Another Butterfly Count, Another Dukes' and Miscellaneous

 Friday I toured around locally.  I was going to go for a walk at Mitchell's Bay, but it was raining in that area, so I headed back north!

Along the way, I saw a few Sandhill Cranes, ever so common anymore.

I went for a short walk at Reid again.  Broad-winged Skippers and a Dukes' were in the sedges as usual.

Dukes'

A couple of Royal River Cruisers were working the trail.  One decided to stop and hang around.

The walk at Peers Wetland revealed a Bronze Copper, not often seen there.

Saturday I went to south Chatham-Kent and checked out Keith McLean C. L., then Blenheim lagoons.

Nothing of note has been at McLean's this year other than the Lark Sparrow.  There is not much in the way of shorebird habitat either.  Lots of Marsh Wrens chattering in the reeds!

There is very good potential for a good heron type though!  Stay tuned...

The lagoons held lots of shorebirds.  I did a thorough search, but could not find anything of note, not even a Baird's Sandpiper.

Solitary Sandpiper

Today was the annual Clear Creek butterfly count.  Thankfully the weather forecast was wrong again, and it was a nice sunny day, albeit rather hot and humid.  We had a crazy amount of rain (again!) overnight.

I worked the Clear Creek nature reserve area with the Pye brothers as we do every year.  Cabbage Whites were in big numbers this year.  We had a good variety of other things, but in low numbers.  Some things like anglewings were virtually absent.  Monarchs were in pretty good numbers too.

Most of a Viceroy!

Red-spotted Purple

We found a total of eight Broad-winged Skippers, which was a good number.

Near the end of the quarry walk, another similar skipper flushed up.  Turned out to be a Dukes' Skipper!  This is a new location as far as I know for the species.

We also walked the Bury Cemetery trail where Northern Pearly-eyes were in good numbers.  No other "browns" though.

View beyond the cemetery

At lunch time, were checked out Clearville Park along the lake.  I am always interested in the little creek loop where the land goes to a point.

We also checked out the beach where Clear Creek flows out.  The creek was not flowing though due to build-up of sand.

Of course I kept an eye out for other things.  There were lots of odonates at the old quarry, but I did not spend much time looking.  Comet Darner should still be flying, but I did not see one.

Bluets included Double-striped.  These are uncommon tiny bluets that are difficult to photograph.  There were a number of them present.

I did not see any cicadas but there were some Cicada Killer Wasps buzzing around.

In the old pond at the back of the quarry, a Green Heron was preening.

Headed home early afternoon....

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

Travels This Week: Insects and Other Things

 Monday was a clear day as I headed to the Strathroy area.  I walked the conservation area within the town.  It was a bit early in the day for insects, however it was a place I wanted to walk.

Quite a few Appalachian Browns were flying, which appeared to be the most numerous butterfly.

 

This bluet was all too familiar along the river.

A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers is nesting in the area.

Next stop was the sewage lagoon, where I walked around the north pond.

Common Gallinules nest in the south pond, and one was visible.

There were not as many insects as I had hoped, but a few Widow Skimmers were flying.

Since Shetland was on the way home, I made a quick stop at the boat launch where we can find a good variety of odonates, among other things.  There was not much flying, as has been the case in most locations this season.

Stream Bluets were the more numerous damsel.

Dancers included Violet, Blue-tipped and a single Powdered.  Too early in the season for the rarities.

Just before getting home, I stopped by Reid Conservation Lands, but not surprisingly there were no hairstreaks.

Tuesday, I was fairly close to home, checking out some local areas and listing for the bird atlas.  I found a family of Pied-billed Grebes at Stewart Wetland.

I made another stop at Reid for a longer walk.  A female Slaty Skimmer posed nicely at one point.

Wednesday I was fairly busy with various things, but later in the morning I ventured over to Wardsville Woods.  It was rather dismal for odonates, but early on I found this pair of Cobra Clubtails in the wheel position.  This was the best I could do for photos.

This unit stuck together, but then flew off out of sight!

At the pond, there was very little activity, but this Rainbow Bluet was nice to see.

I had hoped for Double-striped Bluets, but I have not come across any yet this year.

Violet Dancer is here as well.

There were a few Twelve-spotted Skimmers around the pond.

Very few butterflies....

Northern Pearly-eye

At home, another Slaty Skimmer stopped by.  Not often I see them at home.

Today, I had to go somewhere for a long walk, and Rondeau's marsh trail was the best option for a sunny morning.

Nothing special appeared though!

Swamp Spreadwing

American Lady

Hobomok Skipper

Eastern Bluebird

Tule Bluet

Later on, I came across this fairly large Eastern Foxsnake.

While down that way, I decided to go to Clear Creek and check out the quarry.  Upon arrival, the clouds had rolled in and a sudden unscheduled rain came in.  As a result, my visit was cut very short.  There was not much flying anyway.  A familiar sign this season.

I did catch a photo of a Westfall's Slender Bluet.  I had no time to look closely though as the rain came down very suddenly.

Better days ahead....as long as the weather co-operates!