A Miscellany of Recent Events

     The Province of Ontario, in response to inadequate leadership at the highest levels, and a lack of willingness by members of our populace to take the pandemic seriously, is back into lockdown.

     What this means precisely no one has been able to quite figure out, but Miriam and I have stayed at home to a great degree. I go out to shop for groceries or other essentials, and when we venture forth together we get into the car in the garage and drive to remote areas where we have little likelihood of bumping into others. 

     Reluctantly, we have given up our Friday walks with Heather and Lily for the time being.

     There is much to entertain a couple of naturalists during this crisis and we enjoy our outings to the fullest.

10 January 2021

     The only time I am accustomed to seeing Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) close together is after courtship bonds have been cemented in the spring, so I was quite surprised to see these two individuals side by side in a tree.

     There seems to be no appreciable size difference so it is difficult to know if they are of different sexes, but there obviously is not a hint of antagonism between them.

     We have had snow on and off over the past couple of weeks, and this Mennonite family was taking advantage of the winter conditions to enjoy some family fun.

     Here is dad coming down the slope. You cannot see it but little ones too small to use a toboggan are tucked behind him.

     The Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) near Linwood have been fairly consistent in putting in an appearance, much to the delight of local birders, but nearly always in late afternoon or early evening when the light is waning. This, combined with their tendency to perch quite far away, is far from ideal for photography, but we derive great pleasure in seeing them and the pictures are of secondary importance.

16 January 2021

     Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) are the premier winter attraction for birders and non birders alike, and I hope I do not sound immodest when I say that Miriam and I have developed an aptitude for finding them. They never cease to thrill us and every sighting is a cause for great glee.

     The following pictures, all of females, are of three different owls.

     As you may judge, the last one was especially cooperative and perched close by. Using the car as a blind proved to be the perfect device to enable Miriam to get this amazing shot. 

     I doubt that there is anyone who would fail to be moved by an encounter of this nature. We opened a bottle of self-congratulatory wine when we arrived home and drank a toast to Snowy Owls everywhere!

17 January 2021

     My dear friend, Mary Voisin, had asked that we let her know where she and her husband, Don, could find a Snowy Owl, so I had texted her when Miriam and I happened on the three birds the previous day, but Mary and Don were unable to leave to meet us, so we arranged a rendez-vous for the following day when they could follow us in their car to find an owl.

     You have all heard the expression "salt of the earth" when referring to sterling people.

      

     The ancestors of Don and Mary were hewn out of the first rock and their descendants cleave from the same fissure. It was great to see them both again after the protracted absence brought about by COVID-19.

     We proceeded directly to the spot where Miriam and I had found two owls, but search as we might we could not find either one. It was not looking good.

     However, all was not lost and we had two other possible locations in mind. We hit the jackpot not more than ten minutes after dipping at our first attempt, and a beautiful adult female was in clear view.

     Mary and Don were elated, and so were we, for any sighting of a Snowy Owl, no matter how many times you have seen it before, is a cause for great joy.

     The pandemic has caused all of us to modify our habits in myriad ways and we came across an interesting way that the local Old Order Mennonites have found to deal with religious observance, now that indoor services are not permitted.

     What better to do than circle the wagons and have an outdoor service?

     The temperature was quite mild, hovering right around zero, but I am not sure whether this option would be feasible if normal January temperatures are ever experienced.

     Sitting in a buggy for a couple of hours at minus fifteen degrees would be another thing entirely. Might be hard on the vocal chords too!

     In the meantime you have to admire Mennonite ingenuity in finding a way to continue to have a Sunday service.

     The horses wait patiently! They doubtless have lots of experience doing this!

     On the way home we passed a farm which has several bird feeders, generally active, with the dominant species being House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). We saw a female Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) perched atop a spindly bush and as might be expected all was quiet.

     The hawk was intently focused and paid no heed to us.

     It turned, scanned and listened, its attention rivetted on prey.

     What a great opportunity to study this raptor at close quarters. It was no more that fifteen metres away, if that.

     Within minutes it flew to the top of a nearby coniferous bush, having detected noise or movement, I presume.

     It perched on top for a moment or two.....

     .....and then dropped to the ground.

     In the glimpse of an eye it went into the bush and in mere moments emerged with a House Sparrow in its talons.

     It took a moment or two to subdue its prey and then flew off to enjoy its lunch.

     It was exciting for us to watch this gripping event unfold right before our eyes. We have seen accipiters hunt before but never the entire sequence in this fashion.

     From Don and Mary to Snowy Owl to Cooper's Hawk - what a great morning it had been. 

Tuesday Rambles with David - West Perth Wetlands, Mitchell, ON

12 September 2019

     Miriam came back early from her stay at a friend's cottage on Lake Huron, so she joined Judy, Mary and me on a visit to West Perth Wetlands at Mitchell, in Perth County.

     It was a little cool, and frequently overcast, but we had a decent morning of birding, although the conditions for photographs were not great, and the birds in general were not close.

     Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) is usually the most common species at this time of the year, and today was no exception. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) was also present, albeit in much reduced numbers, but Miriam managed to get a couple of shots of the two species side-by-side giving an excellent comparison.

     Furthermore, Greater Yellowlegs was far more cooperative than usual and here are a couple of excellent shots of a single bird.

     The yellowlegs have arrived from their breeding territories in the Arctic, but Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) breeds locally, and there were many of them in the wetland, no doubt now preparing for migration.

     We saw also a couple of diminutive Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus), close enough for great views through the telescope but too distant for decent photographs.

     One of the highlights was a group of four Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) all feeding vigorously.

     There were several flocks of both Least (Calidris minutilla) and Semipalmated Sandpipers (C. pusilla), again frustratingly far from the camera, but here is a shot for the record. Least Sandpiper is the world's smallest sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper is only marginally bigger. You can see how large the Kildeer looks by comparison.

     Butterflies were out in force with Monarchs (Danaus plexxipus) being especially noticeable. 

     Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) was hardly less abundant.

     The photographic record of this outing does not do justice to the fine range of species we saw, and it was a very pleasant morning spent with good friends. It has often been said that the best picture is the one in your mind, and we certainly have many of those to savour for as long as we wish to recall them.

Waterloo Region Nature Outing to The Mill Race, St. Jacobs

17 January 2019

Leader: David M. Gascoigne

Participants: Miriam Bauman, Shirley Bauman,  Robert Bezeau, Jim Bowman, Alice Buehrle, Roland Buehrle, Lynn Conway, Dan Daly, Justine Heinrichsberg, Peter Rasberry, Don Thomas, Henriette Thompson, Mary Ann Vanden Elzen, Mary Voisin
     (There are several others whose names I did not record; some of them people I met for the first time. Please pass on this report if you know them and have them get in touch so their names can be added).

Guests: Silke Hansen

     When we left the house it was minus 12.5°C, the sun was shining, and there was barely a breath of wind. What could be more perfect for a mid-January nature walk in southern Ontario?
     We arrived at the trail head in good time and several eager naturalists were already waiting for the walk to begin.

     This is an area where it is easy to coax Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) to feed from your hand and as you can see Mary Voisin is already trying her luck.
     While still waiting for the whole group to assemble, we were reminded that we are in Mennonite country.

     Upon entering the trail the scene that awaited us was suitably wintry.

     American Beavers (Castor canadensis) have been especially active this year and this lodge is coming right up onto the path.

     The bird life was pretty active and there was much to see. At times our group got strung out a little but I think that by regrouping as necessary most people got a chance to observe all the various species we encountered. Everyone was keenly interested and there was often a lively discussion.

     It appeared that someone had sat on this bench and strewed seed around it and beneath it, and a male and female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), and a Black-capped Chickadee were feeding on the ground.

     Shirley Bauman pointed out a couple of birds flitting around in some branches on the ice, and I saw a flash of yellow and called out "White-throated Sparrow." Jim Bowman said I should look again and that the birds were Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa). And he was right! You would think I would know by now not to make such hasty calls without fully seeing the bird.

     We observed many Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), often at close range. 

     Without doubt Black-capped Chickadee was the most common species. 

     This species has certainly come to know that friendly humans bring food, and the birds start to appear all around you as soon as you begin your walk. Many people seem to leave seed for the birds and as you can see in the picture above, this stump was well provisioned.
     Don Thomas kindly permitted me to use the following images portraying the joy of feeding a wild bird and having it alight on your hand, confident that it will come to no harm at the hands of this group of humans at least.

Lynn Conway

Henriette Thompson

     One of the attractions of a walk along the Mill Race is that the Eco Café is at the St. Jacobs end of the walk, and on a day like today, it is very pleasant to stop in for a coffee (and a muffin perhaps) and warm up and recharge before heading back along the trail to our vehicles. The chance for warm, clean, well-stocked washrooms is also a factor, especially for the ladies, for whom the need to go in the bush is decidedly unappealing at 12 degrees below zero! 

     American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) has been quite uncommon this winter so we were very happy to run into a couple of them on the way back from the café.

      In this area White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is more common than Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) so we considered ourselves fortunate to see both species.

     I am indebted to Jim Bowman for the shot of the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Jim also provided the following shot of a White-throated Sparrow.

     I doubt that you would get much argument from anyone, especially at this time of the year when many species are not present, that Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is the most handsome of the four woodpeckers you might encounter.

     This male Downy Woodpecker is handsome too, but he does not quite match the brilliant elegance of the Red-bellied male shown above.

     Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) were active throughout the woods and were attrtacted to the trail by the copious quantities of bird seed there for the taking.

     Several people had marched ahead and had left by the time we got back to the end of the trail, but this is a group shot of those who remained.

Alice Buehrle, Jim Bowman, Roland Buehrle, Mary Voisin, Dan Daily, Peter Rasberry, Don Thomas, Mary Ann Vanden Elzen, Robert Bezeau, Henriette Thompson, David Gascoigne

     It was a great walk, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, proving once again that Waterloo Region Nature is the Best Little Naturalists Club in Ontario!

All species: Mallard, Bald Eagle (probable), Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal. Total: 21