2021 Part 2: April and May

April

April has always been one of my favourite months of the year. Spring arrives for good, unlike in March where it can't seem to make up its mind. Though some April days are cold and bird migration only happens in fits and starts, the wildflowers bursting through the leaf litter and the creaking calls of Western Chorus Frogs soothe the soul after a long winter. April 2021 was a bit of a rollercoaster due to some family health issues, but spending many hours in nature always helps me during more difficult times. 

As April progressed, so did the moth diversity and I ventured out to Short Hills and other local natural areas on numerous occasions. A crisp Luna Moth on April 28th seemed exceptionally early, one of the earliest records for the province. 

Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the birds of April. During mid-April a Little Blue Heron was discovered by Matthew and Reuben Klassen in Fort Erie, a big time rarity for Niagara representing the fourth county record. Other birds that I caught up with included a Western Grebe in Oakville, a California Gull in Brantford and a Cerulean Warbler that spent some time at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton. Laura and I also twitched the leading candidate for Bird Of The Year - a Yellow-browed Warbler that was discovered by Pat Hare in Mississauga. Yellow-browed Warbler is an Asian species that is found each year as a vagrant in Europe. It had never been recorded in Ontario before; in fact, there are only a couple of other records for mainland North America. 

Northern Ribbonsnake - Waterloo Region, Ontario

The Joker (Feralia jocosa) - St. John's Conservation Area, Niagara, Ontario

Tawny Eupithecia Moth (Eupithecia ravocostaliata) - St. John's Conservation Area, Niagara, Ontario

Reddish Speckled Dart (Cerastis tenebrifera) - St. John's Conservation Area, Niagara, Ontario

American Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus americanus) - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Glischrochilus fasciatus - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Bicolored Woodgrain Moth (Morrisonia evicta) - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Straight-lined Plagodis Moth (Plagodis phlogosaria) - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Luna Moth - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Little Blue Heron - Fort Erie, Niagara, Ontario

Fox Sparrow - Port Weller east pier, Niagara, Ontario

Red-breasted Mergansers - Port Weller east pier, Niagara, Ontario

California Gull - Brantford, Brant, Ontario

Yellow-browed Warbler - Mississauga, Peel, Ontario

May

Forget Christmas, May is the most wonderful time of the year, especially for a birder who loves warblers, tanagers and other Neotropic migrants. For the second year in a row I was unable to visit Point Pelee due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19, but Laura and I made the best of the situation. One side effect of the pandemic was that many people had taken up bird watching and photography and most of the trails that I visited became loaded with others seeking out birds. Don't get me wrong, I think it is fantastic that so many new birders have joined the hobby. But as someone who enjoys birding to get away from the busyness of life, I often found myself checking out other places not frequented by others. I focused most of my birding energy towards sparsely populated Haldimand County. Some highlights from the spring included a flock of Glossy Ibises, several Evening Grosbeaks, all the expected warblers including Golden-winged and Hooded, and a Pacific Loon, the second county record, at Rock Point Provincial Park. 

There were some bird highlights in Niagara as well. A Yellow-headed Blackbird was discovered in Niagara Falls on May 7 and it hung around long enough for me to see it that evening. Laura and I also found a rare-in-spring Baird's Sandpiper in Beamsville on May 24. And, of course, we had a blast birding the Port Weller east pier on numerous occasions even though we never saw a good fallout of migrants. 

The diversity of moths on my nightly excursions dramatically increased as the month progressed. One night in particular - at the Ruigrok Tract - stands out, as I photographed over 80 species including some highly desirable ones (and the mosquitoes hadn't quite emerged en masse yet!). 

Cerulean Warbler - Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, Ontario

Common Grackle - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Carolina Wren - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Hooded Warbler - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Evening Grosbeak - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Brewster's Warbler (Golden-winged x Blue-winged) - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Glossy Ibises - Stromness, Niagara, Ontario

Yellow-headed Blackbird - Niagara Falls, Niagara, Ontario

Wilson's Phalarope - Long Point marshes, Norfolk, Ontario

Yellow Warbler - Port Weller east pier, Niagara, Ontario

Rusty Blackbird - Port Weller east pier, Niagara, Ontario

Short-tailed Weasel (Mustela richardsonii) - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Swamp Sparrow - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Lincoln's Sparrow - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Snowy Egret - Burlington, Halton, Ontario

Olive-sided Flycatcher - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Lesser Black-backed Gull (right) - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand, Ontario

Eastern Milksnake - Haldimand, Ontario

Baird's Sandpiper - Beamsville, Niagara, Ontario

White-dotted Prominent - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Mecaphesa sp. - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Intent Zale Moth (Zale intenta) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Lemon Plagodis Moth (Plagodis serinaria) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Fervid Plagodis Moth (Plagodis fervidaria) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

The Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Green Stink Bug (Chinavia hilaris) - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Light Marathyssa Moth (Marathyssa basalis) - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Meadow Jumping Mouse - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario

Monopis spilotella - Short Hills Provincial Park, Niagara, Ontario 

Pink-shaded Fern Moth (Callopistria mollissima) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Io Moth (Automeris io) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Luna Moth (Actias luna) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Lost Owlet (Ledaea perditalis) - Ruigrok Tract, Haldimand, Ontario

Chinquapin Leafminer Moth (Dyseriocrania griseocapitella) - Pelham, Niagara, Ontario

Three-banded Leafhopper (Erythroneura tricincta) - Pelham, Niagara, Ontario

Harnessed Tiger Moth (Apantesis phalerata) - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario

Eucosma kiscana - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario

Eye-spotted Lady Beetle (Anatis mali) - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario

Common Swift Moth (Korscheltellus lupulina) - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario

Abbott's Sphinx (Sphecodina abbottii) - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario

White-spotted Sable (Arania funebris) - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario

Oregon Cycnia Moth (Cycnia oregonensis) - Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario