Author: Richard Lee

Golden eagle

It was a great day for birdwatching at Hawk Cliff (Elgin County) above Lake Erie. We saw eight golden eagles, a comparable number of bald eagles, numerous red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, coopers hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, harriers, merlins and kestrels.  We also saw twenty-seven tundra swans, eastern bluebirds, cedar waxwings, golden-crowned kinglets and a single loon. Later in the day and further east, we encountered about 100 sandhill cranes and another sixty tundra swans.

Tundra swans

 

Yesterday was a wonderful day for wandering, with sun and unseasonably warm temperatures. The leaves have been late in turning this year, the migration of birds is later than normal, but there are many signs of the changing seasons.  

(Find the goldfinch amongst the spruce cones!)

I always wondered why the above butterfly is called a question mark, and why a very similar butterfly is called a comma.

I was looking through butterfly photos I had taken recently when it hit me. The underside of this beautiful butterfly is brown and drab.  However here are two small white markings on the underside that can be construed as a question mark.  On the other butterfly, there is only the longer white marking, and thus it is called a comma.  (I verified this on line!)

Can you see the question mark?

 

 

 

Golden crowned kinglet, trapped in net, in order to facilitate banding.

The Long Point Bird Observatory on Lake Erie is the oldest bird observatory in the Western Hemisphere, and has over its history,  more than one million birds have been banded. It is now an important site for radio tracking of birds in association with Bird Studies Canada and with several universities. The observatory has contributed significantly to the study of birds and our understanding of migration as well as to the health of bird populations in North America. It is situated in Norfolk County, Ontario which has reported more than 400 species of bird. As many migrating species pass through Long Point, it is an excellent location for birding in the Spring and Fall.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Herring gull, on a very windy and wavy day at Long Point.

Over the past ten days we have been touring Oregon with friends and visiting family. It is a beautiful state and there is so much to see in the way of ocean, mountains, and wildlife!

One of the most amazing sites seen was the descent of nearly 11000 Vaux’s swifts, down an abandoned chimney at Chapman School, in Portland!

Today I went out to the Sloughs again, with my friend Gene Stinson.  It was a hot and humid day, and we did not see the birds we were hoping for. However, there was still a lot to see in the way of insects, flowers and frogs. Overall, a very good day!

It has been five years since I was in Henderson in September.  A quick trip to “The Sloughs” was in order.  Many summer flowers, butterflies and birds…………and insects! The noise of the insects in the Sloughs on a summer afternoon is incredible!  Here are a few photos from Sunday.

 

The fall migration of birds is well underway. Additionally there are butterflies and moths, late summer blossoms and the first trees are starting to change colour. All in all, a beautiful time of year to be outdoors!

 

White-faced meadow hawk dragonfly

Ruby-throated hummingbird on jewel weed

Chestnut-sided warbler

Cedar waxwing

Thistle

Bald eagle – juvenile

Swainson’s thrush

Orange sulphur on wild aster

Blackpoll warbler

Pokeweed (toxic)

Painted lady on wild aster

Today is the fourth annual “World Shorebirds Day”. This week, counts are underway globally, taken while shorebirds are in migration. Many of the species we encounter in Southern Canada and in the Continental USA are only seen during migration, as they summer in northern latitudes. Shorebird populations are down for more than 50% of shorebird species. Loss of habitat is a major concern, particularly along migration routes. The following photograph was taken yesterday at the West Perth Wetlands (Ontario) and shows from left to right: a stilt sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs and greater yellowlegs.

One of my favourite ducks to photograph is the wood duck.  Generally, wood ducks are found in deep ponds in heavy forest, and I find they are very skittish, taking flight quickly when they perceive a threat.  As a result, they are challenging to photograph. Last week, however, I was fortunate to encounter a male wood duck, in “eclipse” plumage, amongst a group of mallards near the shore of Lake Ontario, by the Lasalle Marina in Burlington. I have no idea what he was doing there, but he provided an excellent opportunity for photographs. I had also encountered a solo male wood duck at this same location, amongst mallards, in May. I don’t know if it was the same bird.  (For more duck photographs, see the Gallery entitled Ducks.)

In the late summer, I enjoy getting out to photograph butterflies. This morning, I was hoping to do that, but last night the temperature in the area dropped to less than 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), so there were no butterflies moving about.  I did however manage to photograph monarch caterpillars at the University of Guelph Arboretum.  They too, are beautiful!

The monarch butterfly shown below, was photographed at the West Perth Wetlands, earlier this week (when it was quite a bit warmer!).

(For more butterflies, see the Gallery entitled Butterflies.)

The escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and mistreatment in captivity are just some of the threats to both African and Asian elephants. Working towards better protection for wild elephants, improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, conserving elephant habitats, better treatment for captive elephants and, when appropriate, reintroducing captive elephants into natural, protected sanctuaries are the goals that numerous elephant conservation organizations are focusing on around the world.

World Elephant Day  (today) asks you to experience elephants in non-exploitive and sustainable environments where elephants can thrive under care and protection.

Photo taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa, 2007.