3d outings, Nelson's Sparrows and waterbirds

 First of all, I must apologize for not responding to some of the comments that readers have left on the past few posts. For some reason unbeknownst to me, this blog site periodically goes into a funk, and even though I can post blogs and comment on other's blogs, it does not allow me to reply to comments on my own blog! It will eventually straighten around. At least it always has in the past.

On to this post. 

There has been quite a mix of weather these last few days, ranging from wonderful sunny, bright, comfortable days to what I call 3d days: dull, damp and dreary days. I've been out in all types. Sometimes I choose to go out on a 3d day, as I know the places I want to go will not be crowded. On a couple of those that occurred recently, I went for a long hike at Rondeau. On one of them I didn't even take my camera with telephoto lens, just the camera with a short zoom lens. And also an umbrella.

Some readers will be familiar with the term 'forest bathing'. It is becoming more popular, although it is not a new type of outdoor experience. While some attribute it to an experience first developed in Japan in the 1980s, in reality it has been going on for a lot longer than that! I expect that the intensely driven nature of Japanese society to be productive following the war, might have caused some to realize the dangers in such an intensively driven society, and thus realized the benefits of spending relaxing time in nature. But the reality is that humans have been finding comfort, relaxation and inspiration, and therefore many health benefits, for centuries. It just wasn't called forest bathing.

I have been doing it for decades. I intentionally choose places where I am least likely to encounter other humans, especially if there is a lot of human activity on a nice day. 3d days are ideal. One can walk along at a very leisurely pace, soaking up the ambiance of the quiet woods. Or one can go along at a brisk pace, stopping along the way when you want, but getting good cardiovascular benefits as well. If one is out for long enough, both brisk and leisurely time can be done.

I typically try and get about 5-7 km in a walk of this type. Sometimes hiking this far or longer on a 3d day I might only encounter 2-3 people, and then only briefly as the cyclist is going the other direction. As mentioned above, I have been out to Rondeau a couple of time with this in mind. On the occasion when I didn't take my long lens, the only photography I did was to capture the quiet greenery of the forest.

Without focusing on birds, one may notice some of the other inhabitants of the forest. While some might consider them 'lesser' inhabitants, I don't, as they all contribute in the way that they were intended, and without them the conditions of the forest might be quite different!

Fringed Gentian

New England Aster

 Some, unfortunately, will not be around anymore, but the scavengers and decomposers may get some benefit.

Northern Watersnake

On other occasions, I have taken the telephoto lens with me, and encountered scattered flocks of migrant birds. Under the shaded canopy, and with numerous leaves to contend with, getting good photos is not easy. Most photos ended up in the deleted file.

Blue-headed Vireo

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Most of the migrants are busily, even frantically, feeding on whatever they can find, to gain enough energy to continue on their southward journey. Sometimes they get into some rather unconventional positions in their search, which may or may not end up successful. This Black-throated Green Warbler was getting into all sorts of positions looking under the leaves for a tiny morsel of something.

There are lots of berries still clinging to the shrubs and vines that produced them. Dogwoods, Viburnums, Wild Grape and Virginia Creeper are some of the most abundant berry producers, but the one shown next is that of Winterberry, not a very common species here at all. While it likes to grow in damp locations, which there is a lot of at Rondeau, I only know of it occurring in about three locations. These berries seem to be popular, and will not last long with all of the berry-eating migrant birds passing through these days.

On another occasion, Marie and I spent some time hiking the Mitchell's Bay North Lakeshore Trail, and also the southern trail. I find the north trail a bit more enjoyable, as it is less busy and with better view points to appreciate what is along the trail. Parking can be a challenge, however. Very few people, even birders, explore this trail. Nonetheless, almost 140 species of birds have been recorded here.

The trail has been upgraded in the last year. It was closed for most of a year, due to high water damage of the dyke much of it is built on, and this visit was only the second one of the year for me. The trail has had a good layer of crushed stone on it, with one part of it leading to a slightly higher viewpoint looking over Lake St. Clair and the south end of Walpole Island First Nation. There is even a picnic bench at the end, to make spending time at the viewing point more comfortable. Thanks to the municipality of Chatham-Kent for maintaining these trails!

One often will see Great Egrets here, not surprising since there is at least one sizeable nesting colony at Walpole.

Ospreys don't nest anywhere nearby that I am aware of, but given that it is their time to migrate, birds passing through will make use of the watery environment from which to catch their next meal, as this one has done.

As long as there is open water, one will almost certainly see anywhere from one to several dozen of the non-native and problematic Mute Swans.

The Keith McLean Conservation Lands just north of Rondeau continue to be productive for birds. While the water levels are down from the past couple of years, at times migrating shorebirds and others make good use of the more limited flooded field habitat. I have stopped there a couple of times as well, and had good success at finding and photographing some of these migrants, including:

American Golden Plover

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Stilt Sandpiper

Long-billed Dowitcher

 Long-billed Dowitchers are not common, but show up annually in small numbers, at least for a few days. I came across two birds on my second last visit.

 

 Up to a dozen Hudsonian Godwits dropped in for a short time a day after one of my recent visits. Most left, but at least three remained, and on a subsequent visit, I managed to get a very distant photo of them. It is highly cropped. The godwits are to the right of the smaller, single Killdeer, with their heads down feeding in this photo.

Great Egrets are regularly found here as well, although not usually very cooperative at close range.

Turkey Vultures pass through daily right now on their migration, with some sticking around for a short while.

On my second last visit, I saw some small sparrow types that I suspected could be Nelson's Sparrows, but they were furtive and I never got conclusive looks at the. Other birders were there the next day, and confirmed seeing several. As a result, there has been a fairly steady stream of birders spending time here to search for them, and as far as I know, always with some success. Since I was going to the park for some black lighting last Friday, I went a bit earlier to also search. The soybean field along the natural area had been harvested, and the weedy edges along that field that seemed to attract these shy, elusive sparrows, was gone. Fortunately there was enough habitat elsewhere, and in a more concentrated area, to keep the sparrows from moving on. I did manage to see not one, not two, but eleven Nelson's Sparrows! It was a breezy time, and since the birds didn't sit atop the vegetation for their views, they were always a little lower, and with the wind blowing the weedy vegetation back and forth so steadily, it was difficult for the camera to lock focus in time for a clear photo. This first one is one of the 'better' out-of-focus shots I got. Many others were quickly deleted.

Fortunately there were a few photos that I was pleased with.

This next one has two birds, with the front one being in relatively good focus, but partially obscured by vegetation. Another bird is in the blurry background to the left.

I was definitely more satisfied with the results this time. Last year, while there weren't quite as many as far as we know, I did not get a single photo that I was pleased with.

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

In the quiet....

I haven't been out a lot lately for various reasons. But some of the times I have been out, I value them not so much for getting records or photos of a great diversity of things, but for the quiet and stillness I am able to experience. It is therapeutic, both mentally and physically, to escape from all of the craziness that is going on in the world.

It is interesting that the term 'forest-bathing' keeps cropping up from time to time. I read about it again just a few days ago in my most recent issue of Outdoor Photography Canada. Now OPC is a great magazine, don't get me wrong, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in photography and the outdoors. But I was bemused by this one article, which discussed forest-bathing as a relatively new phenomenon. Indeed, even Wikipedia states that it was developed by the Japanese in the 1980s as a cornerstone of preventative health care.

I beg to differ.

It is no secret that hiking slowly through a good quality natural area, and taking time to 'smell the roses', is good for one's health. Sure, I sometimes go to a natural area for the primary purpose of seeing as many species of things as I can, and so do many other people. There is no harm in that whatsoever. But there are times when visiting a natural area for other reasons is just as enjoyable, and dare I say, a whole lot better for one's health. We all are bombarded by technology that we see and may use, such as smart phones, iPads, television, etc, even out in the field, as well as all the technology that we don't see. There are myriad electronic waves going through the air constantly....after all, where else is all that technology getting the signals from and what is it doing to us. There is more and more evidence that the incidence of brain cancer, for example, is increasing as the use of cell phones has increased, and this is especially problematic with the youngest generation whose skulls and brains are still developing.

The practice of forest bathing is one that I and many others have done for years, and long before the 1980s. It has been done for generations, but no one likely referred to it as forest bathing. We go out to experience nature.....we slow down and de-stress from the constant busyness in our lives. A forest can be like a cathedral, causing one to tread lightly and in awe of our surroundings. We sit or otherwise remain fairly quiet, even motionless, and soak up the fresh air, the multitude of sounds, sights, patterns and colours all around us. We can be in one spot for quite awhile...maybe an hour or more. The longer we do it, the sharper our senses are to what is in our immediate vicinity. Even some of the wildlife may ignore us and carry on in their usual activities, which we likely wouldn't have seen if we had been on the move very much. And there is no doubt that the air is purer with greater amounts of oxygen in it since the photosynthesis of all of the greenery around us takes in the carbon dioxide and produces oxygen with fewer impurities to contend with. You don't find that in cities or rural areas!

Calm, overcast days are some of my favourite times to do this, perhaps more so with the threat of rain, since there will be fewer other people out there. These days are also great for photography, if I want to include that in my time. I recently was at Rondeau and was able to enjoy these conditions. Spicebush Trail was particularly enjoyable. I was there for at least an hour and never came across anyone else. Sometimes I enjoy encountering others and sharing what we all have seen, but sometimes it is even more enjoyable without such an intrusion.

 One part of the trail had an enormous amount of horsetail along both sides, due in part to the higher water levels this spring. I had never seen so much of it here, and it gave some interesting visuals.

 A few of the more typical plants were poking up through the dense mat of horsetails.

Maidenhair Fern

Sensitive Fern

Mayapple

Other things were noted in the rich green background.

Purple-flowering Raspberry

Canada Anemone

Wild Yam

One of the most distinctive features of the Wild Yam is not the flowers, but the distinct heart-shaped, pointed leaves. It is a delicate vine, wrapping itself around some of the mid-sized vegetation. In the fall, the leaves turn a very vibrant golden yellow. The flowers are tiny, and barely visible in this photo, but if you see the tiny bead-like things on an even finer stem, you are looking at them.

A Green Frog remains motionless on a nearby log, seemingly unconcerned with me in its territory but belting out its territorial call every few minutes.

A careful, slow walk along a trail revealed a rare plant: Chapman's Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium chapmanii). I know I have passed by a few of these plants on a number of occasions, barely giving them a second glance, and if it weren't for my slower approach, I would have missed it again. It is a rare species in Ontario, being known from fewer than 20 places.

 

Maybe on my next visit I will be doing a more aggressive blitz to find as many things as possible. But this time, it was to enjoy the world of nature for a whole different, and immensely satisfying, purpose.

Seasonal solitude

I don't often get a cold, but I guess my time had come. Ever since this past Christmas, I have been battling a persistent cold. Had I been bad this past year? Most people would maybe have received a chunk of coal at Christmas....I received a persistent cold. As a result I have hardly left the house, so am posting a blog that I was originally going to post in early December. Maybe now is a better time, especially since it features a warmer outdoor period than what most of eastern North America has experienced in these last few weeks.

There is a certain appeal to get out in a forest or other natural setting, and not necessarily with birds or butterflies as a primary focus. The joy is just to get out and soak up as much of the natural atmosphere as possible, enjoying the light, the shadows, the muted colours and perhaps most important to my way of thinking, the solitude. Any form of wildlife encountered is a bonus. The latter part of November and early part of December are two of my favourite times for this experience, and the setting at Rondeau is perfect. One can spend several hours on the trails and closed roads, and never see another person.

There is an activity I recently had pointed out to me, called 'forest bathing', where one spends time in a forest, or at least in the vicinity of trees, soaking up the fresh air and the atmosphere, to experience various health benefits including a reduced stress level. According to Wikipedia, forest bathing apparently originated in Japan in the 1980s.

To that I say 'Nonsense'.

I've been doing it since the early 1970s. My dad used to do it from time to time in his early years. While it may not have officially been named 'forest bathing', the reality is that people have been doing this for decades, likely centuries or more. I'm sure that the likes of John Muir in the mid to late 1800s and Ansel Adams in the early 1900s, among others, did a lot of 'forest bathing' when they were out exploring the natural world in their time.

It is usually during these times when I seldom take my camera with a telephoto lens, knowing that a wide angle lens will be more useful to capture what I see.

One can sit in one spot for a time, or one can hike the trails and get the benefits of some cardio exercise, or even away from the trails (but if it is above freezing, be aware of ticks!!). And there is always something to see, especially on warmer, sunny days. I had this Eastern Comma flitting about on a warm sunny day on Nov 29, which according to ebutterfly, was the latest Ontario date for a butterfly added to that database in 2017.

Reptiles may be out, soaking up a last bit of sunshine before going underground for the upcoming winter.

Eastern Gartersnake

Some resident birds are a little more obvious. It seems that Pileated Woodpeckers are more noticeable during these quiet periods.

The leaves have fallen by late November, as have a multitude of seeds. The trails and roadsides are covered, or at least lined along the edges, with a mix of leaves and seeds.

This first photo shows a packed roadside of beech nuts from the American Beech tree, with a few Tuliptree seeds mixed in. It had indeed been a great year for beech nut production, as well as acorns from oaks. While this 'mast' production will go along way towards placating the hunger of deer, Wild Turkeys, Blue Jays, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and mice, one cannot help but wonder if it also means a profusion of ticks that benefit when mice are more prolific. More mice, means more ticks, and the greater the chance of hikers encountering Lyme Disease in the following year.

 This next photo, taken along a section of trail where Tuliptrees are a little more dominant, is made up entirely of Tuliptree seeds. Although Tuliptrees are prolific producers of seeds, only about 1% or so of the seeds are really viable and will germinate. The vast majority of these seeds will be enjoyed by squirrels, mice, etc.

The bright orange-red berries of Climbing Bittersweet are more visible against the muted colours of the forest late in the season.

The lake can be really riled up during sustained windy periods, or it can be quite calm and subdued. The riled up weather that occurred a short time before this photo was taken resulted in significant changes to the dynamic shoreline, such as this new pond area. Will it remain as a breeding pool for the rare Fowler's Toad this coming summer or be a feeding stop for shorebirds? Or will another storm make changes to this, making it only a very temporary feature?

Patterns in the sand are visible, the result of fairly strong winds in previous days.

While it is always nice to see birds and butterflies, etc., they are just a few of the multitude of reasons to get out and enjoy the natural world around us!