Down By The Sarnia Bay!

A non-breeding adult Red-throated Loon has been visiting Sarnia for the past few days. When we were at Centennial Bay, it swam close to the shoreline. The red neck is not visible as it is "wearing" its "non-breeding plumage" which it will keep from October to April each year. During migration, they fly along ocean shorelines and also along the shores of the Great Lakes, but their precise migration routes are unknown.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-throated_Loon/overview

Red-throated Loons are smaller and more slender than other loons. They have a smaller bill and hold the tip slightly upward. Like other loons, they dive for fish from the surface, but may also hunt from the air. They fly swiftly and are able to stall, pivot, and drop with almost falcon-like precision!!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-throated_Loon/overview

Thousands of minnows could be seen swimming in schools around the rocky areas.

Many of the fish were so small, they were probably swallowed before the loon surfaced from diving, but a couple of times a minnow could be seen in its bill.

Splash resulting from an "interaction" when a Ring-billed Gull attempted to steal a fish from the loon. The gull did not succeed.

A couple of Black Ducks wandered along the edge of the path. The iridescent violet speculum was visible. Mallards have white edges along both edges of the speculum while the edge is black on Black Ducks.

Black Duck speculum, located on the secondary wing feathers

Female Red-breasted Merganser having a stretch.

Red-breasted Mergansers need to eat 15-20 fish per day, which researchers suggest means they need to dive underwater 250-300 times per day, or forage for 4-5 hours to meet their energy needs!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/overview

A female White-winged Scoter was another pleasant surprise to see in the Bay!

Although White-winged Scoters winter primarily along the coasts, small numbers winter on the eastern Great Lakes. Populations on the Great Lakes may have declined during the 1970's, but now appear to be increasing in response to the invasion of zebra mussels, a new and abundant food source.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Scoter/overview

Wild Canatara + A Musky! 

A Bald Eagle followed the Lake Huron shoreline, in his hunt for food.

The Eagle didn't pay attention to the 4 foot long Muskellunge (Musky) that had washed up onto the Canatara shore a few days earlier. This was my first time seeing a Musky!

A friend open it's mouth so I could photograph the rows of teeth. Any prey caught by that fish was not going to escape!

Another view of the teeth!

Adjacent to a very small inland pond (which often dries up) a Tree Sparrow posed for me! 3 Tree Sparrows have been lurking in the reeds surrounding that pond.

On the afternoon of November 18th (11 degree C.) I noticed a lump in Lake Chipican. Initially the head was submerged and I wondered if it was a log, but after a few moments the head emerged and I could confirm that a Snapping Turtle, covered in mud, was out for a slow swim. Reptiles can come out of the mud in search of a drink of water on the warmer days.

An Eastern Grey Screech Owl is appearing more frequently at the entrance hole to the wood duck box. The feathers on the top of the head seem to have a brown tinge. Perhaps this owl has some genes from the Red Phase of the Eastern Screech Owl which also live in the park.

I wasn't able to determine if this Black-capped Chickadee was eating a seed, or a juicy insect.

An adult Cooper's Hawk was perched high above the Redhead Ducks in the water below. They mainly eat birds, and although it appeared to be watching the ducks, it was likely hoping for a meal in the form of a Dove, Flicker, Robin or Starling.

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

This beautiful fungus caught my eye, growing on a fallen log. According to iNaturalist, it is a Silverleaf Fungus which can be harmful to fruit trees, but is generally not considered a problem in forested areas.

 Canatara Waterfowl 

An uncommon Brant Goose flew along the Canatara shoreline. This was an exciting find as we don't see this species every year. Nesting occurs on Arctic marshlands and tundra. During migration, they fly south along the eastern and western Canadian coast lines and occasionally make it inland to the Great Lakes. It is a compact, small goose with a stubby bill and a relatively short neck, when compared to most geese. They are larger than Mallards and smaller than Canada Geese.

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

Meanwhile, back at the edge of Lake Chipican, several Canada Geese were having a snooze.

Lake Chipican is an area of refuge during stormy weather and fall hunting season which has been ongoing in lower Lake Huron. A Northern Pintail took a break on the little lake.

A lone Wood Duck, amongst the Redheads.

Wood Duck on the run.

As many as 1800 Redheads have recently been found on Lake Chipican! Their diet is varied, but the main staple is submerged aquatic vegetation. Above, two ducks have retrieved plants from the bottom. Another is stretching after a big meal.

Redhead dripping with water after surfacing.

 Pileated at Pinery PP!

We headed to Pinery Provincial Park on November 13th in hopes of finding some winter finches. We saw Red Crossbills and heard White-winged Crossbills, but they were too high in the trees for photos. A nice consolation prize was a Pileated Woodpecker who hunted for food near the road and wasn't too bothered by our presence.

He was very busy looking for insects in tree cavities!

We only saw the male, but the female was likely not far away as Pileated Woodpecker pairs stay together on territory all year round. These "crow-sized" birds, will defend their territory, but will tolerate new arrivals during the winter months. Dead or dying trees in our backyards may attract woodpeckers and nuthatches to forage or possibly even nest in them!

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

Boardwalk on Riverside Trail: Another Pileated Woodpecker distantly hunted along the trail. They have nested nearby in past years.

While standing on the boardwalk, a Golden Eagle made a fly by! As it approached, it was backlit by the sun, so we only managed photos of the tail end as it flew away.

Moss covered log in the channel.

We explored the beach at parking area #3. There were some interesting patterns in the sand from the previous days' high wind and wave action. Seven Red-throated Loons were far out in the lake. 76 Bufflehead, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Horned Grebe, and 5 Bonaparte's Gulls were among the finds viewed from the stairs.

The 14 km driving loop through the park was still open so, we stopped to feed the Black-capped Chickadees. Gate closures for the winter months will possibly happen next week.

A curious Red Squirrel, hoping for a hand out.

Our final stop was at the Nipissing Trail. Instead of going straight to the tower, I walked the 1.9 kilometre trail which takes walkers to the top of Pinery's oldest and largest dune ridge, the Nipissing Beach Ridge. There is a 20 metre elevation change, which is a lot for Lambton County!

Northern Red Oak, leaves and acorns: The patterning and texture on the acorn were different from the White Acorns that I more normally encounter.

We found a deceased Hairy-tailed Mole, which was the first  mole I can recall ever seeing. The spade-like paws and claws (visible in photo) are adapted for digging as they live primarily underground. Sensitive whiskers and hairs on the nose and feet help to make up for its poor vision.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47049-Parascalops-breweri

 In the Heat of the Night!

Common Looper Moth:

We have likely used the moth trap for the last time in 2024. In order to set it up, temperatures must remain above 10 degrees Celsius in the overnight hours. October 30th and 31st met the temperature requirements. Moth numbers were down compared to earlier in the season, but that is to be expected and we still managed 10 species each night!

The trap is made up of a large bin that supports a light. The inverted bowl protects the light from moisture. Plastic supports help to direct the moths downwards. 

Inside is a funnel that the moths slide down.

Egg cartons are placed in the tub underneath the lid. Each section acts like a "room" for the moths.

The hole must be plugged in the morning so that the moths don't fly out of the trap towards daylight.

When the cartons are removed from the tub, it is important to look closely at both sides to watch for hiding critters.

Boston Dart: We have the only record in Lambton County for this species! The next closest report is 150 km to the east.

Maple Spanworm Moth - When at rest, it holds its wings in such a way that it resembles a fallen leaf. We see a lot of these each year.

Bi-lobed Looper - It looks like its wearing sunglasses!

Small-eyed Sphinx are able to hover which makes them efficient pollinators of flowers.

https://www.whatsthatbug.com/small-eyed-sphinx-moth-all-you-need-to-know/

We can usually convince the moths to walk onto a small stick, then move them to a piece of wood for photographing. Of course, some escape during this process. At the end, all moths are safely released in sheltered areas of the backyard. Our finds are recorded on iNaturalist, a citizen science forum that provides valuable data to scientists studying these species.