Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

We have experienced some really changeable weather of late. From grey overcast days with cold winds that made everyone wrap up again in their winter clothes to warm and beautifully sunny days which gave the illusion that summer is finally here. There has been plenty of activity at Lakeside Park, but I am falling a little behind with my posts and that is purely down to how much time I have to process the images I have been taking. I'll try to recap, starting from the second of May with a pair of Canada geese flying down from the lake to Shoemaker Creek. As you can see it was really overcast. And from the same grainy day, a swamp sparrow sang out at the edge of the reed beds at the top of Shoemaker Lake. Now on to the third of May which really contrasted to the previous day in regards to temperature and visibility. The bright sunlight added a splash of colour to this female red-winged blackbird. Not that it was needed at all, but the strong morning sunlight also l...

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...