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| Black-capped Chickadee in flight |
I enjoyed the morning walking a trail at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers in Cambridge ON. It has been a year since I walked the Linear Trail, which is one of the best birding areas in the region. The currents of the converging rivers are strong enough to keep the water open and discharge from a water treatment plant at the end of the trail is warm enough to keep ice from forming in a small creek.
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| Downy Woodpecker- (A Hairy Woodpecker and Red-bellied Woodpecker were nearby too) |
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| Juvenile Bald Eagle |
Bald Eagles have made a good comeback in recent years in Southwestern Ontario and there are increasing numbers of nesting pairs in the Grand River watershed. Fifteen years ago, they were only seen in the winter as they came south to open water along this trail. Today I watched this juvenile Bald Eagle circle high about the river. It was easily identified at a distance by its size and the straight wing line
Another bird species that has made a great recovery from near extirpation is the Trumpeter Swan. A line of Trumpeters flew noisily overhead and then circled back to an area of open water. I also saw a Great Blue Heron fly out from the water treatment plant. Herons generally leave Ontario in the winter, but there are reports of two Great Blue Herons and one juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron that have stayed in the creek near the water facility.
Birds in this area benefit from the natural confluence of two rivers, and from the man-made environment around the water treatment facility. The bushes and trees along the river banks offer food and shelter for smaller birds and human trail walkers bring handouts of birdseed and fruit that attract many passerines. The birds gain an advantage from the dual environment and we get to enjoy a wide variety of bird families and species within a small area.
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| Trumpeter Swans |
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