An Owl Video and a Freighter:

 

Our Screech Owl visitor only stayed for one day unfortunately. Above is one more video of his visit to our backyard.

In a departure from my usual posts, I decided to highlight the Ice Breakers and other boat activity I noticed on Lake Huron this winter!

For several weeks, the Algonova cruised through the ice along the north end of the St. Clair River and into Lake Huron, as it traveled between Sarnia and Calcite, Michigan. 2025 is the first time I have had the opportunity to "watch" freighters navigate the "frozen" lake with the aid of Ice Breakers. From our vantage point, the Lake appeared to be 100% covered because ice accumulates at the south end. However the maximum coverage of the Lake as a whole was only 39% ice.

Freighters were accompanied by Work Boats that delivered supplies while both boats were on Lake Huron.

Mackinaw, US Coast Guard Ice Breaker heading north on February 12th.

Samuel Risley, Canadian Ice Breaker heading downriver on February 13th.

Docked at Sarnia.

A Tugboat, very low in the water, was escorting the Algonova on March 3rd.

Algonova heading into Lake Huron on March 3rd.

On the way to Sault St. Marie on March 3rd: After leaving the St. Clair River, the Tugboat made a "moving connection" with the freighter, possibly to exchange supplies and/or Pilots. Although the water is currently open at the lower end, more ice is expected to float south as winter comes to an end.

https://wgrt.com/how-the-lakes-pilots-help-navigate-freighters-through-the-blue-water-area/

 Our Backyard Screech Owl!

March came in like an OWL at our house! There had been no sign of the Eastern Screech Owl in the backyard nesting box for the past 6 weeks. Starlings had been using the box and we didn't know if the owl would return. Despite the -19 degree weather with Saturday's wind chill, the sun came out and the little guy welcomed the warmth on his feathers. The next few photos show the owl during a 15 second stretch! (The photos were taken through 2 panes of glass windows.)

Pure Bliss!!

Smaller birds like Chickadees will often "sound the alarm" to warn others about the presence of owls. A couple of Black-capped Chickadees were agitated upon realizing a predator had taken up temporary residence in the yard. It chose to ignore the chickadees during its daytime slumber.

Eastern Screech Owls eat many small animals, including birds and mammals as well as large numbers of earthworms, insects, crayfish, tadpoles, frogs and even lizards! When prey is plentiful, Eastern Screech-Owls cache extra food in tree holes for as long as four days. 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id

It was a windy day as you can see in the video! Eastern Screech Owls can be either mostly gray or mostly reddish-brown. Whatever the overall colour, they are patterned with complex bands and spots that give the bird excellent camouflage against tree bark.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id

Eastern Screech Owls are short, stocky birds with a large head and almost no neck. Pointed ear tufts are often raised, giving it a distinctive silhouette.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id 

I took this photo from our driveway. He almost had half of us body out of the cavity, taking full advantage of the sunshine! 

 Lambton County Heritage Forest!

Starting at the Port Franks Community Centre, this 586 acre Oak-Savanna and Carolinian Forest offers 3 trails of varying length and difficulty. Due to the snowy conditions, we opted for the 3.1 km Tulip Trail with the smallest change in elevation.

Snowy Trails - Snowshoes weren't required as long as we stayed on the packed centre of the trail.

The day was quiet but we found evidence of many critters living in the forest. Several Pileated Woodpecker cavities had been freshly drilled in a White Cedar Tree.

A Pileated Woodpecker Cavity, low to the ground, allowed me to look inside and see the hollow chambers where the larva of bark beetles used to live. Beetle larva make a delicious feast for these very large woodpeckers!

Cocoon of a Promethea Moth! The caterpillar of the Promethea Moth uses silk to secure the stem of a leaf to the tree branch, which keeps the deciduous leaf from dropping to the forest floor in the fall. The caterpillar then spins its cocoon inside the curled leaf where it will hang throughout the winter. They are predated by wasps but it is difficult for birds to grab the hanging cocoon. Any attempt to peck at the cocoon will cause it to swing back and forth, making it very difficult to eat.

Large sections of ground were disturbed in many areas by White-tailed Deer digging for food beneath the layers of snow.

Due to the large "plates" of fungus we nicknamed this dying tree the "Pancake Tree"!

We enjoy contributing to Citizen Science through iNaturalist and noticed this "promotional" sign at the end of the trail system.

We drove some back roads on the way home and found a few Snow Buntings. They were feeding on a small pile of spilled grain beside a barn.

A few Horned Larks were collecting grit and possibly food at the road shoulder but when our car drove past, the birds returned to the snow covered fields. On this trip we only found one Snowy Owl in a distant field. It was a full kilometre away so no photos were taken. It was my first view of a Snowy Owl in 2025. They have been few and far between in SW Ontario this year!

 Mouth of the St. Clair River!

Temperatures on Tuesday afternoon drew many people to the St. Clair River. Lots of Ice build up is visible when standing at the north end of the River looking towards Lake Huron. The south winds may blow the ice back north before it has a chance to head down river.

Looking back at the extreme west end of Canatara Beach, from the Sarnia lighthouse. (A spot where we often stand and watch for bird life.)

A juvenile Bald Eagle soared overhead

Male Bufflehead

Female and male Bufflehead

Ring-billed Gull

Ice in the lake has pushed Long-tailed Ducks into the River. A few adult males happily rested not far from shore. They breed near arctic wetlands and winter on large lakes and the open ocean.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-tailed_Duck/overview

Long-tailed Duck in a dive! These impressive divers can feed as deep as 200 feet, swimming with their wings while catching invertebrates and small fish.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-tailed_Duck/overview

While this Red-breasted Merganser busily preened, the ice block on which it was sitting was caught in an eddy and was moving upriver!

The River bottom often isn't visible but the sunshine created some pretty reflections on the water surface.

 Some Late Winter Finds!

Although American Robins typically migrate south in the winter, each year several can be found in our area. As long as they can find food to fuel their bodies, they have a good chance of surviving the cold winter.

An American Robin feasting on rose hips. The Multi-floral Rose is native to Asia and forms large, dense thickets, choking out native plants and disrupting ecosystems.

https://www.thespruce.com/identify-and-remove-multiflora-rose-7090321

A pair of Tufted Titmice briefly touched down as they flew overhead in a North-westerly direction. If they hadn't been calling, I would have missed seeing them.

The Goose in the centre of the photo looking to the left (orange bill) is the hybrid offspring of a Graylag Goose and Canada Goose. Graylag Geese are native to Europe. Wild Graylag Geese are very rare in North America, but domestic geese (which are descended from Graylag) are common sights in farms and parks.

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

Red-breasted Merganser slicing her wings through the water in preparation for take-off!

White-breasted Nuthatch, in typical inverted position, scouring the cracks of bark for food. He was looking for overwintering insects or seeds cached by Black-capped Chickadees and other songbirds.

Possibly the entrance to a rabbit hole, providing some safety and shelter under the snow.

Totem Pole: Bud Scar faces on Staghorn Sumac