Change in the Weather

It's hard to believe that just two days ago, it was warm and clear (for this time of year), with no snow on the ground.  There were buds coming on twigs, and fresh growth peeping out from under last year's dead leaves.

Tree full of early robins.  February 10th at Lake Gibson

It had been so mild that we had quite an influx of early migrants.  I reported seeing a mockingbird on February 4th, and on the 10th, I saw a belted kingfisher.  Flocks of robins can be seen resting in trees and searching under leaves for hibernating insects.

In the last twenty-four hours or so, we had at good four or five inches of snow fall, and now we have more seasonal temperatures forecast for our area.  So now we know.  The early bird doesn't get the worm, he gets frostbite!

Belted Kingfisher, seen at Lake Gibson on February 10th.

Mockingbird seen at Green Ribbon Trail on February 4th.

Check out my Etsy shop that contains many conversion of my photos to cross stitch patterns!

Malcomson EcoPark

Malcomson is one of my favourite places to walk.  It is a natural area right on Lakeshore Road beside the canal, at the end of Niagara Street.  There is a network of walks of hard-packed earth, and quite easy to navigate.  It comes equipped with ponds and small streams, and an abundance of trees of all kinds and ages.  In the summer, there is such an abundance of birds!  I've seen many species there, including American Bittern, Green Heron, plenty of warblers and vireos and other songbirds, and even a yellow cuckoo!

Spring still awaits the arrival of migrators, but I did see a hairy woodpecker, cardinals and plenty of chickadees, plus a pair of robins.

This early in the season, before the leaves grow in, the effects of the great vines that climb up many of the old trees can be seen.  Where vines have died off, some of the trees can be seen to be shaped into corkscrews by the growth of the inch-thick vines that climbed ten or twenty feet up the trunks.

Being a natural area, deadfall is left to rot, returning to the soil and nurturing new growth, providing shelter for small animals and food for insects and on up the food chain.  Mossy logs and stumps are plentiful, and live trees that tower fifty or sixty feet are not unusual.  The canopy is far above, and there is moderate underbrush, which makes it a great place for birds.  I saw no migrators today except a pair of early robins.

Malcomson is delightful, and if a walk in the woods appeals to you, it's a great place to check out!

Knifeworks on Merritt Trail

One of my favourite places to go for a walk is the site of the old Knifeworks, part of the Merritt Trail system.  The entrance off Westchester at Oakdale makes it a great downtown park for a walk on your lunch hour or after work.  There is a walkway that is mostly paved that runs on each side of the old canal, which still runs briskly with water in all seasons.  It's a great place to go birding, and I have added many new species there, and in the extension of the park on the other side of Westchester.  Some of the species I've seen there are:  Eastern Kingbird, Red-Bellied Sapsucker, Black and White Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, and many others.  It's a stopover place for migration for many species, and I once came across a flock of dozens of robins in early February, all scratching madly in the leaf mold to scare up a few early or hibernating insects.

My visit today didn't yield anything more exotic than a few chickadees, and my hopes of catching sight of some early migrators was dashed.  But it was a beautiful day for a walk, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

I am posting a few shots from my archives from this hidden gem of a park.  If you live in the area, you should check it out!

Baltimore Oriole

Brown-headed Cowbird pair

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Eastern Kingbird

Northern Flicker

Great Crested Flycatcher

A Mid-winter Surprise

We have been enjoying such beautifully mild temperatures this winter, and people everywhere are hoping for an early spring.  "Fonthill Flossie", our local weather prognosticator in the form of a groundhog, agrees.

I headed out to the Green Ribbon Trail, a small inlet of Martindale Pond.  It's a favourite spot year-round for me, because there are always birds there, and sometimes a real treasure.  I've seen Great Blue Herons, a spotted sandpiper, belted kingfishers, mute swans, grey catbirds, and many sparrow species, among others.  I didn't think today, being still so early in the year, would hold any surprises, but I was wrong!  I was very surprised to see a mockingbird!  What was he doing way up north in February?

I was also able to get some nice shots of the Canada geese and some landscapes.  If you look closely, you'll see that there are tiny bits of green peeping out from among last year's decaying leaves.