20-APR-2014
White-throated Sparrow
A beautiful clear shot of a white-throated sparrow, taken by Robert near the Ash Woods feeder. These birds are just flocking into our area now and their distinctive song can be heard all over the region. We actually had a couple of these guys overwintering at the garden (2013/2014) as has occurred in other recent winters. This one is in fine fresh breeding plumage.
20-APR-2014
Greenbottle fly
Robert photographed this shiny green fly in the old field area. It looks like a Lucilia species, one of the blow flies that develops in carrion.
21 April 2014
Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
Wood frogs were calling on this warm day at the FWG. Although they usually hide among the cattails causing everyone to look around for the "quacking ducks," today several were right out in open water, floating on the surface - prossibly soaking up some heat from the intermittent sun.
12-APR-2014
Winter aconite (Eranthis hymenalis)
Diane photographed these lovely yellow blossoms in the Backyard Garden portion of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. David planted these non-natives several years ago and tells us that " Early season insects, (bees and flies love it)". So this is another bulb that can be planted as an early food source for insects. David also notes "If you don't want it to spread pick off the seed heads and mark it so that routine cultivation around other plants does not move it."
17-APR-2014
Winter firefly (Ellychnia corrusca)
The earliest of our fireflies to be seen, it can sometimes be found on warm winter days, but generally I've seen it in very early spring rather than in mid-winter. I've been looking for them for several weeks, at different locations, and the first I've found this season, was at the FWG, on an ash tree.
17-APR-2014
Lichens
Walking through the ash woods at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, it is hard to ignore the accumulations of bark strips at the foot of each ash tree. This is the work of the hairy woodpecker, seeking the larvae of emerald ash borers, and anything else it can find. The woodpecker work doesn't kill the tree, but the ash borers do. Many of the strips of bark were lichen covered and, I thought, very pretty.
17-APR-2014
Red squirrel nest in old blue post
Some of you may have seen, or seen photos on previous FWG blogs, of a long pale blue post, hollow in the centre, placed high up in one of the conifers in the ash woods. None of us know who put it there, but we reckoned it was for something to nest in. The other day, I found it on the ground, split in two, so I guess it must have fallen and broken on hitting the ground. Inside, and scattered next to it, were the remains of a red squirrel nest. So, something was using it.
17-APR-2014
American kestrels
After a long absence, the kestrels returned to the Fletcher Wildlife Garden last year, and again this spring, right on schedule.
17-APR-2014
Meadow vole nest
Each spring, when the snow melts, tunnels and nests of voles are revealed. Although we are largely unaware of their existence, especially in winter, they are active under the snow all winter long. This clump of grass is actually a warm nest, and it is surrounded by myriad tunnels (just out of the image). This year must have seen a bumper crop of voles, so to speak, because anywhere I've been where open grassy areas occur, I've seen countless tunnels and nests. Thousands and thousands. The owls, hawks and foxes, as well as coyotes, must have been well fed this winter.
12-APR-2014
Crocuses
A beautiful cluster of crocuses at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Many bees use the pollen of these early blooming flowers.
12-APR-2014
Snowdrop
Another lovely photo by Diane, of one of the first flowers to bloom in spring. This is not a native plant. It is a cultivated species but like the crocuses, it also attracts early emerging insects with its pollen.
12-APR-2014
Chewed bark
Diane was at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden after much of the snow had melted and noticed that some trees had been chewed at the base. Rabbits and voles are the primary mammals who do this, both seeking food, the voles under the snow, the rabbits above.
06-APR-2014
Northern cardinal, male
A beautiful male cardinal caught in lovely sunlight, by Robert. The cardinals are very active around the garden right now, singing, calling, in every part of the FWG.
06-APR-2014
Downy woodpecker, female
Beautifully lit photo of the little downy woodpecker, by Robert. These are far more common in the garden than the larger hairy woodpecker, but the hairy's work is more visible in recent years (check out the ash trees!).
06-APR-2014
Mourning dove
A male house finch is flying in to the feeder where a mourning dove has staked out his spot.
09-APR-2014
Song sparrow
Against the brilliant blue sky of a cold morning, this song sparrow was one of many found at FWG this morning.
09-APR-2014
Brown-headed cowbird, male
Amongst the blackbirds streaming into the area, are these cowbirds. Common grackles and the ubiquitous red-winged blackbirds are the other common species, but look also for rusty blackbirds.
09-APR-2014
American goldfinch, male
The goldfinches are back in their lovely fresh summer plumage. A number of them were feeding on birch catkins at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden this morning, some of the last remaining natural food sources.
07-APR-2014
The amphibian pond in early spring
A very nice photo by Robert. You can see the water in the pond is now open in part, but it still looks more like winter than spring! Although it may seem hard to believe, in a few more weeks we should see red-winged blackbirds staking out territory in those dead cattails, a preferred nesting site.
02-APR-2014
Mallard, female
This was taken in early April, when snow still lay deep and the pond was frozen, save for a small open area near shore. This female mallard was not bothered by the ice, and in fact, you can see large gatherings of mallards roosting on ice in various locations around Ottawa.
07-APR-2014
Stream through ravine
Robert's photograph shows the ever diminishing snow and the widening stream which meanders through the ravine from the pond, ending up eventually in the Rideau Canal. Mallards have tried nesting here in the past, when water was plentiful, and a mallard pair were around a few days ago, so who knows!
02-APR-2014
Mallard, male
The pond is beginning to open up a bit at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, and this mallard and his mate, were swimming amidst the chunks of ice, looking rather content! A second mallard pair were in the ravine just below the pond.
02-APR-2014
Mallard pair
The small stream that runs out of the pond and into the ravine is flowing freely now, and a pair of mallards were taking advantage of the shallow water.
02-APR-2014
Song sparrow
When I stepped out of the car at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, the first thing I heard was the very welcome sound of the red-winged blackbird, the first I've heard or seen this year. In 2012, these birds were back on March 7, and last year, in mid-March.
Also found today, a singing northern shrike, probably stopping over briefly before carrying on northward. Other birds included many song sparrows, another recent arrival. I saw about 14 altogether. Other birds included a number of cardinals, juncos, crows, chickadees, american goldfinches, american robins, mallards, starlings, and flying over, canada geese and ring-billed gulls, both also recently returned (within the last few weeks). A visitor to the garden reported an American woodcock. We've occasionally seen these in the ravine, but I suspect they occur, in migration, more commonly than we realize, but they are excellent at remaining hidden.
02-APR-2014
Bottlebrush grass
A very attractive native grass, being grown for the Fletcher Wildlife Garden's annual native plant sale (this year, June 7 at the garden).
02-APR-2014
Grey squirrel
Squirrels were busily feeding on spilled seed under both of the feeders at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, and because it is now getting a bit mucky where the snow is melting, this one had muddy hands, feet and face!
02-APR-2014
European starlings
There were several small flocks of starlings around the garden today. They particularly like the big red barn, which is not, strictly speaking, on the FWG site, but is immediately adjacent to it. Here, the starlings find many nesting places, and clearly they were in the nesting mood today. The temperatures have warmed up a bit and spring is definitely in the air.
02-APR-2014
Red squirrel with cone
Photographed in the Ash Woods area of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Almost every conifer in this section of the woods has piles of cone scales, and only a very few cones. All the ones stored last autumn have been mostly consumed by now. This squirrel was very busy with this norway spruce cone and paid no attention to my presence at all.
02-APR-2014
Red squirrel snow tunnel
All over the Fletcher Wildlife Garden in winter, these snow tunnels can be seen. This one was especially noticeable because of the abundance of food items left around it. On top are some sumac cone remnants, a husk of a walnut just below, and to the left and out of the photo, a pile of discarded walnuts.
02-APR-2014
Red squirrel
This red squirrel was very involved with getting sap to flow from the manitoba maples. You can just see some of the sap flowing in the photo. In addition to the sumac and walnuts shown in the last photo, the squirrels eat a lot of manitoba maple seeds, and when they've been consumed, and the warmer days appear, they 'tap' for sweet sap.
02-APR-2014
Walnuts
Near one of the roosting boxes used by red squirrels for denning and nesting, there is always a pile of food items, usually at this time of year, just the remnants. All along the branches the squirrel has stuck bits of sumac in crevices and cracks and balanced walnuts on branches, as here.
