Grassland Birding and More

 Today, I was into Middlesex County and east Lambton.  There are some nice pastures and grasslands just into Middlesex and around the Lambton County border.  I make at least one trip there each year at this time.

Upland Sandpipers are difficult to come by in some areas of the province anymore, but can be found with ease in the aforementioned area.  They like standing on posts.

I even saw one in the distance atop a tall dead tree in the hazy morning sun.

I came across a couple of Dickcissels as well in different locations.  Never got a photo though.  As mentioned before, they seem regular each year anymore.

Bobolinks and meadowlarks abound as well.  There was even a Western Meadowlark in the area last February!  Another is not too far off this spring.

Grasshopper Sparrows are present too, but I have found them scarce this year.

I needed to be up in that area in any case, as I organized an odonate survey at the Sydenham River Nature Reserve (SRNR) at the urging of the folks at Ontario Nature.

The SRNR is a gem that contains many significant species in a unique landscape.  The current 193 acre property was purchased in 2016 preserving imperiled habitats and species with a 2 km stretch of the Sydenham River.  Some farm fields have now been reverted back to nature.

There is some stunning scenery with very deep gullies.

This year, there are plans to raise funds to expand the SRNR by 100 acres off the end of Buttonwood Drive.  It is an incredible opportunity that must succeed.  Here is a link to  some information:

https://ontarionature.org/give/macsorley/

Also, there was a webinar this past Tuesday on the SRNR and the campaign to raise funds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeysdKpnVeU

Today, a party of five, including myself did the first extensive odonate survey on the property.  There are some uncommon species and we did get one target species.  Unfortunately it was overcast most of the day, even though the forecast called for sun ALL week (what is new?).  That kept some odes at bay, but we did fairly well.  More on that in the next post once I get totals finalized!

Rusty Snaketail

It is also an incredible place to find mussels.  I found this shell which is a Purple Wartyback.  It is one of the "vulnerable" ones.

Stay tuned....!