If You Lived Here the Mill Race Trail Would be One of Your Favourites too......

"At its heightened moments, birdwatching can encourage a state of being close to rapture. It is an ecstasy that is said to accompany the writing of poetry, sometimes it comes when we are listening to music."

Graeme Gibson

 06 November, 2022

At home, Waterloo, ON

     Many species visit our feeders, grab a seed and fly off with it. Not so when a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) comes to town! It stays there, gobbles down a copious quantity and then leaves with as much as it can carry.

     Now that's efficiency!

     November temperatures are so far above what is normal it is hard to believe. Alyssum (family Brassicaceae) is still blooming in the garden, now protected by a cloak of autumn leaves.

     Many is the year when early snow would have blanketed the ground by now. As Bob Dylan reminded us "The times they are a'changin'".

     Who knows, might it be just another indicator of climate change?  Will someone sit up and take notice?  Infernos around the world, floods that can barely be imagined, melting glaciers and cataclysmic loss of biodiversity don't seem to do it.

     COP27 is taking place at Sharm El-Sheikh and I wonder whether the world's "leaders" will take note of these changing times? If the past provides a window into the future, the rhetoric will be lofty, the oratory will soar, promises will be made, hands will be wrung, and all will leave and return to their respective countries and nothing will be done. 

     I bow my head in shame that my own country, Canada, has never once met one of its climate targets, and I have little expectation that we ever will.

Martin Creek Road, Woolwich Township, Region of Waterloo

     Immediately on turning onto Martin Creek Road we noticed a subsantial stand of a yellow flowering plant and stopped to inspect a little closer. 

     It is in the mustard family (family Brassicaceae, as is the case for Alyssum above), but that's about all I can tell you. I am wondering whether this family is known for its late bloomers at our latititude, but I have checked every reference I have and can find no indication of this. 

     It was quite beautiful - and that's enough for me!

Mill Race Trail, St. Jacobs, ON

     No matter how many times we visit this trail it never fails to yield excitement and deep pleasure.

     It was fitting that a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) was one of the first species to greet us.

     I cannot begin to count how many children, and adults for that matter, have been turned onto a respect for and admiration of nature when this tiny bird has landed on their hand.

     The leaves on the water form a mosaic that is pleasing to the eye, but also caused us to reflect a little on the cycle of growth and decay, the restoration of nutrients, the natural systems developed over eons that bind ecosytems together, that we are so willing to destroy.

     A Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) quietly went about his business after giving us a quick whistle to let us know he was there.

     Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) always seem exuberant to me and they were frequently seen searching for food, kicking up dirt and scratching among the leaves.

     Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) remain frustratingly difficult to photograph.

     A Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) stayed close to us for a while.

     Orange Mycena (Mycena leaiana) is a common fungus, usually found in clusters and fruiting on wood; it is exceptionally attractive to my eyes.

     There were Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) all along the Mill Race; pleasant company to be sure.

     This drake was either very curious or looking for food; the picture is not cropped at all.

     Many pair bonds seem already to have been formed. Fidelity will be another matter entirely!

     An American Black Duck (Anas rubipres) was quite at home with the Mallards.

     The beavers have dragged in copious stalks of corn from the fields and the Mallards are happy to take advantage of this unexpected and unusual bounty.

     The beaver dam is solid and has been reinforced with a substantial amount of mud.

     Not even a trickle of water was observed to penetrate the structure. in places the water level is getting precariously close to encroaching onto the path. I hope it doesn't happen resulting in the destruction of the damn by the municipality.

     I find Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) extraordinarily beautiful, especially in the fall when the seeds disperse.

     I mentioned Downy Woodpecker above. It is a delightful bird, confiding and very common in the right habitat. The following images are different birds from the one above.

     The bankside trees are shallow-rooted and prone to being felled by strong winds.

     Ducks use them as convenient perches and the shade reduces the water temperature promoting healthy conditions for fish.

     Several Blue Jays accompanied us on our walk.

     A small flock of Cedar Waxwings (Bombyciila cedrorum) was launching from high branches to capture aerial insects.

     Flying insects are not what one expects in November!

     Fleabane (Genus Erigeron) was still in bloom, quite profusely in places.

     It brought us great joy to see our first American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) of the fall.

     It is such a delicate and beautiful little bird, the very arbiter of good taste.

     What is quite so lovely as seeds being wafted on the wind?

     Several small flocks of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) seemed quite blissful, enjoying the unexpectedly benign November weather.

     A stroll along the Mill Race would seem incomplete without a White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) or two.

     As we went to retrieve our car a trio of young Mennonite girls walked past us at a leisurely pace.

Martin Creek Road, Woolwich Township, Region of Waterloo

     American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) has experienced declining populations in recent years, alarmingly so in some parts.

     It was with great elation, therefore, that we saw a male in an area where we know the species has bred in previous years.

     It was frustratingly difficult for Miriam to get a decent picture as this wary bird moved at the blink of an eye, and this is the best she could do.

     It was a sensational end to an afternoon that had already been a great success.