Local wetland explorations

 I've been to Rondeau a few times, but have spent more time exploring some of the wetland habitats along the Lake St. Clair shoreline. The openness and the photo opportunities are great, not to mention the gentle breezes mean fewer annoying insects!

St. Clair NWA is close to home, which is another advantage.

View from the tower, looking E

 

 On the way to the tower, there are things along the way. A few Great Egrets can be seen, including some opportunistic ones if one is ready.

No, it didn't have a line attached to its foot :-), and fortunately I was out of range. It did swing by heading in the other direction, enabling me to get a closer photo.

There is a constant variety of wildflowers along the trail, which adds to the likelihood of finding butterflies.

Monarch on Joe-pye-weed

Black Swallowtail on Milkweed

Some other plants include:

Blue Vervain

Buttonbush

Water-willow

Water-willow close-up

Giant Foxtail

This next one is probably Grass-leaved Arrowhead, but it is similar to other members of the Sagittaria genus, so may be another one. At any rate, it is abundant.

Next is Missouri Ironweed, a tallgrass prairie species at risk. Of course tallgrass prairie dominated the area adjacent to the Lake St. Clair wetlands, so some species like this have lingered, or have been augmented through planting.

The flowers of this species has around 40 individual florets, which can help separate it from another species which usually has less than 30. Also the bracts at the base of the flower head are pointed, but do not have an extended tip, as other ironweed species do.

 A few birds may cooperate for the camera.

Backlit Eastern Kingbird

Green Heron

 

 

 

 

Sandhill Cranes are usually somewhere around, and sometimes are only heard as they are hidden by the tall wetland vegetation, and don't often stick close by when hikers are within view. Flybys are much more common.

Dragonflies are frequent, but typically in flight. On occasion one may catch one resting for a better view, as this Halloween Pennant is doing.

Double-crested Cormorants are usually somewhere around, and typically in a dead tree closer to the lake.

This photo from the tower, looking towards the lake, shows the above tree at the extreme left edge of the photo. You may have to click on the photo to get it larger before you can see them!

I've also been to the Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail on occasion. At the end of the trail which goes through the Cadotte wetland, there are always some things to enjoy. An immature Bald Eagle is in a tree at the edge of the wetland...

...and after a short time, decided it was time to move on.

This Belted Kingfisher stopped by for a few moments.

Along another edge of the trail, the section that goes towards the village of Mitchell's Bay, provides a good spot for a family of Common Gallinules to search for a meal. There are two adults and at least 4 young in this photo.

 Along the trail one can find a lot of wildflowers. Again, this area at the time of settlement was partly wetland and partly tallgrass prairie, which would have varied depending on the naturally fluctuation of the Lake St. Clair water levels. While the wetlands have been retained in part, the presence of the tallgrass prairie plants is less certain due to the changes. However some representative species, such as this American Senna, have been planted, as have a multitude of grasses.

In some of the dead trees, Great Egrets will hang out....

...until they decide to come to the wetlands in search for food. Of course no one who reads Nature Nuggets very often would have any idea that I enjoy photographing Great Egrets.....:-).

With the shallow and somewhat muddy shoreline, it has attracted shorebirds, such as this Greater Yellowlegs.

In another dead tree, there are typically a lot of swallows resting in between feeding flights. Sometimes there may be several hundred of them, and at times, mostly Purple Martins.

  

 

 Another shorebird, this Short-billed Dowitcher, is using the shoreline edge.

And as is typical along the marshes of Lake St. Clair, Swamp Rose Mallow is widely scattered, and sometimes quite abundant. It is a species at risk, but one wouldn't know it by their abundance here.

 Sooo many things to see and photograph. The next post will likely feature some recent findings at Rondeau!

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Wetlands, shorebirds and a couple of orchids

 There are so many things to see and photograph! I've been out periodically when it hasn't been super hot and humid, and try and pick times of the day when it is most comfortable. This is a good time of year to see shorebirds, especially when the conditions at sewage lagoons are highly attractive for them. A recent visit didn't turn up any American Avocets, like I saw a couple of weeks earlier, but the following ones were fairly typical.

Least Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs

Pectoral Sandpiper

This next one isn't a shorebird, obviously, but a regular inhabitant of the open grassy conditions surrounding the various cells. It is a Savannah Sparrow, and nests here.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper, still in partial breeding plumage

This next one is also a Spotted Sandpiper, but in a juvenile plumage.

One of the more sought after shorebirds to see at this time of year is this next one. It is a Stilt Sandpiper. Note the slight droop at the end of the bill, and the fairly heavily barring on its flanks.

And when it comes out of the water, its dull yellow legs are visible.

 I stopped by the Erieau Marsh Trail on one occasion, thinking that the mud flats might have attracted some shorebirds. I didn't see any, but came across this photo op.

Tired Turtles

I check out the open wetland areas along Lake St. Clair fairly regularly, as there is always something of interest there. Turkey Vultures are a bit more common these days. It won't be too many more weeks until they are passing through in huge numbers!

Swamp Rose Mallow, a provincial Species At Risk, is fairly common in the best quality wetlands.

American White Water Lily

There are lots of flowering plants along the trail, so butterflies are regularly flitting about.

Black Swallowtail

Monarch butterflies are sometimes quite commonly seen.

Sandhill Cranes continue, but are typically wary of people.

On the other hand, members of the swallow group are quite abundant. They really like the open wetland habitat for feeding on the hordes of insects, as well as for resting opportunities in dead trees. At the moment, I find Purple Martins are the most abundant.

Marsh Wrens continue to occupy the cattail part of the wetlands...

...and Great Egrets have finished breeding, so they frequently hang out in or near the wetlands. At this spot at St. Clair NWA, I counted 14 perched in the broken tree complex.....

...and another dozen in the vicinity of the Mitchell's Bay North Trail.

Eastern Kingbirds have fledged, and are busily feeding their young.

Of course when aren't Canada Geese common! But if they provide a photo op, I will sometimes take it.

Also near open wetland are things like Buttonbush......

...and Bull Thistle.

Meanwhile, American Goldfinches are picking away at the fluffy seedheads of Canada Thistle.

And I usually get out to Rondeau from time to time....no surprise there! First photo is that of an American Green Crab Spider, resting on a boardwalk railing.

Nearby were some flowers of Bittersweet Nightshade hanging over the trail.

A non-native orchid, but an orchid nonetheless, is the Broad-leaved Helleborine.

Along woodland edges is Fringed Loosestrife, with their downward facing flowers.

Last, but certainly not least, is one of my most sought after plants, and one of the most endangered plants in Canada. It is the Nodding Pogonia. I went out specifically looking to see how it was developing in spite of the relatively hot dry weather, which normally does not bode well for it, and was quite pleased to find at least a dozen in flower! I expect to have more to say and show about this orchid in a future post, so will only include one of several photos I took on this occasion.

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