting season. Kittiwake photo credits go to Deryl!

The individual visiting Sarnia is a first year bird. Black-legged Kittiwakes are small gulls with plump bellies. They forage while in flight by dipping or plunging into the water to seize small fish and other prey, usually far offshore. Kittiwakes nest on seaside cliffs, often among Auks and Northern Fulmars, in Arctic regions.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-legged_Kittiwake/id

A row of Ring-billed Gulls wanted their picture taken after watching the Kittiwake get all the attention! 

An Iceland Gull recently visited the Lake Huron shoreline at Canatara Beach. They can be found in winter along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. They are also regularly found along the Great Lakes, but not in large numbers.

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