Driving around April 18, 2020

On April 18, 2020, shortly after breakfast my dad and I decided to go drive around and see what we could find. We were going to drive around first at a swamp, not too far from Guelph Lake where there are Sora, Virginia Rail, Least & American Bittern, Common Gallinule and Swamp Sparrows.

When we were driving around we heard lots of Swamp Sparrows and I got my first picture of one for the year. We saw some waterfowl, including American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, two Green-winged Teal, some Mallards, Canada Geese, lots of Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, two Brown-headed Cowbirds, a pair of Ospreys but not much else, and so we moved on to a different spot.

Swamp Sparrow- Guelph, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 9:55AM

Northern Shoveler- Guelph, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 9:59AM

Our second spot was at Guelph Lake, Kaine Hill Drive. 

When we were going up the hill towards the lake, we heard a bird song that we assumed was a Chipping Sparrow at first, but it seemed less mechanical and more musical. We started thinking it might be a Pine Warbler. We did some pishing and about ten seconds later we saw a Pine Warbler swoop down in front of us and we got some amazing views of it.

Pine Warbler- Guelph, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 10:14AM

            

 

After we made our way to the top of the hill we did not see much except a singing Winter Wren, about thirty-five Ring-billed Gulls, a few Loons and not much else, so we moved on to our next place.

The next spot was the bridge across Guelph Lake. We slowly drove across it and saw six Tree Swallows, three Common Mergansers and two Belted Kingfishers diving into the water catching small fish.

Our fourth spot was at the bridge in the Grand River, closest to the dam. We parked at the side of the road and walked the rest of the way to the bridge. The first thought that came into my mind was "Wow!" Across the bridge flying around was about three hundred or more Tree Swallows!

 Swallows- Bellwood, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 10:48AM

They were all here because a big batch of a type of insect or insects where emerging and taking flight out of the water, probably Mayflies though I might be wrong; and the Tree Swallows gathered here to feast on them, helping themselves to the thousands of insects taking flight. You could see that the insects kept on moving around, because one second a giant group of Swallows would be flying up river and the next second they would take a sharp turn to the right following the insects, which to me is very cool!

Other than the Tree Swallows there was a Cardinal hanging around in the bush, one Barn Swallow mixed in the group that we could see (which was a year bird for dad and I), an Osprey flying over at one time, a pair of Green-winged Teal, a few Song Sparrows singing away, some Wood Ducks and Mallards.

Next we went beyond the dam, though still close to the Grand River. My dad drove slowly down the road. We saw a Great Blue Heron flying and our fourth Osprey of the day overhead. Then we stopped at the side of the road, where on the other side beyond the fence was a pond where my dad had once seen a Greater-white Fronted Goose, so we slowed down and checked it.

Unfortunately there was no Greater-white Fronted Goose this time, but there was an American Kestrel flying around catching insects. It would catch an insect, then go back and perch on the fence line with its catch, then flew off for another round.

    

American Kestrel- Bellwood, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 11:10AM

After a few minutes we turned the car back on and made one last trip to another spot before we would head home.

On the way there we detoured around Douglas Park and found the second Pine Warbler of the day, bathing in a puddle. I got even better views of it than I did of the first Pine Warbler that morning. 

Pine Warbler- Belwood, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 11:23AM

The last place we went to was a spot at Belwood Lake. Last year a lot of water dried up leaving a muddy spot where you could walk to the island and along the beach, and it provided a lot of shorebirds, like Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, lots and lots of Killdeer and even once a Curlew Sandpiper was found not to far down the river.

Of course there were no Shorebirds except maybe a Killdeer, because there wasn't enough mud and spring migration was just starting. We did look for some Tiger Beetles but didn't find any, though a Ruby-crowned Kinglet was perched at a spot for a minute or so, singing away, and it provided excellent views and pictures. 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet- Bellwood, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 11:54AM

On the way home we passed some fields where we flushed a few Horned Larks from the ditches and sent them into the field as were passing by.

Horned Lark- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 12:13PM

No one was at the house when get got there. My dad messaged my mom and she replied that she was at the back with my brother and sister playing there. We decided to make lunch, put it in a cooler and have it out back. We had wraps and a few hotdogs, and also brought wood for a fire. 

We made a nice fire out back and had our delicious lunch! 

After that we walked around a bit and found a caterpillar, a small insect, two species of Water Beetles and an Eastern Newt.

Grousewinged Backskimmer- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 4:15PM

Acilius semisulcatus- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 4:12PM

Butterflies or Moths- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 4:35PM

Ampedus nigricollis- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18 2020, at 4:30PM

Eastern Newt- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18, at 4:22PM

After getting our photos we went back to the house to find a Muskrat standing on two of its feet looking at us!

Muskrat- Guelph Eramosa, Wellington, Ontario- April 18, at 7:03PM

Rare Eramosa Property 1

On April 11, after my dad and I went on a walk, my dad, brother & sister and I decided to do a quick survey at the "rare Eramosa property 1" after breakfast. Rare Eramosa property 1 is a new trail near us. Last year, the people who owned the property starting doing bio-blitzes there.  I went there for the first time with my family. My Uncle Matt and cousin Willy also came. We came back this year in the spring and my dad (and sometimes me) go there to complete surveys

When we got there the sky was clear and you could hear the beautiful song of the Song Sparrow. Down by the field my dad spotted some boards in the grass so we lifted them up checking for snakes or insects and we found three ground beetles but nothing else.

Anisodactylus- Rare Eramosa property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 11:00AM

Green Pubescent Ground Beetle on the right and the picture above and Chlaenius Tricolor on the left- Rare Eramosa 
property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 11:00AM

Chlaenius Tricolor- Rare Eramosa property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 11:00AM

Then we made our way into the forest where there was lichens growing on some of the few rocks. There were also some hoof funguses growing on trees and other types of fungies. When we came to a small clearing with a stream we jumped across and saw a small group of Golden-crowned Kinglets that I managed to get a photo of.

Golden-crowned Kinglet- Rare Eramosa property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 11:10AM

Then there was a bit more forest and you could hear a Northern Cardinal in a circle of cedars. We walked along the edge of the field while looking at the robins swooping down to find some food. We looked and listened for anything strange.

When we got to the other side of the field, we saw a group of turkeys running or flying into the forest.

Then we walked along the edge of the forest and found a group of birds, including some Black-capped Chickadees, two Brown Creepers, a few Dark-eyed Juncoes, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a few Blue jays and a bunch of Robins in the field beside us. Then we walked  down the pathway towards the river.

American Robin- Rare Eramosa property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 11:20AM

When we got to the bottom of the hill we had to go on one side of the trail to prevent us from getting a soaker in the deep puddles. Once we started getting near the river we started hearing a noise that sounded like a thump. It would start out as a slow rhyme then slowly getting fatter, then it would stop, returning a minute later

Can you guess what it was??  None other than a Ruffed Grouse doing his display!

Male Ruffed Grouses will find a log they like and then they start hitting it with its tail, producing a sound that sound like heart beat. There must have been three or four of them!

Then we went down to the river where we flushed some mallards and saw a pair of Canada Geese swimming down the river. We decided to have a break and snack on a few goldfishes under a big cedar next to the river, and after the snack dad I went to see how far we could get. When we were walking along the edge of the trail we saw a Belted Kingfisher flying down the river, then we kept going but it got a lot harder and muckier so we decided to turn back.

When we were going up the big hill again I spotted something between the roots of a tree and when a got a closer look at it a realized it was a Leopard Slug!

Leopard Slug- Rare Eramosa property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 12:40AM

When we got back to the car we checked the boards while two Song Sparrows were flitting around. We found no snakes again or cool insects, so we jumped in the car and headed home.

Son Sparrow- Rare Eramosa property 1, Wellington, Ontario, April 11, 2020, 1:22PM

Salamanders, Salamanders and more Salamanders

On April 7th, 2020 my dad and I had a plan to go Salamander hunting in the evening (not the violent kind).  We were going to go to the county of Halton Hills. This would be mine and my brother Jackson's third time seeing them and my little sister Eloise's first time.

Of course in a crazy time like this (Covid 19 pandemic) we made a plan that if anyone was there we would go home, but, if there was no one there we would stay. We headed out at 7:30PM.

It looked like it was perfect weather with a nice amount of rain falling and some thick mist that would keep the Salamanders moist for the trip to the creek to mate. When we were getting close to the place we crossed our fingers that no one would be there.

Luck was on our side because when we got there no one was there, or it could have been the fact that it was pouring rain.  It was 8:50PM when we got there, and we decided to wait for the rain and lightning to pass.

The first Spotted Salamander we found was when we got to the rocky and leafy part of the trail and in same spot we found another one.  On the other side of the trail there was a Unisexual Mole Salamander. Then when I got my camera out to take some pictures of the Salamanders it said on the screen "No Memory Card Present" then I just remembered that I had left my memory card back home. I told my dad this news and he said I could have his for a bit. So I used his memory card to take some photos. Thanks Dad!

Unisexual Mole Salamander- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:10PM

Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:10PM

 The rain was still falling a bit so I got some pictures with rain drops on it.

Then after that we got to the the board walk and started seeing more Salamanders! I took better pictures since the rain was not falling a bit, and all the Salamanders we were seeing was great!

Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:30PM

Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:30PM

When we got down on the board walk we spotted an Eastern Newt. You could also hear thousands and thousands of Spring Peepers!

When we were going to the boardwalk towards a small creek my sister (that was having a blast) said "Frog!! I found a frog!" so we quickly hurried over and saw that she found a nice looking Spring Peeper!

Spring Peeper-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:30PM

If you sometimes have trouble telling the difference between the Spring Peeper and Chorus Frog (Western or Boreal), just ook at the back and if you see a pattern that looks like an X that means it is a Spring Peeper and the Chorus Frogs have lines not in the shape of a X.

Spring Peeper-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:30PM

After that we got to the creek and we were amazed by what we saw!

Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:40PM

There was about fifty or sixty of them in that small spot and it was spectacular!

Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:40PM

Then we went on and got some more good photos

  Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:50PM

 Spotted Salamander-- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:50PM

    We saw another Unisexual Mole Salamander but this time you could see faint blue spots.

Unisexual Mole Salamander- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 9:40PM

It is  sometimes very hard to tell Unisexual Mole Salamanders and Jefferson Salamanders apart. Unisexual Mole Salamanders are a cross between a Blue-spotted Salamander and a Jefferson Salamander and adult Unisexual Mole Salamanders look a lot like normal Jefferson Salamanders.  Since they inter-breed a lot there is more often a Unisexual Mole Salamanders than real Jefferson Salamanders and the only way to make a full ID is do get a DNA sample.

Then we turned back and got on the board walk and were going to head home but we spotted another Eastern Newt and stopped to look at it. When we were looking the newt I glanced around hoping to find one of the Spring Peepers out of the many we were hearing. I looked around and sure enough I found one.


I searched at another spot and found one again but neither of those times did I get a good photo of one.

Spring Peeper- Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 10:10PM

When I was done taking pictures of the Spring Peepers I headed back to my family and then when I got there my dad and I saw a Spotted Salamander with orange spots on it's head.

Spotted Salamander (orange spots on head) - Halton Hills, Ontario, April 7, 2020 10:10PM

Then it was time to go. We got to the car, put hand sanitizer on and hit the road.