In July, 2014 I was graciously invited to stay at my friend Isabel's cottage for a weekend. It is situated on one of Ontario's many lakes close to several birding hotspots. We spent much of our time observing birds in these habitats, swimming, savouring cake pops, and playing board games.
One morning, Isabel and I woke up grudging early to explore a vast marsh known for excellent bird diversity, and it proved to be very productive. The park was crawling with fifty species of birds! The highlights were fourteen Sandhill Cranes flying over as well as nesting Black Terns.
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| Black Terns are very gregarious birds. They breed in loose colonies on mudflats and dive for small fish in nearby ponds. On occasion, when roosting and migrating, this species can gather in flocks of tens of thousands of individuals. |
Odonata were also plentiful - this gave me many opportunities to test my bug-identification knowledge. Some new species for me were Eastern Forktail, Orange Bluet, Twelve-spotted Skimmer, and Widow Skimmer.
Isabel and I were soon back at the cottage to go searching for the nest of a suspected Green Heron breeding pair. We ended up discovering an unoccupied nest in an evergreen with eggshell fragments underneath it - but no sign of chicks! We still have to collect more evidence to solve this curious mystery.
As well, Isabel and I made a visit to Carden Alvar, a world-renown expanse of rare grassland habitat, which is home to numerous prairie specialties. It was my first time coming to the alvar, and I immediately fell in love with it. Wilson's Snipe, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrikes, and bluebirds are only a few of the birds that we observed - it is truly a birder's paradise!
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| Carden Alvar |
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| Eastern Pheobe |
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| Above is a House Wren carrying a twig for its nest. |
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| Savannah Sparow |
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| Wilson's Snipe |
Best of all, my favourite part of my stay at Isabel's cottage was witnessing the nesting success of a key threatened species in Ontario: the Red-headed Woodpecker. It is an elegant bird dressed in a vivid combination of red, white, and black. Isabel had already found the Red-headed Woodpecker's nest, which was in a cavity of a dead tree. I had the marvellous chance to watch it feed its young, and Isabel reports now that all of the young have grown up! It was such a pleasure to see this success now that the Red-headed Woodpecker is in the midst of a serious decline. I encourage you all to read more about this species at risk through this link: http://www.ontarionature.org/onnature/redheaded.html
I had a lot of fun at Isabel's cottage this weekend, and I am thankful that she shared the wonders of her area with me!
