The Mill Race Again

  It is not half so important to know as to feel

Rachel Carson

06 October, 2023

     This was a very brief stop on the way to somewhere else, but a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), partly hidden in the reeds, waited patiently for a fishy snack.

10 October, 2023

     Predictably, Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) was one of the first birds we saw.

     American Beavers (Castor canadensis) have been hard at work rebuilding and reinforcing their dam after the Philistines from the township destroyed it, and they have succeeded in installing a more robust structure than before, and have reduced the downstream flow to a mere trickle.

     

     Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) will not be with us much longer this season, although the ridiculously high temperatures of late may have convinced it that summer is eternal.

     The berry-bearing trees and bushes all seem to bear prodigious crops this year, and Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), both adults and juveniles, were taking full advantage of the bounty.

     Eyes left seems to be the order of the day!
     A female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was bathing and preening, to perform essential feather maintenance.

     A general arrival of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) seems to have occurred; most are passing through but a few will remain here for the winter.

      A Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) rounded out our sightings for the day.

20 October, 2023

     Right at the trailhead there is an area where people provide seed and suet for the birds, and it is always the first place we check.

     A White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) was obviously having great success.

     I had sunflower hearts in the car, so I distributed some on the wall, on the stump and along the branches; the results were predictable and instant. A Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) had arrived within moments.

     Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) are beautiful, opportunistic and resourceful.

     A male Northern Cardinal wasted no time in gathering up his fair share.

     At one point three nuthatches were present, all able to make their trip worthwhile.

     And, as was the case above, a Hairy Woodpecker rounded out the entourage.

     It had been raining very lightly when we first arrived, but it increased in intensity, so that was the extent of our visit for the day.

23 October, 2023

     In general, the colours of fall, that glorious panorama of Ontario magic and majesty, have been somewhat muted this year, but with the sun shining brightly they still looked breathtakingly splendid.

     A female Mallard (Anas platyrynchos) is a supremely appealing bird, I am sure you will agree.

   This male evidently thought so as he clambered on the log to join her.

     Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergi) is ripe, red, robust, and redolent with glossy beauty, almost sensuous in its appeal.

     Autumn Meadowhawks (Sympetrum vicinum) were out to prove that it's never too late for a little dragonfly whoopee!

     Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) has passed its prime, is spent for the year in fact, yet still exhibits a certain charm.

     Annual Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) furnishes an emphatic statement on a rapidly browning landscape, even in late October.

     How appropriate that a Black-capped Chickadee, the signature bird of the Mill Race, was the last bird we saw before we arrived back at the parking lot.

     À la prochaine, mon ami. We will be back soon!