CBC4 KIDS:

Lambton Wildlife (LWI) hosted its annual Children's Christmas Bird Count at Canatara Park on December 30th. Twenty-six kids and their parents signed up for a morning session to count birds in the park. The kids were divided into 5 groups; each with an experienced birder.

Once the kids had signed out the LWI binoculars, they participated in a "Bino Boot Camp". Laminated pictures of local birds were strung in trees, giving the kids a chance to practice their focusing skills.

Mallards

Canada Geese and Mallards were the most abundant birds.

Hooded Merganser

A lone male Hooded Merganser was viewed by most of the kids. The Hooded Merganser, as well as a Tufted Titmouse and 6 Tundra Swans were all new for this bird count which has been held since 2018. In a one hour time period, the entire group saw 19 different species of birds and a total of 270 individual birds!

Any youth  6-12 years, interested in joining Lambton Wildlife’s Young Naturalist program can find more information at the following link. Registration is free and events happen approximately once per month.

https://lambtonwildlife.com/calendar-of-events/young-naturalists/

 An Unexpected Christmas Find!

I never would have imagined finding turtles in Ontario on Christmas Day. A Pond Slider decided to bask on a log on December 25th in Canatara Park. Painted turtles were also spotted but I didn't find one.

Some movement on the far side of the channel caught my attention. I was glad to get two photos before the head of this Snapping Turtle submerged and remained out of sight.

Although Canada Geese have sometimes been difficult to find, they were out in full force on Christmas Day...They must have been having a party!

Even a lone kayaker paddled on Lake Huron!

Definitely a mild season! Happy Holidays!

 December Walk in North Lambton

Our plans to walk at Pinery Provincial Park were thwarted when the park was closed for a week earlier this month. We made a detour to the Ipperwash area and began our walk at the Dunes and Swales nature trail. The trail system and lands are managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada to promote biodiversity.

Evergreen plantation.

Boardwalks were ice covered and just barely kept us above the high water level.

Clues to animal life in the forest was evident with the discovery of raccoon tracks, and other critters.

Towering Tulip trees.

Looking up at some fungus attached to a dangling branch.

We walked a loop along the road and back along the beach. Lots of bird tracks could be found, most likely from American Crows.

Two parallel rows of posts prevent cars from driving down the beach. Cars can drive up to the water's edge at this point as the area is designated as a spot to launch a boat.

 Canatara Life in December:

Pockets of birds can be found congregated near food sources. A number of Northern Cardinals enjoyed berries on a sunny morning.

Many other birds, including this Carolina Wren have been gathering near a different food source. People have been placing bird seed on top of flat stumps for our feathered friends.

Black-capped Chickadees regularly hang out nearby.

Male Downy Woodpecker

Many beetle larva live under tree bark, eating their way through the inner wood. The tunnels they create are visible when the bark has fallen off.  The Downy, above, is likely hoping for an insect meal under the bark of the tree where he landed. 

The resident Eastern Screech Owl didn't seem bothered by the noisy birds alerting all life to the presence of this predator. A very vocal Blue Jay is visible on a branch behind the box. The few birds brave enough to land on the box were too fast for me capture a photo.

 A Limpkin in Ontario!

On December 21, Deryl traveled to Chatham-Kent in search of a Limpkin that has been reported for the past few days. Earlier this fall, one was found in the heart of Lambton County. The only person to see it was the landowner who posted a photo on Facebook asking for identification assistance. A few birders unsuccessfully looked for it at that time. It is possible there has been more than one Limpkin in Ontario this fall. Limpkins are considered to be non-migratory but individuals are occasionally found far from their range which extends from Florida, south through much of South America. Visits to Ontario this fall are possibly the first records of the species in our Province!

Limpkins favour freshwater, shallow swamp-forests with slow moving creeks and rivers. Large snails and mussels are the main source of food, but they will also eat seeds, insects, lizards, frogs and crustaceans. They are considered to be Goose-sized or larger, but are still smaller than Great Blue Herons.

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

After successfully finding the Limpkin, Deryl continued on his way to Point Pelee where he saw another rarity. A Townsend Solitaire has been in the park for a few weeks. Finding a grey bird in a grey tree with grey skies in the background could be a challenge. However, the bird has been spotted in the same basic location each day so it didn't take long to locate.

Townsend Solitaires are regular visitors to Ontario in the fall but are irregularly seen in Lambton County. Their native range is the western half of North America. Berries are a favourite food during the cold months. One study suggested they would need to eat between 42,000 and 84,000 juniper berries to survive the winter!

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

 Sarnia Bay Birds

A visit to Sarnia Bay in early December gave us some good looks at a Horned Grebe. This fellow didn't mind fishing close to the walkway.

Spring and Fall are good times across North America to look for migrating Horned Grebes as they stop over on lakes, rivers and coastlines. In winter, they can be found on the Great Lakes providing open water is available.

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

Mallards can almost always be found at the Sarnia Bay. Even when the water is frozen, they can be found on land, especially since people feed them through the winter months.

The Red-necked Grebe (our reason for visiting the bay) wasn't nearly as cooperative as its cousin the Horned Grebe. It stayed further from land but still provided us with some good views. It is a larger grebe, weighing more than double the weight of the Horned Grebe.

A Red-tailed Hawk got some unwelcome attention when 4 American Crows found and harassed him.

Ring-billed Gull taking a break from flying.

 Parkhill Conservation Area

We hiked over 8 km at Parkhill Conservation Area on December 12th. The Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority property includes 1,880 acres and is used for flood control, environmental protection, agriculture, recreation and nature appreciation. It was a cool day, but we were well protected from the wind while in the trees.

The deep ravine also sheltered us from the wind. The steps were a little treacherous, so we walked beside them.

High water levels had shifted the position of the foot bridge. We had a creek to navigate over before climbing up the other side of the ravine. We traversed into the ravine on more than one occasion when following the trail system.

The trails were muddy. Since the temperatures were slightly below freezing, we managed to walk around the larger puddles without sinking into the mud. With so much water lying on the ground, it was easy to see why mosquitos are such a problem in Parkhill during the warm weather!

Some black clusters on American Beech trees caught my eye. They were visually different from Black Knot fungus found on cherry trees. I learned that the Honeydew Eater, a "new to me" species, is a sooty mould fungus that is formed by colonies of the Beech Blight Aphid. (see aphids below) It is found only on American Beech trees. Aphids congregate on branches and twigs in late summer and fall, creating large amounts of honeydew that drip onto vegetation below. Fungus spores fall onto the honeydew after being carried by water and the wind. The large quantity of honeydew allows the Honeydew Eater fungus to grow to a large size, sometimes as big as a football!

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/144013-Scorias-spongiosa

The Beech Blight Aphid is only found on one host plant, the American Beech Tree. (Photos taken October 28, 2023) 

A sign marking the property boundary.

 Banks of the Sydenham River!

I had a delightful walk with some friends recently along the Sydenham River in SE Lambton County.

Wood Duck Box at River's edge.

Half of an abandoned tippy canoe! Perhaps the paddlers didn’t negotiate the nearby bend in the River!

A small branch hosted a row of Splitgill Mushrooms showcasing an excellent example of Art in Nature!

I

I couldn't resist photographing some "Dog Vomit Slime Mold"! Creative scientists come up with some interesting names!

This insect was the only "thing with wings" that came close enough to photograph during our walk. I believe it is a Fall Cankerworm Moth.

In order to complete a loop, we walked away from the river, through a developing meadow. A couple of Bald Eagles soared overhead.