Recent Events in Our World

     We are not venturing too far afield these days, but we do get out every day, so I will show you some of what we have been seeing on recent outings, and also the life in our backyard.

03 May 2020
SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

     Normally, by now we would be in full gear at SpruceHaven, monitoring the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) colony, banding migrants and many other activities. This year, for obvious reasons, little is happening, but we have initiated our regular checks of the nest boxes and we keep our eyes open for other happenings in the restored grassland, the woodlot and on the pond.
     For several years we have been fortunate to have a breeding pair of Green Herons (Butorides virescens) and I was very happy to note that two birds are back at the pond this year.

     It is a great privilege to be able to watch these birds in such close proximity.
     Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have returned in good numbers and we are thrilled that some of the nest boxes are already occupied by these aerial (and dazzling) superstars.

     This female Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) was doubtless waiting for an opportunity to deposit her egg in the nest of some hapless host.

     While I was doing my rounds I was able to locate the nest of a Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina), a frequent host for Brown-headed Cowbird, so I will be sure to check tomorrow to see whether the cowbird has been able to hijack this nest. 

05 May 2020
Our Backyard, Waterloo, ON

     A visit from a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) was a pleasant surprise on one of the few days when it has been pleasant enough to sit outside.

     Actually, as Miriam was photographing one butterfly it was joined by a second.
     White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) has been entertaining us for several days.....

          .....and today it was joined by its congener,  White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), passing through on its way to the far north.

     To my eyes, the white stripes on the head of a White-crowned Sparrow always seem to be the brightest white of any species I know. It is by all accounts a very handsome little bird.
     Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are the resident rogues of the garden, whose sole purpose in life I am quite sure, is to thwart every attempt I make to keep them from stealing seed from the bird feeders. So far their success rate has been 100%. But it's only been fifty years of warfare after all; give me a little time.

     At least a male House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) was getting his share from this feeder.

05 May 2020
Fountain Street Bridge, Cambridge, ON

     The resident Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was clearly tugging away at a fish and appeared to be feeding young, but we could not be sure, until an eaglet reared up from the well of the nest so that we could see it clearly. 

     Now that is about as obliging as it gets!

     These photographs are taken from a considerable distance, but we have no desire to get closer and risk disturbing the birds. I suspect that they are used to traffic but actual human intrusion would be another thing entirely.
     We know of several successful eagle nests in the area and it is a measure of the recovery of this magnificent creature that it now verges on common around here. It is not so many years ago, in the United States, that people were paid a bounty for every eagle they killed. How you can declare a bird your National Symbol, and then pay people to kill it, is just a little beyond me.

05 May 2020
Grass Lake, Cambridge, ON

     This is one of our favourite local spots, and as we often do, we took along a thermos of coffee and  blueberry muffins, to enjoy while watching Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).
     

     What an amazing bird this is, spending its entire life on the grasslands of the Americas. I can tell you that the coffee and muffins, eaten together while birding always taste superb, far better than at home, but to have this bird singing to us mere metres away made it all the more special. I may rename the muffin Bobolink Bun! 
     And our first Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) of the year joined in the chorus too.

     Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) breed in this area, as do Tree Swallows and it is a good place to compare the different blues of the plumage of these two passerines.

     A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) trying to impress a female is a spectacular event to witness.

     As a sympathetic male, I was happy that the  female seemed at least a little interested. 

     She didn't fly away in any event, so perhaps their tryst was consummated when we retired from view.
     Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) was emerging everywhere.

     This is a very interesting plant. Heat produced by emerging Skunk Cabbage can actually melt snow and raise the temperature inside the spathe. The elevated temperature releases the odour of putrid flesh which attracts pollinators to the plant. I have been in swamps densely populated by Skunk Cabbage where the smell is sufficiently strong to induce vomiting in those with a low tolerance for such putrescence. The plant is appropriately named!

05 May 2020
Small Wetland on Dumfries Road, Cambridge, ON

     On a previous outing we had been very excited to find a pair of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) on a small wetland and we were ecstatic to discover that they had initiated breeding.

     The female sat tight on the nest.....

     The male patrolled the length and breadth of the water, ready to take on any intruder foolhardy enough to try to dislodge the female and steal the eggs.

     Woe betide any interloper that even gets too close.
     It will be a special joy to see the cygnets, perhaps as early as our next visit.
     As a bonus a Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) was foraging across the wetland.

06 May 2020
Colombia Lake, Waterloo, ON

     I was unable to determine whether this Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) was sitting on a nest, or simply resting on the shore, and since I did not wish to disturb the bird I still don't know!

07 May 2020
Ellesmere Storm Water Management Area, Waterloo, ON

     Unusually, I have rarely observed Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at the pond this year, so I was delighted to see this individual.

07 May 2020
Conservation Meadows Storm Water Management Area, Waterloo, ON

     Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), as people the world over know, is a highly successful species, and local ponds, lakes, streams, wetlands - almost anywhere with water - are now home to successful breeders with their young.

07 May 2020
Killbear Storm Water Management Area, Waterloo, ON

     Most Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) seen at this time of the year are males, for the simple reason that females are hidden from view incubating eggs.

07 May 2020
Beaver Creek Road, Waterloo, ON

     I was struck by how much this pair of geese resembled the push-me-pull-you animals of Dr. Doolittle.

08 May 2020
Three Bridges Road, St. Jacobs, ON

     It was exhilarating to discover our first Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) of the season.

     And a Great Blue Heron worked the shallows mere metres from the bridge across the Conestogo River.

08 May 2020
Bricker School Line, Wallenstein, ON

     On a solo walk a few days earlier I had found three Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum) but Miriam had still to find her first of the spring. She was delighted, therefore,  to discover this one, albeit mostly hidden as it foraged on the ground.

     We knew of a Canada Goose on a nest and checked to see whether babies had emerged from the eggs, but she was still sitting tight.

     I expect the big event will happen any day now.

     As you may clearly see we keep busy doing exactly what we enjoy the most, and though the scope of our travels has diminished, the joy we feel from nature has not. And nor will it ever, that I can promise you.
     Until the next time.........