Laurier Woods, North Bay (cont.)

Located inside the city of North Bay, this 250 acre property includes a provincially significant wetland, rocky outcrops, upland forest and habitat for a broad range of wetland and woodland creatures. A 6.5 km trail winds through the property. 33 species of birds nest in the Conservation Area!

https://nbmca.ca/conservation-areas/find-a-conservation-area/laurier-woods/

Bee Hotel! Some species of solitary bees and wasps use hollow reeds, holes in trees or crevices in rocks to make their nest. Bee hotels simulate these environments by bundling together tubes of bamboo or reeds, or by drilling cylindrical holes in wood. It's important to remember that bee hotels require maintenance as dead larvae left in the hotels can spread disease to other bees. Identifying parasitic flies and replacing hotel parts are all necessary for responsible Bee Hotel management!

https://bestbees.com/bee-hotel/#maintenance

Boardwalk trail.

We observed 29 bird species during the walk, including a Brown Creeper. Brown Creepers spend much of their time spiraling up tree trunks in search of insects. Long curved claws on their short legs hook into the bark and the stiff tail helps them to brace themselves. They rarely climb downwards. Once they have climbed high in a tree, they fly down to begin a new ascent at the base of a nearby tree.

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

Hairy Woodpecker

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Lots of Pine Cones in the top of a White Pine tree! These cones act like seed suitcases, holding the seeds until they are ripe and ready to fall to the ground.

Birch Trees

Powassan Lagoons

Fall colours were at their peak!

A Garter Snake was trying to warm up in a sunny location on a cooler day.

Bear Scat! Our group leader informed us that the scat was not on the trail the day before our visit so a Brown Bear had walked the route overnight or in the morning before our arrival!

Small Bristleberry: Found on the trail. Leaf resembled Virginia Creeper, but it had prickly stems.

Leafy Hallowe'en mask for a small critter!

This was the first of 3 Merlins that we saw up north; one each day! Medieval falconers called them "lady hawks" because noblewomen used them to hunt Sky Larks. Merlin populations have largely recovered from twentieth-century declines, thanks to a ban on the pesticide DDT and their ability to adapt to life around towns and cities.

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