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!

Nature During COVID Lockdown

      As the seemingly interminable restrictions on free movement continue, we find ways to enjoy nature, and content ourselves with what we can do rather than bemoaning what we can't. 

     

13 May 2021

Our backyard, Waterloo, ON

     There is habitat, food, water and shelter in our yard and the variety of birds that visit us is adequate testament to this fact.

      White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) generally put in an appearance spring and fall and this year has been no exception.

     Its kissing cousin, White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) can also be counted on to entertain us, and recently there have been as many as five individuals at a time feeding on the ground.

13 May 2021

Lakeside Park, Kitchener, ON

     This location has become a bit of a favourite for us. It is close by and on a good day when there is an extensive parade of migrants it is a great place to see birds.

     And the variety of plants should not be ignored either. 

     American Black Currant (Ribes americanum) is quite beautiful and is in the full flush of its inflorescence.

     Bitter Wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) is in the same family (Brassicaceae) as the watercress one buys at the greengrocer, but as far as I know is not widely consumed in the same way, its leaves having a bitter taste.

     Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a plant that can cause the mildest of people to curse, swear, hiss and spit! It was introduced by early European settlers and is highly invasive. It often dominates the understory of native forests, seriously reducing biodiversity.

     Attempts to eradicate it have all failed; the best one can hope for is to keep it at bay.

     Birds are not the only animals with breeding on their agenda and we found this family of Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) beyond delightful.

     Soon these youngsters will acquire independence from their parents and will be causing mayhem and mischief in the forest as only squirrels can.

    Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) find exposed perches from which to scan for passing insects.....

     ..... and sally forth to snag each morsel that comes in range.

     A small party of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) moved through and many cameras were aimed in their direction as this photogenic favourite posed obligingly.

     The black bib on a male House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is prima facie evidence of fitness, so it would be a reasonable conclusion that this bachelor should have no difficulty attracting female companions.

     A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) .....

     ..... is quite different from the female of the species.

     We always derive great pleasure from seeing a Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and this was Miriam's fist sighting this spring.

14 May 2021

Mill Race Trail, St. Jacobs, ON

     A male Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) seemed to be finding juicy grubs of one kind or another on this stump.

     American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a diminutive rodent that punches far above its weight, not hesitating to rout the considerably larger American Grey Squirrel if they are disputing over food resources.

     In fact, one could be forgiven for concluding that they just don't like each other, for rarely do their paths cross for even a minute or two before a chase breaks out.

     It is difficult to tell from this picture, but the Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) in the picture below was quite tiny, barely attaining 10 cm I would estimate.

     Does one ever tire of a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)? 

     I think not!

     Wet swamps and marshes are glowing with Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris).

     It evokes memories from childhood when I would pick them and put them in a jam jar of water on the window sill. And in those same wetlands I would catch newts (Family: Salamandridae) which I used to keep in an old ceramic baby bath, into which I had added mud and swamp water, with a few plants from the pond too. That was a long time ago!

     White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is Ontario's floral emblem and I confess to being a huge fan of this flower, which blooms for such a short period each spring.

     Part way along the trail we began to hear the persistent (and loud) noise made by amorous American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus americanus) and it was not long before we came upon the orgy that was underway.

     Males fought vigorously for the chance to mount a female and hang on at all costs. The rites of spring were the driving biological force;  nothing else mattered, the urge to mate and perpetuate the species trumped all else.

     American Toads come in a variety of colours and every variation seemed to be on display.

     Soon it will be quiet again and the toads will have returned to dry land. The brief interlude of unrestrained lust will be over for another year.

15 May 2021

Two Storm-water Management Ponds, Waterloo, ON

     I could hear the liquid notes of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) piercing the morning air, as this ardent male sang from a lofty perch.

     To claim that a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) possesses a song would be to stretch the limits of how one defines song. This male quietly probed the banks of the pond.

     There will be more local news in the next post. A couple of observations yesterday were quite exciting and I will look forward to bringing those to you. Lockdown continues for humans, but for nature the world proceeds as it should. I hope to share it with you.