Super moon eclipse....the view from Chatham-Kent

This isn't the normal blog post, but then the happenings in the night sky tonight are not normal events.

By this evening, the clouds had disappeared from earlier in the day and the clear skies allowed a good view of the first part of the super moon lunar eclipse. This is the first time since 1982 that an eclipse of a super moon has happened. A super moon occurs when, due to the elliptical orbit of the moon, it is the closest to earth it will get. It is supposed to appear about 14% larger than normal according to NASA.

I got out my 7DII and 500 II F/4 and set up in the park just beyond the back yard. Here are a few shots before the clouds drifted across and brought the show to an end.

I didn't get out right at the start but just as the moon was about half way in the shadow.

This next shot shows the beginning of the 'blood moon' effect, but the remaining sliver is really over exposed. It is the result of photographing in such harsh, contrasting conditions. The two little lines to the left of the moon are the lights of a plane that just skimmed along the edge of the moon.....I was hoping it might go right across, but even if it had, since the photo was taken at 1/15th of a second it would be just a blur.

By the time most of the moon was in shadow, I had to use a mirror lock-up, crank the ISO up to 3200 and even at that, the shutter speed was 1/8th or 1/5th of a second.

 The final shot, before the clouds quickly obscured the moon.

That's it....the next super moon eclipse will be in 2033!!

A new hiking & birding trail in Chatham-Kent

For anyone paying attention to the local media, you might already be aware of this new trail, which opened on September 19. It is officially known as the Mitchell's Bay North Lake Shore Nature Trail. As some of you will know, there is already a Mitchell's Bay Lake Shore Trail, which extends from Angler Line north to the village of Mitchell's Bay. There are plans to connect these two trails at some point, but for various reasons, that hasn't happened yet.

For more on the media coverage on the opening of this trail, read the article here.

A couple of days ago, I went to check this new trail out, getting some photos in the process.

But backing up a bit, this first photo is what part of it looked like in April, 1989. Given that it was taken in that era, it is a scanned image, of course. I was giving some new regional MNR staff a tour of the MNR interests along the tri-county area shoreline, describing the various features that they should be aware of or would find interesting. Even back then, I seldom went anywhere without my cameras and various lenses, so I rattled off several rolls of film over the three hour tour.  While passing by the eastern shoreline of Lake St. Clair, I noticed this property which really stood out. Had aliens visited it, leaving these strange shapes and lines as a hidden message visible only to viewers from the air? No, it was a wetland that had cookie-cutter equipment on site to create a more open wetland through the dense cattails, which is more conducive for wildlife in general and nesting waterfowl in particular. Little did I know at the time that I would be involved to some degree when this property would become open to the public for hiking and nature appreciation!

Trails have been a higher priority for the municipality in recent years. This is the latest result of the municipality of Chatham-Kent, along with the commitment and support by two local families in particular (the Cadotte family and the Allen family) and various community groups to make this trail available and open to the public.

Note in this first link the trail map from a publication put out by Chatham-Kent Recreation showing the location relative to Mitchell's Bay, and the configuration of the trail itself. The south part of it goes along a dyke which separates the agricultural land from Lake St. Clair, while the other part goes into the wetland itself.

Ontario NativeScape has been instrumental in the design of the trail through the wetland, as well as the restoration of prairie vegetation along the drier raised section of this trail. I was asked to provide ideas, text and photos for several natural heritage education signs for the trail. They are being prepared at this time, and will eventually be installed at various points along this trail.

There is only one access to this trail at the moment. It is at the corner of Winter Line and W. Lewis Line. An official parking lot has not been created yet, so one has to park along the road side.

With this trail's location along the Lake St. Clair shoreline and in a coastal wetland, there is bound to be some interesting wildlife, especially birds, that are recorded as time goes on. On the day I was there, I didn't see anything all that unusual, but did see expected species such as Great Egret, Common Gallinule, Green Heron and a dozen or so warblers feeding in the willows near the beginning of the trail. Here is my ebird list.

 This is a great area to see Great Egrets. There is a regular nesting colony or two of them at nearby Walpole Island, just a short flight from this trail, so birds from that colony are frequently seen feeding in this vicinity.

The trail itself is a wide gravelled pathway, making it accessible for hikers as well as wheelchairs. The vegetation along these slightly higher sections of the trail are predominantly tallgrass prairie, or will be once the restoration has matured. This is a wonderful thing, as at the time of settlement, depending on water levels in the lake, the shoreline and adjacent areas would be either wetland or tallgrass prairie. In fact a huge portion of the former Dover Township, where this trail is located, was tallgrass prairie according to some of the earliest surveys. It is also very productive agricultural land, and was easily converted so there is virtually no natural tallgrass prairie left. Re-establishing a bit of tallgrass prairie vegetation is perfect for this site.

 Most obvious at the moment is Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) as well as Tall Sunflower (Helianthus gigantea).

 With the sunflower in prime condition, their bright yellow flowers are a-buzz with bees.

There are numerous channels through the wetland, and varying water levels, providing habitat for herons, waterfowl and other waterbirds as well as turtles, snakes etc.

 These logs will provide excellent basking opportunities for turtles and snakes.

Painted Turtle basking

 Bullfrogs are by far the largest frog in Ontario. I remember being amazed by the intensive chorus of their 'jug-o-rum' call on a late spring evening in some of the Lake St. Clair wetlands, but they have been in serious decline throughout their range over the past couple of decades. Retaining quality wetlands are very important to their survival.

Bullfrog

 Towards the farthest point of the trail, in the section going through the wetland, there are larger ponds.

At the farthest point, there is a raised mound to get a better look at the marsh closest to the lake. That is Walpole Island First Nation in the distance to the right.

Although wildlife can be seen from the trail, sometimes they are seen on the trail.

Leopard Frog

Differential Grasshopper

Some hikers who came along just as I was leaving had even come across a young Eastern Fox Snake, an endangered species. The lands adjacent to Lake St. Clair is one of the hot spots in southern Ontario for this beautiful creature.

Eastern Fox Snake (photo taken previously)

So put this trail on your list of places to explore in Chatham-Kent. Whether you are birding or just wanting to see a different part of the municipality and go for a hike, it is a very welcome addition to the trails and natural areas in C-K!

Summer ends.......autumn begins

Summer is ending, but it is still a magical time of year with so much to see. The weather is more pleasant for getting out to explore, in my opinion.

The brisk winds ranging mostly from the northeast to southeast these last few days made it enticing to get to the east beach of Rondeau, hoping that some of those rare waterbirds show up, such as jaegers or Sabine's Gull. So I spent a bit of time hanging out at the Dog Beach Access at Rondeau scanning the lake. With all of the wind and wave action, even the gulls weren't spending much time on the water. There were at least 3000 gulls within view, mostly Ring-bills and Bonaparte's with a handful of Herring and Great Black-backed mixed in. A few Common Terns and Caspian Terns were there as well.

A small portion of the mass of gulls

 One gull, the one in the centre of the next image, looked a bit out of place here, and it was surprisingly aggressive towards the nearby Bonaparte's Gulls from time to time.

 After scratching my head for awhile, I am convinced it is a Bonaparte's Gull in a plumage that I don't often see here at this time of year. It appears to be a bird passing from the juvenile to first winter plumage.....the black nape was particularly noticeable, but the size, shape, black wing bar, pink legs and dark bill all point to a young Bony. The bill is actually a bit lighter towards the base, but isn't all that evident in this photo due to back lighting. In looking at the other Bonies in the group and elsewhere, I did not see another one quite like this.

It is quite possible that there was a rarity or two tucked away in the mass of gulls, but they were so jam-packed together and the light was a bit harsh, I just couldn't pick out anything rare in the group.

Late summer wildflowers are always a good place to find some action. New England Asters don't get a lot of respect by us humans, since they are so abundant, even weedy at times. But they are a bonanza for many insects. Pollinators love them!

New England Aster

Peck's Skippers are still around in good numbers.

Goldenrods also are favourites with many pollinators. This member of the Paper Wasp group is large and easy to photograph. When they are nectaring on flowers, I find they are more interested in the flower than they are with a camera, macro lens and flash right up close.....but I try and remember to move slowly.

Paper Wasp (Polites sp)

 Along woodland edges and opening, one can find Rattlesnake Root, a.k.a. Smooth White Lettuce (Prenanthes alba), another member of the Compositae family.

 In the grassy areas, one can find a fragrant orchid, the Great Plain's Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum). It is one of the last orchids to bloom each year, and some are just starting to peak.

They have a scent somewhere between vanilla and hot plastic! The arrangement of flowers, as shown in this next image from the top, is distinctive.

Plants show individual characteristics, as this next Great Plain's Ladies'-tresses was taken just a few metres away on the same day, but it is clearly about a week farther ahead in its blooming as the lowest flowers are already brown and even the upper most ones are showing signs of being past their best.

Milkweeds are always worthwhile to check for invertebrate activity. There are still Monarch caterpillars munching away. I hope this one has a chance to make it to Mexico!

And this looks like a Red-banded Leafhopper convention....or is it an example of the three-on-three rules the NHL is going to use in games that go into overtime beginning in 2015?

These developing pods of Purple Milkweed below are prime spots for a gathering of the Large Milkweed Bug clan. There are various ages represented here, and on the lower left of the left side pod, one can see a few of the remaining exoskeletons of bugs that have recently shed. On cool mornings, one can see tightly grouped critters all trying to take advantage of the morning sun.

Berries are always important sources of food for migrating birds, especially thrushes, thrashers, catbirds and warblers. These brightly coloured berries of the Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) stand out against the dark greenery...no doubt they will soon be consumed. It is an uncommon plant at Rondeau.

Winterberry

While investigating a small patch of trees and shrubs to find out what bird was making some chip notes, I got side-tracked by this brightly coloured Eastern Gray Treefrog resting on a leaf of a Green Ash.

 As you can see, it really isn't gray at all in this case. This species has the ability to change its colour to blend in with its surroundings, although it usually takes several hours to change completely.

Eastern Gray Treefrog

Nearby, in a puddle along the parking area, was this Green Frog. Note the partial tire track right in front of it.....I guess he likes to live dangerously! Fortunately there isn't a lot of vehicle traffic during the week this time of year.

Green Frog

A day or two before, I was in a large natural area in north Lambton. One of the highlights of the trip was to discover a new location for a rare gentian: Stiff Gentian (Gentiana quinquefolia). It is S2, meaning there are between 6-20 locations known for it in Ontario. However even some of those populations have disappeared, so it is an increasingly rare species, although not legislatively protected yet. I have only seen this in the past on the prairies of Walpole Island First Nation.

Stiff Gentian

Even at known locations, its numbers may vary from year to year, as it is a biennial species.

On the return from northern Lambton, I stopped at a section of the Sydenham River passing through northern Chatham-Kent. Although the sun was low, there were still a few odes moving about, including this beautiful American Rubyspot.

I got a quick glimpse of a Smoky Rubyspot, as well as a large dragonfly cruising along the bank, but the latter never stopped long enough for me to get a good look at it.

And so summer is about over, but a new season begins.

Chenal Ecarte sunset

Say's Phoebe in Chatham-Kent

This morning I had a chiropractor appointment....an ongoing need to deal with neck, shoulder and back pain partly due to chronic Lyme Disease. After having combined treatment of massage, adjustment, traction and electrical current for more than an hour, it leaves one feeling a bit mellow and lethargic. I was meandering on my way home when not one, but three text messages arrived on my phone. Pulling over to the side of the road, thanks to Jim Burk, Keith Burk and my wife Marie, I got the word that a Say's Phoebe had been seen on Lagoon Road, a few kilometres south of Talbot Trail/Hwy 3. Clearly that would get the attention of any Ontario birder, and as a bonus, it was seen not far from where I was sitting at the side of the road, so I immediately perked up!!!

I had not chased the handful of records of Say's Phoebe in Ontario in the past. I came oh-so-close to getting it for my Ontario list in about 1990, when 4 of us trekked up to Rainy River to catch up to the specialties in that area: American White Pelican, Piping Plover, Black-billed Magpie, Yellow Rail, numerous Franklin's Gulls, etc. None of them were Ontario list birds for me, but nice to see just the same. The bonus bird on that trip was after a vicious storm from the west went through, bringing with it a Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post along the road, at about eye level....which was an Ontario list species for me.

One evening we went just across the river and international boundary to Baudette, MN, for a bite to eat. On the return, crossing the bridge part way between the two border check stations, we saw a Say's Phoebe. But wouldn't you know it....we could not see it from the Ontario side; it was nice to see, but not countable for the Ontario list.

Back to today.

As mentioned, I immediately perked up with this news and zipped down the road to the place where the Say's Phoebe had been reported. No one was in sight....was I at the right harvested tomato field with tobacco wagons nearby, or should I continue on? A quick scan over the field didn't turn up anything immediately, but then....flying up from the ground was a bird that could be a phoebe. I got my binoculars on it just as it landed on top of the tobacco wagon......bingo! The phoebe size and shape, with the salmon flanks and underside, two pale wingbars, grayish back and slightly darker grayish head confirmed it. I quickly parked the car, grabbed my camera which I had with me (don't leave home without it....although full confession here....I don't always have it with me), and snapped off a couple of shots. I approached slowly and directly, getting a few more shots along the way. I didn't have my 500 lens, so my 400 would have to suffice. As one photographer said "the best camera to have is the one in your hands".

It was tempting to get even closer, but I did not want to scare it off for others arriving, so contented myself with getting a few distant shots which I felt could be cropped satisfactorily for the OFO site and eventual OBRC report. This makes it species #363 for the Rondeau checklist area (#339 for me).

At about that time, Jim Burk, the finder of this bird, came along. Moments later, Steve Charbonneau did as well. This bird was an Ontario bird and a Rondeau checklist species for Steve and myself, but 'just' a Rondeau bird for Jim. After viewing the bird with both binoculars and 'scopes, observing it catching flies and returning to one pole or another on the tobacco wagons, and at times wagging its tail, we left, but others were on their way.

Oh yes...the bird in question....taken with equivalent 640mm telephoto lens, and cropped about 50%. Most of the time when the bird was perched, it was facing me, so the photos do not show the side view with the black tail, the brighter salmon under belly, but we saw it fly out numerous times and periodically land with the side view and the salmon colour was much more noticeable.

Say's Phoebe

 A bit closer.....

Things with wings, and endangered plants, September style

I've been at the local sewage lagoons a couple of times recently to take in migrant shorebirds, which are in abundance, and butterflies which are still enjoying the flowers in the bright sun. Yellowlegs, both Greater and Lesser, were well represented.

Greater Yellowlegs

 My real hope was that the western Willet was still around. I missed it the last time I was there. After a bit of searching, it did indeed show up and entertained me with a couple of flybys.

Willet

 Its relative size shows up better in this next image, where Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper and other shorebirds are all in flight.

 In the sprinkler cells were a couple of adult American Golden Plover, as shown next in proximity to a one-legged Lesser Yellowlegs. A Buff-breasted Sandpiper showed up an hour or so after I left.

American Golden Plover

 The lingering Tundra Swan seems to be getting more tolerant of birders......or else it is getting weaker.

Other winged things were visible on this sunny day, enjoying the late summer show of wildflowers. Monarchs were quite numerous, along with a few Summer Azures, Eastern Tailed Blues and the usual Cabbage Whites and Orange/Clouded Sulphurs.

At least three fresh looking Black Swallowtails were active.

Black Swallowtail

A nice looking Common Ringlet was still around. The Butterflies through Binoculars guide indicates that it isn't normally seen past mid-August at this northern latitude. Guess someone forgot to tell this one.

Common Ringlet

 Another butterfly was this Least Skipper.

Least Skipper

 But the real highlight was catching up to a Common Checkered-Skipper, the first one I have seen this year. A couple had been seen here earlier by others. Unfortunately I didn't get the kind of photo I was hoping for, with its wings outspread to show all of the upper side wing details. It sat like this for a minute and then true to form, skedaddled away low to the ground and behind other vegetation and I never saw it again. Its small size (even with wings outspread, it is only about 22mm across) in the bright, dappled sunlight doesn't make it any easier.

Common Checkered-Skipper

And in other news......I spent some time confirming and photographing another rare late summer orchid: Yellow Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes ochroleuca). It doesn't have any official legal status as Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern, but in reality, it should be Endangered as there are fewer than 10 known locations for it in all of Canada, and some of those have likely been lost in the last decade or so. It likes sand plains, and the small population I am aware of occurs on private property, which I had permission from the landowner to check out.

It looks a lot like others in the Spiranthes genus, but differs in that it:
-is slightly creamy yellow (hence the common name);
-is a little deeper yellow in the throat of the flower;
-is a little more humped at the base than others in that genus, and
-when seen from the angle as shown in the second image, shows that the individual flowers are more separated from the one above, sort of stretched out like, compared to other Spiranthes.

Still on the topic of Endangered plants, the next image shows a few clumps of Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus.

It is endangered....sort of. In the previous iteration of Ontario's Endangered Species Act, this species was only legally protected at the two sites where it was considered to be naturally occurring: Point Pelee National Park, and Fish Point Provincial Nature Reserve (on Pelee Island). There is definite evidence of the species being planted elsewhere in southern Ontario, which is why those other locations were not legally protected. As far as I am aware, that is the current position under the current piece of legislation. To add some confusion, the federal Species At Risk Act does not seem to make the distinction between naturally occurring and planted, but in reality, the feds, as I recall, do not apply their regulations to jurisdictions that have a similar piece of legislation, unless that jurisdiction shows evidence of failing to apply their legislation. Or something like that, but it has been a few years since I had to deal with such issues on the job. (Have I ever indicated that it is very nice to be retired :-).

At any rate, the evidence for the presence of Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus at the location shown in the photo is such that it may well be a naturally occurring population......it isn't 100% conclusive, but probably 90% or greater. Naturally occurring or not, it is unfortunate that this population which has been present for at least 70 years, is under threat due to improper management and unauthorized soil excavation.

On a brighter note, on the same day of visiting the orchid and cactus, I stopped under the bridge south of Thamesville, which crosses the Thames River. I was looking for damsels, but hoping not to find ones in distress. And I had more success than I expected! This is a known location for some interesting and distinctive damselflies: American Rubyspot and Smoky Rubyspot. There were several American Rubyspots, both male and female, and in spite of their reluctance to let me approach with the macro lens, I did get reasonably close with the 100-400 which has a minimum focus distance of slightly less than a metre, even at 400 mm. This first image is of a male American Rubyspot. It looks a little surreal (I've had comments indicating it looks like a painting...not what a photographer wants to hear his photos compared to, however), but the tan background is the result of the out-of-focus colour of the Thames River.

American Rubyspot

 One of my all time favourite damselflies, because it is so distinctive and dazzling, is the Ebony Jewelwing. When it occurs along a shaded forest stream and catches a bit of sunlight, the iridescent green in combination with the black wings is amazing. It wasn't quite so dazzling on this overcast day, but nice just the same.

Ebony Jewelwing

As mentioned, this site is also a known location for a less common damselfly, the Smoky Rubyspot. It wasn't until I got home and saw this one on the computer that I realized I had a shot of a male Smoky Rubyspot perched on a smartweed! It has a blacker body and smoky black wingtips. There is a type that has darker wings, but not all of them, so I was pleased to have shot one of these as well. I only got one useable shot, as this species is known to be more wary than its American relative.

Smoky Rubyspot