Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

I ventured to the top side of the lake this morning. The long grass which prevented any access earlier in the year has now dried and been laid flat in places by the wind. There's something very peaceful about this area. There are a few dead trees which act as islands for the birds passing through, like these two nuthatches: The nuthatches were hunting over the bark of the dead branches for insects: As with the dead branches providing an oasis in a sea of grass, these few isolated flowers similarly attracted bees and wasps in the area: I was running out of time this morning as I'd had an errand to run first before coming to the lake, so I made my way back along the side of the lake. A red squirrel played peekaboo with me from an outstretched branch, and then I noticed an unusual small bird in the canopy of leaves overhead. It appeared to be feeding on the grapevines. This photo is a little out of focus and backlit, but it is a new bird for me, a grey-cheeked thrus...

This morning started off quite cold. I tucked my camera under my arm, keeping my hands warm in my jacket pockets. Everything was covered in the morning's dew including this banded garden spider in the pollinator meadow: And this dragonfly whose wings were bejewelled in water droplets: Where there are insects, there are birds, and the warblers came through Lakeside Park in waves this morning, seemingly blown by the colder easterly winds. At times it was hard to pick out the warblers from the swirling fall leaves; both seemed to merge in one fluent colourful movement. Not just warblers, but blue jays, crows, robins, northern flickers and starlings appeared to be amassing in their own individual groups. It was at times difficult to know which way to look for the best photo opportunity. I decided to concentrate on one area of bushes and managed to pick up where I left off on my last post, with a much better photo of a white-throated sparrow as it moved through with the warb...

This morning started with a beautiful golden sunrise that lit up the tops of the trees and slowly descended to the lake. It unfortunately did not last and was soon eclipsed by a grey sky. Undaunted by the poor light, I set out with an agenda; to photograph some of the migrating warblers that are still passing through Lakeside Park. I set off, up the side of the lake, following some yellow coloured warblers which were flitting through the undergrowth. I took any opportunity I could to photograph what I saw on the way: There were lots of hickory tussock moth caterpillars, fattening up on the remaining leaves: A catbird sat out in the open for a few moments as I passed through a clearing: And at the top edge of the lake, I again saw the merlin on its usual vantage point, watching for any unwary birds: It was a failed effort on my part. As soon as I saw a warbler and raised my lens, it was gone. I decided to make my way back to the parking area and the fir trees besid...

I was headed to the top edge of Lakeside Park this morning. I had noticed a small predator flying from the treetops as I looked over the lake while standing at the main seated area: Whatever the predator was, it was small and very fast. I observed it chasing the smaller resident birds, matching their movements with unerring accuracy. The bird of prey was unable to catch anything this time and after flying restlessly from one perch to the next, it eventually settled in the branches of a dead tree in the top corner of the lake. Of course, it would be in a really boggy area. I snapped a few photos, edging my way closer until I had to give up any thought of keeping my boots dry, and ventured into the reeds. Through the blurred leaves of a willow tree, I was able to capture a photo of this beautiful little merlin: The merlin attracted the attention of a blue jay who also seemed well aware of my presence: The blue jay soon flew off, as did the merlin on another hunting fo...

I decided to catch up with the beaver for a short while this morning. The beaver was very active, but unseen for the most part. A trail of bubbles and the larger, rounder ripples which it produces gave away its whereabouts. The beaver did surface for this photo as it selected a large sapling before submerging, taking the sapling with it: There was a lot of activity in the trees beside the pollinator meadow: Chickadees worked through the fir trees looking for insects and seeds: A young cardinal asked to be fed by its parents while sitting in the shade: The starlings again found the tops of the fir trees to sing, and that was just close enough for a photograph: I decided to make my way up the path before I had to leave. The kingfishers are still very active over the lake but are just as difficult to take a photo of: As I neared the top of the lake, the great egret flew overhead. It was hotly pursued by the great blue heron who seemed determi...

The pollinator meadow at Lakeside Park was being put to good use this morning by a number of monarch butterflies that were busily feeding on nectar from the flowers: The bird in the next photo, believe it or not, is a cardinal, be that one very wet and bedraggled cardinal. It was in the process of sunning itself in the bushes beside the parking area but appeared to be getting wetter from clambering through the dew-covered leaves of the bush: Had it not been for the flight of this plume moth, I would never have known that it was there. As soon as the plume moth came to rest, the moth disappeared and in its place was what looked like a small twig or piece of grass. A survival tactic facilitated by the rolling up of the plume moth's wings: A number of northern flickers congregated in the tops of the trees this morning, catching the first rays of the sun. This is something of a morning ritual for the northern flickers, but today I managed to find a reasonably close vant...

The photo you're about to see appears to show a bumblebee clinging to a beautiful goldenrod flower, but look closer: The bumblebee was actually lifeless and was being prevented from falling by the vice-like grip of an ambush bug. There are two mating ambush bugs in the photo, the larger female is feeding on the bumblebee! I had wondered where all the frogs had gone. I hadn't heard any croaking for weeks now. A little attention to detail on my part and I found the frogs were all around me, although not croaking: A close-up of another green frog: This photo was not taken at Lakeside Park but at my home. I took the opportunity to bring out my oldest Pentax camera with only 6 megapixels onboard while I barbecued a little something to eat. It's an old camera, but it can still perform in the right light. The bird in the photo is a house finch: Copyright  ©  wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.