Hooded Warbler at Ojibway Park

Northern Rough winged Swallows sitting on a ventilation pipe of a new home near South Cameron Woodlot in Windsor. 

I've spent the last two months (April 24-June 24) in transition as I had sold my first house earlier this year, and I've been living at my mother in laws for the last two months --- waiting for my new house to finish being built.  I moved into my new house this week. My new house is nice, it backs up onto a provincially significant forest and wetland in Windsor and the birding from my back yard has been great.  I get to hear Song Sparrows and Indigo Buntings sing all day. I have nesting Rough winged Swallows constantly flying though my back yard. I see Red tailed hawks daily and Coppers Hawk occasionally. Even Chimney Swifts fly overhead with some consistency.

I did the electrical for my new house, so I've been incredibly busy doing that over the last few months but I still make time for birding. Lately, I've made point of butterfly watching around Ojibway Park and today, I took my wife and two boys for a walk at Spring Garden area of Ojibway Park. I quickly noted lots of Little Glassywing butterflies, as well as Banded and Edwards Hairstreaks.

Edward's Hairstreak on Yarrow

Common Ringlet at Lasalle's Radio Tower Fields - Rare for Essex. 

During our walk today though - I noted a warbler singing along the path I was on - It was singing its heart out. I did not even have my binoculars, so I tried to photograph it with my camera and --- was blown away to realize that I was looking at a Hooded Warbler! A Scarlet Tanager was in the same tree - its actually a first for 2015 for me. I managed to even capture video of the Hooded Singing.

Ojibway Park lists the Hooded Warbler as a non breeding bird that migrates through (see http://www.ojibway.ca/birds.htm) but the time of year - late June - hints that it could be nesting here in Windsor at Ojibway Park. A fantastic bird for Windsor Essex in my opinion.





Good birding!

 Dwayne

Early June Butterfly Watching in Windsor

Ventral view of a fresh female Hobomok Skipper as it taps into a wildflower

I've attempted to view and photograph some butterflies this week and just figured I would share some of my sightings. I find I'm still learning so much with regards to identification! While I was photographing these butterflies, I heard Song Sparrows, Field Sparrow, Indigo Buntings and Great crested Flycatchers singing from the surrounding trees!

This week, I've seen:
Black Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail

Hobomok Skippers
Tawny-edged Skippers
Peck's Skippers
Viceroy
Eastern Tailed Blue
Juvenals Duskywing
Duskywing Species
Pearl Cresent
Common wood Nymphs
Cabbage White
Orange/Clouded Sulphur

Black Swallowtail - Note the tiny black "dot" at the very bottom of its wings

Peck's Skipper Nectaring on Red Clover

Dorsal views of a female Hobomok Skipper butterfly - Note how it proceeds to coil its probiscis before taking flight!

Tawny edged and Crossline skippers are similar, but Tawny are smaller and are more common in June. This collage features both a ventral and dorsal view of a Tawny edged Skipper.

I've realized that there is now an e-bird equivalent for butterfly watchers! Its called E-Butterfly and if I'm not mistaken, its based in Ottawa Ontario! I created an account recently but I just don't know if I have time to really log my sightings. 

Good butterfly watching!
Dwaynejava

PS: My birding friends recently participated in a Ballie Birdathon which raises money for Bird Studies Canada. I don't know if I can motivate any of my blog readers to donate but if you are so inclined, please click the link here for the "No rEgrets" team. Kory Renaud, Jeremy Bensette, and Jeremy Hatt have raised over $1000, and I just donated $40 myself.  I read recently that North Americans spend $2 Billion per year on Halloween Candy... Imagine people donated just a fraction of the money they spend on Halloween candy to conservation and research? 

Butterfly Watching at Spring Garden

Butterflies have taken center stage over the last week or two. Finding a Checkered Skipper a few weeks back has really re-ignited my interest in butterflies. Over the last week , I've discovered more Checkered Skippers as well as other great butterflies at the Spring Garden area of Ojibway Park.

Ojibway's Spring Garden area in West Windsor has been reputed as an excellent area to go butterfly watching.  It is excellent because it has great habitat mix: Forest, Grassland, Hills, floodplain, and Turkey Creek which runs through it. Its a pleasure to walk the paths and watch butterflies while hearing distant Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmouse, Belted Kingfisher and more. Recent walks have given good views of:

Checkered Skipper 3
Fiery Skipper 10+
Common Sootywing 4+
Dainty Sulphur 3+
Clouded Sulphur many
Orange Sulphur many
Cabage White many
Juvenals /Wild Indigo Duskywing many
Least Skipper many
Pecks Skipper 2
Grey Hairstreak 1
Black Swallowtail 1
Giant Swallowtail 1
Spicebush Swallowtail 1
Common Buckeye 3
Common Ringlet 1
Variegated Fritillary 2
Crossline Skipper 1

Common Sootywing

Grey Hairstreak

Dainty Sulphur

Fiery Skipper on the 'flames' of a tiny yellow wildflower

Common Ringlet

Least Skipper

Male Peck's Skipper

Spicebush Swallowtail

Good Birding!
Dwaynejava

Not butterflies, but pretty cool!

Chickweed Geometer Moth

Ailanthus Webworm Moth