Fall walks

First a quick catch up on Halloween

Cigi went to daycare in her skeleton shirt but then went out in the evening as a "trash panda" (Tshirt with a logo that is on Toronto's garbage cans, racoon hat and a cute, bushy racoon tail). I saw a video but can't post it.

 

Elis, my niece sent this photo, off to a Halloween party.

Nicola came home with me after Dad's Celebration Of Life and the following day we took advantage of the mild weather and walked at EcoAdventures.

We just did a short trail around Burning Kiln vineyard

where most of the grapes had been picked but some were under netting still, being saved for ice wine I am assuming.

Good year for wild grapes

and Highbush Cranberries.

We then treated ourselves

to some "boozy coffee"

on the Marshview Patio.

The next sunny day (they have been few and far between)

I walked along the Lynn Valley Trail

and back beside Silver Lake.

A local group is trying to get the silt removed that is filling up the lake.

Th invasive Phragmites reeds have already been removed and

that does seem to have opened up more water for the ducks etc. Female Mallards I think.

Lots of acorns on the ground and evidence that the squirrels strip the walnuts, while sitting on the benches.

Sleepy male Mallard.

Buffle Heads.

All the flags that I had sorted by race/regatta had to be resorted by boat! Bit of a pain to do but it did result in a much smoother and shorter awards section to Sailors Night which left more time for dancing.

The following day, greeted by sun, Rick and I went to Long Point. These Sandhill Cranes were near the Causeway. We looked in the fields where we normally see them but the corn and soy had not yet been harvested. Therefore no Cranes feeding there.

The Causeway had cars parked along the side and clusters of birders. They said they were looking for a rare bird that had been sighted here...A Pink Footed Goose. This bird summers in Iceland and Greenland and migrates to the UK and Western Europe. There were 2 unconfirmed sightings on the Ontario Rare Bird Alert for today, when I later checked on the internet.

They also identified the masses of little birds flying and wading in the mud as Dunlins and Black Bellied Plovers.

It was difficult to see the individual birds in the mud flats but there was a sense of constant motion there. Rick had bought his camera with the large telephoto lens with him but the battery was dead so these shots are all taken with my little point-and-shoot.

I think this guy is a Lesser Yellowlegs.

We left the Causeway and walked on the marsh trail, off Erie Ave. These are Sandpipers I think.

and some more Yellowlegs.

Unfortunately this one was backlit so very hard to get a decent photo

but he flew in to another part of the tree and I was able to get a slightly different angle. Enough to see his hooked beak which makes me think he was a Northern Shrike.

We walked past my old cottage and spoke to the new owner, putting up the snow fence, and then walked along the beach. Then back into the car and another stop on the Causeway, where the crowds and cameras with huge lenses were still in evidence.

I took pictures of numerous birds that turned out to be Canada Geese but this one is quite different. Could this be the famous Pink Footed Goose? Can't see his feet but he is the right size, shape and has the dark head. He was on the other side of the Causeway from where the birders were focused.

This is a picture from the internet of a Pink Footed Goose.

On our way to look for Sandhill Cranes we did see a large flock of Swans along Front Road.