Great Blue Heron at Lambton Woods: Feb. 8, 2023

A few interesting things at Lambton Woods this morning:

Skunk Cabbage in flower!

Skunk-cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

One of our walkers dropped her phone early in the walk but only discovered it later. She and a friend retraced our steps and kept dialing the number. Eventually, a passer-by answered the fallen phone and location was described to give this story a happy ending.

A Great Blue Heron flew by!

Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron

These large waders have to be concerned about falling asleep in winter with their feet in water and awaking to find themselves frozen in.

Here is what Birds of Ontario (1985) says about winter Great Blue Herons:

This species has occurred on Christmas counts at most localities in Ontario north to the Thousand Islands and Wiarton with outliers north to Deep River and Manitoulin.

Other birds:

Northern Cardinal (male)
Red-tailed Hawk
Hairy Woodpecker (male)
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Doves
American Crows
Canada Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
House Finches
Common Merganser (male)
Mourning Dove
Common Goldeneye (female)
Red-tailed Hawk
Common Mergansers (female)
American Black Duck (female)
Common Goldeneye (male)
Red-tailed Hawk
Mallards

Today’s group:

MAILBOX

700 lbs of acorns stored by woodpeckers…

Pest control found thousands of acorns in wall from woodpeckers – The Washington Post

NATURE POETRY

I think those mute swans
Have the right idea,
Tucking their heads in their fat feathers.
But all I`ve got are long johns
It’s really not that fair
I’m left with insufficient measures
In the raw and icy air. – Kareen Ekert

Miles Hearn

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