Rainy Day(s) Birding!

Despite the rainy forecast, we have managed to spend large chunks of time outside without becoming soaked, unlike the wildlife!

I have had fleeting glances of an Osprey this spring as it flew away from me. This morning, a damp-looking Osprey sat, resting on a branch. It was keeping an eye on the water below, but eventually flew away without catching anything during my watch. Several years ago, Osprey began nesting locally and they have become an expected species each summer in our area. They can regularly be seen hunting in Canatara Park. Osprey are unable to dive to more than about 3 feet below the water's surface. They therefore gravitate toward shallow fishing grounds, such as Lake Chipican.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/lifehistory

Nesting material collection by many bird species, including American Robins.

Brown Thrashers are secretive birds and can be hard to spot under dense vegetation. They sometimes make a lot of noise as they rummage through the leaf litter, which can help to locate this species.

Eastern Screech-Owl pairs are usually monogamous and remain together for life. Red and gray individuals occur across the range of the Eastern Screech-Owl, with about one-third of all individuals being red. I thought this pair had chosen a nesting cavity but finding them together in the White Pine Tree makes me think they are reconsidering their cavity decision.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id

White-breasted Nuthatch

While walking along a short trail in Canatara this week, I encountered over 30 American Toads, making their way to a nearby pond for mating season. They breed from late March to early June, depending on how far north they live. They lay 2,000 to 15,000 eggs in long strands that are wrapped around aquatic vegetation or deposited on the bottom. The eggs hatch in 2 to 7 days and the tadpole stage lasts from 6 to 9 weeks. Emerging toadlets are among the smallest newly transformed amphibians and soon disperse into the surrounding habitat. American Toads have thick skin which helps to prevent dehydration and allows them to use drier habitats than would be suitable for many other amphibians. 

https://ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/american-toad/

An American Toad was 'hiding' in a washroom building so I returned it to the water's edge where many other Toads were "trilling" their mating call.

I was surprised by the amount of spider web activity this early in the season that was visible on a dewy morning.

Mayapples: Natures umbrella for life on the forest floor!

Four legged creatures such as the Eastern Cottontail are also preparing their nesting sites!

Striped Skunk: This skunk and I were on a trajectory in which our paths would eventually cross. The skunk spotted me first, and retreated back from the trail, but continued to keep an eye on me. Skunks have long, straight claws for digging out the burrows of mice, ripping apart old logs for grubs and larvae, and digging in the sand for turtle eggs. They move slowly and deliberately. If threatened, running away is rarely done. Instead, they rely on their scent glands. They can discharge a bad smelling fluid to defend themselves, but only as a last desperate attempt after all other warnings have been exhausted. The musk is produced rather slowly at a rate of about one-third of an ounce per week.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/mammals/striped-skunk/