2024 Favourites!

As the year comes to a close, I reminisced about my favourite experiences.

The Dukes' Skipper is a very rare and local resident, restricted to extreme south-western Ontario. I had a nature connection with one on a hot July day. A Dukes' decided my sweaty skin was a good source of salt! It also found residue on my binoculars and stayed with me for almost 10 minutes, absolutely making my day!!

Cecropia Moth, June 21st. I was happy to find this one on my own!

A Grapevine Beetle surprised us when looking at the critters in our Moth Trap on July 13th.

During a bird inventory, we stopped to scan with our binoculars and a Grey Treefrog was resting right in front of me!! Another species that I was happy to find on my own!! June 6th.

A small plantation of PawPaw and Common Hoptree was planted locally a few years ago. The Hoptree (which is a species at risk) is a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail. One day I counted 14 caterpillars. I checked on them daily and on August 19th, found a "train" of Giant Swallowtail caterpillars on the branch!

Common Candy-stripe Spider June 13th: This beauty was in our backyard one night as I wandered around with a flashlight. I was waiting for moths to fly towards the UV light and land on the hanging sheet.

Although a little gruesome, I was fascinated by this experience on June 3rd. While watching a live teneral (freshly emerged from the nymph stage) damselfly species, an Eastern Forktail approached, grabbed the prey and severed the wings and abdomen from the rest of the body. It carried the abdomen to another leaf where it discarded the wings and proceeded to eat it. “Eat or be eaten!!”

I found the first Slender Orange-bush Lichen ever recorded in Canada! A Lichenologist came to Sarnia so he could confirm the species which is normally found along the Gulf of Mexico!

And a final cool experience was finding a Virginia Opossum high in a tree cavity on December 30th! It is Canada's only Marsupial! They are a nocturnal species, but during warm winter days, are sometimes active. After this individual had its picture taken, it turned around and went to sleep. Opossums have a wicked hiss and a mouthful of teeth that they will flash when scared, but they're actually sweet-tempered and don't bite unless forced to defend themselves. Apparently they never have rabies.

https://www.welcomewildlife.com/virginia-opossum-a-yards-ideal-visitor/

 We Saw The Sun!!

The sun was shining on Saturday morning and we made good use of the weather during a walk at the Brights Grove Lagoons. A minimum of 2,000 Canada Geese were on site.

By the time we had walked around the cells, the birds were almost entirely gone, probably to find food in nearby fields. At least 11 subspecies of Canada Geese have been recognized, although only a couple are distinctive. In general, the geese get smaller as you move northward, and darker as you go westward.

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

A south wind was blowing and we had to dodge "flying chunks of fecal foam".

Two dozen American Goldfinch were scattered through the lagoons.

Woodpecker condominium! During the winter months, Downy, Red-bellied and even Pileated Woodpeckers can be found in this area.

We saw 22 species of birds but many were too far for photos. Good habitat for forest and field birds provided lots of shelter.

Back home in the afternoon, several insects could be found, thanks to the 12 degree Celsius temperatures. To survive the winter months, many insects go into diapause, which is a kind of hibernation. On sunny days in sheltered areas, some of the hardier species can be found moving around. An Asian Lady Beetle slowly opened and closed her wings on our Maple Tree.

False Milkweed Bug on the shed.

This may be a new species for me. My submission to iNaturalist suggests it could be a North American Tarnished Plant Bug.

American Winter Ant - also new to me.

Common Bagworm Moth: While scouring the backyard for insects, I found a few "Bagworm cases" on the brick wall. Larvae spin their own cocoon nest where they spend most of their life. The nest can be made of silk, twigs and bits of leaves. They are native to Canada.

https://leafyplace.com/bagworms/

Winter Crane Flies: This individual cannot be identified to the species level because the abdomen is not visible. I'll have to try for a belly photo another time! 😊😊

 Canatara Snow Life!

Carolina Wrens don't migrate. They are considered to be uncommon, but we regularly find them in our area. They enjoy foraging through leaf piles for insects so if you have the space in your yard, a leaf pile can shelter insects which in turn attract Carolina Wrens!

https://opticsmag.com/carolina-wren/

During stormy weather and grey skies, finding wildlife can be a challenge. It took some time to locate this Carolina Wren. I think they can "throw their voice" like a ventriloquist as I'm always looking high when I should be looking low, and vice versa! They like to move low through tangled vegetation.

Downy Woodpecker waiting for his turn to have a snack.

I love the fluffy head feathers on this male Downy Woodpecker!

Mourning Doves eat between 12 and 20 percent of their body weight each day. This averages to 71 calories daily. 

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

A pair of Tufted Titmice are regularly being seen in Canatara Park. Someone has been putting seed on a stump which has attracted several bird species. Like many of their relatives, Tufted Titmice hoard food in fall and winter. They will take advantage of a bird feeder's supply by storing many of the seeds they get. Usually the storage sites are within 130 feet of the feeder. The birds take only one seed per trip and usually shell the seeds before hiding them.

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

Black-capped Chickadees are one of the easiest birds to attract to feeders for suet, sunflower seeds and peanuts. They don't mind using tiny hanging feeders that swing in the wind and also readily visit window feeders. Every autumn, Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment, even with their tiny brains!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/overview

An Isabella Tiger Moth is the adult form of this Wooly Bear caterpillar. The temperature was 2 degrees Celsius and this fellow was wandering across the trail on the snowy surface as I entered Canatara Park. I carefully picked it up and put it by a tree where it was less likely to be stepped upon.

 Cranes on Christmas Day!!

Merry Christmas! 🎄

We didn't have any big family commitments today so were able to sneak out for a walk along the Suncor Trail and into Wawanosh Wetlands this morning. A "Christmas present to us" was finding 31 Sandhill Cranes standing in the field between the Suncor Trail and highway 402!

I continued to take photos as we got closer. They were standing about 300 feet south of the trail and eventually took flight. Luckily, they turned toward us as they headed west!

A Red-tailed Hawk sat on a light/camera post over the 402. (Taken from the south side of Wawanosh Wetlands.)

Deryl spotted a large female Cooper's Hawk looking for her next meal. Her feathers were well fluffed. When fluffed, layers of air between the feathers provide insulation on cold days.

A Northern Shrike has returned to the Suncor Trail again. One has stayed in the area for at least 3 winters. 

There were several Northern Cardinals and sparrows flitting along the fence row along the north-side field. One White-crowned Sparrow and Cardinal flew a little closer for a photo. White-crowned Sparrows prefer to remain low at the edges of brushy habitat, hopping on the ground, staying within the safety of shrubs and trees.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id

Additional birds that we found included 750 Mallards, 16 American Black Ducks, 39 Canada Geese and assorted songbirds.

 Under-Wings!

Deryl offered some pics for my blog post from a recent walk. We both managed to photograph birds flying directly overhead, but he spent more time at the beach. Three Bald Eagles scoured the lakeshore for food - one adult and 2 immatures.

We were expecting a large storm off Lake Huron Friday night, but the winds shifted, and eastern Lambton County (as usual) got the snow instead. Storm clouds to the east filled the sky while we were standing in sunshine.

This bird is possibly a Glaucous Gull, but it is difficult to confirm the species from the photo angle. Glaucous Gulls are the second largest gull in the world by wing length, but the heaviest gull by weight! The only gull larger is the Great Black-backed Gull. Many adult Glaucous Gulls remain in the arctic year-round, where they eat virtually anything from lemmings to seabirds to starfish, as well as fruit, insects, carrion, and trash. Most individuals that we see in the winter on the lower Great Lakes are immature birds.

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

The American Herring Gull is one of the most familiar gulls along the East Coast and many people just call them 'seagulls'. There are actually 2 dozen different species of gulls living in North American. No gull has the species name of “Seagull”.

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

Migrating Ring-billed Gulls apparently use a built-in compass to navigate. When tested at only 2 days old, chicks showed a preference for magnetic bearings that would take them in the appropriate direction for fall migration. The gulls also rely on landmarks and high-altitude winds to provide directional cues.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-billed_Gull/overview

Two flocks of Tundra Swans headed south, off Lake Huron this morning. I looked up when I heard them. I was fully enclosed by trees when the first flock flew overhead, but was luckily in the open for the second flock.

Black-capped Chickadee in flight: It carried a seed in its mouth and upon landing will either eat it, or wedge it in a tree bark crevice for future consumption.

Deryl got closer this week to the Coyote. Coyotes have a well-developed sense of hearing and smell. A sudden odour or noise can make it change its course in mid-step. It is obviously used to seeing people on the trails!

https://hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/coyote.html