Mike Schout Wetland Preserve

While on a mini vacation, we stopped in New Hamburg at the Mike Schout Wetland Preserve that I learned about from a friend. We were very impressed with the walking path that provided views of the wetland. It is a 55 acre (former farmland) naturalization and restoration project that began in 2019 when Mike Schout approached the township about utilizing floodplain land that couldn’t be developed.  Five ponds of different depths were created to improve habitat diversity.

This Great Blue Heron provided ample photo opportunities as it hunted for food.

At one point, it lost its balance walking along the edge of the water and had to do some "wing flexing" to remain upright.

Cattails

Making a BIG SPLASH! We watched as it hunted and didn't expect it to submerge half its body in it's quest to catch a fish!

It obviously knew the location of the fish as it caught it on the first try!

Speared! This fish will not be swimming away! The heron maintained a tight grip on the fish while separating it from the plant material.

Black-capped Chickadees were "sounding the alarm" about this American Mink hunting in a rock pile. Eventually, we saw the predator they were warning others about!

Orange Sulphur on New England Aster.

Train!

Looking down from a slightly elevated platform.

Osprey Nesting Platform; one of 4 on the property.

I overheard a conversation in the parking lot, so wasn't surprised when we spotted the Komodo Dragon statue. (It was the only non-life form on the property.)

If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito! Thank you to Mike Schout for his vision of rehabilitating the 55 acres of farmland into an amazing wetland!! We found 12 species of birds and 82 individuals on October 15th. We hope to return next year in warmer weather to find many more species!

 Fall Finds!

While walking at the Strathroy Conservation Area, the sound of loud drumming helped me locate 2 Pileated Woodpeckers! I only got photos of the male. Both genders have short, thick feathers over their 'nostrils' that prevent wood chips from flying up into the “nose”. The nostrils', known as 'nares' on birds, are located on the sides of their beaks and are used for breathing.

https://birdswave.com/do-birds-have-noses/

The non native flower gardens in Canatara Park provided food for a number of late season butterflies, including this Common Checkered Skipper. Unfortunately, the garden plants were removed prior to Thanksgiving weekend.

Fiery Skipper on Globe Amaranth

Wild Indigo Duskywing

This female Monarch was found lying on the dewy grass in the shade on October 8th. A passerby picked her up and placed her on a branch in the sun. Hopefully she was able to continue her Mexico bound journey once she warmed up!

It has been awhile since I have walked past the Sarnia Lighthouse. Despite the current drought conditions, I was surprised to see the water level so low. I don't recall seeing a "beach" at that location before. The St. Clair River is flowing at the top left of the photo, and Michigan is in the background.

Ring-billed Gulls were taking advantage of the unexpected water access to search for food. The bird in the photo caught a tiny minnow swept up in the waves.

The other gulls were watching and rapidly moved in to steal the fish but it had already been swallowed!

Dredging equipment can be seen from shore in lower Lake Huron. It appears that the shipping lanes are being dredged because of the low water levels.

Sunrise over Lake Huron

 Cool Canatara Critters

Soaring overhead like a kite, this light morph Red-tailed Hawk paused above me for several seconds before continuing on his journey. I was standing on Canatara Beach at the time scanning for birds.

A Black-throated Blue Warbler "posed" for several pictures as it hunted for food in the leaf litter!

I watched it enjoy a smorgasbord of insects found in the leaf layer in Canatara Park. It consumed a minimum of 2 Crane flies and 3 worms/caterpillars, exemplifying the importance of leaves to insect life! Leaving leaves in the garden over the winter helps to provide food for birds the following summer! 

A Nashville Warbler was also busy searching for food. He landed on the top of several plants, plucking insects that were hiding under leaves.

Hundreds of White-throated Sparrows are passing through during migration. Their quick movements make them difficult to photograph, but one finally paused in the sunlight!

A chatty Carolina Wren, posed on goldenrod in the meadow.

An American Robin seems to be checking out the fall colours and possibly wondering if its about time to head south. Many Robins will spend the winter locally if they can find sufficient food.

Hermit Thrush searching for food on the forest floor.

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker: I have been hearing them through the summer but they have been difficult to locate through the leafy canopy above.

The reflection of fall colours in the water gives the illusion of Northern Lights, surrounding the Great Blue Heron.

 North Lambton Treasures!

Male Common Yellowthroat, glowing in the morning sun! His black eye band is fading from the bright breeding colours of last spring.

A family of Sandhill Cranes was visible from the side of the road. The parents are sporting a red cap on the head while the youngster in the middle is missing the red cap. Pairs mate for life and the juveniles will stick close by their parents for 9 or 10 months after hatching.

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

The "star" of the day was a Nelson's Sparrow which had been found the day before and was our reason for stopping in Forest. It has light orange colouring on its head and nape. They spend much of their time down low in dense vegetation. A bit of patience paid off and we got to see this uncommon visitor!

 

Blue-winged Teal in flight over the lagoons. We found 30 bird species including 10 different species of ducks!

Wolf’s Milk (a slime mould) on a rotting log.

Millipede (species) in the wood debris.

Tinder polypore on a White Birch Tree

Drops of moisture are beading on the edge of the fungus. It isn’t clear why some mushroom species do this, but it may be the result of releasing excess moisture during the digestion process.

I was delighted to find another Crowned Slug Moth caterpillar! Earlier in the fall, we spent a lot of time looking at the underside of leaves to locate them but this caterpillar was sitting on a leaf, right in the middle of the path. I’m glad no one stepped on it!

 

A few American Nursery Web Spiders were hiding in plain sight!

An energetic and dedicated group of volunteers maintains the North Lambton trail systems. Boardwalk replacement has recently been done at the Dunes And Swales trail. The dry weather made it a little easier to do this work; otherwise the volunteers would have been standing in mud and water during the repair!

The lack of moisture is evident in the wrinkled appearance of the fungus, which should be plump at this time of year.

Eastern Red-back Salamander

(Possibly) Salmon-eggs, a type of mushroom.