Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail

 The Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail is one of my regular places to go to, especially in the summer. It is open, usually a nice breeze, fewer bugs, and always a few things to see and photograph. And it isn't that far from home.

For anyone not familiar with this trail, this is what it looked like when I took this photo in April of 1989, as I was giving some folks an aerial tour of the district.

 The wetland had been altered, obviously, to create more edge and what not. It has changed a bit, but the canals are still there, although somewhat filled in, and they aren't as sharply delineated as this photo shows. There is a gravel trail that goes out through one of the stands of cattails, and is a little higher elevation, which gives a great view of Lake St. Clair. The trail also goes south and ends at Mitchell's Bay village, following the shoreline. This next photo was recently taken from the slightly higher vantage point, looking northwest out over the lake, with Walpole Island First Nation in the background. There is even a picnic table to rest at and spend as much time as you want, watching the ducks, geese, cormorants, egrets, gulls, eagles, terns, etc. moving around.

 Great Egrets are almost always seen, from early May until freeze-up. Sometimes they are perched on something along the shallow water edge....

...or sometimes up in a tree fairly close to the trail. They must feel a little safer higher up.

 A cormorant swims by in the canal adjacent to the trail....

...while a Green Heron partially hides in the vegetation out in the shallows.

Shorebirds can be around, depending on water levels of course. Here is a Greater Yellowlegs....

...with a Killdeer nearby.

Sandhill Cranes are often in the area, although sometimes just seen flying well out over the lake. The wind turbines in northern Essex County are visible out in the back ground.

This shows that shorebirds can be seen in close proximity to one another, as in this next photo, a Solitary Sandpiper is on the left, then a Lesser Yellowlegs in the middle and a Killdeer on the right.

A closer look at a Solitary Sandpiper, not a species that ever seems to be very abundant.

There is some Phragmites along sections of the trail. This sparrow popped up and got my attention. It isn't a typical plumage, but appears to be a partially leucistic plumage of a Song Sparrow. Leucism is the result of a lightening of the feathers, as opposed to albinism, the latter of which results in some or all of the feathers being white, and the eyes, legs and beak are pink.

Along with the Phragmites, there are other plants, especially as in the last decade and a half, some of the land areas have been planted with tallgrass prairie species. Of course when flowers are blooming, butterflies can be found, such as this Viceroy.

Purple Loosestrife, can be abundant, unfortunately.....

...and this next photo shows a view across the canal along the trail, and the Purple Loosestrife can be seen in the foreground, with numerous taller Cup Plant in the background.

Cup Plant

Another non-native, but fairly abundant species is Velvet Leaf. It is quite common anywhere near roadsides or agricultural fields.

The next two species are definitely tallgrass prairie associates.

Missouri Ironweed

Indiangrass

Great Blue Lobelia, next, is native but a generalist.

And other critters will be found on the flowers such as:

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle

Arcigera Flower Moth

Another prairie plant species is American Senna, next, but is pretty much finished flowering now.

Various critters can be found along the trail, including a few Bronzed Tiger Beetles...

...and Differential Grasshoppers, which are a species at risk, but quite abundant here. They are on the gravel path... 

...or resting in the adjacent vegetation.

This Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly was quite cooperative resting on the bent over stem of Indiangrass.

So there are a few things to see along this little used trail. Sometimes there are people from the Mitchell's Bay village hiking or biking along the trail, but sometimes I have the trail all to myself for an hour or two. I don't mind a bit :-).

 

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Some new insect species for Rondeau, and some regulars

 I've been spending a bit more time than usual, on the search for insects visiting things like goldenrods or sunflowers, and that are not well represented at Rondeau. In the process, I have come across some species new to the park, and some that are even endangered! Certainly one of the highlights is this Zabulon Skipper, a new butterfly species for the park.

In no particular order are some of the others, both common and rare to endangered.

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Common Aerial Yellowjacket

Banded Tussock Moth

Bald Faced Hornet

This next one isn't an insect, obviously, but it is a first for the park. It is Conifer Chicken of the Woods, which is found predominantly on coniferous trees. This was on a fallen White Pine trunk.

Decorated Mop (second record)

Next is a quite attractive fungus called Golden Oyster Mushroom. It is not native however.

Another fungus is this one called Wolf's Milk.

Eastern Yellowjacket

Next is a large caterpillar, of the Elm Sphinx moth. While Elm trees are almost non-existent in Rondeau, it is also associated with Basswood so there are lots of them.

Fall Webworm caterpillar

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar

Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Spiders are of interest, although I don't seek them out all that much. When I wander the trails, or just through the woods, I frequently run into their webs! This one is a Marbled Orbweaver, sometimes found tucked into a rolled up leaf at the edge of their web...

...or sometimes quite obviously out roaming around their web.

This next one is an endangered species, known as a Metric Paper Wasp

Much more common is this Northern Paper Wasp.....

...and a Silver-spotted Skipper sipping on the nectar of this American Hog-peanut.

This next one is fairly distinctive, although small. It is a type of Tachinid fly, with no common name but a long Latin name known as Xanthomelanodes arcuatus. It is the first record for Rondeau. It doesn't have any formal status, although there are very few records across southern Ontario.

Next is a Tufted Cluster Fly, another first for Rondeau.

I'll wrap up this post with a couple of bird species. First is a Hudsonian Godwit that has been hanging around the Keith McLean Conservation Lands fairly reliably over the last few days. It is well away from the closest vantage point, so only distant photos are possible.

The muddy island in the middle of the wetland is popular for shorebirds, including the godwit, but it is also a popular hunting ground for a Peregrine Falcon. It swoops and dives at high speed and makes getting a good photo challenging. These next two are the best I could get so far.

 

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