Rondeau and Erieau

On the family day holiday, my husband and I drove over to Rondeau Provincial Park. What a beautiful, sunny day!

We headed to Tulip Tree trail with hopes of seeing a pileated woodpecker.  The pileated stayed hidden, but we did see tufted titmouse, white breasted nuthatch, black capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, and red bellied woodpecker.  The titmice were very vocal, both calling and singing! The Essential Field Guide Companion (1) tells me that titmice sing year-round. They search tree trunks for insect larvae, and are able to open seeds and acorns by holding them with their feet and whacking them with their bill! I just bought this book (Essential Field Guide Companion by Pete Dunne) and it is great to learn more about the birds we're seeing.

Tulip Tree trail is short (1.4km) and much of it on boardwalks over a low-lying forest. Perhaps this will be a good place for prothonotary warblers in a few months?

tulip tree samaras

We saw several tulip trees (Liliodendron tulipifera) both from the visitor centre parking lot and along the (appropriately named) Tulip Tree trail. These tulip-shaped structures remaining on the tree are the fruit, known as samaras.  The tree will flower in June, but the flowers can be difficult to see because the tree is so tall. It is the tallest of the Carolinian tree species found in our area (2).

This red-bellied woodpecker appeared to be foraging around on the ground.  We just started birdwatching in May, and this behaviour was new to us.  

Red-bellied woodpecker

We took a walk through the campground area where we heard a blue jay that seemed to be quietly singing a finch's song!  We also happened upon several dark eyed juncos and 3 yellow-rumped warblers.

Rondeau campground

After leaving Rondeau, we drove over to Erieau and scanned the marina where we saw hundreds of American Coots.  I find them fun to watch with their laughing call and their distinctive white bills!

American Coots

A wonderful day!

References:


(1) Dunne, P. (2006). Pete Dunne's essential field guide companion: a comprehensive resource for identifying North American birds. New York. Houghton Mifflin.


(2) Waldron, G. (2003). Trees of the carolinian forest: a guide to species, their ecology and uses. Ontario. Boston Mills Press.

Petite Cote Conservation Area

This conservation area is indeed, "petite" (at least the part of it available for exploration)!  There is a nice, new boardwalk and an observation tour.  The area appears to be a monoculture of phragmites.

This downy woodpecker was busy making his way through the phragmites. He would work his way up the stem, around, and back down before flying off to a new stem.  I love the way woodpeckers use their tail for stabilization as they feed!
















Kory and I had a great day exploring the county.  We saw 10 great blue herons and a great egret in River Canard, house finches were singing, and song sparrow flew into the phragmites. Even though we haven't had much of a winter, it feels to me like spring is just around the corner!

Canard Valley Conservation Area

Today, I ventured out with the Naturalized Habitat Network for a hike through the Canard Valley Conservation Area.  This winter has been quite mild so far, and it was a muddy hike!

Kentucky Coffeetree grow in this woods, but I'm not very familiar with this tree and we didn't identify any on this hike. The Nature Conservancy website tells me that the area is home to a hybrid trout lily - definitely a place to revisit in a few months' time.

Ironwood - Ostrya virginiana

I learned this tree as the ironwood, so named as it is a dense wood.  It is also known as hop-hornbeam for the hop-like fruits.  This tree prefers well-drained soils and will tolerate shade.  The nuts provide nourishment for finches, downy woodpeckers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks 1.

"hops" of the hop-hornbean tree

Ironwood (right) with possible swamp white oak

This ironwood is growing in close association with what might be a swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). The leaf of the swamp white oak has more shallow lobes than that of the burr oak.

swamp white oak leaf

Down in the floodplain area, the Dan Bissonnette pointed out a bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia). These pods contain small seeds and they rattle in the wind.

Bladdernut

Bitternut hickory

These buds are from the Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis).  Another name for this tree is the sulphurbud hickory, in reference to the bright yellow buds 1.  The bitternut nuts are apparently indeed bitter, and wildlife will eat them only as a last resort.  Also note my new handmade mittens, hehe :)

Prickly Ash

Here are the bright red buds of the prickly ash (Xanthoxylum americanum).  Although this shrub is listed as an "Ontario weed", I planted it in my own garden last year... It is indeed prickly and has a tendency to form thickets - but, it is also food for the caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail butterfly.

This conservation area is also home to a hawthorn thicket (Crataegus spp.).  While not much to look at now, this thicket may be good bird habitat in a few months.  The thorns provide protection, while the fruit is food for cedar waxwings and robins 2.

And in case you didn't know, poison ivy means business here in Canada's banana belt...

poison ivy vine

References:
1. Waldron, G. (2003). Trees of the carolinian forest: a guide to species, their ecology and uses. Ontario. Boston Mills Press.


2. Blouin, G. (2004). Weeds of the woods: small trees and shrubs of the eastern forest. Halifax, NS. Nimbus Publishing Limited.