Halloween Greetings...

Dismal failure...followed by triumph!

News of two Cave Swallows at Cranberry Marsh in Durham got me racing out the door mid afternoon. I knew the journey would be grim but it was a thing I had to do. Subway, Go-train and, finally, an ultra-boring and unexpectedly long trudge though the avian desert that is Ajax got me to the site about two and a half hours later. Is OK, never again! Of course the birds were long gone...AND I missed all the Golden Eagles AND the plegadis Ibis that flew in and landed out of sight (naturally) in the marsh. Great. An overnight stay with friends, including a long, cider-fuelled session at the local "cougar bar" meant I could try again this morning. And...there was indeed a Cave Swallow to be seen! Incredible, though the views were not the best. Couldn't get any video of the bird because it was a trifle too speedy throught the air. I did get some video of a nice Red Fox Sparrow though. Alls well that ends well as they say.

One moth was attracted to a lit window overnight - a Juniper Carpet.

Migrant moths

October is often a good time to search for migrant moths. A small number of species are annual visitors to southern Ontario from further south. Two of the more regular moths are both in the genus spodoptera, the Fall Armyworm Moth (top) and the Yellow-striped Armyworm Moth (lower). Both have rather long and narrow forewings which are variably, though sometimes strikingly, marked and have slightly tufted femur sections on the forelegs. They can be attracted by use of mercury vapour lights and by sugaring. Sugaring is the process of smearing a goopy paste of beer, sugar, molasses and rotten bananas on likely-looking tree trunks. It's amazing just how many moths can be attracted to this foul, though perfectly edible, concoction! I'll go into more detail on another post...something for my faithful readers to really look forward to...

October moths

The month of October is not traditionally known for a great diversity of moths. However, there are some nice-looking creatures on the wing at this time if one puts some effort into it. The three moths shown all belong in the geometer family. Geometers usually have large wings, which they lay flat when at rest, and often have a rather slender thorax and abdomen. They tend to look quite delicate and frequently have a slow and fluttery flight pattern. Often, they can be seen during the daytime in wooded areas.

The top photograph depicts a rather striking moth called the Juniper Carpet. Below that we have the more sombre Autumnal Moth and lastly the big-winged and fragile-looking Linden Looper Moth (aka. Winter Moth). The first two were seen at a site just south of Parry Sound and the last near Bracebridge, Ontario - all in October. The complex patterns on the forewings of these moths ensure they are perfectly camouflaged when at rest during the daytime. Very important when there are masses of hungry birds around!

Mind you, after october it really does slow down in the moth department! What will moth man blog on about then...

Moth of the moth - Melsheimer's Sack-Bearer

This is the first instalment of a new monthly feature where odd and/or unusual moths are put in the spotlight...if you will forgive the pun. I thought I'd kick off with what is surely one of Ontario's oddest and most strangely-named moths - the slightly grotesque-looking Melsheimer's Sack-Bearer - aka. "Old Melly Mel". It is right on the northern edge of its range here in southern Ontario and is extremely local, favouring sandy, oak-barren habitats. We have caught and photographed it on two occasions at one site, both times in late June. There are seemingly very few recent records for Ontario. It is an odd-looking creature what with its pushed-in face, rather corpulent aspect and peppered appearance. It is a strange ghostly-pink colour that is unlike any other moth I know. I am proud to present to you, my faithful readers, the above series of photos depicting this stunning moth in all is glory. Sit back and enjoy the spectacle that is - Melsheimer's Sack-Bearer!

Pink Things...

On this dreary grey morning I thought I liven things up with a few pink moments from the past...this is especially for Mr. Bolder, who has been strangely absent of late.

The top moth is the incomparable Pink Prominent. a super name for a brilliant creature. It is very rare and little known in Ontario, where this one was photographed. We were lucky to have this elusive encounter.

Below that is the aptly named Pink-legged Tiger Moth. It is all white apart from those electric pink (if there can be such a thing) femur sections on the forelegs. It seems to be uncommon in Ontario. At any rate, I've rarely encountered it.

Last but by no means least we have the striking and whacky-looking Pink Streak. Check out those outrageous leg tufts! We have been catching this moth at one location in southern Ontario for three years now, enough to say that it is regular in July at this site. The most we've caught is five. Before this there was just one Ontario record. Moth heroes?

So there you have it...all we can hope for now is a pink sky at the end of this grim day.

Getting desperate...

Whilst out walking in the rain yesterday I noticed an American Idia (see photo) clamped to a tree trunk. Not very interesting but getting a little late for such beasts. No news on the reported Band-tailed Gull as of yet. Am awaiting comment from Mr Gull on this little workshop. Would you like to see more of this sort of thing? This morning I heard a few Golden-crowned Kinglets and the odd chickadee on the way to the school yard.

Gull Identification Workshop No.1 - The Band-tailed Gull

What with the gull season almost upon us and rare gulls being reported left, right and centre...but not, of course, in Toronto, I thought it timely to show a few pix of Band-tailed Gull. This one's for you Mr. Gull! All these videograbs were taken in Northern Chile in July and depict birds sometimes known as "Belcher's Gull". What was once known as Band-tailed Gull is in fact two species with the closely related Olrog's Gull being confined to the atlantic coasts of southern South America.


The first photo shows a first basic individual. Very distinct with mottled coffee-coloured body and wings contrasting with the extensive dark hood and breast and sharply demarcated two-toned bill.




The second through fourth photos show second basic birds in various stages of moult. They look like adult birds but show some old, brown and bleached wing coverts and have a bold black band near the tip of the bill. The extent of the blackish hood is highly variable.


The last two birds are adult or third year birds in mostly alternate plumage. Notice the largely white head, especially on the flying bird and the mostly red bill tip. Note also the total lack of white mirrors on the primary tips in all plumages and the broad black subterminal band on the tail which is obvious in flight. The legs are bright yellow on adult birds. The eye colour is always dark.


This is just a very brief photo overview of the most obvious features of this attractive gull. I would strongly recommend reading the Band-tailed Gull account in the recent "birds of Chile" (Jaramillo, Burke & Beadle) which is superbly illustrated by Peter Burke. Not that I'm trying to push the book or anything! Hope this helps anyone searching for Band-tailed Gulls in SW Ontario!

One for the Rock Head...

I've had a request from one of my faithful readers (no, not old bolder-face) to post an image of a pretty and colourful bird painting. So, always happy to oblige those who ask nicely. This is a nice bird isn't it. It's a Mindanao Wattled Broadbill from the island of (rather predictably) Mindanao in the Philippines. It's very rare and amazingly wasn't perched atop a boulder, stone or even a pile of gravel. Anyway, it was so nice I thought it deserved a painting.

Nothing else to report since the weather is grim beyond belief out there...

Chickadee invasion?

Out and about this morning doing this and that I couldn't fail to notice that there were Black-capped Chickadees all over the place. Not huge numbers but enough to suggest that something is going on. Maybe they will drag a few of their boreal cousins down with them...

Otherwise pretty quiet birdwise with just the odd Hermit Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco in the bushes and a lone Purple Finch whizzing over. Still way too cool for moths, unfortunately. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel here in order to keep the blog going...apologies to all!

You can't beat a good sphingid...

Just for Mr. Cavesson, whoever you may be, here are a couple of nice sphingids for you! The top one is a Gallium Sphinx (known as Bedstraw Hawk-moth in Europe) which I attracted to a mercury vapour bulb at Brooklin, Ontario in mid July. Below that is a Pandora Sphinx which I photographed at South Walsingham, Ontario, also in July. They are quite common here in late July and August. Fully sphingid-up now!

A few birds in the back yard

Not too much happening this morning. Ran the moth trap last night but all to no avail, a bit too cool for fluttery things. Sat out in the back yard after swimming this morning and noted a few common migrants flying over. A few Robins (right) and Goldfinches with the odd Purple Finch and American Pipit for added interest. Unusual (for here) was a Chipping Sparrow with the usual White-throated Sparrows (left), Dark-eyed Juncos and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Probably would have been quite good at a better location nearer the lakeshore. Now back to my more colourful tangara tanagers...which, Mr. Bolder will be pleased to hear, are very dead indeed and have been for some time!

Will the real Mr. Bolder please stand up, please stand up, please stand up...

First, an important announcement. Contrary to a certain "Mr. Bolder" let it be said in no uncertain terms that NO dead, dying, stuffed or freeze-dried specimens are featured on this blog. Shame on you Mr. Bolder for even thinking such things. I'll have you know that the Hermit Thrush in question went on to have a good old soak in the pond after the photo was taken. BTW - we know who you are so watch out...

Not many moths last night. A small catch included a Green Cloverworm Moth (top), a couple of Common Looper Moths and a Celery Looper Moth (bottom). There, don't they look like moths and not bird thingys or bats!

At last - some moths!

Managed to run the moth trap in the back yard last night, at least until the rain started. Only two moths were trapped: a Bicolored Sallow (top photo), which is a very common moth at this time of year, and a slightly worn Corn Earworm Moth (bottom photo) which is a migrant from the south. There have been large numbers of Corn Earworm Moths in Southern Ontario this fall and I was hoping that they may bring something more unusual with them. Am still waiting! Apart from that there were a couple of White-throated Sparrows calling from the lane.

This is a REAL Hermit Thrush...

A rather splendid day unfortunately spent indoors working on plate layouts, though, of course, the work IS enjoyable. Frequent gazing out of the window resulted in a couple of Hermit Thrushes in the back yard and a few Turkey Vultures sailing over on the NW breeze. Still too cool at night for moths.

Hello waiting world...

Hello, I am the Moth Man...I didn't catch any moths last night but here is one I prepared earlier. Actually, this wonderful White-lined Sphinx was trapped and released in Ramsgate, UK in August 2003. I'll be posting the highlights of my mothing and birding exploits over time and will include the odd photo of anything deemed to be of interest to the waiting world!!