Algonquin Park Ode Count 2021

On Friday, we made the trek to Algonquin Park for the annual odonate count. This year, I was assigned Area C, which includes the Big Pines Trail, Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Beaverpond Trail, and surrounding area. Due to regulations regarding social distancing, counters were not really able to mingle, so I had the entire area virtually to myself. 

Our first stop was Big Pines Trail. This was one of the two spots I was asked to focus most of my time on. I spotted a few odes along the way, but the main attraction was a large open bog/meadow, and I spent a good hour at least tromping around through it. 

I found a couple clubtails of note pretty quickly. Beaverpond Clubtail is a somewhat local but widespread ode in Algonquin Park. It has a pretty restricted range in Ontario, making it a specialty ode. I believe the species was first discovered in Ontario in Algonquin. As is typical with female clubtails, you need to check genital plates to confirm identity.

The other species of note was Harpoon Clubtail. This was my only one of the day.

The deerflies (Chrysops spp) were absolutely horrendous. I didn't wear any gloves at Big Pines, but later at Spruce Bog I found a pair of rubber gloves to put on, which certainly helped! The next morning when I woke up I found that one of my eyes was actually swollen shut as a result of the fly bites!

Chrysops montanus

My main target in the bog was Ocellated Emerald, but I was unable to find any. Nevertheless, I still found a few interesting odes. I flushed a female Common Green Darner at one point, which is a scarce species in Algonquin during the summer, a new park ode for me. From what I gather, Bat Lake is one of the only reliable spots to see this species, and sure enough, a couple were seen there on count day. As well, one was seen at the pond at the logging museum. 

Record shot

There were a few baskettails around of three species. The only one I was able to net and photograph was Spiny Baskettail, but there were several Prince Baskettails flying around, as well as some Common Baskettails, which are easy to pick out as they have extensive dark hindwing patches in this part of Ontario. 

Spiny Baskettail females have long appendages

A new butterfly for me was Two-spotted Skipper. I saw a few on this day.

After failing to find any Somatochlora emeralds in the bog and donating a quart of blood to the insects, I made my way back to "dry land". Of course, as soon as I did that, I spotted one of these elusive emeralds. I managed to capture it (thank goodness, no one wants to miss a swing on a Somatochlora), and it proved to  me a Williamson's Emerald. This is on the early side for the species, and proved to be a decent one for the count. 

Next up was the Spruce Bog boardwalk. All of the good areas I was to check were off trail, so it required some bushwhacking. One of the first odes I caught was another Beaverpond Clubtail.

I also caught a fritillary, which proved to be an Atlantis Fritillary. I believe I saw a Silver-bordered or two as well.

I came across a couple Dragonhunters, which are quite the beasts. I wasn't really expecting to see any, so it was a pleasant surprise. 

Finally I spotted a Somatochlora emerald, which proved to be a Ski-tipped Emerald when I netted it. I saw three in total. 

The "ski tip"

There were a couple of darners flying around, which I netted.

Canada Darner

Springtime Darner

I was on the lookout for Subarctic Bluet, but it appeared to be too late in the season for them. I did however find a Taiga Bluet, which is getting late. Another new park species for me.

An attractive species of orchid found in the bog is Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides).

I moved to a different section of the bog. I spotted an emerald, but it was too high up to try and catch. I have suspicions it was a Delicate Emerald though. I also spied this Virgin Tiger Moth, which was a new one for me.

I worked along the little creek that ran through, and picked up another Ski-tipped Emerald, as well as a Sphagnum Sprite. I spotted a large dark dragonfly at one point, and netted it. I was absolutely flabbergasted when I pulled out a Harlequin Darner! 

Ever since I had first read about this species five years ago in my Algonquin Park odonate field guide, it was one of my most sought after odes. The only trouble is that it is an early flying species, and for the most part is done by the beginning of July. As such, it is not every odonate count that it is recorded (I don't have an exact number, but I think it might be around only 20% of counts it is observed). Since it is an early flier, I have not had the opportunity to go and try to see one. There are spots in southwestern Ontario where they occur, but I really wanted to find my first one in Algonquin Park, since that's sort of where it all began. My highlight of the day for sure. 

I left Spruce Bog very happy, and made my last major stop of the day at the Beaver Pond Trail. I had only ever been to this trail once before in September a few years ago, but it is a pretty neat place.

Before I even got down to the pond, I spotted this orchid. It is the flavida form of Western Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis). I haven't seen very many coralroots myself, so it was quite neat. 

Another interesting plant was White-edged Sedge (Carex debilis var. rudgei). This was my first time seeing it, although I undoubtedly have overlooked it in the past. 

I didn't take a single picture of an odonate at this spot, but I added Elegant Spreadwing to the day's list. I'm basically positive I also had a Swamp Spreadwing, which is uncommon in Algonquin, but I wasn't able to confirm it. Oh well, at least I already have it for my park list! In lieu of ode pictures here is a consolation sedge. 

Bronze Sedge (Carex foenea)

I made a quick stop at Costello Creek before heading to the Opeongo Docks for the compilation. I added a couple Eastern Forktails to my day list, but not much else. 

After the compilation (70 species tallied), we had to begin the drive back home to London. I made a quick stop at Pewee Lake just before leaving the park. I was hoping for Swamp Spreadwing (I had some here last year), but no luck. I did see a few Vesper Bluets, which was new for the day. 

I spotted a new sedge for me, Northeastern Sedge (Carex cryptolepis), which can be similar to Yellow-green Sedge (C. flava), but is smaller and doesn't have dark edged pistillate scales. 

Another one that was interesting was Blue Ridge Sedge (C. lucorum), which is undoubtedly underreported. It is very similar to Pennsylvania Sedge (C. pensylvanica), but has longer beaked perigynia. I have also heard that Blue Ridge Sedge has rougher (scabrous) culms than Pennsylvania Sedge, but that may not be entirely reliable. 

These plants were infected by a smut fungus, potentially Anthracoidea caricis.

You can also see the long beaked perigynia! 

Great day in the park doing what I love! 

Sydenham Saturday

Today I was down in the Alvinston area for an odonate (dragonfly and damselfly) survey on the Sydenham River Nature Reserve (SRNR) for Ontario Nature arranged by Blake Mann. This reserve is one of my favourite sites in the area, and its a shame I am unable to visit it more often! For the past couple of years, I have partaken in a breeding bird survey on SRNR, and each year we have spotted some cool odes along the way. 

I got up early to head down and do some birding before starting the survey. My first stop was the Strathroy Sewage Lagoons. There was not much of note here in my loop of the south lagoon. I did count over 90 Wood Ducks, several broods, which is always great to see. Another interesting find was a pair of Northern Shovelers. It is likely nothing will come out of it, but you never know. On Tuesday I had a pair of Green-winged Teals here, but they were nowhere to be found this morning. 

Digiscope

I decided to get some point counts done in my Lambton atlas square (17TMH34), and succeeded in completing twelve over the course of a couple hours. Point counts happy pretty fast, so no photos! I recorded over 50 species of birds from these counts. One of my best stops was in the field near the corner of Calvert Drive and Kerwood Drive. Here I had a couple singing Dickcissels on territory (one had been present for about a week now, and a second one seems to have joined it), a pair of Upland Sandpipers, and perhaps most exciting, a family group of Common Ravens which flew over just as I started the point count. Pretty eventful five minutes! 

I eventually got to the SRNR around quarter to ten. The area I was to cover was the Buttonwood Drive side, which is on the east side of the river. This is typically not the most "ode-y" side, but I was more than happy to do it—someone has to! 

I began by walking the field to the south of the parking area, skirting the forest edge. It was not nearly as eventful as I had imagined it to be, and for the longest time, I only came across a few Common Whitetails, a pair of Twelve-spotted Skimmers, and of course several Midland Clubtails. It wasn't until I got down to the river I added Powdered and Blue-tipped Dancer, as well as several Stream Bluets and more Midland Clubtails, to my list. 

I was a bit surprised to see some Banded Hairstreaks, my first this year. There were tons of Hackberry Emperors, as well as a few Tawny Emperors, as well. 

Quite a few of these Haploa moths as well. I think they are LeConte's Haploa moths.

While walking at the far end of the field, I was somewhat surprised to hear a Hooded Warbler, the first time I have encountered one at SRNR. Other breeding birds here included Mourning Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, and Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. A couple weeks ago I had a Cerulean Warbler here as well. 

I decided it was time to cut into the forest and head towards the river. As I did so, I came across a fairly fresh Black-shouldered Spinyleg, my first for this property. 

I bushwhacked to the river through seemingly endless patches of stinging nettle, a reoccurring theme for the day. As much as I like SRNR, the one thing I am not a fan of is all of the stinging nettle! Although you can't get "zapped" through jeans, today I was wearing my quick-dry field pants, which apparently offer no protection! I found minimal success with side-stepping through the patches, being careful to flatten the plants down before your legs made contact. 

There was less than expected by the river, just a bunch of Ebony Jewelwings and American Rubyspots. I did have a single female Swift River Cruiser and a Fragile Forktail, but that was it for new species. I continued quite a ways upriver, before crossing over and going to the other side. I walked downriver for a bit, and ended up almost to the other entrance for the reserve. Not much to report on ode wise! A long walk in the hot and humid conditions with an abundance of stinging nettle—fun times! (I actually did quite enjoy myself, doing this beats sitting around at home)

I found myself turning my attention to plants quite a bit on the quiet stretches, although I didn't stop to take very many photos. This is the first time I have seen Broad-leaved Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum canadense) in flower. 

Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense) is always a fun one to come across.

I saw a number of sedges as well. Since this is such a rich forest, I was hoping to come across some rare species, but it was not to be. Nevertheless, I still came across some high quality species. The diversity of sedges you can find in any given area is something that really appeals to me.

Hitchcock's Sedge (Carex hitchcockiana)

Sprengel's Sedge (C. sprengellii)

White Bear Sedge (C. albursina)

Nerveless Woodland Sedge (C. leptonervia)

Inflated Narrow-leaved Sedge (C. grisea)

Eastern Rough Sedge (C. scabrata)

Drooping Sedge (C. prasina)

Smooth-sheathed Sedge (C. laevivaginata)

Fringed Sedge (C. crinita)

The walk back to the car was largely uneventful. I was quite happy to get back and out of the stinging nettle! 

I had planned to go to Reid CA near Wallaceburg afterwards to look for Oak Hairstreaks, but the sky was threatening rain, so I opted to head back home. Perhaps some other day I will go look for this rare butterfly. 

Overall, a very productive day, even if odonate diversity was lower than I had imagined it would be. I expect to get the results of the survey soon, and will update this post once they come out! 

Neighbourhood Odonate Count: Round Two

 A month ago (July 14), I did an odonate count around my neighbourhood (results and comments here), so yesterday (August 14), I decided to do one again, to see how much has changed in a month's time. I followed roughly the same route, and conditions were more or less the same (it was quite windier yesterday though). The biggest difference between the two dates (other than the results) was the change in habitat. One location which was a pond last time was now all dried up, with only a small stream running through. I was actually able to walk across what was once the bottom of the pond! There is some Phragmites management/wetland improvement going on here, so will be interesting to see how that changes over time. On the flip side, a wetland that I was able to easy walk around due to low water levels, has completely flooded because of recent rain. The increased water level resulted in a loss of shorebird habitat, but wasn't completely bad. 

Prior to this count, I had recorded 43 species in my neighbourhood, and that number still stands. I managed to find 26 species on this day (compared to 27 on July 14). The numbers of individuals was also down in comparison to July, with 917 individuals recorded, compared to 1388 individuals last month. This difference in individuals is not entirely surprising however. It can be hypothesized we are past the peak of the odonate season for the neighbourhood. 

Anyways, the results, and some notes. The total from the July 14th count are included in parentheses. 

Broad-winged Damsels (Calopterygidae)
Ebony Jewelwing - 1 (33)

    - one individual in an odd place, zero individuals in the ravine I usually see them, so perhaps they have dispersed? 

Spread-winged Damsels (Lestidae)
Slender Spreadwing - 11 (147)

    - surprisingly low numbers, I wasn't able to access the area where I had the bulk last time, but still way fewer individuals in accessible areas than last time

Narrow-winged Damsels (Coenagrionidae)
Familiar Bluet - 167 (101)

Azure Bluet - 4 (0)

    - recent addition to the neighbourhood list when I found a couple individuals on August 8th. This is a species that is quick to colonize new areas, and I think that perhaps the recent flooding contributed to their arrival. The individuals found on the count were throughout the wetland, indicating they are spreading out. 

Marsh Bluet - 1 (6)

Stream Bluet - 2 (2)

    - pair in copula, as opposed to two males on July 14, indicates breeding

Skimming Bluet - 1 (0)
Orange Bluet - 1 (42)

    - starting to get late, higher water levels resulted in less emergent vegetation for this species to perch on, where they are conspicuous 

Enallgma sp. - 3

Fragile Forktail - 71 (118)
Eastern Forktail - 211 (420)

Darners (Aeshnidae)

Lance-tipped Darner - 1 (0)

Shadow Darner - 1 (0)
Common Green Darner - 46 (14)

Skimmers (Libelluidae)
Halloween Pennant - 2 (0)

    - second record for the neighbourhood, first for location

Eastern Pondhawk - 39 (68)

     - with one location having next to no water, skimmer numbers were down

Widow Skimmer - 46 (25)

    - only one location with this species, making the count excellent

Twelve-spotted Skimmer - 66 (45)

Blue Dasher - 87 (89)

Wandering Glider - 1 (0)

Eastern Amberwing - 23 (57)

Common Whitetail - 47 (80)

White-faced Meadowhawk - 10 (2)

Ruby Meadowhawk - 19 (8)

Band-winged Meadowhawk - 16 (68)

     - no evidence of large numbers like in July, still a few individuals and pairs

Autumn Meadowhawk - 12 (7)
Black Saddlebags - 28 (14)

Total Species: 26 (27)
Total Individuals: 917 (1388)

I once again divided the checklist into the four locations. Quite a striking difference to last time!

Virginia Park
Species: 7 (14)
Individuals: 81 (138)

Northbrook Park (decreased water level)
Species: 18 (24)
Individuals: 244 (620)

Uplands North Wetland (increased water level)
Species: 22 (17)
Individuals: 587 (621)

Uplands Trail
Species: 3 (4)
Individuals: 3 (9)

Misses from the first count:

Emerald Spreadwing - not all that surprising, as I don't normally see this species during the summer. The individual in July was in a part of the wetland that is now inaccessible.

Violet Dancer - I'd consider the individual from the first count accidental.

Tule Bluet - another apparently accidental individual on the first count.

Sedge Sprite - it is late for this species, I checked several areas where they were in July with no luck.

Unicorn Clubtail - late for this species

Dot-tailed Whiteface - this is a seemingly rare species in the neighbourhood, the location where I had an individual in July is now dried up.

Four-spotted Skimmer - uncommon to rare species in Middlesex. The spot I had three in July is now dry. I had one individual at another location on August 8th, but could have just been stopping in.

Other notable misses:

Northern Spreadwing - not sure where this species is this year, have not seen one since July 13th.

Spotted Spreadwing - I have only ever seen one in the neighbourhood (August 4th, 2018), but this is a later season species, so could easily occur, and I just haven't found it (since I was gone for all of August 2019). I have seen several individuals in a park directly to the north of the neighbourhood.

There really weren't all too many surprises. A species I was quite pleased to see was Halloween Pennant, which represents only the second record for the neighbourhood. I am still on the lookout for Calico Pennant!

I was expecting to see more meadowhawks than I did. Numbers of three species (Ruby, White-faced, and Autumn) were up, but Band-winged was down drastically. I suspect that they were done breeding and have since dispersed. 

As mentioned prior, Azure Bluet was a new addition to the list last week. I am hoping this attractive species sticks around and gets a little population going.

I was expecting to see more Wandering Gliders, but still happy I got one.

Unsurprisingly, Common Green Darner and Black Saddlebags numbers were up. These species congregate in numbers before migrating in the fall. The darners were swarming in the evening while feeding. I didn't have much mixed in, save for a Shadow Darner.

Overall, a pretty good day. Any day out looking for odes is a day well spent! I think it was quite interesting to see the contrast between the two dates. I think the biggest surprise was how many species I saw, since I had been expecting quite a few less than in July. I will have to see what I'm up to in mid-September!