Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

I have not been to Lakeside Park since the 2nd of April and I must admit that I am missing my walks around the lake and my observations of the wildlife there. Work has kept me too busy to even go through my photos, but I feel I should make an effort. The last time that I observed this bird at Lakeside Park was in October of 2019. From the front, it is a strange-looking creature with its black bib and those eyes that appear to see everything from every direction. It is remarkably hard to get close to. From the side, it is easily identifiable as a pied-billed grebe. It was extremely cautious, and the slightest suggestion that there may be something human-looking and it moved off, and out of range. I circled the lake a few times in my rubber boots attempting to sneak up unawares, but this grebe was way too canny for me. After my initial photos, the best that I could do was to take shots from a good distance away, and while being not very detailed, they do show what ...

This morning started with a beautiful golden sunrise that lit up the tops of the trees and slowly descended to the lake. It unfortunately did not last and was soon eclipsed by a grey sky. Undaunted by the poor light, I set out with an agenda; to photograph some of the migrating warblers that are still passing through Lakeside Park. I set off, up the side of the lake, following some yellow coloured warblers which were flitting through the undergrowth. I took any opportunity I could to photograph what I saw on the way: There were lots of hickory tussock moth caterpillars, fattening up on the remaining leaves: A catbird sat out in the open for a few moments as I passed through a clearing: And at the top edge of the lake, I again saw the merlin on its usual vantage point, watching for any unwary birds: It was a failed effort on my part. As soon as I saw a warbler and raised my lens, it was gone. I decided to make my way back to the parking area and the fir trees besid...

I decided to catch up with the beaver for a short while this morning. The beaver was very active, but unseen for the most part. A trail of bubbles and the larger, rounder ripples which it produces gave away its whereabouts. The beaver did surface for this photo as it selected a large sapling before submerging, taking the sapling with it: There was a lot of activity in the trees beside the pollinator meadow: Chickadees worked through the fir trees looking for insects and seeds: A young cardinal asked to be fed by its parents while sitting in the shade: The starlings again found the tops of the fir trees to sing, and that was just close enough for a photograph: I decided to make my way up the path before I had to leave. The kingfishers are still very active over the lake but are just as difficult to take a photo of: As I neared the top of the lake, the great egret flew overhead. It was hotly pursued by the great blue heron who seemed determi...

I hear starlings at Lakeside Park every morning. The starlings congregate on the water treatment plant at the bottom edge of the lake, waiting for the morning sun, singing to their heart's content. The starlings are usually just too far away for photos, but today, these two young starlings came a little closer: One starling left, leaving the other to sing solo: Another pair of young birds, song sparrows, but very unlike their name, they did not sing at all: I had to include a photo of these peculiar fruits which I noticed hanging from some thin vines. They are wild cucumbers, an annual plant that grows from seed every year. They are related to the cucumbers we see in stores, but are inedible: This bald-faced hornet posed for my camera before I left the Lakeside Park, so here it is: Copyright  ©  wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.