Above photo: Some of the original residents of the town of Burwash
On Sunday Sudbury photographers Ray Thoms and Ivo Lacle came down to check out butterflies etc in the Britt neighbourhood. (Click on their links to see some excellent camera and processing work. You also might want to check out “Making Pictures” up there in the header block.)
Part 1 shows what was seen along Hwy 529, this Part 2 shows what was seen at the former Burwash Industrial Farm.
Near the entrance these Ebony Jewelwings were seen mating in the little creek that runs though a road culvert:
Three females are depositing eggs in underwater vegetation while two males hover overhead:
At Neilly Lake, Ivo used his computer to send Loon calls from a bird app. This Common Loon was attracted and seemed curious about the source of the calls.
It even put on its territorial display for our cameras.
After 10 minutes or so, they lost interest and paddled away to resume their fishing activities…
The European Skippers were skipping about in the abandoned Timothy hayfields (see Remarks here ) and nectaring on a variety of flowers, including this Ox Eye Daisy:
Perhaps a Shield beetle?
This dragonfly hanging onto a grass stem along the shore of Neilly Lake looks like a Black Meadowhawk ….
Honeysuckle berries are ripening. Since these are cultivars, they may be edible, but I’m not going to try them! …
The lack of a second chestnut coloured band across it breast indicates that this is a male Belted Kingfisher posing for the camera — a very rare event with these skittish birds.
Lots of European Skippers were nectaring on Dianthus, ( AKA Pink, Sweet William)
Lots of Day Lilies remain at the former townsite …
This male Bobolink is resting (I would want to rest also after flying up from Central South America. See Cool Facts in the link) on a fence post in the open area …
This Savannah Sparrow doesn’t need as much rest. It just came up from the Southern States to spend the summer with us.
I cannot ID this slender birdie. Can you?
EDIT: Mystery solved. Click on the second image in the Photo Gallery at this Audubon Site. Scroll down that page to see the effects of Climate Change on the migration of these Threatened Species.
In 2013 the Ontario Government published a Recovery Strategy for Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlarks. It is worthwhile sifting through it for gems of information about these two Species At Risk.
This youthful American Kestrel was guarding the entrance to the site. It might have hatched in the Kestrel box on a telephone pole near the former townsite.
This is a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth … much bigger than the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. Its forelegs are also pale coloured compared with the Snowberry’s black forelegs.
Spotted Knapweed, an attractive but nasty invasive species….
Pearly Everlasting are starting to bloom…. beauties! And useful:
“The American Lady Butterfly uses pearly everlasting as a host plant for its young. In general, the damage is minimal and the plant fully recovers, although there are exceptions. The flowers are magnets for pollinators such as butterflies and bees, while the plant is said to repel some insects that gardeners may consider bothersome.”
A good time was had by all. We’ll be looking forward to Ray’s and Ivo’s posts of their photos at their 500px websites:
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