24 July 2016
I have always found it difficult to get good pictures of black birds and yesterday was no exception. American Crows Corvus brachyrynchos were not hard to find and some even reasonably cooperative in terms of picture taking!
We have been having a prolonged dry spell and the ground is baked. I suspect that it is difficult for many species to find food and these opportunistic corvids were gleaning whatever morsels they could locate.
I always find it very appealing to see all the various colours, tinges and hues when the plumage of a bird which appears to be totally black is examined closely. Crows are handsome birds indeed and possessed of a high degree of intelligence. Wonderful birds to study!
Neither Miriam nor I could initially identify this stunning plant we came across.
It took quite a bit of research to pin it down but it is a Trumpet Vine Campsis radicans, native to the eastern United States and naturalized in Ontario.
It was impressively beautiful and we were happy to have found it. It has distinctive fruit as may be seen in the picture below.
The ubiquitous Soldier Beetles seem to be quite willing to accept this plant as a host for their reproductive period.
A pair of Western Ospreys Pandion haliaetus has raised young on a communications tower in Erbsville this year. One cannot get close enough at the right angle for a good picture but the following image at least records the presence of two birds there on this date. Whether they are adults or hatch year birds it was impossible to tell given that we didn't have a telescope with us.
We were delighted to find this Clover Looper Caenurgina crassiuscula, a moth which exhibits both diurnal and nocturnal behaviour. There was always vegetation between us and it but I managed this picture anyway.
An Ebony Jewelwing Calopteryx maculata was perched nicely to bid us goodbye at the end of what had been a very pleasant stroll.
