Bob's for the Birds -- April 2023

Submitted April 15

Last weekend, we had a barred owl hooting over on Green Mountain.  And robins (still 100% snow coverage of wooded areas).  The usual chickadees, many juncos, nuthatches, and several song sparrows.

This week, a duck flying around Green Mountain, many warblers along the shoreline (shorelines are still iced up) of Presqu'Ile and Woods Bay, which usually open up first.

No geese yet.  Turkey tracks on Anne Est, as well as the occasional deer track.  The raccoons are up and about.  Lots of squirrels, but no chipmunks yet.

And, of course, the occasional GOLDEN EAGLE ( nope, just kidding!)

Full ice coverage, but wet spots everywhere.

- Bob Gaudreau

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On the other side of the lake, things have been hopping all winter long. Deer, grouse, turkey, bunny and fox tracks. Also, about a month ago, a fox moving gracefully down the middle of the snow-covered lake, headed away from the Island. 

The feeder was emptied daily by an army of chickadees, hairy and downy woodpeckers, jays, white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches. Occasional visitors included evening grosbeaks and redpolls. With the coming of warmer weather, purple finches have put in an appearance, as have juncos and one mourning dove. There was a morning when the forest rang with the wittering of warblers--an unmistakable and wonderful sound. Red squirrels have been cleaning up under the feeder all winter, and a very slender chipmunk put in an appearance recently. Raccoons are evident from thumps in the night (the feeder is brought in every evening, so it didn't score). The groundhog has emerged to the dog's hysterical delight. Geese are coming over almost every morning, but there is not yet enough open water for them to stay.

During a winter walk, I had the pleasure of meeting a male three-toed (or possibly a black-backed) woodpecker at eye level, hammering away at a rotting tree. It was remarkably unfazed as I looked on. The males of both these woodpeckers are distinguished by a yellow crown spot, unlike the hairy or downy whose crown spot is red. Both the three-toed and black-backed woodpeckers are rare or uncommon, so it was an honour to meet and observe one.

Last week, during a glorious run of 20C days, our deck was visited by a Polygonia comma or eastern comma butterfly. I asked Dr. Google for information about "butterfly looks like bark" and was rewarded with the identification. Apparently, this little guy overwinters tucked into crevices in tree bark then comes out and creates a first round of caterpillars that become butterflies that have a second round of egg-laying that eventually produces the butterflies that overwinter. They feed on nettles and rotting fruit and have been observed over-indulging and becoming intoxicated. They are incredibly fast flyers, a fact to which I can attest.

I'm sorry I couldn't capture an image of this lovely creature with its wings spread. The dorsal surface is a deep orange with black spots.

Ice is withdrawing from the edges of the lake. It won't be long now!