Another Week Already: Insect and Bird Encounters

 Obviously the summer seems to be going by quickly!  I have been making my rounds locally as usual.

This past Sunday, was nice as I checked out Dow Wetland first thing.  I wanted to see the Clay-colored Sparrows that are nesting there.  It did not take long to locate a singing male by its characteristic buzz song.

Last year we had Sedge Wrens nesting here, but not this year.  Dickcissels were previous to that, so there always seems to be something of interest.

Other nesting birds here include Bobolinks and Savannah Sparrows.

On the way back home, I stopped by Reid CA.  I saw both Broad-winged Skippers and Dukes' Skippers, but very few.

Always on the lookout for moths.  I caught sight of this Lost Owlet.  It was lost in the sedges!

It was mid-morning by this time and already too hot and humid, so I went home!

The next day was hot, but less humid so it was more comfortable.  I visited a private property near Brigden to see what insects were around.  

Dukes' Skippers are doing quite well here, as we saw about ten.

No Broad-winged or Mulberry Wing this year though!

Very few dragonflies, as usual, but a few Mocha Emeralds were flying.  Always nice to see.

The very poor hairstreak year continues, as we only saw one Banded Hairstreak.

There were many Hummingbird Clearwings working the Wild Burgemot.

Tuesday seemed like a good time to go for an early morning walk at Mitchell's Bay.  Highlight was a group of twelve American Avocets flying by.

Interestingly, by mid-morning, twelve were seen at Blenheim lagoons!  We assume this was the same group!

Tuesday afternoon I went for a long walk at Reid Conservation Lands.  More Duke's Skippers were out.

I walked around the back field, but very few insects. It does not help that the farmer has sprayed twice, oblivious to what he is doing to insects.

Only one or two Monarchs, and only a single Question Mark.

Afterwards, I went for a walk, seeing very little.  I did find a single Flag-tailed Spinyleg for a first of year.

This mossy Map Turtle must spend too much time in the water!

Wednesday I went to Blenheim lagoons first thing.  Although lots of shorebirds, nothing of note.

Thursday started out gloomy with a very light drizzle off and on.  I drove up towards Courtright along the St. Clair River to where I heard a Dickcissel singing.  It was reported the previous day at the berm in front of the old Lambton Generating Station property.  They have been here in past years, so not a surprise!

It was still gloomy as I headed back and stopped by Reid briefly.  Seemed to be more Royal River Cruisers flying, and one finally stopped to be photographed.

I did manage to see a single Broad-winged Skipper in the usual spot.

Today, I gave Blenheim lagoons another go. There was not really much change since two days ago.  Lots of shorebirds, but no rarities.

It was such a fine day, I continued on to Hillman Marsh for a walk.  Lots of Broad-winged Skippers there, but little else.

Eyed Browns were in the usual spot by the boardwalk.

Viceroy

Hardly any dragonflies to look at there!

A single Solitary Sandpiper found a wet spot in the corner of the shorebird cell.

And that is it for this day!

Observations of the Past Week: July 8-12

 Just a few things here that I came across this past week as the wacky weather continues with excessive rain.  There has not been a lot in the way of insects to photograph this summer!

One or two Dukes' Skippers have been seen at Reid the past week.  A far cry from last year!  This one was right in the parking lot as soon as I got out of the car.  And, it was still there after my walk!

I saw my first Broad-winged Skipper of the year at Reid a few days ago.

Some other butterflies:

Grey Comma

Monarch

Red Admiral

Red-spotted Purple

Eastern Comma

And even a Mourning Cloak caterpillar.

Today was quite disappointing at Reid, but I did see a neat dragonfly.  Probably a first for me at that location....a Swamp Darner!

It is considered vulnerable in Ontario.

Come of the common things include Ruby Meadowhawk.

And Common Whitetail. (No shortage of them this year!)

Been looking at the garden as well (when I can stand the heat!).

Mining bee sp.

firefly

And, something different...

Variable Eastern Taedia

Mourning Cloak

The first Common-checkered Skipper showed up this week.

I have been down to Blenheim and Erieau way a couple of times.  Shorebirds are coming through in numbers as expected, but nothing particularly noteworthy.  Lots of Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers among others.

A male Redhead has been frequenting the McGeachy Pond area lately.

Another bird with red on it was a Red-headed Woodpecker at McGeachy yesterday morning.  Unfortunately I could not get a clear view of it with the camera.

I decided to photograph a bluet along the way, and it turned out to be a Skimming Bluet.  Fairly common, but I think it is the first one I have seen this year.

That is all I have for now.  Maybe I should turn to plants for a while!

A "Few" More Insects (Plus a Shorebird)

 This past Thursday I ventured into Elgin County for a change in scenery.  I went as far as John E. Pearce Provincial Park where I walked around the Storey Wetland.  It has been good for insects in the past, including Comet Darner which I had discovered some years ago.

I should have known, as there were not many dragonflies, par for the course this year.  There was nothing worth photographing!

This Great Spangled Fritillary posed nicely though.

One of the tiny insects, called a sedgesitter, was tempting to photograph.  They usually face downwards.  A difficult one to identify to species.

It was going to be another hot day, so I headed back west and stopped by the old quarry at Clear Creek.  It was much better for odonates than my previous visits this year, but certainly a far cry from what it usually is.

Alas, I saw a Comet Darner!  This is another location I discovered quite a few years ago, so it was somewhat expected.  These rarely perch, so on-the-fly photographs were attempted.

There were very few bluets, but some "Westfall's" Slender Bluets were flying.  I managed to get decent enough photos to ID them.

A couple of Violet Dancers were nearby as well.

While there, a pair of Common Ravens flew overhead.  They have been known to nest in the area.

Friday, I took a long walk at Reid Conservation Lands.  It was quite disappointing for insects yet again (except mosquitoes!), but I did come across my first Dukes' Skipper of the year.

A couple of Banded Hairstreaks were along the trail.  I am now up to five individual hairstreaks for the year......lol!

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail posed for a bit.

As did a Red-spotted Purple that was a little worse for the wear.

Since shorebirds are returning now, I decided to check out Blenheim lagoons first thing Saturday morning.  Turns out I came across my favourite shorebird, an American Avocet!

There were lots of Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and a number of Short-billed Dowitchers around as well.

I was going to be a very hot day, so I decided to head back home after this visit!

Sunday was the annual Skunk's Misery butterfly count.  I did my usual route along Centreville Drive in the morning.  It was extremely disappointing as there were very few butterflies.  But, that has been the way it is this year for whatever reason(s).

View along Centreville Drive

I saw only one single hairstreak, if that tells you anything.

Banded Hairstreak

However, the highlight was a Dukes' Skipper in a known spot along the road.  I spent some time at this spot hoping to see one, and it paid off.

I discovered the species here for the first Middlesex records in the past.

Woodland butterflies were scarce, including the Northern Pearly-Eye.

Most common skipper was Dun.

Dun on Buttonbush

Lunch was held in a different spot this year, at Big Bend Conservation Area.  I had never been there before, so it was all new to me.  A neat spot I should check out again.

View from the boat launch at Big Bend

In the afternoon I toured around aimlessly, hardly seeing anything (what's new?).  I was so disappointed I went home early and skipped the gathering at the end of the day.  It was too hot anyway!

Blue-tipped Dancers at the boat launch on Mosside Line