Mandaumin Woods Nature Reserve!

This weekend, Lambton Wildlife is celebrating 50 years since the purchase of Mandaumin Woods Nature Reserve in 1972! The 25 acre property represents a typical Carolinian Forest in Lambton County. There is a short looping trail through the property. Some of the life we found on a visit in early April can be seen below:

Green Stink Bug

One-spotted Stink Bug

Unidentified Moth

Western Chorus Frog

Wood Frog

 Spring in Canatara

A few of the spring things I have noticed in the past week.

First Canada Goose Goslings of the year!

Bloodroot

Red Trillium

Virginia Bluebells almost ready to open.

Baby Bunny rabbit!

 Pinery Fun!

We had an early start at Pinery Provincial Park this morning which allowed us to walk some trails before the temperatures soared. It was the first time we can recall seeing Blue-winged Teal in the Ausable Cut.

There were many signs of beaver activity!

We saw 3 Beaver Lodges, all visible from the Riverside Trail and even watched a distant Beaver nibble on aquatic plants!

A pair of Sandhill Cranes walked along the opposite shore of the river cut.

A well camouflaged Green Frog sat on a log, enjoying the sunshine as he waited for his lunch to fly to him!

 Butterflies Partner With Sapsuckers!

A male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker enjoying the sun. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are famous for drilling rows of small, neat holes into live trees. (Notice the holes in the tree in front of the bird). Sap will drip from these holes and the sapsucker will return to drink the sap dripping from the holes he made. Any insect having a sweet drink may also be gobbled up by the Sapsucker!

Today I found a tree with several butterflies perched on a wet patch of bark. Mourning Cloaks, Compton Tortoiseshells and Eastern Commas were all present. I could see a row of leaking holes recently made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The butterflies were enjoying this sweet source of food.

2 Mourning Cloaks and 2 Compton Tortoiseshell butterflies.

Mourning  Cloaks!

The leaking sap supplies an essential source of food for not only butterflies, but many insects, hummingbirds and even bats when sources of nectar are scarce in the early spring. Hummingbirds have been known to time their northward migration with Sapsuckers to ensure they can find food!

A Very Busy Bush!

Since the ground is covered in snow this morning, I wanted to post some proof that spring is on the way. These pictures were taken on April 11th in our yard.

Hundreds of pollinators were on our Boxwood Bush. It was in bloom and the green flowers were easy to miss, however the fragrance of the flowers attracted many insects. The above insect may look like a bee, but is one of the "Flower Flies". They can mimic bees, thus avoiding unwanted attention from predators and people.

Narrow-headed Marsh Fly

A member of the Blow Flies family.

Confusing Furrow Bee (I think)

Western Honey Bee: Notice the yellow pollen basket on the leg.

Hovering Western Honey Bee (pollen basket on each leg)

Asian Lady Beetle 

I saw a minimum of 6 species on the bush in 30 minutes! One out of every 3 bites of food we eat exists because of the efforts of pollinators, including many fruits, vegetables and seeds! At least 75% of flowering plants on the earth are pollinated by insects and animals. This is equivalent to more than 1,200 crops and 180,000 different types of plants. These plants in turn help to stabilize soil, clean the air, supply oxygen and support wildlife! (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/pollinators/what-is-a-pollinator.htm)

 Big and Small Winged Things!

The "resident" Red-tailed Hawk continues to be tolerant of people. I was watching some Golden-crowned Kinglets high in a tree when I realized this fellow was just above my head. They are the second largest member of the Buteo genus of hawks. (broad, rounded, wings and short, wide tail) Cornell Lab, All About Birds

We continue to see Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. These 3 were headed toward Michigan when Deryl snapped this photo.

The iridescent colours of the Common Grackle shine at Sarnia Bay.

A Brown Creeper probes into crevices and picks at loose bark with their slender, downcurved bills, looking for insects to eat. They are sparrow-sized, or smaller. Cornell Lab, All About Birds.

Can you see the Brown Creeper on the tree bark? They can be a difficult bird to find at times!

Canada Geese and Mallards continue to make me laugh. I see them in the strangest places. Perhaps these two are "smarter representatives" of their species and realize there is safety in trees?

Kinglets and a Bittern!

Golden-crowned Kinglets are currently migrating through the area and I had a close encounter with a couple of these birds this morning. When excited, they will flash their orange crowns, raising their feathers above the head.

These tiny songbirds generally stay high in conifer trees searching for insects to eat. On cold days they can be found closer to the forest floor.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets have recently been showing up locally. A group of kinglets has many collective nouns, include a "Castle, Court, Princedom and Dynasty" of Kinglets. Very regal names for such a tiny species.!! 

(https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/756overview/Golden-crowned_kinglet.aspx)

Can you see the incredibly well-camouflaged American Bittern hiding in the reeds?

(Click on photo to enlarge it.)

Deryl photographed an American Bittern standing in the phragmites. They adopt a classic pose when alarmed, with the beak pointing straight up, helping this streaky bird blend in with its reedy background. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds) 

We found a partially exposed American Bittern near Rainy River in 2018. They can be found along freshwater marshes, but as you can see by the camouflage, can be very difficult to find! They are heard more often than seen. Their booming, clacking, gulping calls have earned them some colourful nicknames including, "stake-driver", "thunder-pumper," "water-belcher," and "mire-drum." (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

 4 Legs, No Wings!

We headed into Canatara this afternoon in hopes of finding some butterflies. It was during the pursuit of an uncooperative Eastern Comma when Deryl spotted a Long-tailed Weasel! This species has a tail which is longer than half its body length, with a black tip.

If he hadn't been trying to cross the path on which we were standing, we probably wouldn't have had a chance to photograph the little guy.

They live in abandoned burrows of other animals, rotting logs or under tree roots and rocks. They are most active at night but will come out in the day. The Long-tailed weasel can climb trees and is a good swimmer.  

(https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/longtailedweasel.htm)

Long-tailed Weasels are carnivores with a high rate of metabolism. They consume about 40% of their body weight every day!  Mice, voles, rabbits, chipmunks, insects and the occasional bird are included in the diet. It's long, thin body makes it easy to follow prey into underground burrows. (https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/longtailedweasel.htm)

 A Visit to Henderson C.A.

The sun didn't peak out from behind the clouds as early as expected today, but I still decided to head to Henderson Conservation Area near Petrolia. This dock was installed for school children to access the pond just prior to Covid. There a been a few field trips in the past 2 years, but hopefully it will soon get more use!

My Black-capped Chickadee friends didn't disappoint! I like to think they remembered me. LOL! (I'm sure they were just hungry.)

                                    Eastern Towhee                              Fox Sparrow

The 2 species above have been difficult for me to find this spring. I was happy to finally see both of them today!

When the sun shone, I found a Northern Leopard Frog camouflaged in the pond.

The trails continue to see improvement. It was good to see more boardwalk installed above some of the muddier sections of trail! (Boots are definitely required at this time of year.)

I saw my first Mourning Cloak butterfly today, exactly where I hoped to find one! They overwinter as adults in tree crevices, log piles and other sheltered places and are one of the first species we see in the spring when the temperatures begin to rise.

This is one of the Sphagnum Mosses. First Nations women used moss as diapers for their babies. It is very absorbent and would be dried in the sun before use. When it was "full" it would be discarded and decompose back into soil.

Several species were accessing the food that someone had left on a stump for the birds. Red-breasted Nuthatches move quickly over trunks and branches, probing for food in crevices and under flakes of bark. They creep up, down, and sideways without regard for which way is up, and they don't lean against their tail the way woodpeckers do! (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)