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

Canada Day Novelty

 A treat came to many birders as they woke up on July 1, when a Lark Bunting was reported at the pasture on Stefina Line.  The eBird list was posted late Monday evening, so most birders did not know about it until the next morning.

I headed out early and met Steve Charbonneau at the site along Stefina Line.  We soon heard the unique song of the Lark Bunting, then spotted the bird atop a shrub.  It was some distance away, but easily seen.  Appears to be an after hatch year male.

Neat to see its aerial display.

It was a must-see bird as most of us had not seen one in Chatham-Kent, if not elsewhere in the province.  I had never "chased" after one, so it was a long-overdue lifer for me!

Going by eBird records, there have only been two others in the county.  One (female) in May 2015 at Rondeau Park seen by only one observer, and one at Tilbury in June 1990.

It was indeed a nice way to start the summer!

As a bonus, two or three Dickcissels were in that pasture as well for the dozens of birders that flocked to the site.

We are now in the midst of fall migration, unfortunate in some respects.  I love this time of year, but the days are progressively getting shorter and autumn will be here before we know it.

Shorebirds are showing up on schedule.  I stopped by Blenheim lagoons on Monday, where there is excellent habitat available.  Birds from the north included nine Lesser Yellowlegs and five Least Sandpipers.

This one had a leg tucked in.

There was an inordinate number of Killdeer as well.

Yesterday after getting my fill of the Lark Bunting, I went back home and got out to do what I originally intended to do that day.

After checking out some spots for birds, I stopped by Reid Conservation Lands.  It was disappointing in the insect department, as there were no hairstreaks and very few odes.  I am certain that unseasonably cold month of May killed off a lot of things!

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Appalachian Browns are doing well though, as I saw over twenty in my short visit.

There were lots of mosquitoes though, and they certainly loved all the excessive rain we had in the last month.

Today, I toured around trying to add data for the bird atlas, as we are getting near the end of the data-gathering period.  Difficult to add anything new.  The dickcissels are still singing up near Holt and Baseline, but I did not see any evidence of females.....yet.

I stopped by McKeough and Reid for walks, but very few butterflies and dragonflies.  Indeed it is a bad year for them.  Mosquitoes were even worse today!  Nothing to photograph, so that tells you something.

These are from Sunday, as Common Wood Nymphs are now out.

We are long way from Halloween, but this pennant was warming up in the sun.