A Hawk, Merlin and other Wings!

A young Red-tailed Hawk, is flexing the talons on his right foot. Perhaps he is watching scurrying prey below his perch?

Merlins are fierce falcons that are larger than Kestrels. They patrol shorelines and open areas looking for prey which includes small birds and sometimes dragonflies. They fly with quick powerful wingbeats, pausing to glide only rarely. They also spend long periods perched in open areas, scanning for prey. This individual was found in Canatara Park.

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

Busy runway for small rodents - a good spot for a predator to hang out!

Red-bellied Woodpecker (female): Red-bellied Woodpeckers can stick out their tongues nearly 2 inches past the end of the beak. The tip is barbed and the bird's saliva is sticky, making it easier to snatch prey from deep crevices. Males have longer, wider-tipped tongues than females, possibly allowing a breeding pair to forage in slightly different places on the territory, maximizing their use of available food.

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

White-breasted Nuthatches are agile birds that creep along trunks and large branches, probing into bark furrows with their straight, pointed bills. Like other nuthatches, they often turn sideways and upside down on vertical surfaces as they forage. They don't lean against their tails the way woodpeckers do.

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

Two male White-breasted Nuthatches. Females have a grey, rather than black hood.

 Snow Birds!

Many American Robins could be found locally during last winter's mild temperatures. They are much more difficult to find this year. We have also noticed that Juniper Trees don't have as much fruit on them as in recent years. These berries can be an important source of food for Robins who choose to stay for the winter. Food is fuel and can help keep them warm in cold weather.

Northern Cardinals don't migrate, nor do they moult into a dull plumage. They are breathtaking to look at all year round, but especially "shine" in the winter. 

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

Mourning Doves, and other birds, will fluff up their feathers for improved insulation to help keep them warm in cold weather.

Mourning Doves can often be found resting in close proximity to one another.

Downy Woodpecker, searching for his next snack.

Downy Woodpecker - Peek-a-boo

Female House Sparrow, hanging out in some grape vine.

A very chatty Tufted Titmouse landed in a snowy shrub. They will hoard food in the fall and winter, taking advantage of bird feeders by storing many of the seeds they collect. Usually, the storage sites are within 40 metres of the feeder. They take only one seed per trip and usually shell the seeds before hiding them.

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

The Tufted Titmouse eventually worked his way closer to the top of the wood pile.

A White-breasted Nuthatch waits patiently for his turn to visit the nearby feeder.

 Downriver Birds!

For a change of pace, we headed downriver to see what we could find on January 30th. We made a quick stop at the Suncor Trail before heading south, in hopes of finding a  Wood Duck. With his bright plumage, he was easy to pick out of the group of Mallards. He was surprisingly aggressive towards many of the Mallard Drakes. He appeared to be protecting his "girl friend" who happened to be a Mallard Hen!

Swans were on our list of hopefuls today. We saw a few Tundra Swans and many Mute Swans but the Trumpeter Swans recently reported in the area eluded us.

Tundra Swans and Canada Geese: Tundra Swans are the smallest of our Swans.

Once we reached Sombra, ice covered the river across the entire width. Fawn Island is in the background. When ice flows out of Lake Huron, the ducks are pushed into the St. Clair River, often making them easier to find. However, they had difficulty finding open water along the Canadian shore.

A pair of American Tree Sparrows greeted us at the parking area for the McKeough Dam Outflow. The W. Darcy McKeough Floodway is the largest flood diversion project in Ontario. When the control gates are closed, the threat of flooding in the Town of Wallaceburg is reduced by diverting water from the Sydenham River directly to the St. Clair River.

https://www.scrca.on.ca/flood-and-erosion/w-darcy-mckeough-floodway/

An open space near the McKeough Outlet saw a number of birds congregating. Lots of Common Mergansers were paddling to stay in place so they didn't get swept downriver. One male and several female/immatures were in the group.

We counted approximately 390 Canvasbacks. 60 Redheads, 1 Ruddy Duck, 1 Ring-necked Duck, 4 Bufflehead and 7 Longtails and 23 Common Goldeneye were also present and could be viewed with binoculars.

A Northern Flicker flew across the road while we were stopped.

Another species that we hoped for were Sandhill Cranes. They had been reported a few days earlier and we counted 46 in a field of corn stubble. They are about the same size as a Great Blue Heron but are considerably bulkier.

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

 My 6-legged Friends!

Bumble Flower Beetle: I've been looking at warm weather photos for a Lambton Wildlife presentation this week. A lot of people are dreaming of warmer weather, so I thought I'd share a few of my pics in this post. The Bumble Flower Beetle gets its name from the bee-like sound it makes while in flight. This individual is the only one I have ever seen.

Crowned Slug Moth: Pictures of these beautiful caterpillars have caught my attention over the years. I finally saw my first one along a trail last September. 

Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee: This species lives in our backyard! It is a joy to watch individuals fly into nesting cavities on their "magic carpets" The leaf pieces are used to shelter the eggs.

Golden Tortoise Beetle: I thought it was a piece of glitter until it flew!

Smiling Mason Bee: This is a classic case of "if you plant it, they will come!" The Smiling Mason Bee is critically imperiled. It spent a few days on the Pearly Everlasting which was planted 3 years ago in our backyard.

Wool Carder Bee: Members of this bee family scrape the hair off plants (Pearly Everlasting in this case) to use as nesting material for eggs! Notice the ball of hair under the abdomen.

Snowberry Clearwing: One of the "Hummingbird, or Clearwing" Moths.

Food Chain in action: A well camouflaged Crab Spider lurked on this flower head waiting for prey to land. A quick grab, and the spider had its next bee (species) meal!

 Mid-January Birds!

Densely packed Mallards at the Suncor Trail drain!

It was like looking for a needle in a haystack! Hundreds of Mallards and other ducks were dabbling in the Suncor Drain, but we found a young Male Northern Pintail that had been reported the day before!

He moved around a bit and we could see his green speculum. (The patch of brightly coloured secondary feathers on the wings found in most surface-feeding ducks.) Northern Pintails migrate at night at speeds around 77 km per hour. The longest nonstop flight recorded for a Northern Pintail was 2,900 kms!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pintail/

I had a surprise encounter with a Golden-crowned Kinglet which flitted around in a small spruce tree right in front of me. She was actually a little too close for photos, but I managed to get one reasonably crisp shot. They routinely winter in areas where nighttime temperatures can fall below -40 degrees C. although they can be difficult to find locally!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/overview

Several Northern Cardinals were hanging out at a seed source. There is a definite pecking order as to who gets to eat first!

American Tree Sparrow - time for a drink

American Tree Sparrows can be found in southern Ontario during the winter in weedy fields, hedgerows, shrubs, and along forest edges. They breed in Northern Canada.

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

Black-capped Chickadee - eating a seed that he has secured between his feet.

This track had me puzzled. (Notice the house key for size perspective on the right side of the photos.) I am fortunate to have a friend with a connection to an experienced tracker who said it was likely a Gray Squirrel that was walking instead of hopping! I'll have to pay attention to squirrel movement to see if I notice any walking!

A Ross's Goose and Some Blackbirds! 

Every once in awhile a rarity shows up locally! A female Ross's Goose is peeking up between 2 Canada Geese in the middle of a soccer field. In the fall, they migrate through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, usually staying west of the Great Lakes.

The Ross's Goose is smaller than a Snow Goose. They also have a shorter neck and stubbier bill. A Ross' Goose can often be picked out of a large flock of Snow Geese by its immaculate white head. Snow Geese tend to have yellow staining on their heads because they root deeply for tubers in marshes. Ross's Geese tend to forage more on plants at the surface of marshes.

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

Red-winged Blackbird, female

During the winter months, Red-winged Blackbirds have been known to congregate with up to a million birds including other blackbird species and starlings. Each morning the roosts spread out, traveling as far as 50 miles to feed, then re-forming at night.

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

Seven Rusty Blackbirds were found with the flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. In winter, male Rusty Blackbirds are recognized by their rusty feather edges, pale yellow eye and buffy eyebrow. They are slightly larger than Red-winged Blackbirds.

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

Rusty Blackbirds are one of North America's most rapidly declining species. The population has plunged an estimated 85-90% over the past forty years and scientists are completely puzzled as to the cause of the population decline.

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

A hungry Blue Jay at Pinery Provincial Park!

Our backyard heated bird bath has attracted a number of visitors during the recent cold snap!