The rain let up this evening and I went for a walk at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  The air was fresh.  The greens were bright and the birds were singing.  Every once in awhile, the wildflowers provided a splash of color to break up the wall of green.  The honeysuckle was in full bloom.

When I arrived there, three families of geese were out for a walk around the edge of the pond.  As I walked by them, the adults hissed at me.  I kept one eye on the trail and the other on the geese, just in case I had to make a run for it.

The trail was so peaceful.  I could hear the water dripping from the leaves.  The sun tried peeking through the clouds but that was short-lived.  

I was almost to the end of the trail loop and had to make my way down a very steep, wet hill.  The mud on it was slippery and my rubber boots had no grip.  I think I invented a new sport, mud-skiing.  Note to self:  wear boots with better grip when going down steep, wet hills.  Good thing there was not too much mud at the bottom of the hill where I landed!

I got back to the pond and found a single beaver collecting branches for a new lodge.  The red winged blackbirds balanced carefully on the cattail heads and the tree swallows swooped through the air, capturing food for their young.

I got back to the house and noticed that the sugar water is going down in the oriole feeder.  I wonder if it's actually an oriole or if the hummers have been snacking at that feeder.  Looks like I'll have to set up a backyard stake out on my next day off.