2012: The Big Year that Wasn't

In the birding world, when a birder attempts to tally as many species as possible within a given geographic area in one year, the endeavor is commonly referred to as a "Big Year".

In 2012, I made a concerted effort to round out my portfolio of images and track down a number of butterfly species that I had never photographed ( or never to my satisfaction ). With it being such a spectacular season for butterflies, it wasn’t long before I had racked up a considerable species list. A number of people asked if I was doing a “Big Year”. The trouble with doing something like a Big Year is that it tends to dictate where you’re going to go and what you’re going to look for. Your tally of species becomes your primary goal, and everything else takes a back seat.

I had my own photographic objectives to achieve, and I didn’t want a quest to boost my tally of species to divert me from getting the images I needed. Furthermore, I didn't want to be diverted from visiting new and interesting sites. If I were doing an Ontario Big Year, then that would tend to steer me away from Quebec, where I normally do a lot of my butterflying. If I were doing an Ottawa-Gatineau Big Year, that would tend to keep me within a very limited geographic area. To my way of thinking, when you’re on a Big Year, you go for the sure thing and once you bag a species, you move on. In my own work, I might go looking for a species in several locations until I get the photos I want, or I might explore new habitats to see what species might be found there. If you’re doing a Big Year, this is wasting time.

I guess a Big Year is just not my cup of tea.

Nevertheless, 2012 was a spectacular year for me. In total, I observed and photographed 114 species in Ontario and Quebec. Of the species on this list, the only ones I didn’t see in Ontario were the Satyr Comma and the Bog Fritillary, giving me 112 species for Ontario. In addition, I had a couple of probable sightings that I could not confirm ( Southern Cloudywing near Walsingham and Cloudless Sulphur at Pinery Provincial Park ).

Out of these 114 species, 11 were “lifers” ( species that I had seen for the first time ever ). There were also 2 Canadian lifers ( species that I had seen before, but not in Canada ).

There were only 3 species which I had seen before in Canada which I did not see in 2012:

  • Horace's Duskywing ( last seen in 2011 )
  • Hickory Hairstreak ( last seen in 2011 )
  • Gorgone Checkerspot ( last seen in 2010 )

So while it certainly was a big year for me, it wasn't a "Big Year".

Here is a list of my “first of year” sightings for each species, listed taxonomically:

Skippers ( Hesperiidae )

  • Silver-spotted Skipper June 7 - Foy Provincial Park, ON
  • Northern Cloudywing May 15 - Marmora, ON
  • Dreamy Duskywing April 29 - Constance Bay, ON
  • Juvenal's Duskywing May 5 - Lombardy, ON
  • Mottled Duskywing May 15 - Marmora, ON (LIFER)
  • Funereal Duskywing August 23 - Point Pelee National Park, ON (Canadian LIFER)
  • Columbine Duskywing May 5 - Lombardy, ON
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing July 5 - Morgan's Point Conservation Area - Port Colborne, ON
  • Common Checkered Skipper July 6 - Ojibway Prairie - Windsor, ON
  • Common Sootywing June 15 - Leamington, ON
  • Arctic Skipper May 26 - Gatineau Park, QC
  • Least Skipper June 5 - Burnt Lands Provincial Park, ON
  • European Skipper June 7 - John Foy lane - Killaloe, ON
  • Fiery Skipper July 7 - Point Pelee National Park, ON
  • Leonard's Skipper August 14 - Mer Bleue - Ottawa, ON
  • Indian Skipper May 24 - Timm Dr - Kanata, ON
  • Peck's Skipper June 14 - Little Cataraqui Conservation Area - Elginburg, ON
  • Tawny-edged Skipper May 24 - Timm Dr - Kanata, ON
  • Crossline Skipper June 18 - Manestar Tract - Walsingham, ON
  • Long Dash Skipper June 6 - Richmond Road - Nepean, ON
  • Northern Broken-Dash June 19 - Lambton Park - Toronto, ON
  • Little Glassywing July 8 - RARE, Cambridge, ON (LIFER)
  • Sachem August 23 - Leamington, ON (LIFER)
  • Delaware Skipper June 19 - Lambton Park - Toronto, ON
  • Mulberry Wing June 23 - Larose Forest - Limoges, ON
  • Hobomok Skipper May 15 - Marmora, ON
  • Broad-winged Skipper June 28 - Larose Forest - Limoges, ON
  • Dion Skipper June 27 - Luskville, QC
  • Dukes' Skipper July 6 - Ojibway Prairie (LIFER) - Windsor, ON
  • Black Dash July 6 - Ojibway Prairie (LIFER) - Windsor, ON
  • Two-spotted Skipper July 4 - Milburn Road - Irondale, ON
  • Dun Skipper June 13 - Luskville Falls, QC
  • Dusted Skipper June 16 - The Pinery Provincial Park, ON (LIFER)
  • Pepper and Salt Skipper May 26 - Gatineau Park, QC
  • Common Roadside Skipper May 15 - Marmora, ON

Swallowtails ( Papilionidae )

  • Pipevine Swallowtail June 15 - Point Pelee National Park, ON
  • Black Swallowtail May 7 - Point Petre - Prince Edward County, ON
  • Giant Swallowtail June 14 - Little Cataraqui Conservation Area - Elginburg, ON
  • Canadian Tiger Swallowtail June 15 - Point Pelee National Park, ON
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail May 13 - Carp, ON
  • Spicebush Swallowtail June 15 - Point Pelee National Park, ON

Whites and Sulphurs ( Pieridae )

  • Mustard White April 18 - Marlborough Forest - North Gower, ON
  • West Virginia White April 7 - Twiss Road - Milton, ON
  • Cabbage White April 16 - Stoney Swamp - Kanata, ON
  • Olympia Marble May 6 - Third Depot Lake Rd. - Godfrey, ON
  • Clouded Sulphur May 6 - Third Depot Lake Rd. - Godfrey, ON
  • Orange Sulphur May 7 - Point Petre - Prince Edward County, ON
  • Pink-edged Sulphur July 4 - Milburn Road - Irondale, ON (LIFER)
  • Little Yellow July 5 - Stevensville Conservation Area - Stevensville, ON (LIFER)
  • Dainty Sulphur July 7 - Hillman Marsh - Leamington, ON (Canadian LIFER)

Gossamer-winged Butterflies ( Lycaenidae )

  • Harvester May 13 - Carp, ON
  • American Copper May 5 - Rock Dunder - Morton, ON
  • Bronze Copper June 22 - Beavertail Road - Manion Corners, ON
  • Bog Copper June 23 - Mer Bleue - Ottawa, ON
  • Acadian Hairstreak June 23 - Larose Forest - Limoges, ON
  • Coral Hairstreak June 18 - Manestar Tract - Walsingham, ON
  • Edwards' Hairstreak June 27 - Luskville, QC
  • Banded Hairstreak June 27 - Luskville, QC
  • Striped Hairstreak July 4 - Milburn Road - Irondale, ON
  • Juniper Hairstreak May 15 - Marmora, ON
  • Brown Elfin April 19 - Newington, ON
  • Hoary Elfin April 12 - Burnt Lands Provincial Park, ON
  • Henry's Elfin April 12 - Burnt Lands Provincial Park, ON
  • Bog Elfin May 14 - Newington, ON
  • Eastern Pine Elfin April 15 - Luskville, QC
  • Western Pine Elfin May 21 - Algonquin Provincial Park, ON - (LIFER)
  • White-M Hairstreak August 23 - Point Pelee National Park, ON - (LIFER)
  • Gray Hairstreak May 15 - Sheffield Conservation Area - Stone Mills, ON
  • Early Hairstreak May 19 - Algonquin Provincial Park, ON
  • Eastern Tailed Blue May 11 - Luskville, QC
  • Northern Spring Azure April 7 - Twiss Road - Milton, ON
  • Summer Azure June 15 - Point Pelee National Park, ON
  • Silvery Blue May 13 - Carp, ON

Brush-footed Butterflies ( Nymphalidae )

  • American Snout June 15 - Point Pelee National Park, ON
  • Variegated Fritillary July 14 - Beverly Swamp - Westover, ON
  • Great Spangled Fritillary June 10 - Kazabazua, QC
  • Aphrodite Fritillary June 24 - Stoney Swamp - Kanata, ON
  • Atlantis Fritillary June 10 - Kazabazua, QC
  • Bog Fritillary June 13 - Saint-Louis-de-Marsham, QC
  • Silver-bordered Fritillary May 23 - Luskville, QC
  • Meadow Fritillary May 17 - Burnt Lands Provincial Park, ON
  • Silvery Checkerspot May 31 - Harwood Plains - Dunrobin, ON
  • Harris's Checkerspot June 6 - Richmond Road - Nepean, ON
  • Pearl Crescent May 7 - Point Petre - Prince Edward County, ON
  • Northern Crescent May 26 - Gatineau Park, QC
  • Tawny Crescent May 24 - Timm Drive - Kanata, ON
  • Baltimore Checkerspot June 11 - Wincester Bog - Winchester, ON
  • Question Mark April 16 - Stoney Swamp - Kanata, ON
  • Eastern Comma March 19 - Larose Forest - Limoges, ON
  • Satyr Comma March 21 - Gatineau Park, QC
  • Green Comma March 22 - Marlborough Forest - North Gower, ON
  • Grey Comma March 22 - Marlborough Forest - North Gower, ON
  • Compton Tortoiseshell March 22 - Marlborough Forest - North Gower, ON
  • Mourning Cloak March 17 - Jack Pine Trail- Nepean, ON
  • Milbert's Tortoiseshell April 6 - Charleston Lake Provincial Park, ON
  • American Lady April 17 - Howie Rd - Manion Corners, ON
  • Painted Lady May 7 - Point Petre - Prince Edward County, ON
  • Red Admiral April 16 - Stoney Swamp - Kanata, ON
  • Common Buckeye May 24 - Stoney Swamp - Kanata, ON
  • White Admiral June 3 - Hungry Lake Rd - Arden, ON
  • Red-Spotted Purple June 16 - The Pinery Provincial Park, ON
  • Viceroy May 27 - Dolman Ridge Rd - Ottawa, ON
  • Hackberry Emperor June 15 - Point Pelee National Park, ON
  • Tawny Emperor July 8 - RARE - Cambridge, ON
  • Northern Pearly-Eye June 14 - Little Cataraqui Conservation Area, Elginburg, ON
  • Eyed Brown June 14 - Little Cataraqui Conservation Area, Elginburg, ON
  • Appalachian Brown July 2 - Dwyer Hill Rd - Almonte, ON
  • Little Wood-Satyr May 24 - Timm Drive - Kanata, ON
  • Common Ringlet May 25 - Timm Drive - Kanata, ON
  • Common Wood-Nymph June 27 - Luskville, QC
  • Macoun's Arctic May 30 - Algonquin Provincial Park, ON - (LIFER)
  • Chryxus Arctic May 5 - Rock Dunder - Morton, ON
  • Jutta Arctic May 27 - Mer Bleue - Ottawa, ON
  • Monarch May 7 - MacCauley Mountain Conservation Area, Prince Edward County, ON