Tuesday Rambles with David - Riverside Park, Cambridge, ON

11 September 2018

     It was only last winter that Francine and Jim, having driven past Riverside Park many times, decided to drop in and check it out. Since then we have made several outings there and have enjoyed it very much.

     We had often mused about the potential for warblers migrating through in the fall, so it was with this in mind that we organized our Tuesday ramble. Everyone was there except for Mary who is dealing with health issues.

     To no one's surprise American Robin (Turdus migratorius) was ubiquitous, and while it might seem to some that another picture of a robin is superfluous, I think that this image of a young bird is particularly appealing.

     The boardwalk in the winter is a magnet for birds who have quickly clued in to the fact that humans bring bird seed. Obviously, this behaviour is not confined to the winter months, because a little sunflower seed strewn along the rail by Carol and Judy quickly brought in a crowd. Unusual, and especially rewarding, was the arrival of this Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) displaying little trepidation about coming in close to take advantage of the bounty on offer.

     When we first spotted a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) it was just starting to feed on the large, juicy caterpillar of a Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia).

     I suspect we disturbed him because he flew off - but not far.

     It was not long before both male and female cardinals joined the other species to take advantage of the sunflower seeds on the rail. As you may see, moult is fairly advanced in these birds.

     When we checked on the caterpillar a while later it was missing - we concluded that the cardinal had returned to finish off its succulent meal.

     A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) was also showing evidence of moult.

     This female, however, was impeccable and quite resplendent in fresh fall attire.

     I am quite sure that wherever there are birds and people who observe them there are also species that are often overlooked due to their familiarity. Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscala) surely falls into this category. 

     It is by any reckoning a stunning species.

     Perhaps we might say the same thing about Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), a dazzling vision of electric blue, with crest and jaunty mien.

     There are resident Blue Jays and a migratory component from farther north. Recently summer inhabitants of the boreal forests have been leaving and passing through in the hundreds. Today Miriam and I sat on the patio and were enthralled as a steady stream of Blue Jays passed over our heads, the sun glinting off their plumage, their calls resonating through the unusually warm air.

     One does not always have to travel to remote areas to witness the wonders of nature.

     An American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) made sure that not all the seeds were taken by the birds.

     A few were eaten, but most were sequestered away for winter storage. We did not begrudge the squirrel its share.

     One of our most widely known, and best loved, birds is the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) and they certainly look dapper at this time of year.

     A bit of a love/hate relationship exists between people and Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) but I am an unabashed admirer of this species. A flyby is enough to set my heart aflutter. 

         We were all very delighted indeed to see an Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) high atop a snag. This is a species that has become decidedly scarce in recent years.

      Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) are still here to enliven the woodlands, but soon will be departing with the onset of fall.

     You will remember that our original quest was for fall warblers and we spotted about a half dozen species, mostly high in the treetops, however, and with the foliage still intact almost impossible to photograph. 

     An exception was this Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) which was in the open briefly.

     Several Bay-breasted Warblers (Setophaga canstanea) were a little lower down and Franc did well to get this picture.

     We walked down a trail that radiates off the parking area, where we had seen Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) in the spring, to search for them again. We were not disappointed and it appears as though this largest of all North American woodpeckers had a successful breeding season.

     It was close to lunch time when we parted company, well satisfied with a very pleasant walk and a great assortment of birds. What better way to spend a Tuesday morning? I can't think of one!

A Sunday morning Butterfly Chase

08 July 2018

     Although a birder first, foremost and always, there is not a single aspect of the natural world that fails to capture my interest. I have different levels of proficiency (or in some cases a decided lack thereof) of various taxa.

     One of the most colourful additions to the summer landscape, especially when the birds are preoccupied with raising young, is a wide range of butterfly species. In addition there are some interesting diurnal moths and I have even been dabbling in nocturnal moths under the expert tutelage of my good friend, Ross Dickson. If you have ever felt you had sinister tendencies of incipient masochism, sitting out in the dark watching moths crawling over a lighted sheet, in a mind-boggling range of diversity, colour, shape and form, will cause them to be front and centre! And that doesn't even take into account the lack of sleep.

     In any event, it occurred to me a while ago that many people I see with a butterfly net have not the slightest idea how to use it properly. They charge around like Don Quixote tilting at some illusory windmill, smacking the ground, flattening the grass, uttering the unseemly curses of a drunken sailor, and coming up empty-handed - or should that be empty-netted?

     With this in mind I thought it would be a good idea to have a proper training session so that budding lepidopterists would learn how to wield a net correctly, sweep with grace and efficiency to capture their quarry, extract it from the net swiftly and cleanly in a collecting vial, take whatever photographs they need, and release the papillon unharmed.

     Owen Lucas, of the rare Charitable Research Reserve, as fine a net professional as one could wish to find, agreed to come and conduct a tutorial.

     People gathered round with great interest.

     Like a magician on a stage, Owen was in short order explaining technique.

     It did not take everyone long to get the idea and we set off on a walk to capture some butterflies. New skills were on display, strategies were developed, and stealth became a new art; but I must say, with a certain level of vicarious pride, that Miriam was the undisputed champion. Hers was a performance worthy of a prima ballerina in the Bolshoi Ballet. In total we captured about fourteen species, much to everyone's delight.

      As a bonus for the eager adventurers we introduced them to the wonderful world of caterpillars. A couple of people had already raised Monarchs indoors so there was the added excitement of seeing the varied forms and colours of the larvae of other species.

     Here is the colourful child of a Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes).

     And how grand is the caterpillar of a White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma)?

     Jeff Grant, a local teenager from St. Agatha is keenly interested in butterflies and moths and has been raising Cecropia Moths (Hyalophora cecropia) by placing their eggs on appropriate host plants and protecting them by means of a mesh sleeve. Jeff kindly opened up one of the sleeves to show everyone the grandeur of a Cecropia caterpillar - and even provided a little discourse on the life cycle of this stunning moth.

     The caterpillar of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucous), in a late instar with its false eye spots is perhaps one of the most appealing of all, and we were lucky to see one such example along with a little brother (perhaps second instar) on the same leaf.

     We were not quite as happy to find many Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) caterpillars. This species is truly destructive in our eastern hardwood forests and is an invasive species in any event.

     Some had already cocooned.

     The weather was quite beautiful, a perfect day in fact for what we wanted to do. And just in case I had withdrawal pangs from not dealing with birds, Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) displayed their aerial superiority as they hawked for insects and a male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) perched on a nest box where his mate is incubating four eggs. Perhaps he even delivered a juicy caterpillar for lunch.