Today was outdoor day at Elk Island National Park.  It was calm and the blue sky was cloudless.  When I pulled into the park, the bison were grazing in the ditches.  There were very few vehicles in sight.  I had picked a good time of day to go.

I chose my favorite trail; Amisk Wuche.  It offers a variety of landscapes and never disappoints.  When I got to the parking lot, there were no other vehicles.  It was going to be a good hike.

The trail was covered in fallen leaves.  Most of the berries had been plucked from the underbrush; only a few rosehips remained.  As I made my way to the first pond I could hear the magpies and the squirrels.  When I got to the pond I had a big surprise.

The beavers had done some  `clear cutting`.  They are taking down trees; large and small.  There is a poplar standing precariously on the shore.  As I observed the handiwork, I thought that it had to have been a very large beaver or it was standing on the log beside the tree.  

A huge lodge sits beside the boardwalk.  Many small branches and twigs have been stockpiled beside it.  A fallen tree blocked the trail.  The branches had been stripped off the trunk.

The ponds along the trail were still.  The water surface looked like glass.  Most of the ducks have left.  I found only a couple of mallards.  The Canada Geese are in no hurry to leave.  I heard some fly low over my head and watched them as they came in for a splashdown.

The chickadee songs filled the forest.  They were busy gleaning seeds from the birch and spruce trees.  As I walked there was a shower of seed hulls falling from the branches.

Some of the shallow sloughs are ice covered.  Delicate bubbles formed beneath the surface, creating some beautiful art.  

I got to the bench that I usually stop at and watched a muskrat in the water.  It was enjoying the day as well.  It climbed onto a log and plopped into the water; reminding me of `chop chop timber`when the kids took swimming lessons.  When it landed in the water, it rolled over and over like a log and popped back up on the log again.  I have never seen one behave this way.

I love fall almost as much as I love winter.  It is lazy and laid back.  It is quiet and peaceful.  It is bug free. The temperature is perfect to spend time outside in a neighborhood park or local natural area.