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

 Avian Predators!

Merlins are our second smallest falcon. Merlin pairs have been seen teaming up to hunt large flocks of waxwings. One Merlin will flush the flock by attacking from below; the second Merlin comes in moments later to take advantage of the confusion.

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

This individual was waiting at the end of the street on my way into Canatara Park. Merlins are increasingly common around towns where there is a steady supply of House Sparrows. 

https://birdwatchinghq.com/falcons-in-ontario/

Bald Eagles can often be found soaring in the area as they search for open water.

For such a powerful bird, the Bald Eagle has surprisingly weak-sounding calls. These two were having a "conversation" in the air above me. I heard a series of high-pitched whistling notes. They sound nothing like the Eagle call heard in movies which is actually the recorded call of a Red-tailed Hawk.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/sounds

3 Bald Eagles hanging out together: They were situated above an open section of the St. Clair River.

Bald Eagles have a varied diet which can include live and dead (carrion) prey. This eagle is devouring a coyote carcass.

The Red-tailed Hawk is probably the most common hawk found in North America. They soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times they can be seen atop telephone poles, watching the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit. They may also be waiting to climb a thermal updraft into the sky.

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

Snowy Owls have been hard to find in SW Ontario this year. Thick feathers for insulation from Arctic cold make Snowy Owls North America's heaviest owl. They typically weigh about 4 pounds which is one pound heavier than a Great Horned Owl and twice the weight of a Great Gray Owl!

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

Male Sharp-shinned Hawks are slightly larger than a Blue Jay. They are the smallest hawk in Canada and the United States and are daring, acrobatic fliers. They have long legs, short wings and very long tails which they use for navigating at top speed through their deep-woods homes. They are easiest to spot in the fall on their southward migration, or occasionally at winter feeders.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/sharp-shinned_Hawk/overview

 A Winter Walk!

Immature Bald Eagle heading out to hunt!

While walking along the beach last week, 15 Cedar Waxwings flew overhead and luckily landed nearby. It is the first flock in Lambton we have noticed outside of Pinery Provincial Park this calendar year.

There weren't many juniper berries on this tree for the waxwings to eat.

Hopefully the birds found one of the other nearby trees boasting more fruit.

An Ice Breaker entered Lake Huron from the St. Clair River and flushed a lot of ducks.

Many Long-tailed Ducks and other species became airborne. 

A pair of Mute Swans are in the narrow strip of blue water, in the left third of the photo.

Eight Mute Swans sleeping on the ice.

A birdfeeder near the maintenance building attracts birds daily. When l I looked at the photo on my computer, I saw 4 Downy Woodpeckers. (I was only aware of 3 woodpeckers at the time the picture was taken.) In their range, Downy Woodpeckers are the most likely woodpecker species to visit a backyard bird feeder. They prefer suet feeders, but are also fond of black oil sunflower seeds, millet, peanuts, and chunky peanut butter.

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

A busy hangout for the local mouse population!!

Grey Squirrel tracks leading to a hole in the snow where the rodent hoped to recover some nuts hidden last fall.