Port Colborne

Day 2 of House/Cat Sitting: Saturday was spent exploring areas near Port Colborne. Our first stop was at Mud Lake.

This Solitary Sandpiper was the only shorebird I was able to photograph, however both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were distantly visible. Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Wood Duck and Mallard were some of the duck species we added to our bird list.

We counted 25 Great Egrets clustered at one end of Mud Lake! They will be heading south for the winter soon.!

It was a beautiful fall hike, but the 3.1 km walking trail didn't give us many views of the wetland.

Great Blue Heron at the "lookout"! He had a wetland view!!

The dry summer season has all but dried up the bog so we didn't find any wetland birds. However, we did learn some interesting history about the property.

The property had been used as a Prisoner of War Camp for German Soldiers during World War II. They were put to work harvesting Peat when European supplies of peat were cut off. Peat was used as a fuel source at the time.

A narrow gauge railway line was used to transport peat more efficiently out of the bog to processing plants. Remnants of the track and other buildings can still be found on the property.

Song Sparrow

Rapid movement in the goldenrod exposed some ongoing predator/prey activity. The spider quickly secured the insect by wrapping it in silk, as the grasshopper continued to "fight back". Once satisfied that the prey wasn't going to escape, the spider waited off to the side until the grasshopper stopped struggling.

A birder who we met at the Wainfleet Bog recommended visiting Morgan's Point. The bedrock shoal, sand dunes, tall grass meadow, woodlot and open areas lend to the site's importance as a stopover for migrating birds and butterflies.

Looking out at Lake Erie from Morgan's Point.

Several Black Saddlebags cruised above us in the air. I was happy when one landed on a nearby perch.

After leaving Morgan's Point, we noticed unexpected activity in the air. Several parachutes could be seen as they slowly drifted down to ground level. There is a skydiving centre nearby. 

Wainfleet Wetlands Conservation Area: A former quarry naturalized into a wetland with a hiking trail around the ridge.

Views of the former quarry.

A short portion of the quarry trail was roadside and we had to cross the road to stay out of the way of the horses and the dust they kicked up.

Leopard Frog in the quarry basin.

Lock at Port Colborne - Luckily we weren't delayed by any bridge closures from freighters passing through the Welland Canal system.