Random seasonal highlights, late larvae, etc.

 With the seasonal ups and downs, it must have some of the butterflies confused. I don't recall ever seeing Black Swallowtail caterpillars so abundant so late in the season, but just in the last couple of days before the temperature took a significant drop (Oct 25), we came across three caterpillars out feeding on some carrots that are still in the garden.

They were all fairly well developed, so if they hurried, they may have been able to complete this stage and form a pupa for the over winter period.

Good luck to them!

The Keith McLean Conservation Lands have been an ongoing place of interest. One never knows what to expect, except that it seems to attract Nelson's Sparrows fairly regularly in October. I have been there a couple of times, and have seen them both times, but they are often elusive and do not cooperate for the camera. Some folks have gotten some quite good photos during their visits, but so far I have only gotten one poor record shot, as shown next.

This is one of my best shots, from a couple of years ago. There is still time for more attempts this year, but depending on the weather, opportunities will be dwindling.

White-crowned Sparrows were a little more accommodating.

There have been lots of Green-winged Teal, and other ducks. This next photo shows some of these teal, and in their midst are some Dunlin and a single Killdeer. Dunlin have been quite abundant, with sometimes more than 100 noted.

Dunlin in flight

Occasionally another lingering shorebird can be found, such as this Greater Yellowlegs I photographed there a couple of days ago.

One or two Great Blue Herons sometimes provide a photo op.

I missed out on the Cattle Egret that was seen on one occasion, but it may still be around somewhere in Chatham-Kent. I will keep looking!

At Rondeau, there is an abundance of berries on some but not all, of the Red Cedars, especially in the campground, and if one can find the right tree that the birds have also found, it can be rewarding. Light is important, but the birds are not considering that in their quest for nourishment. 

Robins, of course....

....and it is nice to see a group of Cedar Waxwings, both adults....

...and young of the year. I kept an eye open for the very rare Bohemian Waxwing, but did not see any. No one else has reported them lately either, but it is not impossible.

Pileated Woodpeckers are year-round residents of Rondeau, but not commonly seen. Decent photo ops are always fun.

It wasn't all that long ago that the forest looked typically like this, still fairly green and luxuriant.

These next few are from one of my 'go-to' spots to show the changes. It is at the corner of Rondeau Road and Gardiner Ave.

October 19

Oct 23

October 27

There is more and more sky showing, but by moving a bit and using a longer focal lens, I can get the colourful tunnel look.

This next photo is at another one of my 'go-to' spots to show the colour. It is along Bennett Ave.

Elsewhere not far from home, I have been up along the Lake St. Clair wetlands. There have been a few of the usual things of interest, including a few Midland Painted Turtles soaking up some late season sunshine.

Sandhill Cranes continue to be seen.....

Duck diversity is increasing, such as these three Northern Pintail in amongst Canada Geese and other ducks.

A highlight was to see this single Snow Goose, not all that surprising given the time of year. More are likely soon, along with things like Ross's Goose and Greater White-fronted Goose. I will be on the lookout for them soon!

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October wind, waves and more birds!

 October can be one of the windiest months of the year. When strong east type winds occur, I like to get out to Erieau and watch the power of the waves hitting the pier.

It can be impressive, to say the least. One must be careful with the camera to protect it from wind-blown sand and spray. The first two photos were not taken this October, but on another occasion when the conditions were just right for these photos. Maybe later this month, or when the gales of November arrive, I will be photographing there again.

I did get out to the southern part of Rondeau a couple of days ago, and the wind direction was from the south, and brisk. This next photo shows the wildest ones I was able to get. Nice, but nothing like a strong east wind at Erieau.

Rondeau is the place to be almost anytime of the year, but I particularly like it in the autumn. The changes happen steadily. It was only a couple of weeks ago when most of the forest looked like this next photo.

Just a couple of days ago, the changes were quite obvious, as shown next, but in the next week or two, the colours will be much more dramatic.

Birds have been steadily arriving, and departing, as they should. Blue Jays have been passing through in large numbers, and making good use of the abundant crop of acorns on many oak species this year.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are by far the most common warbler species now, and with a good crop of berries on things like Red Cedar, have lots to keep them happy while they build up reserves for the next leg of their southward journey.

White-throated Sparrows are increasing in abundance......

...as are Rusty Blackbirds. It is a species at risk overall, but can be reasonably common for a short time in the autumn.

One of the most common members of the thrush family is the Hermit Thrush, next.

There are some lingering species, such as this Eastern Phoebe, a flycatcher that has to deviate from flying insects once the cold weather arrives. However with the impressive hatch of midges in the last week or so, there is lots of food for flycatchers in the short term.

Lots of the summer sparrow residents have gone, to be replaced by the autumn/winter species, but sometimes some of the summer ones linger, such as this Chipping Sparrow. Of course the weather conditions haven't been all that bad yet, so there will be a few species and individuals reluctant to move any farther south than necessary.

Robins, with their diverse diet, will stick around for quite awhile yet, even well into or over the winter.

I had intended to stop at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands to look for, and hopefully photograph, one of the Nelson's Sparrows that is currently there. However since I neglected to return the flash card to the camera after having downloaded the images from the day before, my camera was not functional! Oh well, live and learn (I hope!). Maybe this coming week I will have my act together better, and it will coincide with a cooperative Nelson's Sparrow or two. One can always hope, since this species can be quite elusive even at the best of times.

I've been to St. Clair NWA and the Mitchell's Bay lakeshore trails a time or two recently, partly because they are closer to home than Rondeau. With much of the habitat in these areas being wetland, it is not surprising that quite a few Swamp Sparrows can be found.

An occasional Eastern Phoebe may be lingering in the shrubbier areas close by.

Rusty Blackbirds, a species that prefers wet woodlands and similar habitat types, will be around.

Sandhill Cranes continue to be in the area. Their yodeling calls can be heard from quite a distance, enabling a photographer to get ready if they come close enough.

On one occasion I saw at least a dozen in the area in about an hour's time in the late afternoon. Overcast skies do make it a bit more challenging to photograph.

A few Great Egrets continue to be seen. Their numbers are diminishing but as long as there is open water, a few may continue to be in the area. I have even seen up to three in early January in the past!

The Lake St. Clair Marshes are well known for attracting waterfowl, and therefore hunters. In fact it was in part due to hunt clubs of the past to protect some of these wetlands over the years, and we are enjoying the benefits of those efforts nowadays, even while some private wetlands continue to be used by hunters from both sides of the border. Due to no hunting at St. Clair NWA, it is a great place to observe the huge numbers of ducks and geese making use of this protected wetland. On one occasion recently, I saw anywhere from a few dozen to a thousand or more birds in the air all at once, and it was like that continuously for most of the hour and a half I was walking the dyke trail.

I will be out again, to be sure!

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Birds, orchids and a bit of catching up

 Birds continue to be one of my things of focus when I am out of doors, of course. An outing yesterday to Rondeau resulted in seeing a good variety, especially of warblers and other small passeriformes, but they were hard to get photos of as they darted in and out of berry bushes that lined the trails and roads. I also scanned the lake, hoping that my first of season Red-throated Loon might be in sight, but it was not to be. I did see about a dozen Common Loons, however, and relatively close.

There likely were more, as they spent a lot of time diving under, and so it was hard to tell exact numbers. I'm sure a scope and more time would have revealed quite a few more. They will be increasing in numbers as they move southwards from their northern lakes.

The only warbler that I got on camera was one of the dozens and dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers, which greatly outnumbered all other species.

I did take a bit of time to photograph a few tree species that I hadn't bothered much with in the past. Some are native such as Green Ash

Many fruit

This species shows moderately long leaf petioles, not as long as those on White Ash, but certainly a lot longer as those on Black Ash.

Eastern Cottonwood

Swamp White Oak, from a few years ago

....and White Ash, which has much longer leaf petioles. All native ash species are considered to be at risk, since the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) that arrived a couple of decades ago has killed off many. Fortunately even relatively young individuals produce seeds, so that there is a lot of regeneration going on, and maybe eventually the species will once again dominate native forests. They may not reach the longevity and large sizes of before the EAB days. Time will tell.

under side

upper side

And some that I photographed are not native, but fairly abundant, such as Black Locust. The first photo shows the typical leaf arrangement, with the leaves showing signs of a mining insect.

This next photo shows the typical double thorn at the base of some of the leaves on a main stem.

Northern Catalpa, shown next, is also a non-native species. It had been planted by various cottagers many years ago, and some of the fruits, and therefore new individuals, are showing up in places between Lakeshore Road and Harrison Trail.

Another non-native species, and the origin in the park is unclear, is White Popular, which can grow in large clones, especially in the sandy openings along the lake shore. The leaves are distinctive with their white edges, and quite whitish undersides.

On one occasion I took a quick look at a fallen branch along the trail, and noted this nest. It is likely a vireo nest, and given the location in the main part of the beech-maple forest, is a Red-eyed Vireo nest. This vireo species is by far the most abundant of the vireos at Rondeau,

I also saw this Northern Watersnake out for a stroll along Harrison Trail. It is quite a ways from what I would consider its normal habitat, but there it was.

One of the things I hadn't really discussed much in blog posts of a few weeks ago, is the current status of one of Canada's rarest orchids, the Nodding Pogonia. It wasn't a great year for them, although I did see several dozen in the general vicinity of the main patch. It was quite a few less than the sometimes several hundred I see here.

Most were singles, and were predominantly white. I always look forward to seeing the more magenta colour forms, but it didn't happen this year. And I missed the actual single flowering day on a few occasions, so sometimes I just saw them the day past their flowering, and the photo below shows what they look like then. We are looking at trying to be more accurate in knowing which day they will flower as it is very much a factor of overnight temperature, but that is a topic for another post.

Most were single blooms, but I did see a couple of double blooms. No triple blooms that I saw this year.

Another orchid that isn't nearly as rare, but still not a common species, is this next one, the Great Plain's Ladies' Tresses, which was at its peak in late September. The individual flowers don't last long, as you can see from this next photo, as the lowest flowers are already finishing up while the uppermost ones haven't begun to open. The unusual warmth at the time likely had some role to play.

And finally, just an update regarding my book 'Life on a Sandspit'.

I have expanded the locations where it is available. People have already been purchasing some for Christmas gifts! 

The locations now include the following:

Bayview Market, Rondeau

Book Brothers, Chatham

Mindful, Blenheim

Mitton's Jeweller's and gifts, Ridgetown

Five-Eau, Erieau

Molly and OJ's, Erieau

Sydenham Field Naturalists, Wallaceburg

Friend's of Rondeau, Rondeau Visitor Centre (although very reduced hours, and that gift shop may be closed until the Christmas break)

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