Freshwater Clams

From November 10, 2008

Let me begin this post by stating that I am NOT in the habit of "collecting" artifacts from conservation areas, but knowing Fred's interest in molluscs, and wanting to find out more about these freshwater clams, made this exception. There was a cold wind blowing, and I didn't have my measuring tape with me, or I probably would have just photographed these clam shells onsite.

I was walking my dog at the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, at the south end of the dam/reservoir, and noticed some clam shells. I poked along the dam and found a few that seemed to be exceptionally large. I have found these clamshells in other locations, but none that I recall being quite this size. The smallest measures about 3 1/2 inches long, the largest just a hair under 6 inches, with a circumference of just under 8 inches.

Red squirrel

Red squirrels are quite common in our area, take a walk in the woods in any direction and you soon have one chattering, chirping and scolding at your passage. Trying to get a good photograph, however, is a bit of a challenge. Their jerky quick movements and habit of getting behind branches and brush make it difficult to get a clear shot. Yesterday I finally came across one sitting on the rocks, enjoying her snack of pine cones. You can often find piles of chewed up cones, but rarely catch a red squirrel in the act of actually eating one.

Bunchberry: Blooming in September

This morning I led a field trip for the Kingston Field Naturalists at the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area just north of Kingston, in search of fungi. We found several species of mushrooms, boletes, and bracket fungi, a list of which I'll be compiling later. Other species of note: a wood frog, leopard frog, heard peepers and treefrogs, heard a catbird calling, saw a viceroy butterfly, and got chattered at by chickadees and scolded by bluejays. Two of us in the group of 6 participants thought we heard a grouse drumming, but couldn't be 100% certain. One interesting thing of note: we found a patch of bunchberries with 3 of the plants in full bloom.

Dragonflies

One of the things I enjoy photographing in late summer and early fall are dew-covered insects. I found these 2 dragonflies on the weeds down beside the lake in mid-September.

Fathead loon

I took to calling one of our resident loons "Fathead", it was a large squat loon with a wide head, and sat hunched like a bulldog most of the time. It's nearly impossible to tell loons apart, but Fathead stands out in a crowd, as you can see in this picture. Fathead is the one in the middle. Even when "sitting up", when next to another loon you can see that the neck and head is just a bit broader than the other birds. It was also an aggressive bird, the moment I'd pull off the shore with my canoe or kayak, Fathead could be a half mile away, literally, and would immediately start making a beeline towards me, and start squawking when it got near. It also seemed to enjoy sneaking up behind me, get within 10 feet, and start yodelling. One should not be startled like that early in the morning when one is sitting in a smll watercraft. The good side to this behaviour, however, was that the bird was often close and gave me good opportunities for photography.

Lightning

You'd think with this summer of rain and storms at night that I'd get plenty of opportunity to practise what I've learned with long exposures and get a few shots of lightning. No such luck. The spectacular flashes that I used to watch from the window just haven't appeared this year, it's as if the fates are laughing at me and directing the storms around me, out of range of my lens. Last night we had a couple little storms pass over, I managed to catch one measly little sparkler.

Loon Chase

Seems kind of late in the year for loons to be chasing each other, but these two were at it August 17th. Looking at time stamp on my camera, start to finish of photographing them, that was 15 minutes, and the chase started at least 2 minutes before I got down to the dock. If I had known it would last so long I would have hopped into my canoe and paddled out a bit further for some better pictures, this shot is about the best of the lot.

Downy Yellow Violets

A discussion on the nature list reminded me to check on how the seed pods of our downy yellow violets were progressing.

Wasp for i.d.

Bruce sent me this picture of a wasp he had found.

Galls for I.D.

#1. Galls on a maple leaf.

#2. Galls on a basswood leaf.

#3. Galls on an ash leaf.

#4 "Scabby-looking" galls on a maple leaf.

Jumping Spider

This orange jumping spider was sitting on my shoe while I was sitting and talking with some people, and refused to be flicked off. Chelsea's Law: If it won't bugger off, take a picture. So...I got the camera and photographed him (her, it). I've looked through the nearctic database for spiders, looks like it might Phiddipus whitmani.

White flower/bastard toadflax

I see this flower every summer, grows in open areas in the woods, usually where blueberries grow.

June 24 Update:

Looks like this one may be bastard toadflax. Thanks to folks on the Eastern Ontario Natural History list-serve for help with this one.

Bio Blitz spider/Orb weaver

I thought the pattern on the back of this one was interesting, looks like the face of some animal.

June 24 Update: Got this one narrowed down to orb weaver, Araneidae, Neoscona. Thanks go to my favourite spiderman, David, in New Mexico, an arachnologist who I met online in of all places, a watercolour painting group.

White blob protozoan/ possibly Lycogala flavofuscum

Some strange blob-like fungi hanging from a sugar maple tree. The largest blob was about 2.5 inches long, they were hard and smooth to the touch.

UPDATE June 22, 2008

I went back to re-examine the blob, and took some more pictures. It has progressed to feeling like a dry leathery skin, now dimpling when touched, and it's "poofing" out light-gray spores.

June 24, 2008

Thanks to Chris who sent the query out to his "network" word has come back that this may be

a slime mould, Lycogala flavofuscum. (*Since I don't know how folks feel about their full names being mentioned on blogs, I sent out my thankyous by email.) This has been another little "discovery" episode, and I'll be keeping eyes peeled for more unusual fungi in the future. Now to find me someone who's had practise with these Latin names so I can hear a pronunciation.

June 25 update: One more note, this is a PROTOZOAN, not a fungus. Just one more thing to rattle my amateur brain.

Snapping Turtle

While driving past my favourite roadside pond yesterday afternoon, I slowed to check out the logs on which painted turtles usually line up to bask. There were no painted turtles, just one big honkin' snapping turtle.

Snowshoe hare in transition

Yesterday was a brutally hot day, the thermometer in the shade read 80F. The ponds were screaming with spring peepers and wood frogs, birds were chasing each other in fights over territories, and one big bunny was hopping about.

Snipe

Thursday, April 10, I took a drive out to Amherst Island. Along the backroads I spotted this snipe sitting atop a signpost.

Along the shoreline, I also got close enough to this songsparrow to get a shot.

Great Gray Owl

Recently a great gray owl was spotted in our area, thanks to some of my birding friends, I was informed of its location. I went looking for it Thursday morning, and thankfully the person keeping me informed was also looking for the bird, without his help I would not have spotted it in a tree way down a farm fencerow. As we were admiring the owl, it took off and flew to a tree at the side of road near to us, eventually moved to other trees also nearby, and I managed to get some good pictures of it.

Eagles

Today was a nice sunny day, just above freezing, so we decided to take a walk out to the cottage. The snow is still deep, but with the recent thaw/refreeze it is crusted so hard that we can easily walk right over top. While we were at the lake I heard the red-shouldered hawk calling, he was circling over the pines and telling the world of his return. There was also one robin hopping about in the melted areas along the rockwalls, picking about for a meal. On the drive home I spotted a pair of bald eagles sitting in the trees of a narrow valley, and managed to get some pictures.

The wonderful thing about digital raw files is the ability to blow them up. In spite of the size of the birds and a 300mm lens, they were far enough away to make it difficult to get a good shot.

Sparrow

Spotted this sparrow at Little Cat yesterday, Feb. 23, 2008. Turns out to be a song sparrow, not many seen during winter in our area.

Red-breasted nuthatch

1. Down at the local park there are flocks of chickadees that have become tame enough to take sunflower seeds from peoples' hands. This winter a red-breasted nutchatch has joined them, and has come to me several times over my visits this past month to pluck seeds from my hand. 'Tis difficult to hold a camera and catch a decent picture of these nimble little birds, but I managed to get this shot.