Canatara Beach:

Mallard Drake: Mallards can live in almost any wetland habitat whether natural or artificial. Look for them on lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers and coastal habitats. They enjoy city and suburban parks, as well as residential backyards.

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

Lake Huron

Herring Gull patrolling the shore for food.

Catfish washed up on the beach...soon to be food for something!

Herring Gull finds lunch!

After a brief internet search I hope I have correctly identified the 2 fossils in the middle of the photo as Honeycomb Favosites Coral. They had washed up on the Lake Huron shoreline. They are from an extinct order of coral called tabulate corals which also formed colourful reefs and lived in warm, shallow waters. They have been smoothed and polished by sand and water.

https://owlcation.com/stem/I-Found-a-Fossil-and-Wondered

 After the Storm!

Everything needs to eat and it can be especially difficult to find food after a snow storm. An American Goldfinch found food well above the snow line in a Sycamore Tree. Sycamore fruits are "firm ball-like groups" of many hairy seeds. Juncos, Chickadees, and Squirrels also eat this fruit. When the fruit balls fall to the ground, Beaver and Muskrat will use them as a source of food. 

https://www.ontario.ca/page/sycamore

The camouflaged bark of the Sycamore Tree makes it easy to identify this species!

By carefully checking snow covered bushes, many birds, including these Mourning Doves, can be found taking shelter. (Dove photos by Deryl.)

A Carolina Wren peaks out from its hiding spot.

Seeds have been left for the birds along one of the trails in Canatara Park. A hungry Carolina Wren spent time at one of the feeding stations.

A White-breasted Nuthatch caches a seed by wedging it into tree bark. I often witness this species stealing seed from other birds. But the tables were turned this time! ....

While looking through my view finder at the Nuthatch, a new thief moved in! A male Red-bellied Woodpecker flushed the Nuthatch away and proceeded to eat the Nuthatch's seed!

 American Woodcock Family 2022

I had a fun experience when I stumbled upon a family of American Woodcocks - a Mom and 3 youngsters. They spent their time probing in the dirt and rotting logs for food.

Wouldn't it be useful to have eyes in the back of your head? American Woodcocks come close- their large eyes are positioned high and near the back of their skull. This arrangement lets them keep watch for danger in the sky while they have their heads down probing in the soil for earthworms.

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

 Natural Art

When birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other creatures are in hiding, I like to stop and take a closer look at some of the natural patterns in nature.

Nature v.s. humans!

My Dad took this photo in the Hamilton area!  

 Birding in South-East Lambton

We drove to the far corner of Lambton County in hopes of finding a couple of target species. For their first several years of life, young Golden Eagles (such as the one in the above picture) have neatly defined white patches at the base of the tail and in the wings. Adult Golden Eagles are dark brown with a golden sheen on the back of the head and neck. They breed in NW Canada and Alaska but during migration, will sometimes enter the Great Lakes region.

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

An adult Bald Eagle posed for us in the morning sun.

Horned Larks form large nomadic flocks in winter, often mixing with other bird species, including Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Juncos, Lapland Longspurs, and Snow Buntings.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/lifehistory

We only found one location where a few dozen birds were feeding on the road. The Horned Larks and Longspur weren't very approachable, but Deryl was able to get a few shots.

Horned Larks

Two Lapland Longspurs flew with the small flock of Horned Larks, searching for grit on the road. The name "Longspur" refers to the unusually long hind claw on this species. Of the 4 species of Longspurs that can be found in North America, the Lapland Longspur is the only one that can be found outside of North America. Its breeding range encircles the most northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere. 

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

During our travels we found an artistic garden on a rural road being guarded by an Owl Skeleton. It looks like this Night Owl needs a night light!

A Beauty day to visit Pinery Park!

Sunrise, January 15th. from our street.

We took advantage of the beautiful sunny day and headed to North Lambton. The ice covered water restricted the number of birds that we saw in Pinery Provincial Park.

We made our usual visit to Beach Parking #9 to feed the birds. It was a cold day, so the Black-capped Chickadees and other birds were eager for food.

When the little birds began calling in alarm, we noticed a Sharp-shinned Hawk had perched in a nearby tree. He carefully observed the seed feeding activity but didn't attempt to catch any prey while we stood there. All those little birds would create a nice smorgasbord for this hawk and other predators! 

I made a new friend when a female Downy Woodpecker landed for a nibble of food.

 Trumpeter Swans at LaSalle Park:

Trumpeter Swans breed on wetlands in Alaska, Canada and the NW United States. They winter on ice-free coastal and inland waters. The harbour at LaSalle Park near Burlington is perfectly situated to provide winter shelter from the cold winds. There is a beach where they can rest and an abundance of aquatic plants for eating. The water is shallow enough near shore for them to tip to feed as they aren't divers. 

https://hnpnc.com/site/trumpeter-swans-at-lasalle-park

The bill of a Trumpeter Swan is almost 11 cm long, making it the largest bill size of all waterfowl species. (Tundra swans have a bill length averaging only 4.2 cm.) The shape of the head forms a slope that is continuous with the bill, almost forming a straight line. They are our biggest native waterfowl, stretching to 6 feet in length and weighing more than 25 pounds, almost twice as massive as a Tundra Swan!  

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

The point where the bill is attached to the face looks like a 'V' in Trumpeter Swans. (The letter 'U' appears for a Tundra Swan.)

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

Starting in the 1600's, market hunters and feather collectors had decimated Trumpeter Swan populations. The species has now expanded their range as they continue their comeback from near extinction. 

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

A young Trumpeter Swan takes time for a big yawn!

 Blue Sky and Sunshine!!!

Hopefully you had a chance to enjoy today's sunshine! 

With clear skies on the horizon, I headed out for a walk this morning and watched some Canada Geese fly "over" the moon!

As the sun rose and shone on the trees, birds became more active. A White-breasted Nuthatch searched for food in the crevices of bark. I have observed nuthatches watching the locations where Chickadees cache seeds and then retrieve the seeds for themselves. This fellow has a sunflower seed in his beak. Is it his, or did he steal it??

I heard some light drumming which helped me locate a Red-bellied Woodpecker digging for insects in dead wood.

A Black-capped Chickadee found some bugs to eat in January! The high protein insects were over wintering in a clump of dead leaves suspended from a tree branch. If you look closely, a very tiny, 4-winged insect is about to become the chickadee's next meal!

Northern Cardinal in our backyard.

Such a beautiful day!

 A Visit to LaSalle Park!

We recently visited LaSalle Park along the shores of Lake Ontario, where 3 Horned Grebes posed for a photo. Horned Grebes regularly eat some of their own feathers causing a matted plug of feathers to form in the stomach. This plug may function as a filter to hold fish bones until they can be digested.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Grebe/overview

I enjoyed watching a pair of Rock Pigeons wandering along the shoreline. Pigeons can find their way home, even if released blindfolded from a distant location. They can navigate by sensing the earth's magnetic fields and by using sound and smell. They can also use cues based on the position of the sun.

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

Black Duck

Hooded Merganser, female

An "Escaped Exotic" duck was at ease with the other waterfowl in the area.

Thanks to Deryl's keen eyes, we were able to watch an adorable Winter Wren hopping in the leaves around some trees. Although this wren was silent as we watched, "per unit weight, the Winter Wren delivers its song with 10 times more power than a crowing rooster".

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