20 Minutes of Backyard Birds!

When we noticed a flurry of activity in the backyard, we sat and watched for a bit. The Red-bellied Woodpecker was one of the first to appear!

Male Cardinal hiding in the Pearly Everlasting

Black-capped Chickadee checking to see if anyone is home in the Owl Box.

Female Downy Woodpecker, waiting her turn.

American Goldfinches on the Blazing Star.

White-crowned Sparrow behind and White-throated Sparrow in front, checking to see if the coast is clear.

Dark-eyed Juncos are arriving from the north for another winter.

 Sturgeon Creek

Habitat Restoration Project

Word of mouth led us to a new wetland project, just outside of Point Pelee National Park. (Across the road from Pelee Wings Nature Store.) A significant restoration project transformed an abandoned marina in Sturgeon Creek, owned by the Caldwell First Nation, to enhance terrestrial and aquatic habitat, increase wetland habitat and soften the shoreline.  The project was undertaken by Essex Region Conservation in partnership with Caldwell First Nation. There was no admission fee.

Visitors are asked to stay on the Boardwalk which is elevated above the 10 acre wetland.

We had good views of soaring birds including a Caspian Tern that captured a fish in front of Deryl.

Green Stink Bugs are plentiful everywhere this year.

Orange Sulphur butterflies frequented the flowering plants.

A moth species and Common Drone Fly sharing a flower spike.

Green Heron patiently waiting to catch a fish.

 Point Pelee

We were in the area and decided to stop in at Point Pelee National Park for a couple of hours. The 1 km Boardwalk Trail was our first walk where we saw a nice selection of marsh birds.

Sandhill Crane

A very distant Wilson's Snipe caught our eye.

An immature Common Gallinule

Boardwalk Scenery

A Pied-billed Grebe entertained us by diving for food close to the boardwalk.

Smeared Dagger caterpillar moth chewing a Cattail stem.

Tower looking out over Boardwalk Trail.

Wild Turkey invasion at the DeLaurier Homestead  parking lot. We counted a total of 14 Turkeys!

Monarchs have mostly passed through Canada's most southern point, but there are still have few stragglers including one that appears to be flying past the moon!

 Mandaumin Woods:

Photos are from a recent walk in Mandaumin Woods Nature Reserve, purchased by Lambton Wildlife in 1972 to preserve the Carolinian species that call the woodlot home.

Tucked into a hole in a log is a Red-backed Salamander.

Moth cocoon. (fuzzy white, egg shaped lump on leaves.)

Green Stink Bug

Millipede species.

A nest that was made by a member of the Potter and Mason Wasp family. It was attached to the underside of a Red Elm leaf and was less than 2 cm in diameter. Potter Wasp is the common name for a group of caterpillar-hunting wasps known for their pot-shaped mud nests.

https://animalcorner.org/animals/potter-wasps/

 Remembering September!

(Some additional photos from last month.)

Lady Bird Beetle soaking up the sun on a Swamp Milkweed seed bed.

Eastern Box Elder Bugs are native to North America and get their name from the Boxelder tree, also known as Manitoba Maple. The seeds on these trees are an important source of food for the insects. The red and black bugs can be considered a nuisance when spending the winter months in our homes but they don't bite humans. However, if squished, they can release a stinky odour.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/what-are-boxelder-bugs-also-why-you-should-never-squash-them-1.6777278

I believe this is a Four-humped Stinkbug.

Slaty Skimmers mating, (an August photo)

Red-backed Salamander, leadback phase.

Rubbed Dart on Goldenrod

I found a few Rubbed Darts during the daylight hours!

American Beech nuts litter the ground. Two, 3-sided nuts can be found in each seed case. Squirrels and chipmunks have been busy collecting and eating the seeds.

 Camouflage!

The ability of some species to blend into their surroundings is astonishing! If I see an insect in flight such, as this female Green Darner, I am sometimes lucky to see it land for a photo opportunity! Common Green Darners are one of 16 migratory dragonflies in North America. Like Monarchs, these dragonflies embark on a multi-generational migration, where the generation that returns to Canada in spring are the grandchildren of the ones that left in autumn.

https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/insects-and-spiders/common-green-darner.html

Standing still and scanning plants increases the chances of finding camouflaged caterpillars. The green and yellow colours of an Asteroid Moth larva, perfectly match the goldenrod plant!

When I first saw this green larva, I thought it was a part of the leaf. Then I noticed it was chewing on the maple leaf and realized I was looking at a caterpillar!

In the very centre of this photo is a thick looking stick. In fact, it's a caterpillar doing a perfect imitation of a stick! Identification has been difficult to determine. I believe it was on an Ironweed sapling.

Close up view of the "stick" caterpillar! If you look carefully at the end of the caterpillar, you can see it gripping the tree branch.

A pair of Green Stink Bugs have chosen to hide between 2 layers of matching green leaves.

The mottled colours on the Two-horned Treehopper make camouflage easy on the stem.

Fly resting on a seed head.