An Exciting Insect Morning!

I don't know who was more surprised this morning; the giant silk moth or me. I have never before noticed a Polyphemus Moth in the yard. While watering the garden, the moth flew out of its hiding spot to let me know it no longer wished to be in the shower. Polyphemus Moths can have a wingspan of 10-15 cm (4-6 inches)!!

After it dried off, it flew to a new hiding spot and closed its wings. As adults, Polyphemus Moths live a maximum of 4 days. Their entire life cycle lasts about 3 months which includes 10 days as an egg, 5-6 weeks as a larva and 2 weeks as a pupa.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Antheraea_polyphemus/

A Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle greeted me in the front yard.  

The Eastern Forktail is a typical Damselfly since it holds its wings together behind the body. I found this individual in Canatara Park this morning. Immature Eastern forktails are orange, as above. An adult male is green and black with a blue tip to the abdomen.

Deciduous and mixed forest edges, including road sides and clearings make up the habitat preferences for the Hobomok Skipper. They will nectar on a variety of flowers. The ROM Field Guide to butterflies of Ontario, Peter W. Hall...

The Common Checkered Skipper is one of my favourite butterflies. I was happy to find my "First of the Year" this morning. I expect to see them in the yard later in the summer once the Brown-eyed Susans are in bloom.adults (moths), polyphemus moths live a maximum of only 4 days. Their entire life cycle averages about 3 months in length. This includes about 10 days as eggs, 5 to 6 weeks as larvae, 2 weeks as pupa, and about 4 days as adults. If they overwinter as pupa, this life cycle increases in length. (Vaughn, 2006)

 adults (moths), polyphemus moths live a maximum of only 4 days. Their entire life cycle averages about 3 months in length. This includes about 10 days as eggs, 5 to 6 weeks as larvae, 2 weeks as pupa, and about 4 days as adults. If they overwinter as pupa, this life cycle increases in length. (Vaughn, 2006)

As adults (moths), polyphemus moths live a maximum of only 4 days. Their entire life cycle averages about 3 months in length. This includes about 10 days as eggs, 5 to 6 weeks as larvae, 2 weeks as pupa, and about 4 days as adults. If they overwinter as pupa, this life cycle increases in length. (Vaughn, 2006)

 More Spring Bird Finds:

A "surprised" looking Red-winged Blackbird.

American Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

Green Herons usually hunt by wading in shallow water, but occasionally dive for deep-water prey and need to swim back to shore - probably with help from the webs between their middle and outer toes. 

Two male Baltimore Orioles had a territorial battle high in the trees in Canatara. They're most often seen perched at the tops of trees or flitting through the upper foliage in search of insects.

The Purple Martin not only gets all its food in flight, it gets most of its water that way too. It skims the surface of a pond and scoops up the water with its lower bill. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds) I found this one having a drink at the edge of the St. Clair River near Sombra.

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are stocky, medium-sized songbirds with very large triangular bills. These chunky birds use their stout bills to eat seeds, fruit, and insects. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

Look for Gray Catbirds in dense tangles of shrubs, small trees, and vines, along forest edges, streamside thickets, old fields, fencerows....and the occasional park bench!!

(Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

 Cygnets, Ducklings and Goslings:

The babies won't be cute much longer. Here are some of our local species.

We saw our first Cygnets at Peers Wetland on the weekend. The Mute Swan mom didn't stray far from her babies. All Mute Swans in North America descended from swans imported from Europe during the mid 1800's through early 1900's to adorn large estates, city parks and zoos. Cornell Lab, All About Birds.

Dipping nets have been provided for pond exploration from the small deck.

Mallard pairs form long before the spring breeding season. Pairing takes place in the fall, but courtship can be seen all winter. Only the female incubates the eggs and takes care of the ducklings. Cornell Lab, All About Birds

Canada Geese goslings having a "snuggle huddle" on a cold morning.

A younger family of goslings.

Although this looks like an argument, I believe these 2 were congratulating themselves on ridding the immediate area of other geese.

Grackles Catching Fish!

I witnessed this phenomenon last year and saw it happening again this morning! When the water in Lake Huron lines up at a specific depth with the seawall, boat traffic and waves wash minnows onto the lower rocks and it is feast time for the Common Grackles! I hope you enjoy this series of pictures taken where Lake Huron meets the St. Clair River!

2 fish in one Grackle Beak! Many of the grackles were scooping up 2 or 3 minnows at a time. We even watched one fly above the water and scoop a minnow from the surface. Perhaps he wants to be an American Dipper!

A school of unwary minnows in the water.

Owls and Tanagers!

A few Scarlet Tanagers have been found in the park recently. This individual kindly foraged for insects just a few feet off the ground, rather than high in the forest canopy. They spend much of their time skulking among the wide leaves of deciduous trees in the forest canopy where they are hard to see. Although they prefer to nest in mature deciduous forests, during migration they can be found in fragmented forests and backyards where they will also feed on blackberries, raspberries, serviceberries, mulberries and chokeberries. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

Sarnia welcomed a Summer Tanager to Germain Park for a day or two this spring. This immature male overshot the breeding range. It is a treat to find them in Southern Ontario! The adult male is the only completely red bird in North America. The Summer Tanager is a bee and wasp specialist. It catches insects in flight and kills them by beating them against a branch. Before eating a bee, the tanager rubs it on the branch to remove the stinger! (Cornell Lab, All About Birds)

Great Horned Owls can sometimes be seen passing through Canatara Park. If you hear an agitated group of cawing American Crows, they might be mobbing a Great Horned Owl. Crows may gather from near and far and harass the owl for hours. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds) A crow mob helped us to find this individual. Great Horned Owls are dangerous predators of crows, but crows have also been known to attack Great Horned Owlets.

I was saddened when the Wood Duck box on the island fell apart this winter. A new box has been installed and it wasn't long before the Eastern Screech Owl adopted it for its shelter and possibly nest! The sleepy owl is enjoying the morning sun!

Eastern Kingbird in Redbud tree.

For years I have wanted to photograph a bird in the Redbud blossoms. This year I scored two birds; Eastern Kingbird and Scarlet Tanager!

 Last of the West Coast Pics:

A few more miscellaneous pics:

Pipers Lagoon, Nanaimo: location for Orcas and Pacific Loons

Island View Beach

Great Blue Heron, Chemainus

The tide was out when we spent a lunch break at Chemainus. I enjoyed watching the crabs and other marine life scoot around in the tidal pools!

Greater White-fronted Geese, Panama Flats Park, Saanich B.C.

During a visit to the Victoria Bug Zoo on a rainy day, I held a scorpion in my hand. All scorpions fluoresce under ultraviolet light. The blue-green glow comes from a substance found in the hyaline layer, a very think but super tough coating in a part of the scorpion's exoskeleton called the cuticle. Scientists don't yet understand why they can do this but some theories include: It protects them from sunlight; it helps them find each other; it might confuse their prey. (https://kidsdiscover.com/quick-reads/makes-scorpions-glow-ultraviolet-light/)

Rocky Mountains photographed through the airplane window on the way home.

 Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary!

Barred Owls! We were fortunate to learn of a nesting pair at Swan Lake. Although they are a nocturnal species, during nesting season they can be active during the day. We're pretty sure the prey in the beak of the lower owl is a Virginia Rail!

Bushtits are tiny, kinglet-sized birds of the west coast. They are plump and large-headed, with long tails and short, stubby bills. They forage like chickadees, frequently hanging upside down to grab small insects and spiders from leaves. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds) The bird above is collecting cattail seed fluff for its nest.

Bushtits build a hanging nest out of soft materials such as grasses and spider webs. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds). We found this nest close to where we parked our car. One bird is peeking out of the nest while its mate is perched nearby. 

Notice the cinnamon-coloured duck in front of the Canada Goose. Finding a Cinnamon Teal added another bird to my life list!

Deryl made a new friend along the boardwalk!

Natural garden growing on roof of display kiosk; common in the temperate rainforest of Vancouver Island!

 Parksville and Nanaimo:  

The Sooty Grouse was on Deryl's wish list but since this was his 5th attempt at the species, we weren't particularly hopeful about success. Upon exiting the car at the top of Little Mountain, we heard an unfamiliar noise. It was difficult to pin point the source of the sound. After walking back and forth, and in circles, we eventually found the Grouse! We were surprised at the size and did not expect to see it high in a tree. They can reach a length of 40-50 c.m.!!

Top of Little Mountain, Parksville B.C. on a foggy, rainy day.

This individual appears to be a Columbia Black-tailed Deer which is found throughout Vancouver Island...and up on top of Little Mountain!

Some good friends live in Parksville and their property borders the Englishman River. We had a leisurely walk with them along its banks where we could hear Barred Owls and Steller's Jays calling.

During a lunch break at Parksville Community Park, we found a rather extensive collection of Inukshuks!

Life Bird!! A total of 5 Band-tailed Pigeons were found at Richard's Marsh Park at the south end of Nanaimo. Look for the white crescent on its neck, black-tipped yellow bill and yellow feet!

A pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers landed in a tree as we were walking by! Sapsuckers are named for their habit of drilling rows of shallow wells in shrubs and trees, then lapping up the sap with their brush-tipped tongues. Sapsuckers are important members of their ecosystems, because many species of insects, birds, and mammals use the sap wells to supplement their own diets. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds) Some sap wells are visible in the picture below the bird.