Warblers in North Lambton!!

First warblers of the year! We found 2 Yellow-rumpled Warblers at Pinery Provincial Park on Saturday! They were our first warblers of the year, but one warbler was found in the area back in January. It’s hard to say if they are early migrants, or if they spent the winter in the park.

Juniper berries were the food of choice. Hopefully they will be sustained on the fruit until insects begin to immerge from their winter slumber.

We saw an interesting selection of birds including a Fox Sparrow on the Riverside Trail.

We heard the high pitched Ki-Ki-Ki of a Merlin. Upon scanning for the bird, we found this perched individual, but it was not the one that was calling. It wasn’t long before the second Merlin noisily soared past us. Merlins are the second smallest of the 4 Falcons found in Ontario. They are larger than Kestrels, but smaller than Peregrine Falcons.

The bird feeders were well stocked at the Visitor Centre so an abundant number of song birds were in the area. They definitely associate people with food and landed nearby in a constant parade of seed grabbing! It was fun to have close up views of a Red-breasted Nuthatch!

The ever adorable Tufted Titmouse!

White-breasted Nuthatch

Overlooking the Ausable River Cut, a Bald Eagle scanned the assortment of ducks below his perch. Perhaps he was meal planning for later in the day, as no attempts to grab a meal occurred while we watched.

Many handsome Blue Jays were also eager to have an easy snack of seeds. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Their fondness for acorns is credited with helping spread oak trees after the last glacial period.

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

Walking a marked trail through the Dunes, towards Lake Huron.

Our next stop was at the Lambton Heritage Forest where we had views of a flooded farm field. We found 22 species of birds including 300+ Tundra Swans, 3 Woodpecker species, and lots of ducks including American Wigeon, Wood Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, and even a pair of Sandhill Cranes!

Beaver Lodge visible within the Lambton Heritage Forest. A Bald Eagle flew into a tree nearby and virtually disappeared into a well-hidden nest!

 

Curious Red Squirrels were found at a few locations throughout the day. We walked over 13 km in our quest for birds and wildlife. Happily the sun came out in the afternoon for a very successful and enjoyable day!