Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

The oppressive grey-clad sky which seemed to have been with us forever finally gave way to warmer weather today and some much needed blue sky. I heard snowbirds (dark-eyed juncos) in the pollinator meadow and I was in pursuit of a photo. The same snowbirds which frequent my feeder at home, but these were nowhere near as tame. They were hiding behind branches and keeping a safe distance from anything moving. I concentrated on trying to get a clear shot through the criss-cross of twigs and managed to snag a few photos before the juncos moved on. Disappointed that I hadn't been able to get a clearer shot, I released my attention from the bushes, turned around and noticed what looked like someone's dog standing in the snow-covered meadow. I half expected to see the dog's owner walking a few feet away holding the dog's leash, but there was no one. This was a wild dog and a beautiful one at that. A coyote that appeared to have been hunting for small prey through th...

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 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. ...

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 t...

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 Re...