Weekend Walks In Nature

 As this wacky weather continues (and yes, east winds!), I did some different things this weekend.  On Saturday, CK Nature (formerly Sydenham Field Naturalists) held a walk at Wallaceburg Sycamore Woods.

This 11 acre site is a gem of essentially old growth forest on the southwest edge of Wallaceburg.  It was never logged, but the property was once used for cattle grazing at one point.

In 2006 it was saved after the original family sold the property to a local farmer who was going to clear the woods.  The farmer offered it to a buyer that could come up with the required money.  The municipality and Sydenham Field Naturalists came through.  It was a one of a kind natural setting that had to be preserved at any cost.

It is called Wallaceburg Sycamore Woods  since there are a number of Sycamore trees (some quite large) within.

There are also some very large oaks, including Shumard.  One can get a sense of the size from this photo!  Shumard is quite uncommon in this neck of the woods.

There are other species, including Swamp White Oak.  This one is the largest, probably at least 150 years old.

Note the "balding" at the base, which is a sign of old growth.

And of course, American Beech, Black Cherry, ashes and others.

Even "Soft" Maple.  This one at the entrance is very old.  It could be Freeman's Maple, which is a hybrid of Silver and Red.

The weather was less than ideal with a stiff cold east wind, but we made the best of it under the able leadership of Larry Cornelis with one group and another led by Tom Chatterton.

There were some birds, including warblers, but the highlight was a family of Great Horned Owls.  Two young were huddled high in a tree, as momma was harassed by crows nearby.

Wallaceburg Sycamore Woods is a nature reserve that is land-locked with no real public access.  That is a good thing!  From time to time, special tours are held.

Saturday's was in celebration of Wallaceburg's 150th anniversary, where a number of event are going to be held this year.

Today, under similar weather conditions (must be the weekend!), Ontario Nature put on an event at the Sydenham River Nature Reserve near Alvinston.  The reserve it not really open to the public, but there are ways to get in.  Special events or surveys are held throughout the year, and one can join in.

View of a portion of the Sydenham

A large number of people attended today's event, where several groups were led on different themes.

The Sydenham River winds through SRNR for about 2 km, and likely the most ecologically rich river in North America.

There are some impressive deep gullies that drain into the river.

I would have liked to join in all of the groups, but I joined the birding group.  We did manage find a number of birds under gloomy skies. I am sure there would have been more if the weather had been warm and sunny!

I tallied 29 species, including some migrants such as Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Black-and-white Warbler, Palm Warbler, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, as well as Lincoln's Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows.

Palm Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

The trusty Blue-winged Warbler was in his usual area putting on a show for our group.  Without fail, this one is at its spot each time I am on the property!

A Yellow-throated Vireo was a nice find as it sang its hoarse song.  This one will likely nest here.

One cannot fail to notice the Virginia Bluebells here, which are quite abundant at SRNR.  This is a stunning plant that is in bloom in early May.

Although the weather could have been better, it was an interesting weekend.