This past Saturday I went on a Lambton Wildlife outing for a tour on a property along Kimball Road. It was a pleasant afternoon, so it was a good time for all.
The property owner gave us a tour of the grounds, starting with tree identification. It was quite educational for all.
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| acorn caps of Swamp White Oak (note long stem) |
After that, we went into the woodlot for a little tour of more tree identifications and observing the process of sap collection.
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| Observing a White Oak |
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| Bitternut Hickory in the woods |
The evaporator was in operation with the sweet smell of sap wafting through the woods
Just by coincidence, last week I bought a couple of books to read. One book which came out last year, is about the history of maple syrup in Canada.
Friday I went to Rondeau Park and area. Still not much happening with everything mostly frozen, and not many migrants.
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| Chickadee checking out a campground post |
A walk at Erieau's marsh trail revealed a few birds, including a surprise in the form of a Gray Catbird. There had been one wintering there, but it was not seen since early January. It looked quite healthy and active, and certainly too fast for the camera!
Sunday I went to Point Pelee. It was almost a waste of time since there were very few birds and everything was just still too frozen!
Of course, there have been a few trips out to the St. Clair River. There are a lot of Ring-necked Ducks this winter along the river. I have not been able to find any of those hybrids recently, though.
Today, was a cool but beautiful day along the river. Lots of ducks close in today, but still nothing of note.
The only bright spot was a male Wood Duck!
Not much at the backyard feeders recently, but the Fox Sparrow is a daily visitor. Looks like it is going to successfully make the winter!
Locally, I went for a walk at Peers Wetland the other day--the first time since December. Two pairs of Mute Swans are already on the ice waiting for open water. 😞
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| Looking South |
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| Looking North |
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