Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

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. ...

Standing on the near (trail) side of Lakeside Park at the turtle nesting area with the sun barely above the horizon, I noticed something in the misty shadows moving through the water, way over by the seated area, much bigger and moving faster than the beaver. I had no idea what it was until I reviewed the photos and zoomed in: It sped across to the far side of the lake, pausing for a few seconds before disappearing into the reeds: Not a great deal of light for my pocket size PowerShot SX720, but I did manage to get a few photos from what I took. The first view for me of deer at Lakeside Park! Copyright  ©  wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.