Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

The 9th of May saw the temperature drop down to freezing! The soft and squishy waterlogged ground surrounding Shoemaker Lake that could previously only be traversed with the aid of rubber boots had now been transformed into a soft toffee type substance with a thin icy crust. My first thoughts were, what is going to happen to all of the birds that depend on insects to feed? Well, this American Robin had a backup plan. I'm guessing that the seeds of Staghorn Sumac are not the favourite food item for American robins, but in times of need, they are always there. The yellow-rumped warblers were still somehow managing to find insects to feed on. The kinglets also, although they are more adapted to hunting for food in much colder temperatures. And quite to my amazement I actually saw a hummingbird. We had a mixture of snow and hail over the course of the day. The next photo shows a hermit thrush with snowflakes falling around it. Moving on to Sunday which was almost a...

When you consider the density of wildlife present at Lakeside Park, it is not surprising that the park also attracts lots of predators. Aerial predators are energy conscious and can oftentimes be hard to locate, as they are hidden from sight, watching and waiting for an opportunity that will not be a wasted effort. Sometimes, the lack of activity from the squirrels and birds is a giveaway; other times it is the overactivity, the noisy complaints targetted at the predator that gives away its location. It was the cawing of crows that made me look up as they mobbed this red-tailed hawk, forcing it to circle up and away from the park. Hearing, I find at times to be much more useful than sight when it comes to birdwatching. I know; it does seem to be a contradiction, but I was led to my next predator by listening to the complaints of chickadees. I was fortunate that the bright morning sunlight lit up the chest feathers of this Cooper's hawk, making it fairly easy to locate amo...

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...