Still Close to Home

      The restrictions on movement imposed by the Provincial Government in response to COVID are in effect until 20 May, so at least for a while we will not be wandering far afield.

28 April 2021

Benjamin Park Trail, Waterloo, ON

     How fortunate we are to have this trail so close to our house. From our front door to the start of the trail is less than five minutes walk.

     Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia verginica) comes in both white and pink forms - absolutely stunning either way.

     I think you could set out in a dour mood and be instantly transformed as soon as you came across these very aptly named spring beauties.

     Black-and White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) is generally one of the earliest neotropical warblers to arrive back in southern Ontario and this year was no exception.

    It is a very appealing little bird and in many respects emulates our resident nuthatches as it clambers up and down trunks and branches, sometimes upside down, searching for spider eggs, insect larvae and other tasty treats.

     This individual entertained us for a few minutes before moving off to another section of the woods.

     Daffodils (family Amaryllidaceae) are common in woodlands, along highway verges and in meadows, and I am never quite sure how they got there and which species I am dealing with. They are incredibly attractive, and I am going with Wild Daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus). 

     If any of my botanical friends care to offer further elucidation or correction, feel free to do so.

     Once again, I must own up to a little confusion. I am pretty sure that the blossom shown below is some kind of cherry (Genus Prunus) - but that is where my "educated" guess ends.

     I have no doubt that there are people reading this blog with far greater botanical knowledge than I, and help is eagerly sought and appreciated.

     Field Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) is familiar to all, and about this one I have no doubt.

01 May 2021

Benjamin Park Trail, Waterloo, ON

     White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is beginning to bloom throughout the region and woodlands are carpeted with Ontario's Provincial Flower.

     Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) are eagerly seeking nest cavities in which to raise a family, and every potentially suitable hole needs to be thoroughly checked.

    A really close inspection is necessary.

     And if it looks good, it's time to start on some spring cleaning.

     Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa) may still be commonly found flitting through any suitable stretch of woodland.

02 May 2021

Conservation Meadows Storm Water Management Area, Waterloo, ON

     Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are breeding all over the region. Some protective males seem to prefer an elevated vantage point to exercise dominance over their breeding territory.

     The individual above flew down, making a great commotion, when a dog strayed too close to its partner on the nest.

     What the dog was doing off leash, wandering around at will, is another matter entirely.

Small wetland on Beaver Creek Road, Waterloo, ON

     I was all set to take a picture of a displaying Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), but by the time I pressed the button, it had left.

     The picture of the tree with its emerging leaves, however (Acer, sp), is quite delightful by itself.

Lakeside Park, Kitchener, ON

     Turtles of all types are emerging from their long hibernation beneath the mud, Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata) among them.

     Families of Canada Geese are popping up everywhere.

     The geese at Lakeside Park are so habituated to the constant presence of humans they display no hostility even if you are quite close to their young.

     The goslings are the very epitome of cuteness.

     Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris), a personal favourite, are punctuating wetlands throughout the region.

     Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) were abundant and noisy. It's hard to get an accurate count since it is always possible to tally the same bird twice as it moves around in the trees, but twenty might be a conservative estimate.

          There are many old trees with cavities suitable for nesting and this one looks as though a staircase has been constructed up to the front entrance.

     Miriam and I have not had especially good luck finding warblers this spring, so we were happy to come upon this male American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva) gleaning insects from the emerging leaves.

     A male Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) seems to be elongating his body as much as possible,  to give the appearance of being bigger and more desirable to a passing female, one might surmise.

     Perhaps some enterprising young adventurers had ambitions for castaway survival when they started to build a shelter, but no doubt thought better of it and went home for dinner.

     This female duck had found a quiet place to rest, to escape the over-zealous attention of several males, perhaps.     

     It has all the features of a Mallard (Anas platyrynchos) x American Black Duck (Anas rubipres) hybrid.

     I am already accumulating pictures from several local walks for the next post, so stay tuned for more soon!

Raising Butterflies and Other Odds and Ends

        When I mentioned raising butterflies indoors in my last post several of you left comments expressing an interest  in knowing more about the process. I do not have pictures of the entire sequence, but I can explain what you need to know without them, and I think the narrative will be sufficient. After this post if you still have questions feel free to get in touch with me.

     The first thing to determine of course is the species you wish to raise and to ensure that you have their preferred plant either in your garden or close at hand.

     We have usually raised three species (and I must add that Miriam pretty much does this without a whole lot of help from me), Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) and Monarch (Danaus plexippus).

     The swallowtails are known to seek out Rue (Ruta graveolens) to lay their eggs, so we have it growing in our backyard. At the appropriate time just keep an eye on the plant and you will not fail to notice the females depositing eggs. For Monarchs, a species of milkweed (Asclepias spp.) is necessary and we have Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), both containing a poisonous, bitter-tasting chemical which remains in the tissue of the adult butterflies and gives Monarchs immunity from predators. Dill (Anethum graveolens) is also accepted by swallowtails but milkweeds are essential for Monarchs.

     Bring stems of the plant indoors with lots of leaves for the caterpillars to munch on when they hatch, keeping them green and fresh by standing them in water, and then watch the process unfold. When the caterpillars first emerge from the eggs you will be astounded at how tiny they are, yet you will be even more amazed at their rate of growth and the sheer volume of frass that accumulates at the bottom of the cage. You can't believe how much poop one little caterpillar can produce! We line the bottom of the cage with newspaper and change it regularly, and provide new food constantly.

     If you are fortunate and are able to catch the moment when the caterpillar forms a chrysalis, or the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, you will be moved by the experience in a way that little else in life has moved you. It all takes place very quickly, however, so you have to keep checking!

     When the butterfly emerges from the cocoon it hangs for a while inflating its wings and letting them dry; after which it is good to go on its journey as an adult butterfly.

Black Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail

     We are finished with swallowtails for this year but have several Monarch caterpillars at various stages of development in the house now, so we have much pleasure and excitement to look forward to.

Other Odds and Ends

     After four months of not getting together our Tuesday Rambles with David resumed, and we were careful to practice socially-distanced birding.

     From left to right above - John Pries, Carol Gorenc, Jim Huffman, Judy Wyatt, David Gascoigne, Franc Gorenc, Mary Voisin.

     Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) appear to have had a very successful breeding season and we have seen several newly-fledged families of these delightful flycatchers.

     The local creeks, swamps and wetlands harbour good populations of Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata) which can often be seen sunning themselves on a convenient log.

         The young Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) at RiverSong have now left the nest and this lone adult was perhaps more than a tad relieved to be free of parental duties.

     We have had a decent amount of rain of late, much needed and very welcomed by various species that gather in low spots in fields flooded by rainfall. This Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) was taking full advantage of the conditions.

     Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) is quite common around the shoreline of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, but it was unusual to find one just taking a rest.

     We continue to get out every day and we are almost giddy with the full flush of nature at this time of the year. Life like this really is the way life was intended to be.

Visit to RiverSong

15 June 2018

     John Pries, a member of Waterloo Region Nature, and his wife, Susan, are the owners of RiverSong Bakery Café and Banquet Hall at 632 Hawkesville Road in St. Jacobs. This is a lovely property along the Conestogo River and one which John and Susan are more than willing to share with their fellow naturalists.

     The exterior is both rustic and charming, with many attractive areas for wildlife and we enjoyed strolling through at will, searching for all that we could find.

     We had barely entered the property before we were greeted by the noisy chattering of a House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), which had claimed a nest box as home for the year and was feeding young inside.

     There was lots of bird song as we wandered around and numerous species were observed, many not in a great position for photographs, however, as the trees have leafed out to their fullest and small birds such as Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) were barely visible in the foliage.

     A splendid couple of Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) were a little more cooperative.

      Francine managed a picture of an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) as it characteristically pumped its tail in greeting.

     A Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) patrolled up and down the river, perching from time to time, while its partner was on the nest.

     One of the great attractions in late May and early June is the spectacle of the turtles leaving the creeks and ponds to lay their eggs on land. In peak years John has had almost forty nests, but this year for whatever reason breeding activity is down considerably and only two Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata) have so far produced eggs. John protects some of the nests against opportunistic skunks and raccoons, but he very carefully dug down to permit those who had not previously seen turtle eggs to view the eggs incubating in the ground.

     

     Sadly, not a single Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) has laid its eggs at RiverSong this year.

     Susan produces a wide range of baked goods in the café and we can all attest that they are absolutely delicious.

     We all got a coffee and a tasty tea biscuit or sweet treat to take outside to eat and returned before leaving to pick up bread and pies to go.

     It was a lovely morning all round and we very much appreciated the kindness of our hosts in permitting us to share in their wonderful little Shangri-La called RiverSong.