ERS 346 Field Outing #2 October 12th, 2019
Time and Date: 19/10/12
Duration: 60 Minuites
Location: Claire Lake Park, Old Post Greenway, Beechwood District, Waterloo, ON
Weather: Mild, around 12 Degrees Celsius, no clouds, winds were calm
Habitat: Forested, a few man-made trails, pond
Species ID'd:
-Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus florianus)
-Maple Tree (Acer)
-Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
-Common Black Squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis)
-American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Took a walk through the various trails that are found within the small patches of green areas within the Beechwood residential area. Accompanying me this time, was my 8-month old dog, Luna.
Luna and I proceeded to head over to Old Post Greenway, which is a patch of natural land behind Beechwood housing; and because of this, there wasn't very much presence of wildlife in the are, with a few notable exceptions. I noticed a pair of Eastern Hares peacefully grazing off to the side of the trail, who even peacefully acknowledged my young puppy and her eagerness to chase them. The trees in the park were noticeably more colourful, with shades of red, yellow, and orange becoming more increasingly prominent than my previous Field Excursion in September. Some of the trees could be identified as red oak, and a few maple trees.
Once Luna and I entered Claire Lake (a green area about 6 times larger than Old Post), and this was when the local wildlife of the Beechwood district became much more apparent. I first noticed
We entered from the Eastern side, and immediately noticed a scurry of squirrels, to which I identified as Sciuris carolinensis, or the common black squirrel. My initial count upon seeing them came out to 7, all of which were scurrying about, searching through leaves to which I guessed included foraging for the coming winter months. However, as I progressed through shaded areas of the park I noticed around a dozen or so more, with a few grey squirrels as well.
The pond was nicely tucked away with a mixture of foliage and man made structures, like dams and rocks, with overhanging foliage including willow trees river brush. Luna went on high alert once we approached the pond, as floating atop were several mallards, along with a single heron. I was unsure of the species immediately, so I recorded its characteristics:
-Brown
-Black beak
-small, about 2 feet tall
After researching local herons, it was evident that this species could be identified as an American bittern.
Additionally, the water was not clear enough to identify any fish species, nor were they any local amphibians on the shoreline.
As Luna and I exited the park, we also noticed a cardinal flying to what looked a birdfeeder as it was outside of residents backyard.
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