Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

Fall at Lakeside Park is stunning. There is so much contrast, so much colour:  This is definitely my favourite time of the year: It's a time of plenty for the squirrels: With a seemingly endless supply of walnuts: For the red and grey squirrels to harvest and hide: The flowering plants have also produced a plentiful supply of seeds: Goldfinches pictured here in the pollinator meadow: Feeding on the seeds from many different plants: And also from the birch trees bordering the meadow: This is a first for me at Lakeside Park. A strikingly coloured, male hooded merganser who simply would not let me get anywhere near close to it: This is my favourite time of the year, but it is also time for me to leave Lakeside Park. The mornings are now becoming simply too late to be compatible with my nocturnal lifestyle, so I will bow out with a smile from what has been a most enjoyable year photographing the wildlife at Lakeside Park. The next photo

It rained last night and then rained a little more this morning. A stay at home day I thought. But the day brightened up and the clouds became broken. Time for some fresh air and a walk with my cameras around the Borden Wetlands. I took a shortcut this time, through the undergrowth, along a steeply sloped drainage ditch. I saw two small birds, one which I was unable to identify or photograph had a speckled chest, the other was this ruby-crowned kinglet: The walk took a fraction of the time. I stood at the edge of the trees and looked past the shade, into the dappled light. The wetlands seemed more inviting today: The sunlight lit up the fall leaves in stark contrast to the tall, slender tree trunks: An unusually warm day for October which brought the insects to life. These dragonflies were everywhere: They jostled for position to bask in the sun: I'm not one to stay on the beaten track really, and it was during my walk through the undergrowth that I came ac

It was a welcome return to Lakeside Park this morning. A clear sky brought about the first real heavy frost which seemed to be nudging all of the leaves from their branches. The pollinator meadow seems to get the worst of the cold as it is exposed to the sky. Leaves, flowers and blades of grass were transformed into crystal sculptures: I did not stay long in the meadow as my rubber boots which keep my feet perfectly dry are not so good at keeping the cold out. I headed for the cover of the trees and the warmer ground, and as I neared the path I got a surprise! A deer which had been just as oblivious of me as I was of it, raised its tail and took off in the opposite direction. I love how they run, there is no sound and I feel sure their feet never actually touch the ground. I followed, hoping that I might get a chance of a photo at a distance. I waited at the edge of a rough path which leads to a clearing and sure enough, the deer came out from behind the trees to see where I was.

Chores at home have kept me away from my photography, but today I was determined to get some fresh air and take my cameras with me. I set off on foot in the direction of the Borden Wetlands which are but a stone's throw away from my house, although the walk is much further as I have to walk around the seemingly endless wall which borders the Fischer Hallman road: The wetlands are not really user-friendly and I honestly did not hold much hope of seeing anything other than this little chickadee, which I photographed as it performed acrobatics in its attempts at getting to the seeds in the photos: The wetlands are just that, very wet in the open areas and elsewhere are shrouded by a high canopy of leaves held up on the branches of some really tall trees. It does not have the same friendly feel as Lakeside Park. Every step you take comes with the snap of a broken twig or rustle of dead leaves. The ducks and geese there are very wary of any noise or movement, and rightly

I rode my bike to Lakeside Park this morning. It was a cold start to the day with a heavy frost on the low lying grass. There was not a great deal of activity. The sun was low in the sky, providing beautiful contrast to everything it touched, but where were the birds? I could hear the squirrels complaining and this chipmunk was keeping well out of sight as it had a little nibble: I walked further up the lake, near the top edge where I noticed the reason for the bird's inactivity. Sitting on its favourite perch was the merlin: It surveyed the world around it: Basking in the sun as it did so: And also keeping one eye on me: I was happy for the photo opportunity but the merlin soon took to flight in search of its next meal. In the merlin's absence, the birds now started to appear. Finches, song sparrows, white-throated sparrows, a ruby-crowned kinglet: And a cardinal which was silhouetted with the sun behind it: A number of ring-billed gulls st

Other than the odd sighting after their young fledged, the red-winged blackbirds have been all but transparent. That is up until a week ago when they again started calling and displaying from their usual vantage points. Perhaps this is normal behaviour and just a prelude to their migration south. Anyway, as the sign quite rightly says... keep your dogs on a leash: I found the most uncomfortable position this morning in my attempt at getting a good view of the beaver doing its late morning routine. One foot on the bank and one in the water, with my back leaning against some long-dead branches which felt as though they could give out at any moment: My discomfort was not in vain as I did capture some decent photos as the beaver went about its business: Keeping the bed of the stream clear and also taking time to have a snack here and there: Two woodpeckers; the first I believe is a male hairy woodpecker, looking for a tasty morsel inside an old seed head: And the s

I have posted a few photos of the white-throated sparrows at Lakeside Park already and now find myself posting one more. I seem unable to not take a photo of these colourful sparrows: This bird is a brown creeper. I don't believe I have posted a photo of a brown creeper before, but it is not a new bird for me. I am well acquainted with these birds from my time birdwatching in England, although we do call them treecreepers in the UK: Squirrels appear to be everywhere at the moment. In the canopy dropping walnuts and on the ground hiding their stash: The red squirrels appear to be very aggressive towards their larger cousins, driving them off their walnut tree: I see painted turtles all the time at Lakeside Park, and I guess that is why I don't really take any photos of them. This is October though and for that reason alone, I took this photo of a painted turtle basking in the sun: Copyright  ©  wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Res