Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

It's been a cold start to 2020 at Lakeside Park. Not much activity you'd think with the lake being frozen, but in the trees, bushes and plants there was a lot going on.  Grey squirrels could be heard from up high in the trees munching on the plentiful supply of walnuts. Red squirrels also seem to prefer the higher branches of the trees where it's easier to keep an eye on their surroundings: I always seem to find this little red squirrel in the same location, sitting on a tree branch. I took a few photos and then edged closer, and then a little more. The red squirrel unusually did not move. Not even a whisker: I walked directly beneath the squirrel and then saw movement, not from the squirrel, but from two red-tailed hawks who'd been perched close by, high up in the trees on the edge of the lake. The two red-tailed hawks circled the park, gaining height before gliding off over the treetops on the far side of the lake: With the hawks now long gone thin...

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...

I have missed a few mornings since my last post, partly due to the rain. Today, I was determined to go to Lakeside Park and capture some detail in my photos. The warblers were in evidence but still would not pause long enough for me to focus. This cardinal, however, did sit for a while as it preened its feathers: Woodpeckers, chickadees, northern flickers, robins, a catbird and this nuthatch passed through the trees with the warblers: I switched to my macro camera when I saw the strangest looking insect. It was very aware of my presence, moving around the stem of this plant to avoid my gaze. I had to produce some movement with my hand on the opposite side to persuade it to move into my camera's focus: From above, it looked just as weird with its hammer-shaped head. It appears to be a treehopper, possibly a buffalo treehopper, but I have yet to match the markings exactly: Snails have hairs, or at least their shells do. I was completely unaware of that fact unt...