Birder's Paradise

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 warblers, beautifully framed by the changing fall colours:


I captured a photo of a warbling vireo as I made my way to the top of the lake:


Warbler identification gets a little tricky at this time of the year and that isn't to say that it isn't tricky for me at any time of the year, so please excuse me if I have got this bird wrong:


I believe this warbler is a common yellowthroat, a female:


Robins were moving through the trees and bushes in droves, both adults:


And juveniles. Their calls coming from many directions were oftentimes confusing:


Moving through the bushes with the robins and partly obscured by leaves was this bird. It caused me some difficulty with identification. The closest match I could come up with was a brown thrasher which, if it is, will be a new bird for me:


While waiting for the warblers, standing behind a clump of reeds, I noticed this extremely long-legged spider on one of the reed heads. I later found that it is not a spider at all but a close relative, a harvestman. I just love the texture and rich colour of the reed head in this photo:


I ventured past the top edge of the lake and the tree that the merlin favours. I found an open area where I had a clear view of the bushes. Cardinals were feeding in the bushes. This one was eating a snail:


And this cardinal was eating berries which appear to stain:


I did also happen to see the beaver, the merlin and two large hawks who attracted the attention of the crows. Strangely enough, I didn't see a single great blue heron all morning.

One final photo from the lake on what was a very full morning, a song sparrow. This really is a great time for birdwatching at Lakeside Park:



Copyright © wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.
Location: Lakeside Park, 206 Lakeside Dr, Kitchener, ON N2M 4C5, Canada

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