Bug Hunting in Late Summer

White-faced Meadowhawk

I returned to Mud Lake in mid-August in the hope of finding some interesting dragonflies. It was a much a nicer day than we’d had for the OFNC dragonfly outing, but there were fewer dragonflies flying, and nothing as interesting as the Spot-winged Glider and Swift River Cruiser we’d found two weeks ago. June and July are the best months for finding a good diversity of odonates; by mid-August a number of species have already finished flying for the year, including many emeralds and common summer species such as the Dot-tailed Whiteface. However, other species are just becoming abundant around this time, such as the mosaic darners, and it was these that I was hoping to find.

The Victoria Birding Weekend Part II

Snapping Turtle

The following day my mom and I headed west to Dunrobin. Our destination was the Bill Mason Center, where we hoped to find the Virginia Rails that inhabit the marsh; my mother has never seen one before and needed one for her life list. First, however, we stopped at the bridge on Huntmar to see if the Northern Rough-winged Swallows were there. We found two of them, although we only got a brief glimpse of them flying upstream. We also saw three Turkey Vultures and one Red-tailed Hawk soaring over the ridge, and one Eastern Phoebe wagging its tail near the bridge. Birds heard but not seen included Least Flycatcher, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing somewhere across the road, Red-eyed Vireo and Common Yellowthroat.

Back to the Bill Mason Center

Garter Snake

On Saturday morning I headed out west to Dunrobin again, stopping in at Sarsaparilla Trail first, as usual. I tallied 18 species on my walk, more than I’ve seen there on a single visit so far this year; highlights include Ring-necked Ducks, a pair of Bufflehead, three female Hooded Mergansers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, one Common Grackle, four Purple Finches, four Tree Swallows, and one Eastern Phoebe. Both the Tree Swallows and the phoebe were new for Sarsparilla this year, and both were flycatching over the large pond. I first noticed the phoebe when it landed in the dead tree closest to the observation dock, although it quickly flew off to a more distant snag. Surprisingly, I didn’t see or hear a single sparrow at Sarsaparilla. The juncos seemed to have disappeared and the Swamp Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows haven’t arrived yet.

Good Friday Birding

Common Grackle

At long last, the Easter long weekend had arrived. Good Friday dawned sunny and bright, just as the weatherman had promised; however, I wasn’t prepared for the cold north wind blowing straight from the Arctic. It was not as nice and warm as it looked, as I quickly found out during my visit to Sarsaparilla Trail. To my further disappointment, no new migrants had shown up. I was hoping for White-throated Sparrows and Pied-billed Grebes, but found only the same species (Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ring-necked Ducks, Purple Finch, juncos, etc.) I had seen on previous visits. Even the local Great Blue Herons hadn’t yet arrived.

The Wildlife of the Bill Mason Center

The following weekend I headed out to the west end. My goal was the Morris Island Conservation Area, but I decided to stop in at the Bill Mason Center first while I waited for it to warm up. Although the morning was sunny, it was cool enough to need a jacket. Few birds were singing as I entered the marsh. I heard no Swamp Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, or Yellow Warblers, although I saw two Yellow Warblers on my walk. I also saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a couple of robins in the marsh, but no rails or grackles or Red-winged Blackbirds. The blackbirds have left their nesting territories and can be found in large flocks in cornfields and other agricultural areas, returning to roost in nearby wetlands at night.

Dragon Hunting in Dunrobin

I took the Monday following my Mom’s wedding off work to rest after the long drive home. However, “rest” to me means getting up early and going exploring! It was a bright, warm day, so I decided to look for dragonflies in the west end. A stop at the bridge on Huntmar Road produced one Northern Rough-winged Swallow and one American Redstart as well as the usual Common Yellowthroats, Swamp Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds in the marsh. I also heard one Veery and one Least Flycatcher singing in the woods. I didn’t walk as far as I would have liked, given the weekday traffic and narrow shoulders; instead I quickly returned to the car and drove over to Thomas Dolan. Along the way I came across one singing House Wren, a couple of Eastern Meadowlarks, and an Eastern Bluebird, making for a wonderful start to the day.

A Good Walk at the Bill Mason Center

On Good Friday I visited the Bill Mason Center in Dunrobin west of Ottawa.  It was a cool, sunny morning – still cool enough for my winter coat – and I was hoping to see some rails in the marsh as I had read they were back on territory.  Before I even got to the parking lot, however, I heard the song of an Eastern Meadowlark drifting down from a tree bordering the large field next to the school grounds.  I pulled over in time to see the singer fly away to the middle of the field where it landed and began singing again.  A second meadowlark was foraging in the grass near a line of small shrubs.  These beautiful members of the blackbird family are not as approachable as the more abundant Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles, and the only photos I took were from a great distance.  A few starlings, Canada Geese, robins and mallards were foraging in the field as well, and I heard a Killdeer flying over as I was walking back to the car.

Animal Tracks and Signs

The last weekend of February was a beautiful one for going out and looking for those last few species to add to my winter list.  Although both Saturday and Sunday morning started out cloudy, the sun came out each day not long after I headed out.  The temperature was decent, too, with the highs in the -7°C range.

On Saturday I drove out to the Richmond Nursery to look for seeds to start my spring garden.  Since I had some time to kill before the nursery opened, I decided to spend some time at the Richmond Lagoons and driving the back roads around Richmond.