Totally captivated in 2007 by the live camera feed of the Hornby Island nesting Bald Eagles in B.C., I was drawn into birding and have never looked back. Thus begins my account of what I'm fortunate enough to discover each day and perhaps capture with my camera.



Unless otherwise stated, all images were taken by and are the property of Janice Melendez

Species Counts:

2014 Final Year List: 255; 2015 Year List a/o June 5, 2015: 235; Life List: 327

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

...am Twitchin' Badly


...the lack of decent birds at the cottage is really starting to annoy me, but I guess this is how it works up here, especially when the raptor migration is heating up back home on the shores of Lake Ontario.

So sunrises, sunsets, and fall colour it is. Sorry, folks (except for my ex-pat buddies)!

This interesting sunrise from today was unusual:





I headed off for my usual CKL Road 24 in good time this morning and have finally accepted that my Osprey have left for the season, so here are the last photos I took of them on September 21st, first is the young one from Kenstone Beach Road... 





...and an adult that I was shocked to see in a tree not far from the young one, as I thought that all of the adults had flown the coop weeks ago:









Suffice it to say that from now on for the next six months this should be an Osprey-free zone, she wrote, through her tears!



So back to this morning: for the first time ever, I saw a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers together on the same tree for a fleeting instant, just west of  Kenstone Beach Road, here's one of them. On my way home later that afternoon, I saw another one by the beach at Emily Creek, so agreed, these were good birds!!!






I left the Kawarthas and drove up to Haliburton Village, where I had spent my final two summers of high school working at a resort and recalled a look-out park on the outskirts of town:






Although the fall colours had probably peaked a week ago, it was still worth the trek, this first panoramic shot includes Haliburton Village just left of centre:





Lots of leaves are already down now, but the colours were still dramatic:











On my way back, I ventured into my old summer resort, Chateau Woodland, and yes, it's still standing, but appears to be privately owned by "members". I'm not sure what that means as it was totally deserted, but I suspect it's a time-share operation now. Its Glory Days were long gone, too, from what I could see as I trespassed wandered around the premises, sad....








I returned back home to the cottage by way of Nogie's Creek, after an exciting drive on White Knuckle Valley Road that's very beautiful and very winding and very hilly, but also very DANGEROUS if one meets another vehicle. I knew I was in trouble when a pick-up truck with an empty trailer pulled over to let me go first. I quickly found out why and I almost kissed the ground when I reached Bass Lake Road in one piece.


This section of Nogie's Creek made it worthwhile: 








Several first winter White-crowned Sparrows were in a shrub (did I get it right, John??!!):









The colours on Kennedy Bay Road, mere minutes from the cottage, were stunning in the sunshine:









And once again, tonight's sunset was abfab, it started off rather dark and grim, with the sun concealed behind the clouds, as it approached the gap just over the treeline on the far shore...






...then the setting sun broke through the gap and cast its wondrous Golden Hour glow on our little bay, as Brenda sets off on her sunset paddle...







...and then it's gone



 

1 comment:

Alex said...

Absolutely gorgeous fall foliage and sunset pictures in this post and the last! Wish our trees turned the same dramatic colour over here at this time of year.