Northern Watersnake

Numerous Northern Water Snakes can also be found easily at Killbear.

Usually nestled somewhere near the frog ponds or swimming along the shoreline.

Or nestled under a crack in the beautiful Canadian Shield somewhere.

Eastern Fox Snake

 

Although we usually observe Eastern Fox Snakes every year, our discovering of three bundled together a couple years ago was a supreme highlight. We watched as two males wrestled it out for mating privileges.

It was an incredible experience and we actually made a fantastic video capturing the whole escapade with my phone.

Eastern Fox Snakes are my favourite Ontario snake by far. 

I just am amazed at the colourings and markings.

We have also observed Eastern Fox Snakes on Pelee Island and that will also be a future blog.

Tomorrow will be the Northern Watersnake.

Massasauga Rattlesnake

 

We have just returned from our yearly Killbear Provincial Park holiday. This year marked our fortieth-year camping at Killbear. It’s been a great place to observe wildlife and hike, as well as canoe, kayak and sail out amongst the islands. We’ve also made some great friends through the years.

My take on arguably the most photographed tree on Georgian Bay.

We have observed a wide variety of wildlife in Killbear through the years. Moose, deer, porcupine, raccoon, red fox, mink, fisher, black bear, beaver, otters, as well as a vast array of birds. The park is home to numerous Barred Owls and this year was no exception as we observed Barred Owls most mornings while birding and had two calling right in our campsite the last night of our stay. Barred Owls will be a future blog.

Since I’ve already done blogs on the red fox and fisher from Killbear this week’s blogs will feature some of our other wildlife encounters. Of course, Killbear is most famous for its snakes. Nine species are found in the park but none more famous than the Massasauga Rattlesnake and Eastern Fox Snake.

The Massasauga is a stout-bodied rattlesnake, usually about 50 to 70 centimetres long. It is Ontario’s only venomous snake, though it will only bite in self-defence if it is threatened or harassed.

It has a triangular head and a tail that ends in a small rattle that creates a buzzing sound when the tail shakes. I was very surprised the first time I heard a Massasauga rattle as I was expecting more of a traditional “movie” type rattle, not the buzzing sound.

The body is grey to dark brown with darker brown "butterfly" or "saddle-shaped" blotches down the back, with alternating blotches along the sides.

The Massasauga is the only Ontario snake with a vertical (cat-like) pupil as shown here.

Massasaugas live in different types of habitats throughout Ontario, including tall grass prairie, bogs, marshes, shorelines, forests and alvars.

At times they blend in so well they are hard to find and can be easily missed.

At Killbear, for years they were painting captured snake tails different colours each year.

Within all of these habitats, Massasaugas require open areas to warm themselves in the sun.

Pregnant females are most often found in open, dry habitats such as rock barrens or forest clearings where they can more easily maintain the body temperature required for the development of their offspring.

Massasaugas hibernate underground in crevices in bedrock, sphagnum swamps, tree root cavities and animal burrows where they can get below the frost line but stay above the water table.

Tomorrow we will look at the Eastern Fox Snake.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Wintering flocks of Long-billed Dowitchers are muddy gray-brown birds that match their muddy foraging sites—a far cry from the intricate black, rufous, brown, and gold brocade of breeding birds on their tundra summer homes.

These tubby, long-billed shorebirds plunge their bills deep into wet mud or sand to find invertebrate food. Flocks twitter at each other while feeding—a habit that sets them apart from the otherwise very similar Short-billed Dowitcher. Cornell All About Birds

Stilt Sandpiper

An elegant shorebird perched on long, yellow-green legs, the Stilt Sandpiper is distinctive with its long, slightly curved bill. In breeding plumage, a bright chestnut crown and ear patch light up its neatly barred, brown-and-white plumage. Stilt Sandpipers forage in freshwater habitats and avoid the tidal mudflats used by so many sandpipers.

They wade sometimes belly deep, probing for invertebrates in mud in a manner similar to the shorter-legged dowitchers. These long-distance migrants fly south through the middle of North America, then cross the Caribbean to winter in South America. Cornell All About Birds

Pectoral Sandpiper

The Pectoral Sandpiper is among the most recognizable of small shorebirds, larger than the small “peep” sandpipers and sporting a distinctively stippled breast that ends neatly at a white belly.

On their tundra breeding grounds, males perform an unforgettable display flight in which they inflate and deflate an air sac in the breast to create low-pitched hooting sounds.

Cornell All About Birds

White-rumped Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpipers are graceful, long-winged shorebirds, slightly larger than the more numerous “peep” sandpipers that they often forage with. Their breeding plumage is a sharp brown and white with rusty highlights and dark stippling on the breast.

In flight, the telltale white rump distinguishes it from all similar species. This small sandpiper makes one of the longest migrations of any North American bird, sometimes flying 2,500 miles without a rest. Cornell All About Birds

Solitary Sandpiper

The natty Solitary Sandpiper, with its olive-gray wings, black-and-white tail, and bold eyering, is a distinctive exception among the many lookalike sandpipers. Its helpful habit of bobbing the back half of its body or trembling its tail (and often feet) while foraging make it instantly recognizable.

In flight, look for blackish underwings against a white belly, a pattern unique among North American shorebirds.

On migration, it turns up very widely, even in very small or temporary wetlands. Cornell All About Birds

Hudsonian Godwit

Hudsonian Godwits are graceful shorebirds with long, slightly upturned bills, long legs, and a glorious breeding plumage of gold, brown, and brick red.

They wade through arctic bogs and tidal mudflats, using their long bills to reach deep into the mud for invertebrate prey.

They undertake an incredible migration—nearly 10,000 miles to near the tip of South America. The passage involves flights of thousands of miles without a stop, some of it over open ocean. Cornell All About Birds

Purple Sandpiper

A pot-bellied shorebird with a long, drooping bill, the Purple Sandpiper is a hardy species that specializes on rocky, wave-battered coastlines. These subdued, gray-and-white sandpipers nimbly explore seaweed-covered rocks as they search for mussels, crustaceans, and flies, flashing bright orange on the legs and bill.

The common name refers to a seldom-seen purple sheen on some of the wing feathers. Purple Sandpipers breed on arctic tundra; they spend winters on North Atlantic shores, farther north than any other shorebird. Cornell All About Birds

Wandering Tattler

A characteristic bird of the rocky Pacific Coast, the Wandering Tattler can be seen bobbing and teetering among the rocks and waves during winter and migration.

Some individuals spend the summer along the southern part of the range rather than go with the rest of the birds to their breeding grounds in the mountains of Alaska and northwestern Canada. Cornell All About Birds

I photographed this Wandering Tattler while in Alaska photographing Grizzly Bears.

Sanderling

The Sanderling’s black legs blur as it runs back and forth on the beach, picking or probing for tiny prey in the wet sand left by receding waves. Sanderlings are medium-sized “peep” sandpipers recognizable by their pale nonbreeding plumage, black legs and bill, and obsessive wave-chasing habits.

These extreme long-distance migrants breed only on High Arctic tundra, but during the winter they live on most of the sandy beaches of the world.

Sanderlings are a regular on the beaches of Cape San Blas Florida however it is very cool to see them on the beaches here when they are in their alternate plumage.

Willet

 

Willets are large, stocky shorebirds with long legs and thick, straight bills considerably longer than the head. Their wings are broader and rounder than those of many shorebirds and the tail is short and squared off at the base.

In summer, Willets are mottled gray, brown, and black; in winter they are a more consistent plain gray. The legs are bluish gray.

Willets are gray or brown birds that, when flying, display a striking white and black stripe along each wing. 

Willets are often seen alone. They walk deliberately, pausing to probe for crabs, worms and other prey in sand and mudflats, or to pick at insects and mollusks.

When startled, they react with a piercing call, often opening their wings and running rather than taking flight. Cornell All About Birds

Semipalmated Sandpiper

 

An abundant small shorebird, the Semipalmated Sandpiper breeds in the Arctic and winters along the coasts of South America.

Semipalmated Sandpipers from eastern populations probably undertake nonstop transoceanic flights of 3,000 - 4,000 km (1,900 - 2,500 mi) from New England and southern Canada to South America, powered by extensive fat reserves.

The Semipalmated Sandpiper gets its common name from the short webs between its toes ("palmated" means webbed). The Western Sandpiper is the only other small sandpiper with similarly webbed toes. Cornell All About Birds

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpipers are the smallest of the small sandpipers known as “peeps”—not much bigger than a sparrow. They have distinctive yellow-green legs and a high-pitched creep call.

Look for them on edges of mudflats or marshes, where they walk with a hunched posture and probe for little crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates.

This common but declining shorebird migrates thousands of miles between its arctic breeding grounds and wintering grounds as far south as Chile and Brazil. Cornell All About Birds

Ruddy Turnstone

A shorebird that looks almost like a calico cat, the Ruddy Turnstone's orange legs slightly upturned bill to flip debris on the beach to uncover insects and small crustaceans and uniquely patterned black-and-white head and chest make them easy to pick out of a crowd.

These long-distance migrants breed in the arctic tundra, but spend the off seasons on rocky shorelines and sandy beaches on both North American coasts (as well as South America, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia).

They use their stout, slightly upturned bill to flip debris on the beach to uncover insects and small crustaceans. Cornell All About Birds

Semipalmated Plover

 

The Semipalmated Plover is the most common plover seen on migration in most areas.

A small dark shorebird with a single band across its chest. The Semipalmated Plover is very common in our area during spring migration and can be observed at area sewage lagoons or lake shorelines.

Piping Plover

Little round Piping Plovers hide in plain sight on sandy ocean and lake shores, blending right in with their sandy gray backs.

It's not until they scurry down the sand on their orange legs that you're likely to spot these big-eyed shorebirds with a sharp black collar and an orange bill.

They nest in soft sand away from the water's edge along the Atlantic Coast, Great Plains, and Great Lakes.

They are endangered due to habitat loss, disturbance, and predation. Cornell All About Birds

Snowy Plover

 

A small plover of beaches and barren ground, the Snowy Plover can be found across North and South America, Eurasia, and Africa. In North America it is restricted to the Gulf and Pacific coasts of the United States.

The Snowy Plover frequently raises two broods a year, and sometimes three in places where the breeding season is long. The female deserts her mate and brood about the time the chicks hatch and initiates a new breeding attempt with a different male.

Young Snowy Plovers leave their nest within three hours of hatching. They flatten themselves on the ground when a parent signals the approach of people or potential predators. 

They walk, run, and swim well and forage unassisted by parents, but require periodic brooding for many days after hatching. Cornell All About Birds