Hermit Thrush

 

Eastern Phoebe

I was excited to find an Eastern Phoebe on October 1st. I realized pretty soon there were two birds in the same area. I wasn't happy with the photos from the first day so tried the following day with even less luck even though both birds were still around. By the 3rd day there were three birds at the same location and that is when I managed to get these shots. Third times the charm as they say.

 

Something Completely Different

 Snapping turtle from Spring of 2020 while trying to photograph Wood Ducks.

Green-winged Teals - Fall plumage

In the same pond as the Wood Ducks and the herons there were usually several if not dozens of Green-wing Teals. I have always been hesitant to put an s at the end of teal to indicate more than one but I guess that is the correct plural form. In any case the birds would tend to congregate there during high tide since the water in the river estuary was too deep to feed. The pond in effect was just a safe resting spot until the tide fell again. That all changed on October 8 when hunting season began and since that day I haven't seen a single bird in that spot. A few birds were starting to molt into breeding plumage but not any of those pictured here. It seems they are a little later in that regard than the Wood Ducks since they reach that stage by the first of October at the latest.

 

Juvenile Great Blue Herons

 Every Fall the number of Great Blue Herons in the area is higher than at any other time of the year. Many are juveniles, some will stay late and a few will try to over-winter. They tend to be better subjects for photography than the adults since they don't possess the fear of humans that the older birds have learned These images were captured a couple days apart at the same location. The first two of one individual on the first day.

Wood Ducks, Adults and Juveniles

 

Ermine/Weasel

Apparently there are at least 3 species of weasels that occur in eastern Canada and I'm not expert enough to identify which one this is. My uneducated guess would be Least Weasel. All I know is that what started as me pursuing this animal for a photograph turned into the weasel being as curious about me and checking me out from the crevasses in the rock pile it took shelter under. 

 

 

The Chase

 Juvenile Merlin and unidentified shorebird, possibly a Sanderling. After sunset, the falcon silhouetted against clouds still lit by the sun while the shorebird is against the part of the sky in earth's shadow. I just like the pastel colours in this image and the obvious story unfolding. 

Wood Ducks and Lily Pads