A Waterloo Region Nature Winter Outing

     It has been highly therapeutic for Miriam and me, and no doubt for the participants on our outings, to have been able to undertake a whole series of nature walks as an antidote to COVID-19 and all its malevolent variants.

19 December 2021

       On a bright sunny day, a quintessentially beautiful Ontario winter's day in fact, a group of eager naturalists gathered to enjoy a fine day of birding and friendship. When we all met as a group to head to our first destination it was minus seven degrees and minus one by mid-afternoon when we broke up, with bright sun most of the time and no wind to speak of. It really doesn't get much better.

Leader: David M. Gascoigne

Members: Miriam Bauman, Jennifer Clary-Lemon, Lisa Den Besten, Victoria Ho, Lucas Liu, Greg Michalenko, Marcel O'Gorman, Roger Suffling, Selwyn Tomkun, Kathy Waybrant

Guests: Rapunzel Clary-Lemon, Tina Den Besten, Annie Li, Mark Waybrant

     

Greg, Mark, Kathy, Rog, Victoria, Lisa, Tina, Selwyn, David, Jennifer, Marcel, Rapunzel, Annie, Lucas

      

     It was a good-sized group and it was very encouraging to see three young people out with us. Up until almost the last moment we had seven others registered for the walk; two cancelled due to Omicron concerns, two fearing poor driving conditions, and three went to help a family member who had slipped on ice and broken an ankle.

DesJardins Canal, Dundas, ON

     This is THE place in the winter to see Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) and we were not disappointed. This beautiful little duck presented itself from the moment of our arrival.

Hooded Merganser ♂

Hooded Merganser ♀

     A few Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) tough out the winter at Desjardins every year, and 2021 is no exception.

Urquhart Butterfly Garden, Dundas, ON

     The garden was bedecked in winter snow, but other than for the chattering of a few House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) there was little evidence of birds.

     It's always fitting, however, to render homage to Fred Urquhart, that self-effacing Ontario biologist who was instrumental in discovering the migration route of the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), all the way to its wintering territory in Mexico.

     Guelder-Rose (Viburnum opulus) has a special enchantment when capped with snow.

Woodland Cemetery, Burlington, ON

     For several years, the tree on the right of the picture has been home to a pair of Eastern Screech-Owls (Megascops asio), and often one or both will sit at the lip of their hole.

     Mark reported that he had seen an owl there just a couple of days earlier, but today they were not cooperative. Maybe next time!

Grindstone Creek/Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, Burlington, ON

     We were greeted by a few elegant Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), a fitting welcome for such an august group I am sure you would agree!

     One of the great attractions of this stop on our route is the chance to have Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) feed from the hand.

     Our squad wasted no time in seizing the moment!

     Young and old, man or woman, girl or boy, all were anxious to give it a try.

     It took barely a moment for Marcel to experience the joy.

     Look at his face and Jennifer's too. A couple of award-winning smiles if ever I saw them!

     Rapunzel snuggled close to Mom.

     A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) kept a close eye on us from mere metres away. 

     It seemed to want to sally in and get its share of the sunflower seeds but couldn't quite pluck up courage. 

     A chickadee was quick to garner a snack from Lucas' outstretched hand.

     There is a whole sense of joy to be gained from this contact with a tiny wild creature, but it is never more endearing than when a young person experiences it for the first time. Rapunzel's reaction was such a joy to see.

     She was hooked from the first moment and for the rest of the day could barely wait until she could do it again.

     Ice forms winter's artwork in so many different ways.

    The Hendrie Valley Sanctuary is a place where I have had success in luring a Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) to take seed from my hand, but today they were having none of it.

     Mallard (Anas platyrynchos) is the duck we tend to overlook, but I can assure you that familiarity does not breed contempt in me. It is a stunning bird!

LaSalle Park and Marina, Burlington, ON

     Most of the waterfowl was quite far out, and Miriam did well to get this shot of Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) swimming with, and dwarfed by, Canada Geese (Branta canadensis).

     There were a few female Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) but males declined to pay us a visit.

     There were small numbers of Greater Scaup (Aythys marila)  but for the most part they too were keeping to themselves.

     The presence of many humans at LaSalle Park suits House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) very well; more people, more food. It is easy to overlook this little competitor, but it is a very handsome bird.

     Most of the gulls we saw were Ring-bills (Larus delawarensis)

     For the most part they were content to bask in the sun.

     It is never anything but exciting to see Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator).

     The colour of the bill on an immature is quite remarkable, almost festive at this time of the year one could say. 

     There were many Canada Geese present as might be expected, always exploring the ground for a morsel of food. Rapunzel named this one Snowflake because of the white patch on its head.

     Several American Coots (Fulica americana) delighted us as they swam around in that curious chicken-like gait, all the while adapted for the water.  

     Canvasback (Aythya valsineria) was present in quite large numbers, a true measure of winter's enchantment.

     Many were content to snooze away the day.

     I saw relatively few American Black Ducks (Anas rubipres) and I was happy that Miriam captured this one.

     A Downy Woodpecker has acrobatic capabilities and we were delighted to witness an example.

     Rapunzel had hit her stride with the chickadees and I think would have been quite happy to remain there all day to feed them.

     On this outing we had the benefit of some serious birding experience and skill, and we were able to find both Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) and Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), an impressive one/two punch on any day.

Winter Wren well hidden

Winter Wren a little more visible

Carolina Wren

      Who needs a house full of glitter and tinsel?

     We were wending our way back to our vehicles for lunch when this elegant male Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) sailed into view.

     I think we will call the Trumpeter Swan below Rapunzel's Swan. We will submit a sightings report of a tagged bird on her behalf, so that she can receive a certificate of appreciation from the Canadian Wildlife Service.

     Did I mention that Rapunzel likes feeding chickadees?

     Looks like mom does too!

Paletta Park, Burlington, ON

     We were greeted by a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) which had a speck of blood on its breast feathers (visible through the scope) and looked to have a full crop.

     I suspect it was resting while digesting its meal.

     Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) have little to fear from an accipiter like a Cooper's Hawk, and this individual was going about its business.

     Ice has a way of making magical formations.

     There was an abundance of waterfowl out on the water, much of it far from shore, unfortunately. Several Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) shortened the distance between us, however.

Common Goldeneye (♂)

Common Goldeneye (♀)

      The only Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) that approached anywhere close to the shore was this lone female.

     Far out on the lake, however, they were present in their thousands.

     The numbers you see above with the large tanker in the background to give some context, was four to five times longer, with birds diving repeatedly, having evidently found a rich feeding area.

     It would be interesting to have a topographical map of the lake at that point to see whether any geologic feature might explain the feeding aggregation we witnessed.

     At the left (east) end of the Long-tailed Ducks, was an impressive concentration of Common Goldeneye, taking advantage of the same rich food source, I presume.

     A quartet of Mallards, in single file, socially-distanced perhaps, cruised by, oblivious of anything but their own affairs. 

     We wandered around the creek, making our way back to our cars.

     Mark's sharp eyes picked up a Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) for us, our final new species for the day.

     We had a wonderful day together, old friends and new, all enjoying the wonders of nature revealed to us with every step we took.

     Thank you everyone for coming along and making this such an enjoyable day. I hope it will not be long before we do it again together.

     Ideas for future outings are already percolating in my head.