A Trail, A Sewage Lagoon and Home

 15 August 2021

Health Valley Trail, Waterloo, ON

     There is a local trail called the Health Valley Trail (not quite sure how it got its name) that runs for about 4.5 km between Waterloo and St. Jacobs. We had not entered from the Waterloo side for a couple of years so we decided to give it a try.

     There seemed to be a bit of a congregation of Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) and when they gather like this there is likely carrion in the area.

     Who knows what might have been on the menu? Rotting guts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) perhaps.

     Ah, to thrust one's head into the body cavity! Delicious!

     Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is both prolific and beautiful and seems to be at its peak right now.

     It found great favour with many insects, including this Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens).

     Alfalfa Plant Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus) made the point that it is not always confined to alfalfa.

     If I am not mistaken the following fly belongs in the family Sarcophagidae (flesh flies).

     What it finds to its liking on Tansy I am not sure.

     Common Green Bottle (Lucilia sericata) is a very handsome species, but is at times implicated in the spread of disease.

     Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) is by way of contrast both benign and lovely.

     We spotted Wild Cucumber (Echinocystis lobata) quite frequently and will look forward to seeing the fruit a little later in the year.

     Dark Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus) is surely one of the most handsome of all the Hymenoptera.

     A bumble bee of indeterminate identity foraged for nectar.

     We were very happy to see this moth alight for enough time to have its picture taken. It was a new species for us, Two-banded Petrophila (Petrophila bifascialis).

     It is rarely that an Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas) perches with wings outspread and we were delighted to be able to capture a picture.

     Usually the folded wing look is all we get.

     Common Ringlet (Coenonympha california) was, as the name implies, common.

     Common Carpet Moth (Epirrhoe alternata) was also not difficult to find.

     Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) was ubiquitous, but flitting hither and thither and rarely landing. Finally a male cooperated.

     There were many Common Water Striders (Aquarius remigis) zig zagging on the surface of a small pond, and it is really interesting to see the form of the shadow they create.

     If you look carefully in the picture above you can see one of the insects near a white spot in the bottom right quadrant.

     An American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) seemed far less interested than we were.

     A Groundselbush Beetle (Trirhabda bacharidis) is very attractive.

     It is a type of skeletonizing beetle but other than that I know little of its lifestyle.

     There were many birds, but the vegetation was dense and obtaining photographs was not at all easy. The following image of a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) will show you what I mean.

     Several species of Tyrant Flycatcher (Tyrannidae), some surprisingly vocal for the time of year, but frustrating from a photographer's standpoint, were not shy. Finally a Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) perched in clear view.

     It took Miriam at least twenty minutes of dogged determination to get this shot.

19 August 2021

Our backyard, Waterloo, ON

     An Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) found the phlox in the backyard exactly to its liking.

     It burrowed right inside the flower to get that last drop of nectar.

19 August 2021

Milverton Sewage Lagoons, Milverton, ON

     A dedicated birder seeking shorebirds can think of no odour more pleasant than a little eau de sewer on a hot day in late August. "To follow your nose" never had a more apt meaning.

     With migratory shorebirds in mind we went to Milverton in anticipation of a bonanza. What did we find - nada, rien, nichts, nothing, zilch, zippo! A wasteland, or a waste water might be more appropriate, both literally and figuratively.

     When we first arrived in fact, there was not a single bird of any description on the water. When you can't even find a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) in Canada one wonders what cataclysmic event might have occurred!

      There were Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) in a tree, however, so all was not lost.

     A Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) no doubt sensing our angst came and perched conveniently close to us.

     Then the show began! I am not sure how many Halloween Pennants (Celithemis eponina) there were but I don't think that over a hundred would be an exaggeration.

     As pennants are known to do they showed tremendous tenacity in clinging to an elevated perch, even in strong wind, and even if they left it for a brief interlude, they quickly returned. 

     By now the absence of a few shorebirds seemed quite trivial!

     A Broad-leaved Sweet Pea ( Lathyrus latifolius) might well have been named Broad-smiled Sweet Pea for us!

     What a beautiful little flower when viewed close up.

     A male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) was very handsome.

     What would an August day be without a Common Ringlet?

     Or a Clouded Sulphur?

     Carolina Grasshoppers (Dissosteira carolina) exploded from underneath our feet.

     I am not sure what to make of this Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) with its exuvia. It has clearly past the teneral stage and acquired adult colouration, but remains in place and appears to have an injured left forewing. Might a bird have attacked it? If so, why would the bird not finish the job and eat the dragonfly or carry it back to its young?

     I am grateful to Richard Pegler for discussions on this matter.

     A Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchela) is a very handsome dragonfly.

     Widow Skimmer is equally impressive and this male exhibits excellent pruinosity.

     Now what was it we first came for? Shorebirds, you say? Well, it seems to me that we didn't have a bad day without them

19 August 2021

In our house, Waterloo, ON

     Is a fly in a house a House Fly? I think not, but I can't get anywhere with the ID of this one.

     It may have to remain a mystery!

Another Grab Bag of the Meanderings of Miriam and David

      The realities imposed by the global pandemic are a daily feature of our lives, but by careful planning, common sense and respect for others we have been able to continue on with our lives without undue hindrance.

Forwell Park/Hillside Park, Waterloo, ON

     Often, after dinner, we go for a walk through Forwell Park to Hillside Park, and are bound to encounter other walkers and cyclists, but everyone seems to be well aware of the precautionary measures to be taken, and it is a pleasant experience all round. I don't think that we have ever encountered another birder there, but many have inquired as to what we are looking at, and a few have given us tips about birds they have seen farther along the trail. 

  

     Common Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) appear to have had a successful breeding season and we frequently see large flocks with many hatch-year birds. Adults are underrated beauties in my opinion.

     A couple of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers (Empidonax flaviventris) were probably early migrants.

     This cat was handsome and very friendly but we hate to see felines wandering at large. They are fearsome predators of birds and other small wildlife, and seem to kill with abandon, their lethal pursuits bearing no relation to hunger.

     An American Robin has captured a tasty morsel or two.

     If there has been a constant component to our walks at Hillside Park this year it has been the presence of Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). There is ample high quality nesting habitat for them and they have had a successful breeding season based on our observations.

     I always think we pay less attention to the sky than we should, other than looking for birds above us, and Miriam rectified this shortcoming with a dramatic intersection of branch and cloud.

     The faint outline of a rising moon is no less charming.

     It is a little early for even incipient signs of fall and I suspect that this tree has been subject to stresses of one kind or another. Perhaps its root system is unduly shallow and has suffered from drought. Whatever the cause, I do not think it represents a genuine herald of autumn.

     Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) were dotted here and there, enlivening a backdrop of green.

       To the best of my recollection, and that of Miriam too, this is the first occasion when we have observed  a Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) bathing in the creek.

     On the way out of the park we noticed this handsome Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor), a pleasant discovery indeed. Perhaps there are others, seeded from tiny acorns, likely hidden and forgotten by squirrels; we will be sure to look.

Columbia Lake,  Waterloo, ON

     The level of the water at Columbia Lake is regulated, but for reasons not apparent to us, it seems to have fluctuated unreasonably this year. It has gone from depths where Ospreys (Pandion haliaeetus) were able to plunge dive in pursuit of fish, to conditions where we could walk across the lake  with ease. Such was the case this evening.

     These conditions are favourable to shorebirds and there were groups of Semipalmated (Calidris pusilla) and Least Sandpipers (C. minutilla) feeding on the mud and in shallow water.

     Ever skittish, they rapidly took to the air if we approached too close, only to land again on the mud a few metres away.

     There were several Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) present, often serenading us with their high, whistling call.

    A Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) was mainly content to feed in a delicate manner, deliberately picking insects from the surface of the water. It appeared positively well mannered compared with the frenzy exhibited by the peeps all around it!

     Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) is at its peak in late August and presents a glorious sea of yellow.

     It is highly prized by pollinators of every description.

     There are many species of bumblebee seeking nectar, and I am not sure as to the exact species of the following individual.

     Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) was ubiquitous.

     Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) is at its peak in southern Ontario from about mid June through mid September.

     Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is among the most catholic of eaters, dining on just about anything it can swallow, and the low water level doubtless concentrated fish into shallow pools making for easy pickings.

Milverton Sewage Lagoons, Wellington County, ON

     Immediately upon arrival at the sewage lagoons we had the incredible good fortune to spot a Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) among a large gathering of Lesser Yellowlegs. Actually, in all conscience we cannot lay claim to having spotted it; an old friend, Ken Dance, had arrived a little before us, and had already located the bird and pointed it out to us.

     It is a small bird - compare its size with a Lesser Yellowlegs.

     There were about a dozen or so Solitary Sandpipers present, all birds of the year making their first migration from the boreal forests to their winter quarters in South America. Their plumage is crisp and clean, not yet having endured the rigours of a year's life on the wing. The yellowish tinge to the legs is another clue that these are hatch year individuals.

     Lesser Yellowlegs was clearly the most common species and this bird was wrestling with some tasty food item hidden from view.

     Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) was also in attendance, though in much lower numbers than Lesser Yellowlegs, as is usually the case.

     Numerous Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) rounded out the contingent of shorebirds.

     It is hard to beat a Wilson's Phalarope for the "bird of the day" but a hunting Merlin (Falco columbarius) could perhaps lay claim to the honour.

     We first saw this young bird juking its way across the water in hot pursuit of a shorebird. The range of manoeuvers at mind-boggling speed was incredible, but the shorebird won the day and the falcon gave up. No doubt inexperience in the hunt played a role in the outcome; this youngster has much to learn in the honing of its survival skills.

     

     It perched on this snag, periodically leaving and making a circular flight, returning to the same branch.

There seemed to be no purpose to these forays that we could determine and they did not appear to reflect a bird in hunting mode.

     That all changed when it shot off the branch and returned mere seconds later with a bird in its talons.

     Success!

     It wasted no time in plucking and devouring its prey.

     It rested for a short period, perhaps to allow its food to digest, and then left the area completely.

     I would counsel those shorebirds, "Don't relax your guard. The Merlin will be back!"