Monday it was up to north Lambton for me.
To kill time early in the day, I stopped by the old Blackwell Landfill at Sarnia. Of interest, this little weasel was in the parking lot carrying breakfast when I got back from my walk!
I wanted to look for duskywings or whatever else popped up later in the morning. It was early when I arrived, so checked out the Heritage Forest at Port Franks.
The forest is a large tract of land that is interesting to look for breeding birds. I had already checked out the L-Lake area a few days ago, but this day I checked out the larger portion on the other side of Mud Creek.
I took no photos (not much opportunity!), but Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded Warblers are numerous here. I found multiples of each.
There are other warblers that breed here, but oddly I did not come across a Cerulean as I often do.
By the time I was done here, I moved a short distance over to the Karner Blue Sanctuary where one can find lots of duskywings. It was a bit sparse though, for them.
I did see the Juvenal's, Sleepy, Wild Indigo and possibly Columbine. My photos revealed several Sleepy, but I did not get on any Dreamy with the camera...apparently!
Sleepy and Dreamy are quite similar, so sometimes difficult to differentiate if one does not get a good look.
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| Worn Sleepy |
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| perhaps Wild Indigo? |
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| another Sleeper |
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| Juvenal's |
I met up with a friend and we walked around. He mentioned that the injured Ferruginous Hawk from Cedar Springs (early May) had been released after rehab a couple of days previous. It was fitted with a radio collar.
Interestingly today, a Ferruginous Hawk was sighted at Erieau late this afternoon and we suspect it is the same bird!
Yesterday I went down to Rondeau Park and walked out south beach. It can be interesting this time of year with shorebirds and gulls. However, it was rather disappointing! There were lots of common little shorebirds of various types, but practically no gulls. Where are the gulls and terns we usually see this time year? Perhaps yet to come. I was hoping to see Red Knots.
There were still lots of warblers, etc. along the south point trail (west). However, they were difficult to spot in the treetops, especially the ones that were not singing.
After Rondeau, I slid over to the Erieau Marsh trail (aka rail trail) and spent lots of time. A number of warblers were working the area, including a Connecticut Warbler that was found previously.
It took some time before I heard it singing, and we eventually managed good looks at it. Of course, I was not quick enough with the camera when it popped out in plain view. Later, I only got this embarrassing photo!
A Least Bittern made an appearance off the viewing stand at one point.
Also of interest was a Fox Snake along the trail.
Today, I stuck closer to home and checked out Reid CA for breeding birds. The wind picked up while I was there, and it was stiff out of the north all day. I used the opportunity in the afternoon to do some yard work!
After Reid, I went up to Moore WMA to check for mussels since my quick visit the other day was not satisfactory. With water level a bit lower, I found some included below.
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| Pink Heelsplitter |
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| Paper Pondshell |
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| Fragile Papershell |
The visit a couple days ago on the way home from north Lambton revealed the largest White Heelsplitter I have ever seen. Must have been an oldtimer! The shell was perhaps 20 cm.
It is an interesting time of year, so some rare birds are in the midst.
