Black-legged Kittiwake

 

There has been a juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake hanging around the St. Clair River in the Sarnia/Port Huron area for about a week now. A couple days ago we observed it cruising along the river near the Bluewater Bridge however it was too far away for decent images. Yesterday however it was feeding along the Sarnia side of the river and afforded better images.

A dainty gull of northern oceans, Black-legged Kittiwakes nest in teeming colonies on cliffs of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic. On these sheer, rocky sea stacks, their unceasing cries of “kittiwake” join with the crashing surf to make the classic sound of a seabird colony.

Their neat white and gray plumage is accented by a bright yellow bill and jet-black legs. Kittiwakes are true pelagic seabirds, spending virtually their entire lives on the open ocean and only touching land during the nesting season.

They forage while in flight by dipping or plunging into the sea, almost ternlike, to seize small fish and other prey, usually far offshore.

Breeding adults are pale gray above with neat black wingtips, clean white below, with a yellow bill. The legs and feet are jet black. Nonbreeding adults are similar but acquire a dusky patch behind the ear. Juveniles are quite striking: white overall, with a black M pattern across the upperwing visible in flight. They also have a gray or black collar across the back of the neck, a black tail tip and a black bill. Cornell All About Birds

Red Crossbill

 

On a recent trip to The Pinery with some birder friends we were able to get decent looks with the bins at some Red Crossbills. Although rather high, I was able to capture a few record images.

A fascinating finch of coniferous woodlands, the Red Crossbill forages on nutritious seeds in pine, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and spruce cones. Their specialized bills allow them to break into unopened cones, giving them an advantage over other finch species.

A crossbill's odd bill shape helps it get into tightly closed cones. A bird's biting muscles are stronger than the muscles used to open the bill, so the Red Crossbill places the tips of its slightly open bill under a cone scale and bites down. The crossed tips of the bill push the scale up, exposing the seed inside.

Snow Bunting

 

Male Snow Buntings head to their high arctic breeding grounds when the ground is still covered in snow and temperatures can dip to -22° F.

The Snow Bunting places its nest deep in cracks or other cavities in rocks. Although such nest sites are relatively secure from predators, rocks are cold. The thick nest lining of fur and feathers helps keep the eggs and nestlings warm, but the female must stay on the nest for most of the incubation period.

Although breeding and nonbreeding Snow Buntings look quite different, the change from nonbreeding to breeding plumage isn't caused by growing in a new set of feathers (molt). The change from brownish to pure white happens when males rub their bellies and heads on the snow, wearing down the brown feather tips to reveal immaculate white features below. Cornell All About Birds

Bonaparte's Gull

 

Recently I was up at Ipperwash Beach to try and photograph an Eared Grebe however waves, distance and way too brief appearances made for difficulty getting an image. However, my attention soon turned to a couple of Bonaparte’s Gulls actively fishing close to shore.

Bonaparte’s Gull is a small, tern like gull, with slender bill, rather narrow, pointed wings, and slim body.

Breeding adults have black heads, red legs, and large white triangles in the wingtips that contrast with the gray wings. Nonbreeding birds are mostly white with grayish upper wings, white primaries (edged in black), and a gray spot on the cheek. Immatures are similar to nonbreeding adults but upper wing is edged in dark gray, and the tail is tipped in black.

Numerous aquatic habitats during migration and the nonbreeding season, from rivers to lakes, bays to open ocean. Breeding birds in the far north nest in trees and forage over taiga forest, tundra, and open waters of rivers, lakes, and bays. Cornell All About Birds

White-winged Crossbill

White-winged Crossbills remain in flocks year-round, even during the nesting season. They forage mostly in spruce and tamarack, prying open the cones with their crossed bills to eat the seeds.

                                                Male White-winged Crossbill

They also take grit from the ground and eat insects during summer. In years when spruce and other cones are scarce, large numbers irrupt, or wander far out of the usual range.

                                                Female White-winged Crossbill

Found in Boreal forests, mostly spruce and tamarack. During irruptions, look for them in spruces, hemlock forests, weedy fields, and occasionally at backyard bird feeders. Cornell All About Birds

                                               Immature White-winged Crossbill

Horned Grebes

Some images of Horned Grebes gathering in Lake Huron. Some days there have been close to thirty along the Lake Huron shoreline near Canatara Beach.

Parasitic Jaeger

 

Jaegers breed in the high Arctic. Migration and winter are the best times to look for them. Parasitic Jaegers are the most likely of the three jaeger species to be seen from shore. They chase gulls and terns as they forage over tidal waters and turbulent patches where currents meet. Look for a powerfully built, sharp-winged and fast-flying bird among all the silvery wings.

This bird is parasitic, but that doesn't mean it sucks anyone's blood. These birds are "kleptoparasites," a term used to describe animals that steal their food from other animals. It comes from the same root as "kleptomaniac," meaning someone who steals compulsively. Cornell All About Birds

Some of Lambton Counties finest birders trying to locate a Jaeger.

Winter Wren

 

The Winter Wren is a palette of browns with dark barring on the wings, tail, and belly.

It habitually holds its tiny tail straight up and bounces up and down. This rather weak flier hops and scampers among fallen logs mouselike, inspecting upturned roots and vegetation for insects. Cornell All About Birds

Marsh Wren

 

The Marsh Wren clings to wetland vegetation, tail cocked and legs splayed, often with each foot wrapped around a different stalk. This rusty-brown wren has black-and-white streaks down its back and a white eyebrow.

It sings a rapid-fire gurgling, trilling, and buzzy song from the depths of the marsh where its secretive life unfolds. Under the cover of reeds, males build multiple nests and breed with more than one female.

They also destroy eggs and nestlings of other Marsh Wrens and marsh-nesting birds. Cornell All About Birds

Sedge Wren

 

The Sedge Wren is a short-billed, russet-brown bird that lives in wet fields and shallow marshes.

Their reputation as shy, furtive birds reflects this dense habitat, where they spend much of their time out of sight, foraging for insects and spiders on or near the ground. The song is simple compared to many other wrens: a few dry chips followed by a trill.

Sedge Wrens breed in the U.S. and Canada and winter in the southeastern U.S. and northeastern Mexico. Cornell All About Birds

House Wren

 

The House Wren is a common backyard bird over nearly the entire Western Hemisphere. It breeds from Canada through the West Indies and Central America, southward to the southernmost point of South America.

House Wrens will gladly use nestboxes, or you may find their twig-filled nests in old cans, boots, or boxes lying around in your garage.

We have House Wrens that nest in our woodpile yearly usually producing two or three hatchlings.

Local Shorebirds

 

There has been some nice shorebird photo ops at a local make shift pond created at a housing development area here in Sarnia.

Halloween Pennant

The Halloween Pennant has bright orange and black-banded wings.

This species is comfortable resting on tall reeds and grasses in marshes, ponds or by creeks and stream. Adults hunt for insects among nearby water and the surrounding vegetation.

Hummingbird Clearwing

The Hummingbird Clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. These can be seen in Canatara.

Giant Swallowtail

 

The Giant Swallowtail is the largest butterfly in North America. It is quite often found in the meadowland area of Canatara. And we have had them in the garden this year.

Chinese Mantis

 

The Chinese Mantis is a species of mantis native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896 this species was accidentally introduced by a nurseryperson near Philadelphia.

The Chinese Mantis is a long, slender, brown and green praying mantis. It is typically longer than other mantis species reaching just over 11 cm (4.3 in), and is the largest mantis species in North America.

This image was taken in my yard and at first, I believed it to be a Praying Mantis but after a little research determined it to be an invasive Chinese Mantis.

The spider, the grasshopper and the mantis

 

So, the story behind these images goes like this. First, I noticed the Black and yellow Argiope spider and the cool web. As I approached the web to grab a shot of the spider I flushed a grasshopper who inadvertently ended up in the spider’s web.

It was fascinating to watch the spider in a matter of seconds completely encase the grasshopper.

It was only then that I noticed the Mantis eyeing up the proceedings. The Mantis spent a fair bit of time considering it’s options before deciding to leave. Of course by then I had about a dozen ticks on me.

The black-and-yellow Argiope spider is quite attractive and one of our more conspicuous species of orb weaving spiders. Orb web means it spins a web like a circle. Other commonly used names for this spider are golden orb-weaver, yellow garden orb-weaver and the writing spider. Master Gardeners

Mantises are an order of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families.

Interestingly, mantids are a carnivore, and dine primarily on insects like flies, crickets, moths, grasshoppers, and mosquitoes. They can even feast on prey over three times their size, including small animals such as frogs, lizards, and hummingbirds. Insect Almanac

Polyphemus Moth

 

Interestingly Polyphemus Moth adults emerge from their cocoons in the late afternoon, and mating occurs the same day from late evening to early morning. Females lay eggs that evening, singly or in groups of 2 or 3 on leaves of the host plant. Newly-hatched caterpillars eat their eggshells, and caterpillars of all ages are solitary. Older caterpillars eat an entire leaf and then cut the leaf petiole at the base so it falls to the ground, perhaps a defensive measure to eliminate signs of feeding.

We found this Polyphemus Moth in the middle of the local car wash parking lot and took this image with a cell phone before moving it to safety.

Great Spangled Fritillary

 

The Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly prefers open, moist places including fields, valleys, pastures, meadows, open woodland and prairies.

They are the most common fritillary throughout most of the eastern United States.

Red Admiral

 

The Red Admiral is the most widespread butterfly in Ontario.

The coloring is dark brown with a reddish circular band and white spots. The underside of the back wings looks similar to bark. Look for this beautiful butterfly near the edge of forests in moist habitats.

Red Spotted Purple

 

The Red-Spotted Purple butterfly is normally seen in the Eastern United States, from the Gulf Coast to southern Canada.

It is not an abundant species, and is most often seen in woodlands and along streams and marsh land.

The size of the Red-Spotted Purple is typically in the 3.0" - 3.5" range and it normally produces 2-3 broods per year.

The Red-Spotted Purple butterfly is black with blue or blue-screen scaling. It features orange or red marks on the tips of the wings.

Black Swallowtail

 

Black Swallowtails are one of the most common garden butterflies in southern Ontario.

They love flower nectar and frequently stop to drink on garden plants.

Black Swallowtails are black with rows of light yellow spots. It has one red-orange eyespot and several blue spots on each hind wing.

Black Swallowtails have a wingspan of 6 to 10 centimeters.

Mourning Cloak

 

Mourning Cloak butterflies are most often found near deciduous forests. However, their habitat includes many developed areas like suburban yards, parks, and golf courses.

The coloring is black with an iridescent sheen. A yellow border and a row of purple spots mark the outer edge of the wings.