Crawford Lake Conservation Area

Fall Colours were impressive along the Escarpment Trail. The Bruce Trail which connects Niagara Falls and Tobermory cuts through this Conservation Area.

Falling Maple leaf!

A Red Squirrel standing at attention, nicely matched the fall colours!

Maple Leaves on rotting log.

Emerald Ash Borer adults are only 8-14 mm in length, but this wooden carving is thousands of times life size. The Emerald Ash Borer was probably introduced to North America from China in the 1990’s. Larva tunnel under the outer bark which “strangles” ash trees. Several carvings along the trail bring attention to life in the forest including invasive/destructive species and endangered species.

https://treecanada.ca/resources/tree-killers/emerald-ash-borer/

Unknown Bird in the Hand.

Monarch Butterfly

Mushrooms and Fungi have been difficult to find this year because of the dry conditions. We managed to find a few mushrooms in the shaded forest at Crawford Lake C.A. including this Fly Agaric (Identification not yet confirmed.)

Dotted-stalked Suillus (identification not yet confirmed)

Trails are well marked.

Point Farms Provincial Park

Point Farms Provincial Park is located just north of Goderich. The park is closed after Thanksgiving weekend. We parked outside the gate and hiked a 6km loop to Lake Huron and back.

Upon entering a meadow area, we started finding birds including this Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

MANY tiny insects were flying in the air, providing an excellent source of food for the birds. (Tiny insect dots are visible in the air above the kinglet.)

White-crowned Sparrow

Lake Huron at Point Farms Provincial Park

Ring-billed Gulls were the dominant species at the beach. We were disappointed that we didn’t find any migrating shorebirds.

Lunch spot.

Unknown tracks in the sand.

A story book trail encouraged hikers to notice the natural world around them!

 Mike Schout Wetland Preserve

While on a mini vacation, we stopped in New Hamburg at the Mike Schout Wetland Preserve that I learned about from a friend. We were very impressed with the walking path that provided views of the wetland. It is a 55 acre (former farmland) naturalization and restoration project that began in 2019 when Mike Schout approached the township about utilizing floodplain land that couldn’t be developed.  Five ponds of different depths were created to improve habitat diversity.

This Great Blue Heron provided ample photo opportunities as it hunted for food.

At one point, it lost its balance walking along the edge of the water and had to do some "wing flexing" to remain upright.

Cattails

Making a BIG SPLASH! We watched as it hunted and didn't expect it to submerge half its body in it's quest to catch a fish!

It obviously knew the location of the fish as it caught it on the first try!

Speared! This fish will not be swimming away! The heron maintained a tight grip on the fish while separating it from the plant material.

Black-capped Chickadees were "sounding the alarm" about this American Mink hunting in a rock pile. Eventually, we saw the predator they were warning others about!

Orange Sulphur on New England Aster.

Train!

Looking down from a slightly elevated platform.

Osprey Nesting Platform; one of 4 on the property.

I overheard a conversation in the parking lot, so wasn't surprised when we spotted the Komodo Dragon statue. (Update regarding the dragon from my friend:  It's the famous monster of the Nith River. From the AI summary, the "Nithy" or "Nith" monster of New Hamburg was a media sensation in 1953, sparked by strange, three-toed claw prints and long grooves found along the Nith River. The local police chief reported seeing a lizard-like creature, but no one has ever conclusively proven its existence. The mystery is now widely considered a hoax, with the police chief as the most likely perpetrator, and has become a beloved local legend, with businesses and the community celebrating it.

If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito! Thank you to Mike Schout for his vision of rehabilitating the 55 acres of farmland into an amazing wetland!! We found 12 species of birds and 82 individuals on October 15th. We hope to return next year in warmer weather to find many more species!

 Fall Finds!

While walking at the Strathroy Conservation Area, the sound of loud drumming helped me locate 2 Pileated Woodpeckers! I only got photos of the male. Both genders have short, thick feathers over their 'nostrils' that prevent wood chips from flying up into the “nose”. The nostrils', known as 'nares' on birds, are located on the sides of their beaks and are used for breathing.

https://birdswave.com/do-birds-have-noses/

The non native flower gardens in Canatara Park provided food for a number of late season butterflies, including this Common Checkered Skipper. Unfortunately, the garden plants were removed prior to Thanksgiving weekend.

Fiery Skipper on Globe Amaranth

Wild Indigo Duskywing

This female Monarch was found lying on the dewy grass in the shade on October 8th. A passerby picked her up and placed her on a branch in the sun. Hopefully she was able to continue her Mexico bound journey once she warmed up!

It has been awhile since I have walked past the Sarnia Lighthouse. Despite the current drought conditions, I was surprised to see the water level so low. I don't recall seeing a "beach" at that location before. The St. Clair River is flowing at the top left of the photo, and Michigan is in the background.

Ring-billed Gulls were taking advantage of the unexpected water access to search for food. The bird in the photo caught a tiny minnow swept up in the waves.

The other gulls were watching and rapidly moved in to steal the fish but it had already been swallowed!

Dredging equipment can be seen from shore in lower Lake Huron. It appears that the shipping lanes are being dredged because of the low water levels.

Sunrise over Lake Huron