Most of the snow that fell a few days ago has melted.  The grass is showing on the lawn again and the water dripped off the garage roof.  

The horses from the farm behind my yard came for a visit today as did the deer.  I saw the horses but the deer managed to make it in and out without me seeing them.  

The birds were having a feeding frenzy.  The chickadees flew in, grabbed a sunflower seed and then proceeded to find a hiding spot for it.  I knew that the bluejays hid their food but I had never witnessed the chickadees doing it.  One of them brought the seeds and lined them up in the track that the patio door slides in.

The yellow feathers of an evening grosbeak were easy to spot as it landed on a tray feeder.  It has been coming in solo.  I'm hoping that there will be a flock of them this winter.  It's been a few years since these beauties have been in the yard.

A pair of hairy woodpeckers fed at the suet and peanut feeders while the little downies pecked at the bark on the old poplar snag.

I saw a lone moose feeding in a willow thicket alongside the road on my travels today.  It was not bothered by the traffic that stopped to watch.

I'm looking forward to some outdoor time tomorrow.  My camera will be ready so I hope the wildlife will be cooperating.

The birds in the backyard are providing hours of entertainment.  There are four separate feeding stations that offer suet, sunflower seeds and peanuts.  In addition to the variety of woodpeckers, blue jays, nuthatches and chickadees, the magpies have been putting on quite the show.

I glanced out the window and saw one land on a board under a suet feeder.  It tried its best to reach the suet but was too short.  After numerous attempts, it began jumping to reach it.  The metal holder kept getting in the way but that didn't stop it.  The magpie was persistent. It kept trying.  Every once in awhile it would fall off the edge of the board and tumble to the ground.  That didn't stop it from flying up and trying again.

The aggressive, little downy woodpeckers fight over who is going to hang upside down at the peanut feeder.  The chickadees change their flight path when the bluejays beat them to the tray feeder.

Nature puts on quite a show for those that care to take notice.



 

Snow began falling overnight on October 26.  By the end of the day on the 27th, there was 3 inches on the deck.  The tree and shrub branches were bending to the ground under the weight of the wet, sticky snow.  

The birds were having a feeding frenzy.  Blue jays, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers and nuthatches took turns at all the stations.

The temperature has been above zero and has melted about half the white blanket in my yard.  I was excited to watch the flakes falling and it was very disappointing that they were melting.  Since I have lived at this location, there have been three years where there was no snow on the ground at Christmas.  I hope that is not the case this year.

The white tail deer have been visiting everyday.  As long as there is feed in their dish, they leave my trees and shrubs alone.  They are so much fun to watch.  Each has their own mannerisms.  There are two out of the seven that don't like each other.  They end up having a little tussle in the backyard quite frequently.

I drove by a local pond and the three swans that I saw last week are still there; swimming in that watering hole.  They don't appear to be in a hurry to leave.  Flocks of cranes and geese have been flying overhead.  The days are getting cooler and the snow is bound to stay soon.  For me, that day cannot come soon enough.

 

Last winter I had five white tailed deer and two mule deer visiting the backyard on a regular basis.  They would come and eat the grain that I would put out in their feed dish and raid the hanging bird feeders.

Over the summer, I had a motion sensor sprinkler set up so they would stay out of my garden.  It worked because the garden and shrubs remained intact.  

I wondered if the deer would return when the yard was put to bed for the winter.  There were

no signs that they were coming into the yard until I saw a couple of strawberry plants nibbled off.  That was a signal to get the feed dish out again.

I filled it about a week ago and have been refilling it every morning.  I didn't know how many were coming into the yard until a couple nights ago.  There were two that evening.  

Last night we saw three come into the yard after dark.  I saw their silhouettes by the feed dish so we shined a flashlight into the back so the girls could see them.  Today, we didn't need a light source.  The deer came into the yard before it got dark.  

I was outside and saw them approaching from the forest.  The girls were at the kitchen table.  "Gramma, here they come!"  One after another they filed into the yard; seven in total.

I ended up having an entire herd visit.  The girls were so excited.  They went running for the bedroom window where they had a better view.

My outside cat did not like the intrusion into his territory.  He may have thought that they were coming for his food next.  He took after them like a sheep dog herding a flock of sheep.  What a sight!

At this rate, the winter could get expensive if seven deer show up every day.  I'm going to need a second feed dish!

Blue jay vs deer at the feeder.

My little helpers assisted with getting the 'livestock' fed this morning.  They brought out pails of feed for the deer, a couple cups of cat food and sunflower seeds to refill a hanging bird feeder.  It's not the birds emptying it.  The deer have an appreciation for the extra roughage provided by the seed shells.

After spending a couple hours at a nearby playground, we decided on a sheltered spot for a picnic.  The wind was becoming quite blustery.  There is a great picnic shelter at the Waskehegan Staging area.  We thought we would be the only ones there but 3 other people joined us.  The girls got to see the wood stove in action.  Both commented on how nice the fire smelled.  They also commented on how good the lunch smelled that was cooking on the stove.

When we were done, we toured the trails for a couple of hours.  We walked to a sandy hill and looked at the holes that the garter snakes had dug into it.  We continued along the trail to the beaver pond where the water was almost all dried up.  Wren asked where the beavers go when there is no water.

As we walked back toward the parking lot, some sandhill cranes flew overhead.  Both girls were curious about them.  They knew that the cranes did not sound like the Canada Geese.  The cranes landed on Neon Lake and we could still here them calling.  

We investigated some tree stumps left by the beavers.  The girls felt the bumps left in the wood by the beaver's teeth.  They said that the point on the stump looked like the roof of a house.  We talked about what the beavers do with the branches from the big trees that they take down.

A gopher hole was the next point of interest.  We wondered where the gopher was after close inspection of the hole.

We could hear a tractor beyond the trees.  When we looked through the pasture gate, a tractor was working with a mower; trying to cut down the long grasses in a dried up slough.  

When we got home, the birds were busy in the deck feeder.  The girls named all the birds that visited.  This evening, I noticed the deer at the feed dish.  I shined a flashlight through the window.  It lit up the backyard enough for the girls to see three deer at the dish.  They were quite excited that the deer where eating the food that they put out in the morning.

It was a great day filled with fresh air, lots of laughs and Gramma answering hundreds of 'why' questions.

What a great day!  The girls and I spent about 5 hours outside.  Our first stop was the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  We checked out the pond to see if the beavers were swimming.  No luck there.  They checked out the birdhouses to see if anybody was home.  No luck there either so we headed into the forest on the trail. 

We've been there a number of times and they know their way around on the short trails so I took them to a spot that they had not been to; the spruce bog.  On the way, there were leaf fights and lots of running through the leaves.  We made piles of leaves to jump into and tried looking for different colors.  What fun!

As we approached the boardwalk that enters the bog, they were a little hesitant to walk into it.  The black spruce trees tower above the boardwalk making it quite dark.  The sun's rays show up as slivers of light that find their way through the thick branches.  Squirrels chatter in the trees.  There are a couple of benches there so it was a nice spot to have a picnic.  Both girls noticed how quiet it was.  They explored the squirrel middens and the bumpy spruce bark.

After our visit at the SWC, we traveled to Elk Island National Park where they played at the playground, checked out the gulls at the lake and picnicked at the old cookhouse.  There were lots of bison to see along the highway.

When we got home, they watched the bluejays and chickadees come to the bird feeder outside the window.  We were so lucky to see an evening grosbeak come to the tray feeder.  I haven't seen one in the yard for more than two years.

What a great outdoor day!  Looks like we'll be having another one tomorrow. 

It was a banner day for wildlife sightings.  On the way to pick up my grand-daughters I was lucky enough to see three swans swimming with a flock of Canada Geese.  I've seen flocks flying overhead but this is the first time this fall that I've seen them in a pond close to the road.

When I have the girls with me, we are always watching for animals.  It seems that all the wild creatures were out this evening just so the girls could see them.  

Five white tail deer were grazing in a field alongside the road.  As we drove by, they glanced up but did not run.  A bit further up the road, Wren was watching out the window and I heard her say "Gramma, that's a really big gopher."  I couldn't see what she was looking at until I noticed dirt flying out of a hole.  A large badger was digging in a farm field.  That is the first one that I have ever seen.  What a beauty!  We were almost at my house when three white tail deer ran across the road and jumped the fence.  It was an amazing day for seeing forest creatures.

The weather is supposed to be nice so we'll be taking advantage of it and spending lots of time outside.  The girls have lots of outdoor activities planned; picnic, playground, leaf walk. Fun, fun, fun!

 

I watched a beautiful sunrise this morning.  In a short ten minutes, I observed changes that will never happen again.  The clouds will not be in the same formation and the colors will not be the same.  It was a once in a life time experience.  Sure, the sun will rise again but it will not be exactly the same as this morning.

The sunrises and sunsets over the past few days have been phenomenal.  It makes one think about how lucky we are to live where we do.  The wide open spaces, fresh air and natural beauty should not be taken for granted.  There are many people that live in smog-filled, crowded spaces where the air masks the colors of the morning/evening and wide open spaces do not exist.  I couldn't imagine how that would be.  

When I went out to refill the deer food dish and the bird feeders, the dew from overnight glistened in the morning sun.  In the areas that the sun's rays did not reach, frosty crystals were clinging to the leaves.  The ninebarks in my yard are bursting with fall color and the insects are still out and about.  I had to stop and take in the backyard scenes.

Last night the wildlife was abundant on my drive home.  It was getting dark but it was still light enough to see them in the fields.  Just a short distance from town, a cow moose and her yearling twins were creating a 'moose-jam' on the township road.  Mama and one youngster jumped the fence as my vehicle and another approached.  The second calf ran along the fence line until there was a spot where the fence was not as high.  Without any effort, it scaled the fence and joined its family.  What a beautiful sight!  The occupants in the other vehicle and I watched as the moose stood and allowed us to observe them.

Further up the road, two white tail deer came out of the ditch and crossed the road.  The doe ran but the the fawn stopped until I was about 20 feet away.  Talk about a 'deer in the headlights'.  It must have known that I saw it from a distance and was slowing to a stop and was not in any danger.

As I thought back to the wildlife observations of last night, the beauty of the sunrise, the morning dew and the frost covered leaves, I felt an immense gratitude for where I reside.

 

 

I almost missed it.  If not for some commotion on the road in front of my house, I would have missed a beautiful sunset.  

After my busy day, I settled in for the evening with a book and was not paying attention to what was happening out the front window.  The noises that the neighborhood kids were making caught my attention and got me to glance outside.  I'm glad that I did because the color in the sky was amazing.

Earlier in the afternoon I was contemplating going to Astotin Lake specifically to take some sunset photos.  There were very few clouds in the sky so I decided against it.
 
The clouds were sparse but they were brilliant in color.  I watched as the pinks and oranges went from pale to dark.  It didn't take long.  In fact, I thought I would miss it while running for my camera.  I did manage to capture some of the amazing light before the sun set.  What a beautiful way to end the day.

I had only a short period of time to spend in the woods so decided to visit the Strathcona Wilderness Centre this morning.  The sun was just beginning to come over the treetops.  The sky was cloudless and only a sliver of the moon was visible.  It was the perfect morning to hike.  I didn't have to wear a jacket. There was no wind and the temperature was warm.  It was only 9am!

The water in the pond at the end of the driveway did not have one ripple.  There were no ducks or muskrats swimming.  Most of the leaves have dropped and the cat tails have bloomed out; leaving masses of fuzz on the pond surface.

The beginning of the trail was quiet.  No bird calls.  No chattering squirrels.  The sun's rays created long shadows on the leafy carpet.  

There were a number of berries and rose hips clinging to branches.  I was surprised that the squirrels hadn't plucked them off.  The rose bushes were the only shrubs still clinging to leaves.  

As I made my way around the trail, I decided to visit the Spruce Bog.  A large owl flew up from a branch as I approached the area.  I followed a long boardwalk into a sheltered area that contains labrador tea, paper birch and towering spruce trees.  There are benches for those that wish to sit and enjoy the quiet or watch the squirrels gather food.  They were not happy to have me sitting there this morning.

I was the only person on the trail today.  I wish I could have stayed out longer but winter will show up sooner or later and there were windows to be washed before the snow falls.

I've been cooped up in the house for the past two days.  I needed some fresh air headed to Elk Island National Park.  There are many trails to choose from for hiking and lots of picnic tables by the lake to just sit and enjoy the view.  I tried to do both.

I started at Astotin Lake.  The sun was just beginning to break through the clouds.  The warm rays began to burn off the fog that hung over the lake.  I could hear the gulls and the geese on the water.  

A south east wind was blowing.  I was not dressed warm enough to sit at the lake shore so I drove to the nearby Amisk Wuche Trail.  It is short and well treed; just right for today.

I was almost a quarter way around the trail when the sun was high enough in the sky to break through the treetops.  I love the early morning light.  It is warm in color making it ideal for some dewdrop and back lit photographs.

There are not many leaves hanging on the branches.  Most are forming a carpet on the trail.  The rose bushes are providing the last bit of color amidst the grey tree trunks.  It is amazing how each of the thorny branches produces so many varying shades of color.  They are beautiful.
 
I spent some time sitting on a bench that stands atop a hill, overlooking a beaver pond.  The ducks were swimming in the shadows of the pond.  I heard the bluejays in the spruce trees.  A pair of geese and a number of ducks flew overhead.  I could hear their wings whistle in the wind.  

As I sat on the bench, I closed my eyes and tuned everything out except the sounds of the forest.  The dried leaves clinging to the branches and the tall grasses rustled in the wind. The birds called from the treetops.  I heard a hawk and a raven call from overhead.  The nearby trees creaked as they swayed to and fro in the gusts.  The sounds were heavenly.

On the drive back home, I noticed the park staff replacing the culverts in the bison loop.  The heavy machinery did not seem to bother the bison herd that was grazing nearby. 

A coyote was hunting in the ditch.  It stopped now and again to listen for movement in the tall grass.  As I approached, it lopped off into the trees.

The birds were busy in the backyard again; so was the squirrel.  I opened the garage door and the bushy tailed little rodent stared back at me before running for the safety of a cabinet.  It has been storing food in the attic of my garage as well as in the boxes that I have items stored in.  I found some nice dried mushrooms in the box containing the tie downs.

The afternoon turned out to be sunny but windy.  The leaves that I was going to rake, blew into the neighbor's yard on their own so I could sit back and enjoy a coffee on the deck. 

 

Day 2 of being house-bound with a head cold left me watching the birds through the window again.  They were just as entertaining as they were yesterday.

The black capped chickadees flew back and forth from the willow tree next door to the feeder that I placed on the deck.  The bluejays swooped down from the tall aspens.  They frequented the tray feeders.  The nuthatches enjoyed sunflower seeds at the hanging feeders. The downy woodpeckers visited the tray, suet and peanut feeders.  One of them was brave enough to venture onto the deck railing and hop right into the sunflower seeds that I had laid out for the chickadees.

The funniest bird this afternoon was a magpie.  It landed on a shelf underneath a suet feeder.  The bottom of the feeder was just out of its reach.  It tried reaching up numerous times and managed to break off small bits of suet with its beak.  The magpie kept at it until it saw one of the cats creeping closer.

The deer have come back to the backyard.  I noticed that the hanging feeders were being emptied so I put the feed dish back with some rolled oat/barley mix.  Last night I got to see who was visiting.  The exterior motion sensor light came on long enough for me to see one doe and one fawn.  They emptied the dish.

I had another break through with Spike the cat this morning.  I went outside to feed him.  As I knelt down to fill the dish, he jumped up on my lap and had no intention of jumping down until he got a good scratch behind the ears. He has come a long way.  A few months ago, he wouldn't come near me.  I guess he's figured out that I am the one that fills his food dish each day.

I spent the day at home due to the beginnings of a head cold.  Boring.  I was glad that there was plenty of bird action in the backyard.  Every feeding station had visitors; blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees, downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers.  Juncos picked up seeds off the ground and magpies stole food from the cats.

The brave little black capped chickadees frequent the seed feeder that is set up on my deck railing.  It is situated right outside the patio door so there is a good view of it from the kitchen table.  Today, the bluejays fed there as well.  I watched as they used their beaks to flick out the seeds that they didn't want.  Fussy eaters.  When they saw me in the window, they would cock their head from side to side until they realized that I was on the other side of the glass.

The suet feeders had downy and hairy woodpeckers at them.  There were a pair of aggressive downys that would not share.  They chased each other while two others came in and fed.  At one point, there was a downy and hairy woodpecker that landed at the suet simultaneously.  When they spied each other, there was a stare-down for a couple of seconds before the hairy fed first.

The day was grey and cloudy which is exactly how my head felt today.  I was grateful for the backyard bird action to keep me entertained.

Even though winter is my favorite season of the year, I am enjoying the fall colors that are still abundant.  The thorny rose branches are adorned with an entire palette of colors; varying shades of red, orange, yellow and burgundy.

Some of the tall aspens are still sporting their bright yellow leaves.  These colorful canopies create brilliant reflections in the still water.

The anemones on the trail lost their flowers long ago but their leaves are more beautiful than their flowers were. 

The wild raspberries show off their red foliage.  The morning sun produces beautiful back-lit images.

If you haven't been out to enjoy the beauty of autumn, I encourage you to do so soon.  The weather is holding out but winter is bound to happen sooner or later and we'll be looking at a serene, blanket of white where the only variance in color will be shadows cast onto it.