Northern Treasures!

Ruffed Grouse:

Ruffed Grouse are usually found in mixed deciduous and coniferous forest interiors. They also live along forested streams and in areas growing back following burning or logging. They are fairly small with a short, triangular crest, short legs and a long, fan-shaped tail.

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

In the northern part of their range, Ruffed Grouse depend on snow as a wintertime roost, burying themselves at night in soft drifts that provide insulating cover. The toes of Ruffed Grouse grow projections off their sides in winter, making them look like combs. The projections are believed to act as snowshoes to help the grouse walk across snow! The lower photo shows likely sleeping quarters from the night before.

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

In much of their range, Ruffed Grouse populations go through 8 to 11 year cycles of increasing and decreasing numbers. Their cycles can be attributed to the Snowshoe Hare cycle. When hare populations are high, predator populations increase too. When the hare numbers go down, the predators must find alternate prey and turn to grouse, decreasing their numbers.

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

Ruffed Grouse are considered a "bell weather species" that reflects the overall health of the environment. By improving habitat for ruffed grouse, food and cover are enhanced for the hundreds of other game and non-game species of wildlife that share the grouse's forest home!

http://www.rgs.ca/

In the winter, watch for Ruffed Grouse feeding on deciduous tree buds in bare treetops along roadsides. How far will they go to get the last bud on the branch??

Ruffed Grouse do not migrate, usually spending their entire life within a few hectares.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/birds/ruffed-grouse/

 Northern Treasures!

Backyard Feeder Birds:

Ninety minutes was spent "staking out" a backyard feeder in hopes of a rarity that didn't appear. However, many other feeder birds were found. Adult male Evening Grosbeaks are yellow and black birds with a prominent white patch in the wings. Females and immatures are mostly gray, with white and black wings.

Evening Grosbeaks are large, robin-sized finches with very thick, powerful, conical bills. They have a thick neck, full chest, and relatively short tail. 

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

They eat sunflower seeds and are also attracted to the seeds, berries and buds of trees and shrubs, especially Maple Trees. They are fairly large birds that often travel in sizeable flocks. If you wish to attract them to your yard, they prefer platform feeders.

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

With their enormous bills, Evening Grosbeaks can crush seeds that are too large for Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins to open. These smaller birds often seek out the grosbeaks and eat food scraps left behind.

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

The size and sluggish behaviour of Pine Grosbeaks makes spotting one in a tree easier than finding many other finch species.

In winter, Pine Grosbeaks are often found at bird feeders, but they also like to eat grit along roadsides near open, evergreen forests.

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

The Canada Jay stores large quantities of food for later use. In the fall, it uses saliva to stick food high in tree branches which will remain above the snow depth throughout the winter. This food storage habit may allow Canada Jays to survive in the northern winters.

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

Canada Jays have incredibly thick, fluffy plumage that puffs up in cold weather, enveloping the legs and feet. Even the nostrils are covered with feathers.

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

A Blue Jay also made an appearance at the food source.

Hairy Woodpecker: The long beak is visible which helps to separate it from the Downy Woodpecker.

While waiting for birds to show up at the feeder, other birds in the area were photographed, including several Pigeons.

 Northern Treasures!

A Great Gray Owl and Snowshoe Hare:

Deryl and a friend traveled to northern Ontario recently.  One of the target birds was a Great Gray Owl. Although it is visually the largest owl in North America, it is mostly just a ball of feathers. Both the Great Horned Owl and Snowy Owl weigh more than a Great Grey Owl, and they have larger feet and talons!

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

Great Gray Owls are powerful birds. Despite weighing only 2.5 pounds, they can break through hard packed snow to grab a small mammal. During winter, they more actively hunt in the daylight. 

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

A well hidden Snowshoe Hare: Snowshoe Hares prefer dense stands of young conifers or brushy deciduous growth where there is lots of food and good shelter.

They are found in the boreal forest of North America.

https://www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/wildlife/snp/programs/education/animal-facts/mammals/snowshoe-hare/

During the winter, Snowshoe Hares are white, which helps them blend in with the snow. When the seasons change to spring and summer, snowshoe hares become a reddish-brown colour. This change helps them to camouflage among dirt and rocks.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Snowshoe-Hare

Snowshoe Hares feed on a variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, some conifers, grasses and wild plants such as raspberry and fireweed. Because their diet of wood fibre is difficult to digest, hares eat their droppings to extract additional nutrients not absorbed on the first attempt!

https://www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/wildlife/snp/programs/education/animal-facts/mammals/snowshoe-hare/

Rabbits are born blind and helpless, while hares are born fully furred and ready to run! Snowshoe Hares usually have two or three litters a year, born from April to August. The litter size can range from one to eight young.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Snowshoe-Hare

 Ducks Under The Bluewater Bridges!

I walked along the trail below the Bluewater Bridges Wednesday afternoon and was surprised to see the St. Clair River was open…..

Earlier that same day, while walking along Canatara Beach, Lake Huron was covered in ice as far as the eye could see. 

A trio of Bufflehead were the first birds I saw. They left quickly, but I managed to get an in-flight photo. In the winter, Bufflehead move south to coasts and large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes. 

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

A group of Mallards congregated in the shallow, calm water at the edge of the river.

Two days later, the calm water was filled with ice.

Common Goldeneye

Two more Common Goldeneye males refused to smile for the camera! 

Red-breasted Mergansers: Paddling and fishing in the slushy ice water.

The feathers on this moulting Ring-billed Gull are very worn.

A young Long-tailed Duck paddled upstream.

Long-tailed Duck (adult male) diving

From a platform under the bridges, I was able to look down on a Red-breasted Merganser that was busy fishing.

Diving down!

Back at the surface. Caught one!

Earlier in the day, a distant Bald Eagle took a break as it floated towards the St. Clair River on an ice flow.

Shortly after passing the lighthouse, it flew north and landed on a sturdier chunk of ice.

 Winter Insects!

An active moth created a lot of excitement in our house on Feb. 3rd! Perhaps I had manifested it by dreaming of warmer weather to come! It is in the genus "Caradrina" and I'm still waiting identification at the species level. It is a member of the cutworms and Dart Moths.

Insects can be found in the winter months, but they are usually not adults at this time of year. Cocoons built by the Cecropia Moth caterpillar overwinter on twigs. I have spotted 2 Cecropia Moth Cocoons this winter. Hopefully they will survive and the adults will emerge in late spring. The Cecropia adult is North America's largest native moth

Another stage for overwintering is at the egg stage. Above, a Praying Mantis egg case is attached to a rose bush. About 100 miniature praying mantis's will emerge in mid-to late spring.

Katydid eggs! The one and only time I have found these.

A Bruce Spanworm Moth was active in early December

Fall Cankerworm Moth - wingless female, also found in early December.

A species of Tiger Moth (larva) walked across the snow on a sunny day.

The Goldenrod Gall Fly (larva) spends the winter inside the "Ball Gall." Galls are more often noticed in the winter when leaves have fallen off surrounding plants. During the growth process in the summer, the 'ball' grows around the developing larva. The larva will pupate and spend the winter inside the gall waiting for spring to emerge. Sometimes birds such as Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Chickadees will peck a hole in the gall and extract the juicy meal!

Goldenrod Elliptical-gall Moth: