Friday 25 October 2024

Some early autumn outings: birds, herps, leps and odes

 The autumn weather so far has been a boon to birds, and birders alike. I have spent a few outings exploring some of the wetland areas along Lake St. Clair. The skies at sunset can be impressive, especially when there are myriad individuals of waterfowl in the air. This first image was taken from the trail at St. Clair NWA. There were almost always some groups of waterfowl in the air nearby, but I was taken with the larger numbers of them almost continually flying along the shoreline. It was a beautiful sight.

Waterfowl of various species are building in numbers and diversity. On one or more outings to SCNWA, I was treated to the following.

Mallards are by far the most common duck.

A bit of a surprise was a group of three Trumpeter Swans, two of which are shown in the next two images. I first saw them from afar, but as they emerged from an open part of the marsh, circled around and flew by in a good range and in good light.
Trumpeters are not common here in the southwest, although they have been around in slightly increasing numbers in recent years. Given the time of year when the much more likely Tundra Swan is around, a little more careful look shows the broad black area in front of the eye, and no yellow colour on the bill.
Right about the same time, Tundra Swans are showing up, with several dozen being in view during my last outing. Here you can see the narrower black area in front of the eye, and a spot of yellow on the bill.
The next photo shows a family of three Tundras, with a young bird on the left. Being mixed in with Canada Geese, is a good size comparison. There was a good variety of other waterfowl species mixed in and widely scattered amongst the geese and swans.

There are other birds to see while being out and about. American Tree Sparrows, next, are increasing in numbers.

A sub-adult Bald Eagle was soaring high overhead.
A Red-tailed Hawk was also noted flying through.
A few White-crowned Sparrows were observed right along the trail.

There are usually a few non-birdy things to enjoy, especially given the sunny, mild weather. Common Buckeyes are fairly common this year, and always nice to see.


Leopard Frog
Next is a young Northern Water Snake, which was reluctant to move off of the sunny trail.

Up along the Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail, there are more of the same types of things, but with its own variety. Great Egrets continue, although the numbers are gradually declining.

I came across this Long-billed Dowitcher feeding along the muddy shoreline. It is very similar to its relative the Short-billed Dowitcher, but the gray tertials and the split eye-ring are helpful.

The occasional Monarch is still flying through. Many I have seen look rather worn, but this individual looked quite fresh.
In some of the dead trees not far off the trail, there can be dozens and dozens of Tree Swallow taking a rest in between forays out over the marsh prowling for insects.
This pair of Wilson's Snipe was along the muddy shoreline, but didn't linger before disappearing behind some vegetation.

I have been out to Rondeau on several occasions, but mainly to chat with the park staff, deliver some canvas prints of things relevant to Rondeau and to follow the change in colour of the forest. More on that in a future post. The Visitor Centre is currently open Thursday-Sunday. 

I have managed to photograph a few other things, as follows:

Dragonflies were fairly abundant along the trails, on those bright sunny days. Here a male Autumn Meadowhawk is resting on the boardwalk.

There were a few less brightly coloured females as well. This one is munching on a midge, and allowed me to get fairly close.

Blue-headed Vireos were scattered here and there....
...Brown Creepers were seen on occasion.
Another Common Buckeye!
I have seen a few Eastern Bluebirds. This one was perched in the shade with a bright background. I tried to pull out as much detail as I could in the processing.
Eastern Phoebes, even though it is a flycatcher, will likely be seen into December depending on the weather.
An Eastern Gartersnake was enjoying an open sunny spot along one of the trails.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are quite plentiful, although challenging to photograph due to their constant, rather frenetic, activity.
Turkey Vultures have been passing through steadily, in some impressive numbers. Many are quite high up...
...but on occasion one will be quite low.
Certainly the most abundant warbler to be seen is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Some will likely be present all winter.

If you would like to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to: prairietramper@gmail.com







Wednesday 16 October 2024

Some of those hard to see little critters

 When one is out looking at flowers, especially late in the season, one cannot help but notice a lot of little creatures coming and going. Sometimes very quickly and they are hard to see let alone identify in the field. They don't pause long enough for the use of a magnifying glass! They are busily collecting nectar, all the while pollinating the flowers. A good macro lens and flash are essential, as most are less than one cm in length. Only then can they usually be identified when processed and cropped on a computer.

Tufted Globetail

Doing this is one of the fun things of late summer and early autumn exploration when numerous asters, goldenrods and other late season wildflowers are in relative abundance. Some asters, such as this first one, the Arrow-leaved Aster, is fairly common, but rather with a plain colour.

New England Aster, next, is usually quite abundant, and one of the most colourful of the aster group.
Here are a few of the creatures I've managed to capture with my camera equipment. I have provided a name for all, and many have been confirmed on iNaturalist, but some are still awaiting a second identification to confirm.
Bicolored Sweat Bee

Black-shouldered Drone Fly

Blue-green Bottle Fly

Bramble Mason Wasp

Brown-winged Striped Sweat Bee

A type of Cluster Fly, species not yet determined

Common Drone Fly

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Common European Green-bottle Fly

Dark-winged Sweat Bee

Eastern Calligrapher

Eastern Forest Sedgesitter

Sometimes even a single flower can get quite busy!



Golden Sweat Bee

Hornworm Tachinid Fly
Sometimes the names given are longer than the individual, certainly as in this next one.
Long-tailed Aphideater

Margined Calligrapher

Narrow-headed Marsh Fly

North American Tarnished Plant Bug

North American Paper Wasp

Pure Green Sweat Bee

Silky-striped Sweat Bee

Spotted Cucumber Beetle

This next one, a type of Tachinid Fly, looks quite bristly.

Another type of Tachinid Fly

Transverse-banded Flower Fly
Last, but not least, is the same one this post started with: a Tufted Globetail, a species that was fairly common so I got lots of photos.

The shapes, sizes and diversity of these creatures is amazing, and so much fun to try and capture digitally. The season for this is virtually over for this year, but I will be on the lookout for any late season hangers-on.


If you would like to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to: prairietramper@gmail.com