Lingering herps, leps and birds coming and going

 There is always lots to see at this time of year, but as the weather becomes more challenging for various things in nature, there will be a decline.

Some of the reptiles and amphibians are making use of the sunnier, slightly warmer days. Salamanders, such as this adult and juvenile Blue-spotted Salamander, shown first, will be going underground.

This Eastern Garter Snake will linger for awhile yet.

A couple of posts ago I showed an Eastern Gray Treefrog that was trying to change its colour to match the background it was on, so it would be more inconspicuous. This one was likely never going to change its colour to red, so just stayed green!

Similar to the salamander shown above, this Eastern Red-backed Salamander will be going underground very soon.

Leopard Frogs may linger a bit longer, at least on sunny days, before taking refuge at the bottom of wetlands.

A Northern Brown Snake was hanging out on a paved road, certainly a risk given the vehicles and bicycles it would have to contend with.

This Northern Watersnake was along a hiking trail, so a much lower risk for it.

And this Northern Ribbon Snake was also along a paved area. After I got its photo, I prodded it a bit but it never budged, in spite of not showing signs of any obvious injury.

Sunny days can also bring a few butterflies out. First off is a Question Mark. It is helpful to see the underside to see the white question mark, looking like a split comma....
 

...and the upper side of the same species. A little farther down these photos is an Eastern Comma, showing the more obvious white comma feature

Red Admiral

There are still a few Monarchs flitting about, trying to get enough energy to make it farther south in their migration journey.

Eastern Comma

Eastern Comma

Other lingering insects include Beech Blight Aphids which are always entertaining to watch, in spite of the fact that they are so tiny.

Yellow-legged Meadow Hawk

 Birds may be coming or going. Bald Eagles may sometimes be year round residents, but one of the local hawkwatches have already recorded almost 250 eagles that have passed by on their way south.

Waterfowl are building in numbers and will linger as long as there is open water. Canada Geese are quite plentiful.

Great Egrets persist in small numbers but most have already departed.

Of particular interest to birders was the presence of two Hudsonian Godwits in a couple of places in southern Chatham-Kent: at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands as well as the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are probably the most abundant warbler around currently, and usually a few may linger all winter.
 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are fairly regularly encountered, at least for now.

This Yellow-billed Cuckoo is definitely a late lingering individual.

Turkey Vultures are passing over the hawkwatch sites by the hundreds, sometime the thousands, every day depending on the wind direction.

Sandhill Cranes are still around in small, but dwindling, numbers.

Rusty Blackbirds are fairly abundant, at least for the short term, as they pass through on migration.

Pileated Woodpeckers are a year-round resident and always fun to watch.

As with the Canada Geese above, other waterfowl such as these Mallards, are quite abundant. The diversity of waterfowl species is building, although due to the hunting season, are quite leery of coming with in photo range.

Lincoln's Sparrows are one of the more common sparrows these days, but that will change over the next few weeks as they continue to migrate.

I came across this Eastern Meadow Vole quite recently. It was scampering through a grassy area, so I didn't get the photos I was hoping for, but I think this is the first time I have ever photographed even one!

I was surprised to see this Closed Bottle Gentian still in flower a week or so ago. Normally they are all finished by the end of September.

Berries are always  favoured by various birds, so they can build up their energy to continue their migration. The berries of this Winterberry Holly won't last long!

The leaves on so many trees are beginning to show their autumn colours, such as this Sassafrass cluster shown next. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks when they and others will be in their full autumn glory!

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Fair weather brings fair sightings

 The three favourite natural areas I go to, Rondeau PP, St. Clair NWA and Mitchell's Bay North Trail, have all had some better photo opportunities of late, which isn't surprising given the gradual arriving of spring.

At Rondeau, there is an increasing variety of photo ops, although I have missed lots of the first of year migrants. I plan to catch up with more of them very soon!

Eastern Phoebe

Northern Flicker

This next creature is sometimes called a Northern Brown Snake, but more officially it is Dekay's Snake. It is small, not particularly rare but not abundant either.

As the days warm, there is an increasing number of butterflies, including this Red Admiral.

A pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, relatively recent arrivals, were seen 'fighting' for territory on this tree, and as they were so active, neither one really cooperated for a photo that I was hoping for. Maybe next time.

 At St. Clair NWA, with the wide open skies, it can be good for seeing things and even getting a few photos. However it has been cool and windy, so not ideal, but still worth it.

On one occasion there were several flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls, averaging about 40 in number, passing through fairly quickly on their way to points farther inland. Presumably some field being worked up had attracted their interest. Bonaparte's Gulls have just arrived in large numbers in the last couple of weeks. 

Waterfowl are becoming less numerous, but still are around, like this male Bufflehead; its mate was nearby.

Sandhill Cranes are almost a guarantee these days, with as many as 15 or so typically seen in the immediate area. These next two were right on the trail, and let me get closer than I expected.

There was this third one as part of the group, but it left first, and allowed me to get some good flight shots.

At the Mitchell's Bay North trail, there are almost always 2-3 Bald Eagle's passing by, or landing on a small mud flat at the water's edge. Most of them right now are sub-adults, as the adults are presumably on or near their nest.

With the water level being what it is, there is a lot of mud flat, and I am hoping to see a good variety of shorebirds. On this occasion there were a couple of Greater Yellowlegs out feeding.

...and along one of the sunnier, quieter channels, there were a few Midland Painted Turtles enjoying some sunshine.

Tree Swallows were fairly abundant, but mostly in flight. Once in awhile, one would rest on a wire.

Certainly one of the less expected birds seen in Chatham-Kent these last few days was a Black Vulture. It was just a bit north of Clear Creek Forest Prov Park, in eastern C-K. I didn't get out to see or even look for it as I was busy with some other things. However I have been fortunate to see one in C-K in the past, including this one which I photographed inside the Rondeau Park boundary, back on March 15, 2009, a few years before I started Nature Nuggets.

 

 

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