Cool Canatara Critters

Soaring overhead like a kite, this light morph Red-tailed Hawk paused above me for several seconds before continuing on his journey. I was standing on Canatara Beach at the time scanning for birds.

A Black-throated Blue Warbler "posed" for several pictures as it hunted for food in the leaf litter!

I watched it enjoy a smorgasbord of insects found in the leaf layer in Canatara Park. It consumed a minimum of 2 Crane flies and 3 worms/caterpillars, exemplifying the importance of leaves to insect life! Leaving leaves in the garden over the winter helps to provide food for birds the following summer! 

A Nashville Warbler was also busy searching for food. He landed on the top of several plants, plucking insects that were hiding under leaves.

Hundreds of White-throated Sparrows are passing through during migration. Their quick movements make them difficult to photograph, but one finally paused in the sunlight!

A chatty Carolina Wren, posed on goldenrod in the meadow.

An American Robin seems to be checking out the fall colours and possibly wondering if its about time to head south. Many Robins will spend the winter locally if they can find sufficient food.

Hermit Thrush searching for food on the forest floor.

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker: I have been hearing them through the summer but they have been difficult to locate through the leafy canopy above.

The reflection of fall colours in the water gives the illusion of Northern Lights, surrounding the Great Blue Heron.

 North Lambton Treasures!

Male Common Yellowthroat, glowing in the morning sun! His black eye band is fading from the bright breeding colours of last spring.

A family of Sandhill Cranes was visible from the side of the road. The parents are sporting a red cap on the head while the youngster in the middle is missing the red cap. Pairs mate for life and the juveniles will stick close by their parents for 9 or 10 months after hatching.

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

The "star" of the day was a Nelson's Sparrow which had been found the day before and was our reason for stopping in Forest. It has light orange colouring on its head and nape. They spend much of their time down low in dense vegetation. A bit of patience paid off and we got to see this uncommon visitor!

 

Blue-winged Teal in flight over the lagoons. We found 30 bird species including 10 different species of ducks!

Wolf’s Milk (a slime mould) on a rotting log.

Millipede (species) in the wood debris.

Tinder polypore on a White Birch Tree

Drops of moisture are beading on the edge of the fungus. It isn’t clear why some mushroom species do this, but it may be the result of releasing excess moisture during the digestion process.

I was delighted to find another Crowned Slug Moth caterpillar! Earlier in the fall, we spent a lot of time looking at the underside of leaves to locate them but this caterpillar was sitting on a leaf, right in the middle of the path. I’m glad no one stepped on it!

 

A few American Nursery Web Spiders were hiding in plain sight!

An energetic and dedicated group of volunteers maintains the North Lambton trail systems. Boardwalk replacement has recently been done at the Dunes And Swales trail. The dry weather made it a little easier to do this work; otherwise the volunteers would have been standing in mud and water during the repair!

The lack of moisture is evident in the wrinkled appearance of the fungus, which should be plump at this time of year.

Eastern Red-back Salamander

(Possibly) Salmon-eggs, a type of mushroom.

 Autumn in Central Lambton County!

Beautiful Fall colours at Henderson Conservation Area!

I was staring at the large number of pine cones on this White Pine Tree when a Red-breasted Nuthatch made an appearance. Nuthatches can use their strong beaks to break open the cone scales and remove the seeds from within.

Bald-faced Hornet nest: Each year a new nest is created. The insects scrape pieces of wood from trees and mulch it into a type of paper with their own saliva. They build several layers of brood chambers surrounded by a protective outer layer. The entrance/exit hole is in the bottom right corner.

https://peskylittlecritters.com/how-bald-faced-hornets-build-nests-explained/

A late flying Spicebush Swallowtail.

Black-tipped Darners are large, strong flying dragonflies found throughout southern Canada. They are late season flyers and the preferred habitats are lakes and ponds in forested areas.

https://wiatri.net/inventory/odonata/SpeciesAccounts/SpeciesDetail.cfm?TaxaID=7

Yellow-rumped Warbler taking a break during migration.

Belted Kingfishers feed almost entirely on aquatic prey, diving to catch fish and crayfish with their long, heavy bill. 

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

Greater Yellowlegs are sometimes called Telltale, Tattler, and Yelper, all of which refer to their harsh sounding alarm calls. They can be found in mudflats and shallow marshes during spring and fall migration.

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

Our second stop was at the Marthaville Habitat Management Area where we found several Autumn Meadowhawks in mating wheels.

Great Plains Ladies' Tresses

 Northern Leopard Frogs

Work began in 2024 at the Marthaville Habitat Management Area to remove  Phragmites australis. It is an aggressive plant (originating from Eurasia) that spreads quickly and outcompetes most native species, resulting in a complete takeover of the habitat. This photo was taken on September 26, 2025. The removal project is continuing in 2025.

https://www.scrca.on.ca/property-closure-at-marthaville-habitat-management-area/#:~:text=The%20Marthaville%20Habitat%20Management%20Area%20will%20continue%20to,on%20a%20water%20control%20structure%20at%20that%20time.

Insects are incredibly talented when it comes to making their own shelters! The two leaves in the picture appear to have been stitched together with white thread to form a type of "tent" for the occupant.

 A Few Feathered Friends!

Pockets of migrating warblers can be found if you're in the right place at the right time! A Black-throated Green Warbler was eyeing up his next snack as it walked along the twig.

Gray Catbirds live in dense shrubs, vine tangles and thickets of young trees both in the summer and on their wintering grounds. One of their calls is a mewing sound, similar to a house cat.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray_Catbird/lifehistory#behavior

Common Yellowthroat female

White-throated Sparrow

A White-throated Sparrow concentrated on grabbing seeds from a flower. He had to pluck the seed off of each fluffy parachute before consuming it.

Video: White-throated Sparrow grabbing seeds.

Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that fly through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. When this individual made an appearance, all other bird activity ceased.

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

A Great Blue Heron and Great Egret "marched" past each other as they exchanged fishing locations.  Egrets are members of the Heron family and the two species compete for the same types of food. Fish are the mainstay of their diets followed by crayfish and other freshwater crustaceans but they will also eat small mammals, frogs and other amphibians.

https://birdfact.com/articles/what-do-egrets-ea

Great Blue Heron with landing gear deployed.

The Great Blue Heron appears to be conducting an orchestra as it recovers from the watery landing. 

Canada Goose Beach Patrol!

Downy Woodpecker looking for insects!

The Downy Woodpecker was able to fit half its body into the tree cavity!

I unknowingly disturbed a hunt while walking down a trail. The Cooper's Hawk was close to zeroing in on some prey, possibly a chipmunk, when it popped up from the understory and stood on the side of the tree trunk. It continued to look towards the forest floor but the prey managed to escape. The Cooper's Hawk nest in Canatara Park this summer successfully reared 4 youngsters, so there are a few hawks using the park as their "grocery store."

And sometimes, something is just "out of place." Someone with good climbing skills placed this wooden bird high in a tree above a lookout tower at Henderson Conservation Area.