Thames Talbot Trust Tree Tour

 Yesterday afternoon I joined in another Thames Talbot Land Trust outing.  This one was to Sitler Woods in the Skunk's Misery complex.  Sitler Woods was acquired in 2019, securing a significant piece (20 hectares) of rich woodland.  There is a great diversity of species including plants, trees and birds.  Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded Warbler are quite reliable here each year.

Some plants include American Chestnut, Spicebush, Maple-leaved Viburnum, Buttonbush, Wingstem, Sessile-leaved Bellwort, Poke Milkweed and Cancer-root.

The tour lasted over two hours and was ably led by Donald Craig, retired forester of St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.  The theme of the outing was forest health, and various aspects of that were discussed and observed.

The property was previously owned by the Sitler family who used it for hunting and a nature retreat.  The remains of the old shack can be seen.

Donald pointed out that there are five species of dogwood on the property.  Some of those included are Alternate, Round-leaved and Flowering.  Flowering Dogwood is quite plentiful on the property.

flowering dogwood

I did not have much opportunity to take photos (or proper ones), so perhaps next year I can visit the site for a closer look.

The property has a good variety of trees.  Perhaps one of the more siginificant is American Chestnut, which as we know, was almost wiped out mainly from chestnut blight a long time ago.  There are some decent sized trees, and some young ones that can be found.

Lots of Black Cherry are on the site as well.

Black Ash is here too.  Here is a young one.

No big ash trees are left of course, thanks to the Emerald Ash Borer.  Hopefully these young trees will survive and the borer does not make another visit.

I found the tour quite interesting and informative, and look forward to another visit in the future!

Buttonbush swamp

A Special Viewing and A Visit To MeadowWoods

 Not much to report since my last post since the weather has been unco-operative.  Way too much rain!  The ground is so saturated, there is no place for the water to go in some places.

Back in September, when I was on my little trip, I got word of a hummingbird coming to a feeder in south Chatham-Kent.  Not our usual resident, but a Rufous!  Every year I go on my week off, something of note turns up in Chatham-Kent, and this year was no exception.  Luckily this one stayed.

Word was not widespread due to location, which was not suitable to large crowds.  Unfortunate, but that happens from time to time.  On Friday September 24, I had the opportunity to view the bird.  We saw it immediately upon arrival!

It was an aggressive creature, not letting any Ruby-throated take advantage of the nectar feeders.

Appreciation certainly goes to the homeowner who graciously allowed some visitors to view the bird.  And to Steve Charbonneau for letting us know and arranging for us to see the hummingbird.

Location is rather private, so no public access.

This was only my second Rufous Hummingbird in Ontario.  My first one was in Kingsville on December 1 many years ago.  I was lucky that day, as I was one of the last birders to see the bird.  It was not seen after that date!

This past Sunday, I attended an official event for one of Thames Talbot Land Trust's newest properties.  It was at MeadowWoods, along Gray Line in Elgin County.  Unfortunately, the weather was horrible, but at least the program was under a tent.

I saw many familiar faces, and it was nice to chat with some of them.

There were guided tours after the ceremony, but I did not stay due to the rain and mucky terrain.  I was highly disappointed, as once again the weather did not co-operate.  This is really getting too common!

The property is over 100 acres, some of it woodland, and former farmland which has quickly turned to natural vegetation.  Several ponds have been created to enhance wildlife and plants.

It was purchased by Stan and Anita Caveney of London as a conservation project.  They generously donated the property to TTLT last year.  There is no public access, but tours are arranged from time to time.

Several rare species have been recorded on the property, including odes such as Spatterdock Darner and Comet Darner.

Comet Darner

The area has an interesting history as well, as past settlers utilized the land.  Perhaps in the future I can get a tour of the property when the weather gets its act together!

The Thames Talbot Land Trust has preserved many properties over the years, and is certainly a top-notch organization in my opinion.  While at the ceremony, I picked up a copy of the new booklet that covers the history of the TTLT.

Rondeau Birds to Beryl Ivey Woods

This morning I headed down to Rondeau Park to see what was around.  There was a good number of birds, but most were kinglets.  Yellow-rumped Warblers dominated the warbler scene as expected, but a few others were mixed in.  More sparrows were in as well.
I saw at least 4 each of Orange-crowned and Tennessee Warblers.  These birds were quite active in the shrubbery, so it was impossible to get any decent photos.
Lots of Blue-headed Vireos were around, and a single White-eyed Vireo was a highlight.  It too was skulky!

A few Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue were also seen.  Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were numerous.

The lake was not too active today, with most gulls farther out.

After Rondeau I headed over to Skunk's Misery.  Today was the official opening of the Beryl Ivey Woods along Trillium Road.  The property was acquired by Thames Talbot Land Trust (TTLT).

It will be a "closed" property, with no official public access.  That is great as it is another piece of property preserved for nature in the area.

We had a short tour of some of the woods looking at a variety of plants and trees.  Stan Caveney led our group with an informative walk.  The property does stretch from Trillium up to Centreville Drive, so it is quite extensive.
There is apparently a rare orchid that was found in the past in the north part of the property--one of the key reasons for saving this piece of Carolinian forest.
There was a good turnout of people to this event today. I met several familiar faces.

The TTLT has acquired several properties over the years, including the nearby Wardsville Woods which I visit frequently in the summer.  Last year they saved the woods at Hawk Cliff.  More properties will be acquired in the future.
See the TTLT website:
http://www.thamestalbotlandtrust.ca/

Blenheim Waders to Mosa Hills Butterflies

Another tour of sorts today for you blog addicts.  With the fine showing of shorebirds at Blenheim yesterday, I started there first thing.  Not quite as many birds present today, and a few took off as I arrived.  However, all the same species were present plus a Black-bellied Plover and a Wilson's Snipe.

I find it a lot of fun to sort through all these birds.

Looked around Erieau too.  Some gulls and terns were at the pier, including about 75 Caspian Terns. (Two flew over the lagoons earlier as well).  Along the R/R track trail, the only notable passerine was a Northern Waterthrush.  A single Black-bellied Plover was in the small onion field (only onion planting this year!).  It looked suspiciously like the one I saw earlier at the lagoons before it took off south.

Next stop was Ridgetown, as it was on the way to the afternoon destination. A Wilson's Snipe was the only new bird there.
After an early lunch, I headed down to Clear Creek an walked around the old gravel pit across from the forest. Potential for insects there.

Calico Pennant

Wood Nymph (saw lots today!)

The main activity for today was an outing at Wardsville by the Thames Talbot Land Trust (TTT) at the old Mosa Hills golfcourse.  It was a small, more natural golf course that was never really successful.  It was recently purchased by the TTT and has now gone natural.  The focus of the outing was butterflies, led by Pete Chapman and Ann White with some ID assistance by myself.



It was quite enjoyable and the participants learned a bit about butterflies.  Giant Swallowtails were common as were Common Ringlets.

Nothing unusual was found, but a good variety was seen.

several spangled frits today

Tawny-edged Skipper