Crystal Beach

While house sitting nearby, we explored Crystal Beach on Lake Erie, away from the crowds of the swimming area. A migrating Black-bellied Plover was a highlight of the visit.

Black-bellied Plover: Plovers as a group spend much of their lives on the ground, running along beaches and flats in search of food. This individual did a lot of running!! They eat invertebrates including insects, worms, crustaceans and mollusks which they pick or pull from muddy or sandy ground. They are also known to pick insects off low vegetation.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Plover/overview

Double-crested Cormorants have less preening oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked.  Water doesn't "roll off" as it does on a duck's back. The wet feathers probably make it easier for cormorants to hunt and swim underwater with agility and speed.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/overview

Ring-billed Gull and reflection.

We enjoyed a few hours meandering the trails of this 70 acre, reclaimed natural area. The park is located on former farmland which was donated to the town of Fort Erie.

Constructed Chimney Swift chimney for summertime roosting.

Clouded Sulphur - very few butterflies were found.

We watched a lot of aerial/bug hunting activity by several different dragonfly species. This Common Green Darner female was the only individual that settled in place for a photo.

Eastern Tailed Blue laying eggs.

Bluebird box in a field that would support the many insects needed to feed young Eastern Bluebirds during nesting season.

Shagbark Hickory - (Namesake tree for the property.) Sweet tasting Shagbark Hickory nuts are a favourite food of squirrels. A variety of other mammals and birds eat hickory nuts including chipmunks and black bears. (although Black Bears are not found in the area.)

https://www.ontario.ca/page/shagbark-hickory

Our next stop was at the Stevensville Conservation Area, a passive recreational area where visitors can experience a forest, meandering creek and wetlands. This C.A. and all others that we visited over the 2 days had no entrance fees.

Laurel Sphinx, hiding in plain sight!! I'm glad I took a second look at the leaf!

We carefully rotated the leaf to get a better view of the Laurel Sphinx. Notice the blue "horn" at the back end of the body.

Viceroy sunning on a Common Milkweed leaf: This individual, although already mimicking the colour and pattern of Monarch butterflies, seems to be reinforcing the perception that it is a Monarch by sitting on the Monarch's host plant!

I photographed a slightly different angle and got some interesting detail that I don't typically see on the Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar.