Recent Outings

 April 21, 2021

I have been out birding this past weekend and this week.  The weather was nice but it turned cold...had snow on the ground this morning.  It snowed off and on today.  So far, I've had no luck finding bird migrants.

Here is a short post showing the variety of birds I saw in the woods and at ponds.

Blue Jay

Turkey Vultures

Northern Flickers

I also saw Common Grackles, Robins, Cardinals, Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings, Ospreys, Red-tailed Hawks, Song Sparrows, Killdeers, Canada Geese, Belted Kingfisher, Crows, Mourning Doves, and Mallards.

Ring-necked Ducks

Pied-billed Grebe

Brown-headed Cowbird

Wood Ducks (male and female)

Wood Duck

Downy Woodpecker

Red-winged Blackbird  (female)

Wandering around the Pond

Hyde Park Drainage Pond and Trail, London, Ontario

I went to Hyde Park around 12:30 today.  I stayed for an hour and that's all I can handle with the hot sun (29c, sunny, hot).  There is no shade around the pond.  When I arrived, a Turkey Vulture was circling around.  I didn't see many birds.  Some Song Sparrows, Cardinals, Mourning Doves and one Pied-billed Grebe.  

There were a few species of dragonflies flying around.  Some didn't land.

Widow Skimmer (male)

Northern Crescent

Viceroy

American Goldfinch eating thistle seed

Cabbage White

Pied-billed Grebe

There were plenty of Northern Crescents around.

Northern Crescent

This was a pretty butterfly.  The upper wings are blue...which is seen when the butterfly was flying. I'm thinking this is an Eastern Tailed Blue.

Eastern Tailed Blue

Eastern Tailed Blue

Northern Leopard Frog

Strathroy Lagoons - Butterflies and stuff

Saturday, August 5, 2017 

It was a cool day, partly cloudy and very windy, high of 20.  I've been going to Strathroy Lagoons since 1980. Especially, going August & September for shorebirds and in the fall for ducks. In those days there was usually one pond with a low water level with good mud flats for shorebirds.  
Today the 2 large ponds...the water level was high so no shorebirds to be found.  Both ponds were quiet, too.  I walked around the one pond to the right. The shrubs and vegetation have grown quite high and dense in places. In the 80's it was easy looking around the shore of the ponds with a lot less vegetation.    

Queen Anne's Lace

Jewelweed

Strathroy Lagoons

Common Whitetail

Teasel

Wild Bergamot

Field Bindweed

Bullrush

The butterflies were really flying all over the place because of the wind. I was able to get some photos as a few were able to hang onto a leaf for a minute.  

Viceroy

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Cabbage White

Eastern Forktail

Monarch

Monarch

There were a few Turkey Vultures flying over.  I also saw Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrows, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows and Mourning Dove. In October 1981, with other birders, we saw a Ruff here.

Turkey Vulture

Cabbage White

Viceroy

Viceroy

Milkweed Pods

Red Milkweed Beetle laying eggs? 

Milkweed Pods

Common Whitetail

Bluet Sp

Goldenrod

Turkey Vultures - 2014

London, Ontario

I saw these Turkey Vultures (2) in a dense tree.  I usually see them on poles, high on branches of dead trees in open spaces.  These two were in a dense tree with lots of branches and twigs. This is the first time I've seen them in this situation.  I took these photos from a distance.  It was an overcast day.

They managed to fly out of there!