Waterloo Region Nature Outing to the Mill Race Trail, St. Jacobs, ON

     It was with great pleasure that I was able to lead a couple of bird walks for members and guests of Waterloo Region Nature.

13 April 2022

Leader: David M. Gascoigne

Members: Joan Astley, Miriam Bauman, Shirley Bauman, Pauline Copleston, Lisa Den Besten, Beth Hobson, Geoff Moore

Guests: David Matthews, Nancy Matthews

David M., Nancy, Pauline, David G., Beth, Geoff, Shirley, Joan

Kneeling - Lisa

     It is a sure sign of spring when the dam on the Conestogo River is completely free of ice and flowing normally.

     Common Grackles (Quisculus quiscula), those swaggering dandies of the bird world, displayed their finery for all to see.

     Some were happy to feed alongside Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) without even the hint of a squabble.

     Barely had our feet hit the trail when Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) floated into view and trilled to announce their presence.

     Food was on their mind, and willing arms were outstretched to oblige.

     Nancy's award-winning smile lets you know how happy she was to share a moment with a tiny wild creature, each in harmony with the other.

     David looked on in approval.

     American Beavers (Castor canadensis) are a force to be reckoned with along the Mill Race, and signs of their activity were everywhere.

     White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) fills me with ever greater delight each time I see it, and it is not reluctant to approach closely, having learned that at least some two-legged creatures are friendly and bring food.  

     Several people were able to entice one to the hand. Based on the clothing, I think this is Shirley enjoying the moment.

     Male Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) were filled with ardour, singing impassioned songs to stimulate desire in unmated females.

     This one seems to be looking at us quizzically.

     Fungi decorate dead trees in a very attractive manner.

     Will you bear with me while I show you another nuthatch?

     Song Sparrows (Melopsiza melodia) are supercharged with hormones at this time of year, and males sing lustily from exposed perches.

     Joan and Pauline couldn't resist trying their hand with the chickadees and nuthatches again.

     The Mill Race Trail is a straight line and we walk back the same way we came. At the half way point we stop for a coffee at the Eco Café in St. Jacobs, now fully open following the lifting (prematurely it seems to me) of COVID restrictions.

     The weather had taken a delightful turn for the better, and many took their coffee outside at picnic tables overlooking the Conestogo River.

     On the way back we saw both Golden-crowned (Regulus satrapa) and Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula), but were unable to show them to everyone, let alone get pictures, so rapidly and nervously do they flit around in pursuit of insects. The following images are from our archives, both taken in Waterloo Region.

     Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) were numerous and this individual was low enough for a photograph.

     Not many metres from our vehicles we saw this stand of lovely croci, surely nature's smile to reinforce the notion of spring.

     It had been a lovely outing, well enjoyed by all, and this burst of colour brought it to very fitting end.

16 April, 2022

Leader: David M. Gascoigne

Members: Miriam Bauman, Walter Friesen, Shannon Pennington, Andrea Smith, Sophie Wilson, Scotte Zinn, (and two other members who requested that their names not be shown)

Guests: Inge Cebek, Brigitte Gawtrey, Cheryl Graham, Julie Graham, Monica Graham, Cédric Légaré, Liliane Légaré, Trevor Lewis

Sophie, Scotte. David. Trevor, Shannon. Cédric, Julie, Cheryl, Andrea, Walter

Brigitte (kneeling), Inge, Monica, Liliane

     The river was tranquil with the Red Osier Dogwoods (Cornus sericea) making a wonderful splash of colour.

     Shannon was excited to see a Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata), her first warbler of the year, but as is the way with warblers it flitted hither and thither, barely revealing itself, and this is the best picture we could get.

     Here is a better picture from our files.

     Walter had spotted a kinglet, equally elusive, but we all made a valiant attempt to see it - and a few of us even got a glimpse!

     Fungi are notoriously difficult for the non specialist; I am confident that this fungus is in the class Agaricomycetes, but that's as far as I am willing to go!

     My admiration for beavers knows no bounds. They truly are nature's engineers and in the process they transform the landscape and create habitat for so many other species.

     The familiar nasal call of White-breasted Nuthatch was heard frequently and several individuals kept us company along the trail.

     I am indebted to Scotte for this really interesting shot of an individual emerging from the gloom.

     Now I have to tell you all that the star of the day was Lili, six years old, and already a confirmed naturalist. In fact along the way she saw an Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) and picked it up. Her aunt Monica took a couple of pictures and Lili was proud to show them to everyone, asking me to "get everyone together so that she could show them!"

Picture courtesy of Monica Graham

     Naturally she was anxious to feed a chickadee, and went to the trouble of providing a perch for them.

     Obviously this was a good strategy.....

     It's a mere hop from a stick to a hand containing food.

Photo courtesy of Scotte Zinn

     This girl is a study in concentration.

     A Mallard (Anas platyrynchos) came to pay us a visit.

     Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) seemed to be everywhere, often times chasing each for no purpose that we could discern, and it was hard not to be persuaded that it was the joy of emerging from a long period of hibernation that elicited such exuberance.

     Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) were also plentiful, some males already excavating nests to show to prospective mates.

     Scotte has a particularly lovely shot, I think.

     Buds were popping everywhere. I am not confident in my ID of this one beyond Acer sp, but it is very beautiful.

     The familiar American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a handsome bird indeed.

     American Tree Sparrows (Spizelloides arborea) are becoming fewer and fewer as they move north to breed. We were delighted to spot this one, still to depart.

     Song Sparrow was heard frequently and seen now and then!

     Our first Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) never ventured into the open so I have selected a picture from the archives.

     Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) has great appeal, as food for wildlife and as a visual treat for humans.

     We were rarely out of earshot of Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinensis), but it was not until we had downed our coffee at the Eco Café and were on our way back that we saw a couple of them.

     At one point, overhead, we had three immature Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).....

     ..... a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

     ..... and a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

    At the same time!

    We were not far from the car when we spotted our first stand of Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) of the spring - a very happy event.

      Soon they will be joined by many other spring ephemerals, as the woodlands come alive with new growth. It is such a time of joy.

     We had let people know that we could take them to nesting Bald Eagles if they wished and several took us up on the offer. The pictures below show the female on the nest and the male perched nearby.

     Everywhere is looking so green and pleasant, a balm from the snows of winter.

     Let me end with another picture of Lili.

     You cannot begin to imagine how elated I feel to see a child her age being permitted, encouraged even, to splash around in the water, to look for frogs and snakes, perhaps a turtle, or shorebirds stabbing at food. I met Lili's mom and grandmother recently on another walk I led for Waterloo Public Library and I consider myself fortunate to have come to know them - and now other members of their family. To Julie and Cédric, Cheryl and Monica, keep doing what you are doing. In the synthetic world in which we live, to see an entire family committed to nature in this way makes my heart sing.

     Au plaisir de sortir ensemble encore!