Fall Visitors

 October 27, 2020

A flock of Pine Siskins stopped in to enjoy our cottage feeders.

They joined some of our regular birds and mammals.

Dow's Lake and Arboretum

 October 20, 2020

We parked at the Arboretum and made or way downhill to Dow's Lake.  There were tons of robins and juncos around.

On the lake, there seemed to be only thousands of mallards and a few Wood Ducks.  

A hiking couple stopped to ask us about the ducks.  Right after they left, we saw a single Green-winged Teal, a couple of American Wigeons and a Hooded Merganser.

We checked out the shrubs at the base of the hill, and found juvenile White-crowned Sparrows.

We hiked up the hill to Fletcher.  There was a good variety of birds there including a Hermit Thrush and lots of finches.

On the frog pond, there was a Wood Duck with a beautiful reflection.

Although it was very cloudy at first, the weather improved as the morning went on.  Even the robins decided to bathe.

Cottage Trip for Colleen's Birthday

 October 17-18, 2020

As always, when there is just the two of us, we took a scenic detour to get to the lake.  This time, we took Ch. Marks and Ch.du Ruisseau des Cérises, with a stop at the Picanoc River where we had paddled many times.

We had our lunch at the canoe takeout spot on the river and checked out the birds: a pair of soaring Ravens, a Hairy Woodpecker and a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

We carried on Ch.du Ruisseau des Cérises, slowly watching for activity.  At the corner of Ch.du Bois-Franc, we saw a flock of finches.  We turned and followed them a short way until they were right beside our car. Pine Siskins! What a great opportunity for super photos.

We carried on to the lake and did a few chores.  The next morning, pre-dawn, Barbara delivered surprise 70th birthday balloons and gifts to Colleen's door.

We checked in with Colleen at 9:30am to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY and then our goodbyes. We headed out, as rain was threatening.  It soon began to rain heavily, and we were uncertain about taking a scenic route.  But, the rain stopped as we came into Kazabazua, so we turned and went to Danford Lake, then turned south towards Cawood, past Lac Kent where Bill's Dad's friends Ken and Gus Strolger had their cottages in the late 1950s, which they used as a base for fishing Kazabazua Creek.  The fields had all grown up in bush over 60 years, and the whole area was unrecognizable. 

At Cawood, we headed east and hooked up to Ch. Fieldville which we had approached from the other direction two weeks ago.  At Ch. Murray, where we had previously seen a flock of American Pipits, we again saw a flock of birds, but this time immature White-crowned Sparrows, including one juvenile. An adult with its striking white head was standing guard on a fence post..

As we came into farming country, we saw some unusually large cattle and a couple of flocks of large Wild Turkeys.

As usual, our scenic drive had given us many beautiful sites and some very cooperative birds.