Explorations of an Ecologist: 2018 (Part 2)

May

As usual May flew by for me and I was able to get out and about on most days. I made it down to Point Pelee for every weekend (and managed to make most of them long weekends). While there weren't any "mega" finds at Point Pelee this spring, it is always fun catching up with friends and birding from before dawn to after dusk each day. Probably the most memorable Pelee bird for me was the Black-billed Magpie that delighted many a birder during the middle part of the month. Spending a weekend there with Laura and my parents was one of the year's highlights for me and is a tradition I hope we can continue for many years.

Locally in Niagara I managed to go birding most days that I was around and it paid off with a few great finds. A male Cerulean Warbler at Morgan's Point was extremely cooperative, singing away at eye-level. Topping that was a male Bell's Vireo, the second record for Niagara, that I found at Port Weller on May 10. It was extremely skulky but eventually I managed to sight the bird and take some record photos. Several others were able to catch up with the bird later that day as well.

Towards the end of the month I focused on searching for a few butterfly species that I had never encountered before. A few hours between work surveys at Sandy Lake Road in Peterborough County was highly productive, with sightings of Brown Elfin, Hoary Elfin, Henry's Elfin and Eastern Pine Elfin.

White-eyed Vireo - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Scarlet Tanager - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Raccoon - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Hooded Warbler - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Eastern Gartersnake - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Sedge Wren - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Baltimore Oriole - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Black-billed Magpie - Point Pelee National Park, Essex County

Northern Parula - Port Weller, Niagara Region

Cerulean Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

Bell's Vireo - Port Weller, Niagara Region

Eastern Cottontail - Port Weller, Niagara Region

Magnolia Warbler - Port Weller, Niagara Region

Double-crested Cormorants - Port Weller, Niagara Region

Cedar Waxwing - Port Weller, Niagara Region

Eastern Whip-poor-will - Bronte Harbour, Halton Region

Laura with an Eastern Milksnake - near Port Colborne, Niagara Region

Henry's Elfin - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Brant - Oakville, Halton Region

Clay-colored Sparrow - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara Region

June and July

This year I had no extended work trips to northern Ontario but I was no less busy. I worked most days during the month, criss-crossing the province to complete bird surveys, but I managed to incorporate lots of birding, herping, butterflying, mammaling and even tiger beetling on the side.

The biggest highlight was finally encountering my first Wood Turtles, Northern Dusky Salamanders and Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamanders with a friend, which completed my Ontario reptile and amphibian list. It had been a long time coming and had been a goal of mine for many years.

Butterflies in particular also became a priority of mine during the year. June and July were quite successful in that regard as I saw a number of species for the first time - Chryxus and Macoun's Arctic, Columbine Duskywing, Aphrodite Fritillary, Mulberry Wing, Black Dash and Striped Hairstreak.

For the most part birding took a backseat for me during the summer, other than the surveys for work, of course. I twitched a Snowy Egret in Fort Erie, found a Great Gray Owl on a study site near North Bay, and enjoyed the boreal species during a brief trip to Kenora.

As the summer progressed I really began taking an interest in botany as well. I have a long way to go before I consider myself a competent botanist but I made good headway in 2018 and am excited to continue this in 2019.

Wood Turtle - Ontario

Northern Dusky Salamander - Niagara River, Niagara Region

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander - Niagara River, Niagara Region

Northern Dusky Salamander - Niagara River, Niagara Region

Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Arctic Skipper - Scanlon Creek Conservation Area, Simcoe County

Chryxus Arctic - near North Bay, Nipissing District

Northern Two-lined Salamander - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Mink Frog - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Twin-spotted Spiketail - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Macoun's Arctic - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

American Bittern - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing Park

Marsh Blue Violet - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Eastern Milksnake - Muskoka District

Indian Skipper - Muskoka District

Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Queenston, Niagara Region

Mink Frog - Luther Marsh, Dufferin County

Watermilfoil Leafcutter Moth - Luther Marsh, Dufferin County

Snowy Egret - Fort Erie, Niagara Region

Blue-fronted Dancer - Mohawk Lake, Brantford, Brant County

American Goldfinch - Scanlon Creek Conservation Area, Simcoe County

Grasshopper Sparrow - Brechin, Simcoe County

Columbine Duskywing - Brechin, Simcoe County

Halloween Pennant - Brechin, Simcoe County

Aphrodite Fritillary - Brechin, Simcoe County

Goldenrod Crab Spider - Brechin, Simcoe County

Eastern Kingbird - Brechin, Simcoe County

Baltimore Checkerspot - Turner Tract, Halton Region

Mulberry Wing - Fletcher Creek Ecological Preserve, Wellington County

Striped Hairstreak - Wainfleet Bog, Niagara Region

Eremnophila aureonotata - Norfolk County

Smooth Greensnake - Norfolk County

Spoon-leaved Sundew - North Bay, Nipissing District

Monarch - North Bay, Nipissing District

Silver-bordered Fritillary - North Bay, Nipissing District

August

August was an exciting month in the Ontario birding community with several rarities out and about. The ones I chased included a Little Blue Heron in Oxford County, several Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, a cooperative adult Long-tailed Jaeger at Confederation Park in Hamilton, a Swallow-tailed Kite in Simcoe County, and the province's first ever Reddish Egret in Oliphant, Bruce County - a great find by Alfred Raab and Kiah Jasper.

Other highlights during the month included an excellent weekend at the Bruce Peninsula and Muskoka District with several friends, a few family camping weekends at Port Burwell and Turkey Point, and regular forays to Port Weller and other places in my "local patch".