Nest Building Has Begun!

A female Red-winged Blackbird closely inspected somebody else's nest! Maybe she was thinking of saving her energy and using this one? However, Red-winged Blackbird nests are placed low among vertical shoots of cattails, rushes and sedges. Females wind stringy plant material around several close, upright stems and weave in coarse, wet vegetation to make a cup.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id

Male and female Black-capped Chickadees excavate a cavity in a tree. Once the nest chamber is hollowed out it averages 21 cm in depth. The female builds the cup-shaped nest hidden within the cavity, using moss and other coarse material for the foundation and lining it with softer material.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory#nesting

A Black-capped Chickadee vigorously gathers soft seed fluff trapped between pieces of mulch on a trail in Canatara Park.

A female House Finch busily gathered sticks, while the male supervised nearby. House Finches will nest in a variety of locations including trees, shrubs, buildings, street lamps and hanging planters. The nest is a cup made of fine stems, leaves, rootlets, thin twigs, string, wool and feathers. The width is between 1-3 inches and 2 inches deep.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id

Female American Robins build the nest from the inside out, pressing dead grass and twigs into a cup shape using the "wrist" of one wing. Once the cup is formed, she reinforces the nest using soft mud gathered from worm castings to make a heavy, sturdy nest. She then lines the nest with fine dry grass.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/lifehistory#nesting

Male European Starlings choose the nest site and use it to attract females. The nests are virtually always in a cavity. Male Starlings begin building the nest before mating takes place, filling the cavity with grass, pine needles, feathers, trash, cloth and string. Females oversee the final arrangements and may discard some of the material the male added.

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

Ground preparation! Canada Geese nest on the ground, usually on a muskrat mound or other slightly elevated site near water. They prefer a spot where they can see in many different directions. The female selects the site and does much of the nest construction. She does all the incubation while her mate guards her and the nest.

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

Male Canada Goose on the left is guarding his mate, hidden amongst the grasses and sitting on the nest.

 Cellophane Bees!

I spent some time watching dozens of very active Cellophane bees digging holes in the sandy soil. They are important pollinators and are neither aggressive nor defensive.

Close-up of a nest with sand piled up around the entry hole.

10 nest piles are visible in the photo.

Dozens, if not hundreds of bees were flying just above ground level.

Underground cells are lined with a clear "cellophane-like" material that the female bees produce to line the cells containing eggs/larvae. The lining keeps the cells waterproof.

Resting in the sunshine!

Peeking into the hole. Another bee is close to the surface, looking out.

Spring is the time when adults are active. They have a short adult life span of about one month. Females emerge in the spring when they collect pollen. They will lay an egg on or near a mix of pollen and nectar and the developing bee will emerge the following spring.

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/meet-pollinator-cellophane-bee/

 Blenheim Lagoons- Eclipse Day!

We had a 75 minute drive to reach an area of totality for the April 8th Solar Eclipse. Hoping to avoid the crowds, we headed to the Blenheim Lagoons. It was a wise choice with only 7 people on the property and we got to bird watch while we waited! A few of the 55 Bufflehead in the area performed aerial maneuvers for our entertainment before landing on the water. We also saw many other species including Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, and 350 Ruddy Ducks!

I have had a difficult time finding Bonaparte's Gulls this year, but 70 of them were waiting for me at the Lagoons.

More aerial maneuvers! Tree Swallows are back and these two were not getting along!

First Cabbage White Butterfly of the year.

A butterfly silhouette let me check out the crescent shaped shadows as the moon passed in front of the sun.

Total Solar Eclipse! We were standing in an unsheltered area. As the moon came closer to blocking the sun, the skies darkened and the temperature dropped. Two members of our party returned to the car for a warmer jacket! We were fortunate that both the weather and the location allowed us to watch this amazing spectacle!

Recent Canatara Arrivals!

I saw my first Canatara Great Blue Heron of the year on March 26th. Sitting at the water edge watching for food, is a common position in which to find this species. 

Herons will have competition for food from other predators including a Bald Eagle perched high over Lake Chipican recently. Osprey have returned this week and enjoy the same fish menu!

Northern Flickers have been migrating through the area. Some will choose Canatara for their summer home, while others will stop for a rest and a meal or two before continuing their journey.

Red Admirals overwinter as adults but usually not in Ontario. We found this individual on April 4th, indicating that it overwintered nearby. 

A Solitary Common Loon headed north from Canatara towards Lake Huron and beyond!

We are daily finding Eastern Phoebes in the park. Although it has been cool, in sunny, sheltered areas insects are flying, providing needed food for these insect eaters.

Insects are also the main source of food for Golden-crowned Kinglets. If you look closely, a long-legged arthropod was captured by this bird.

Red-winged Blackbirds have been back for several weeks but I liked the water reflection as this one has a drink!

The iridescent feathers of a Common Grackle are vivid as it sits in the sunshine. From a distance, they appear to be black.

  Nature in Rural Petrolia!

We headed to Henderson Conservation Area for a walk on this beautiful day. I drove, but Deryl rode his bike as he continues to visit different birding locations in Lambton County.

After finding 26 bird species at the Conservation Area, he ventured over to Bridgeview Park, Marthaville Habitat Management Area and Mandaumin Woods on the way home. It was a 70 km loop!

Meanwhile, back at Henderson, most things with wings were very difficult to photograph. As I stood patiently trying to see a Chorus Frog, the entire "chorus" stayed hidden from me, despite the fact they were loudly vocalizing. They can be heard in the video.

Birds in the water were too distant for the camera but were identifiable with binoculars. We found 4 species of ducks including 49 Ring-necked Ducks.

In the sheltered areas, a few butterflies could be seen. Luckily this Red Admiral decided to rest long enough for a photo!

Always nice to see Spring Beauty in bloom!

(And they can't run away!)

 Last of the Algonquin Pics!

Scenic View off the highway.

Spruce Boardwalk Trail

Pine Siskin catching bugs on tree bark.

Red-breasted Nuthatch in a typical Nuthatch pose.

Lots of tracks in the snow!

Arrowhead Provincial Park

Red Squirrel taking a rest.

 Algonquin: Opeongo Road

We walked down Opeongo Road twice during our recent visit to Algonquin Park. During the winter, a gate blocks the road half way to Opeongo Lake so we enjoyed the scenery on foot.

One of our target birds was a Black-backed Woodpecker. In Ontario, Algonquin Park is close to the southern boundary where this species can regularly be found. They are often found in recently burned forests where they live off the bounty of insects found under tree bark. In areas with fewer fires, they can also live where there are bark beetle infestations.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-backed_Woodpecker/overview

Bald Eagle cruising through the area.

A pair of Canada Geese were on the frozen lake. The pair must have been leading the spring migration as they weren't expected that far north yet.

Black-capped Chickadees followed us down the road, hoping for a hand out.

A Black-capped Chickadee landed on the beak of the Black-capped Chickadee hat that my daughter was wearing.

White-winged Crossbills were more difficult to find than their cousins. We saw a few perched high in the Spruce Trees. Individual White-winged Crossbills can eat up to 3,000 conifer seeds each and every day!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Crossbill/overview