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