A Pot-pourri

      The definition of pot-pourri in the Oxford English Dictionary is, "A mixture of dried petals and spices used to perfume a room etc"; alternatively, "a musical or literary medley". The term has come to mean, however, in popular usage, a mixture of unrelated facts and it is in this sense that I am using the term to pull together pictures that have been taken over the past couple of months and deserve a place on my blog.

03 May, 2022

SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

     I am quite sure that if Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) were not seen and/or heard within the first ten minutes of arriving at SpruceHaven we would be checking to see what disaster had befallen us.

     It is as familiar and as joy-inducing as a child's face in a playground.

     We have erected many nest boxes for Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and they have responded accordingly, being one of our most reliable migrants.

     You may see a hundred in a day, a thousand even, and each one will be as delightful and inspirational as the last.

     Squabbles over nestbox occupancy are not uncommon. Sometimes it's best to go and find another.

     Eastern Bluebirds (Sialis sialia) covet the same accommodation, but one way or another the birds seem to settle their rivalries and both species produce young each year.

     In the woodlot, spring ephemerals are plentiful and endearing. The whimsically-name Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) never fail to bring a smile to my face.

     Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), with its spotted leaves, verges on emblematic of a southern Ontario woodland in May.

     Is there anything quite as stunning as a Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)?

     It is always a glorious discovery, flowering for a brief period, but promising to return next year to renew our love affair.

31 May, 2022

Along the Grand River, Kitchener, ON

     Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) is an attractive species that has become more common here in recent years.

     It is not unusual for American Robins (Turdus migratorius) to raise three broods in a year, and both parents are kept busy ferrying food to the nest, where seemingly insatiable young await the next mouthful.

     This male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) has no doubt already mated with a female or two to fertilize eggs destined for the nests of other species. Not for him the chore of finding and delivering food to hungry chicks.

     The bright orange and black plumage of a Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is eagerly anticipated each spring, by even the most casual observer, and engenders universal excitement and delight.

04 June, 2022

McGregor Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON

     I was happy to be asked to give a presentation at the Huron Fringe Birding Festival, but took a moment out to take a picture of this incredible Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum).

     If you are not left gob-smacked and twitter-pated 

by this beauty I think your sensory organs are failing you.

11 June, 2022

SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

     Male and female Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) look different enough that early ornithologists thought they were separate species, until noted in unmistakable affirmation of their common identity.

♂

♀

     We visit the Tree Swallows often, but the camera is always smoking nevertheless, and the shot is sometimes quite exceptional. Bravo, Miriam!

     Here is the inside of a typical next box and I am sure you can see the female sitting tight.

     Healthy young were growing rapidly in another bird house.

     Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia) appeared to be in the full flush of its flight period.

     No doubt, some of them were captured as food for hungry young Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds.

     A Goldenrod Gall Fly (Eurosta solidagnis) is a distinctive creature, its entire life being spent on goldenrod (Solidago).

     Goldenrod Leaf Beetle (Trirhabda canadensis) was also easily found.

     The world of nature is often a world of mimicry, a device used to great advantage by many species, this Hairy-eyed Bee-mimic (Mallota posticata) being no exception.

     The Great Outdoors is never anything but wonderful, the world's finest classroom, a source of infinite pleasure. 

     Miriam and I are very happy to be part of it.