Owls, Gulls and Waterfowl!

Owls are often "one day wonders" and finding one in the wild involves a lot of luck. Thanks to some noisy Chickadees who were "first on the scene," we had a chance to see a Saw-whet Owl recently, (Ontario's smallest owl species). 

Sunshiny days can provide better opportunities to find Eastern Screech Owls as they take advantage of the sun's warmth by peaking out of hiding spots.

Small rodents are good at hiding from humans and owls. Winter tracks and tunnels in the snow help us to know that the little critters are active. Excellent vision and hearing, help owls to pin point and catch mouse prey, even when under the snow!

A "Murder of Crows" helped to locate this well hidden Great Horned Owl  .

Bigger prey for a Great Horned Owl! - Probably Grey Squirrel tracks.

Glaucous Gull - The second largest gull in the world by length and wingspan, but likely the heaviest of all gulls!

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

The Iceland Gull is a medium sized gull that doesn't nest in Iceland, but will visit in the winter! It picks food off the water surface, often without landing, and swallows the prey while flying.

https://binocularbase.com/bird/iceland-gull/

Long-tailed Ducks in flight: They can dive to depths up to 60 metres, spending three to four times as long underwater as they do on the surface as they hunt for food!

https://www.oakhammockmarsh.ca/wall/list-of-species/long-tailed-duck/

Harlequin Ducks typically winter along the NW coast of the Pacific Ocean and the NE Coast of the Atlantic Ocean but can also be found each winter on the Great Lakes. A male sporting his beautiful plumage has been seen near the mouth of the St. Clair River over the past few days. 

Hooded Merganser on lower Lake Huron.

 Feathered Friends in Winter Weather!

Fog created by warm water and -20 degree temperatures (with the wind chill) made it difficult to see many birds on the water. A flock of mostly Redhead are in flight. Port Huron, Michigan is in the background. I even saw 3 people go swimming in Lake Huron at Canatara Beach this morning! (Dec. 14)

A Red-bellied Woodpecker looked a bit bewildered with snow on the tree branches and snow in her “eating bowl”.

When the snow had melted on the branches, a White-breasted Nuthatch repeatedly bobbed his head into the eating bowl in our backyard.

I initially thought the Nuthatch was grabbing bits of nuts or seeds left behind in the bowl by other birds. However, he kept "surfacing" with a drop of water on his beak. The “eating bowl" on the Silver Maple had turned into a bowl of drinking water, thanks to the melted snow.

American Robins are regularly being found near a bit of open water.

A Robin decided it “owned” the berries on this fruit tree. Anytime another bird (of any species) landed on a branch, he chased it away. He spent more time aggressively protecting his prize, than actually eating any food!

American Goldfinch enjoying a wintery bath!

Instead of tapping on trees for food, a Downy Woodpecker picked through an old squirrel nest in hopes of finding insects that had chosen the shelter for their winter slumber.

I could hear the soft chattering of a Carolina Wren long before I saw it. They hide out in bushy areas, making it difficult to get a clear shot.

An American Crow spent time playing with an object. It wasn't until I had a closer look that I could see he had found a cherry Timbit. Not exactly healthy food, but he was having fun with it!

The crow eventually wised up and spit out the Timbit!

Redheads rolling in the waves!

Herring Gull patrolling the Lake Huron Shoreline.

Jessica B heading into the Lake Huron. The movement of freighters regularly cause floating masses of ducks to take flight, if they are too close to the shipping channel.

 Scenic Dundas Valley!

A favourite spot to walk and connect with nature! 

Highlights of this1,200 hectare conservation area include Carolinian forests, meadows, cold-water streams and stunning geological formations. The area is part of a large glacial valley that spreads out into Lake Ontario. It was excavated by a succession of glaciers that disappeared some 10,000 years ago. The landscape that emerged has been shaped by glacial meltwater and more recently, by streams flowing through the valley. And it is home to countless kinds of flora and fauna.

https://conservationhamilton.ca/conservation-areas/dundas-valley/

It was a cool, cloudy and grey December day so I had to search a bit to find signs of insect life. Attached to the under side of the picnic shelter roof at the Trail Centre building, were lots of mud tubes. They were made by a Mud Dauber Wasp. Mud Daubers are solitary wasps that build their nests using mud. These wasps are not aggressive and rarely sting unless provoked. Each tube is a separate cell for a single larva. Inside each tube, the mother wasp places several paralyzed spiders and lays one egg before sealing the tube shut. The larva feeds inside the tube until it's ready to emerge. The adult wasp never returns to check on her young. The nest must support the entire development process until the adult emerges.

https://waspworld.com/mud-dauber-wasp/

The Main Loop trail system linked with a portion of the Bruce Trail.

Limestone Rock, abundant in the area

Pileated Woodpecker holes.

Despite their large size, Pileated Woodpeckers can be hard to find. Because of their enormous excavations, this bird plays a huge role in forest ecosystems by creating nesting holes for owls, ducks, bats and small mammals!

https://birdsnews.com/pileated-woodpecker-facts/

Three Eastern Bluebirds hunted near a small stream for food. Despite being primarily insect eaters, Eastern Bluebirds are reported each winter in Southern Ontario.

Cedar Waxwing, sitting in his grocery store filled with wild grapes.

A Red Squirrel was easy to locate as we could hear the sound of sharp teeth chewing on a nut.

A "square squirrel" or "Squarrel" as suggested by a friend! 

The Basadinaa Experience takes place along the Main Loop Trail through Territory No. 3 and the signage provides opportunities for reflection, learning and connection with the land through First Nations perspectives.

https://conservationhamilton.ca/conservation-areas/dundas-valley/

 Early December Waterfowl and Forest Birds!

I didn’t see any migrating Tundra Swans in November as I would normally expect. Finally on December 4th, two flocks flew over Canatara Park. In total, we saw 51 birds. Tundra Swans that breed in eastern Alaska (east of Point Hope) winter in the eastern Great Lakes and all along the East Coast, with the majority wintering in the coastal mid-Atlantic. We tend to find them in South Lambton farm fields during the winter.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tundra_Swan/maps-range

White-winged Scoter female: Sarnia Bay - We don't usually see any of the Scoter species this close to land. Although the White-winged Scoter winters primarily along the coasts, small numbers winter on the Great Lakes. Populations have increased in response to the invasion of zebra mussels which has become an abundant food source.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Scoter/overview

The Northern Pintail is abundant in North America but is also considered to be circum-global in distribution!

https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/norpin/cur/introduction

Like Snow Geese, Ross's Geese are white with black wingtips but they have a shorter neck and stubbier bill. Mallards in the background help to provide a size comparison.

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

The larger Snow Goose can be seen near Canada Geese. When zooming in on the photo, the diagnostic black" grin patch" is visible on the bill. The Ross's Goose, Snow Goose and a blue-morph Snow Goose were all found at Logan's pond this week.

Mourning Dove drinking melted ice water.

Black-capped Chickadees were "bouncing" through the forest, checking every cubby hole where food might be hiding.

A Chickadee found a juicy grub in a tiny hole in a branch. The larva probably thought it had found a safe spot to spend the winter!

I looked up the gestation period for Grey Squirrels as this pair appeared to be mating. Early December is not a good time for this behaviour in Ontario considering the young would be born 6 weeks later, towards the end of January. It would be difficult for the parents to find protein rich food for the babies.

A Screech Owl welcoming the first rays of sunshine on a cold day.

I hadn't seen any European Starlings in a few weeks but 75 of them invaded our neighborhood and our birdfeeders on December 5th.

The suet feeder was a highlight for the Starlings.

The Yellow-throated Warbler continues to enjoy the sun while sitting on a window ledge on December 5th.