Long Point Provincial Park:

View of the wetlands, looking towards Long Point Bay.

Summer Tanager, female - an exciting find for our visit!

This species breeds well south of the Great Lakes but individuals visit Ontario every year.

Purple Martin housing

Eastern Kingbird 

Cedar Waxwing snacking on Highbush Cranberries. 

3,000 Cedar Waxwings were reported that morning.

Reminder sign to watch for wildlife on the road.

We did our part when my friend spotted a Blandings Turtle in the park crossing the road. She moved it to the edge, being sure to take it in the direction it was headed.

 North Lambton Petals and Wings!

Fringed Polygala

Pink Lady's Slipper

Rams-head Lady's Slipper

Beaverpond Baskettail - a new dragonfly species for me. The emerald green eyes indicate it is a mature adult.

We found one Olympia Marble flying.

Raccoon predators have been keeping gosling numbers low locally. We found a few families at Kettle Point.

Tent Caterpillars will provide lots of food for birds and other wildlife!

Red-headed Woodpecker searching for insect snacks hidden in the tree bark.

South Lambton by the River!

Yellow-headed Blackbird: While walking along a trail, we turned suddenly upon hearing a strange noise. It sounded like a bird was being stepped on and didn't take long to find this handsome fellow perched in a tree! This mid-western species has a small breeding population in SW Ontario.

Grasshopper Sparrow: Grasshoppers are their primary prey. Adults prepare grasshoppers for chicks by removing the legs of the insects, vigorously shaking them off pair by pair.

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

Mute Swan on nest: We made sure to steer clear of the nest area. Her mate was patrolling from below in the water.

Forsters Terns: In the 1800's, Forster's Terns were shot, stuffed, and mounted onto large hats that were fashionable during the Victorian and Edwardian era millinery trade. This practice ended with the passages of the Migratory Birds Convention Act in Canada (1917) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States. (1919)

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

Eastern Forktails are an early flying dragonfly species in the spring.

Clouded Sulphur, white form! It's wings and legs were tinged in pink. Although I have seen many Clouded Sulphur's, this was my first siting of the white form!

 Spring Arrivals:

The arrival of spring warblers in their bright breeding colours is magical. Chestnut-sided Warblers stayed close to the ground for photos on one of the cooler mornings this week

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler - one of my favourites.

Scarlet Tanager

A Golden-winged Warbler was the star of the show at Camp Saredaca earlier this week. He stayed high in the tree canopy when we were there and we managed a "proof that we saw it" photo.

Deryl found a White-eyed Vireo that overshot his migration route and visited Canatara Park. They usually stay south of Lake Erie.

And we stayed up past bed time to view the Northern Lights, an unexpected treat in southern Ontario! Photo taken in Sarnia on Friday, overlooking Lake Huron.

 South Lambton Birds!

On a recent trip to the Sombra area, we found one of our target birds, the Black Tern!

We watched 16 Black Terns catch food (insects and minnows) while in flight.

At the edge of the St. Clair River, a female Purple Martin collected nesting material and flew it back to the nesting condominium nearby.

3 Ruddy Ducks, enjoyed the sunny, peaceful day!

Red-winged Blackbirds flew back and forth along the water's edge, protecting their territories.

A pair of Savannah Sparrows also having a territorial squabble!

Mute Swans on nesting site.

 A Walk along the Sydenham!

We went to see the Virginia Bluebells, but stayed to look for other treasures. There were acres and acres of Bluebells!

A couple of ponds were excavated 18 months ago. It was nice to see so much life in them already!

Green Frogs were lurking in and around the water.

Lots of new Tadpoles!

Tadpoles out for a swim.

Green Darner pair laying eggs on water plants.

A hovering Green Darner!

Freshly hatched (teneral) dragonfly. (Species unknown)

We saw approximately 300 Red Admirals! There has been an incredible flight this year. The last time Red Admirals were seen in such large numbers was in 2012.

 Backyard Moths!

Our Backyard Moth trap attracts "night life" passing through the yard. After dropping through a funnel below the light, insects settle down onto egg cartons where they spend the night in their own little resting spot. Below are some of the insects we attracted by leaving the light on for 2 hours.

In the morning, we can more closely look at the insects that used our backyard "motel". Ailanthus Webworm Moth is a moth that we often see in daylight hours in the garden.

Moths weren't the only insects attracted to the hotel. Bibio Femoratus are low, clumsy fliers that are usually found a couple of feet off the ground. They seem oblivious and unaware of humans as a threat and will not make any efforts to avoid sudden movements or threatening gestures. This was a new species for me.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/319006-Bibio-femoratus

Diamondback Moths are found across the globe. They originated in Europe and Asia and have now spread to all continents except Antarctica. They are a pest of crops such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts.

https://wildexplained.com/animal-encyclopedia/understanding-the-diamondback-moth-a-guide/

A Distinct Quaker was the largest moth we found. It's host plants include ash, birch, crabapple, maple and oak trees.

https://www.butterflyidentification.org/information.php?primary_name=distinct-quaker-moth

Rhyssella Nitida is a member of the ichneumonidae wasp family. They attack the immature stages of insects and spiders, providing an important role in controlling insect populations.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47199-Ichneumonidae