A Limpkin, An Owl,

and Hundreds of Blackbirds:

We made a last minute decision Friday morning to drive to Wheatley Provincial Park as I had not seen the Limpkin that has been living there for the past month. 

We were given good directions and quickly found the bird which was a lifer for me! It was standing across a narrow channel from where we were positioned. It didn't hunt for food while we watched, but I have seen many photos of this bird catching very large snails. Snails are a main source of food in Central and South America where Limpkins normally live.

It was my first visit to this Provincial Park so we went on a walking tour. We crossed a foot bridge which provides access to the Lake Erie beach.

'Camouflage' bark on a Sycamore Tree: Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Fox Sparrow were found in the shelter of the woods.

As we walked along a road, parallel to the beach, it came to an abrupt end, having been washed out by wave action on the lake.

Waves crashing along the shoreline can cause millions of dollars in damage. Another mild winter may result in more serious erosion. Ice cover (which has been virtually non-existent so far this year) on Lake Erie can help to slow down erosion during the winter months.

During the drive home, hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds alternated between soaring and feeding on the ground. If you look closely, the red wing patches are visible on many of the birds.

We also noticed a Snowy Owl, sitting in an equipment closure in Chatham-Kent. She looks like the captain of her ship, sitting above the "steering" wheel! Photo was taken at the side of the road from inside the car.