Fun on the Bruce

I saw more on the Bruce Peninsula than just wildflowers (see here for the last post), and this post will be a selection of some the interesting finds.

This Semipalmated Plover was incredibly tame, approaching within under 3 metres at one point.

I saw 3 different Ring-necked Snakes over the weekend, including this fairly large one.

One patch of milkweed was covered in these Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar, often with 3 or more on a single leaf.

I noticed this Eastern Ribbon Snake draped over some cattails in a tiny pond. This species is similar to the common Eastern Gartern Snake, but is much more delicate and contrastingly marked overall.

Most of the snakes were tiny neonates like this Ring-necked.

Dekay's Brown Snakes are common in urban habitats, but this individual was under a rock around a beautiful wild lake.

My first White-crowned Sparrows of the fall included both adults with white head stripes and brown-striped first-year birds like this one.

Large numbers of amphibians were crossing road in the National Park on a rainy night including 3 Spotted Salamanders, the first I'd seen since the spring.

New for me were these massive slugs crossing the road in the rain. This species is Limax maximus, and has been introduced from Europe.

The underwing moths are generally large and spectacular, but the White Underwing stands out even from the rest.

I'll end off with a couple of habitat shots. This is the Oliphant Fen, a fascinating habitat like nowhere else I've seen in Ontario.

The Bruce Peninsula is full of wetlands, any of which look excellent for birding and general naturalizing. We had a Great Egret here, one of over 20 for the weekend.