BOOOOOO

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I carved a couple of pumpkins this year to have some fun!!

First Hike of the Fall

It is time to get back to my weekly hikes with friends since the busy summer has ended and we have more time to explore this great area we live in. Wednesday Nancy and I headed down towards  Dundas to check out Webster's Falls and Spencer Gorge. What a beautiful spot it was. There were still fall colours to enjoy and it was sunny with warming temperatures. The views were amazing along the trails and even better when we made it out to Dundas Peak. This is definitely a spot we will explore again.

The top view of Webster's Falls

It is over a 30 meter drop to the bottom

Golden beauty was all around

Tew's Falls is a 40 meter drop to the bottom

Nancy riding the horsey tree

Downy Woodpecker having a shake

View from Dundas Peak looking towards Hwy #8

Red squirrel enjoying some berries

MacGregor, Oct 25-27 2013

We are still out adventuring but if this cold weather keeps up this may be our last one. It was a windy week-end and we were lucky that most of the rain or ice pellets fell in the evening or through the night. We were able to finish watching the series of shows on the Frozen Planet. If you get the chance to watch this series I strongly suggest you spend the time as the scenery is amazing. You will witness things you will most likely only see by watching it. We drove to Southampton after arriving so that I could pick up my order of French Vanilla Cappuccino hot chocolate then we enjoyed a yummy dinner from the Fusion restaurant in Southampton for a treat. Saturday morning I spent time photographing the birds and red squirrel that came to visit. In the afternoon we headed to Southampton to check out how the house renovations were coming along at my cousin John's. Wow, we were amazed at how much had been done since we were up there in September. It is really coming together and the changes are really looking good. They are hoping to be moved back in by the end of November. I hope you make it so you are settled and ready to enjoy Christmas in your "new" home. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner that cooked in the slow cooker and a lazy evening. The sun made an appearance for a while on Sunday and the warmth was wonderful. This week-end we are off to Windsor for my cousins wedding. We are looking forward to this special week-end and the fun time with cousins and friends. If the weather gods are nice we will head out on another adventure the following week-end. I will keep you posted as the time approaches.

Our campsite for the week-end

We were the only people on this loop so it 

really felt like we were alone in the woods 

Ice pellets on the ground at the park

Mushroom on the middle of our site. 

We made sure not to run over it when we parked.

Still some great fall colours in the trees

The water was really high at Denny's Dam north of Southampton

Chantry Island on a windy, overcast day

The fungus is as white as the snow was

Puffed out to keep warm

Hand feeding the chickadees

Red squirrel in the cedar tree

Trying to get some nuts from the feeder

Munching on a sunflower seed

Mrs Nuthatch being hand fed

Mr. Nuthatch was too shy to feed from my hand

A first for me

They were both on the feeder to photograph

Saturday at sunset behind our campsite

Blue Jay posing for a picture

Another first 

Unusual to have two Blue Jays so close together

One Jay trying to keep the others away from the nuts

There were five of them for a while

House Renovations

Laying the hardwood in the kitchen

The front door is finally in

New master ensuite addition

Rondeau, Oct.18-20 2013

This was our last trip to the shores of Lake Erie for the year. The park closes for the season at the end of the month. We always enjoy our time in this area. We brought the bikes but they never got out of the car as it rained most of the day Saturday. We did our exploring by car that day and it paid off. Duncan with his eagle eyes spotted a Bald Eagle at the southern part of the park and I was able to get a picture of it. It was way up in a tree in the bush. This is my first photo of the Bald Eagle so that was exciting. While we were at the visitors center it was feeding time for one of the snakes so I watched that as well. Not a favourite thing of mine by any means but it was an opportunity that I told myself I should witness. Now I can scratch that one off my bucket list and never see it again! We also spent  time watching ten wild turkeys out enjoying time on the grass by the edge of the road. I was looking forward to seeing the chipmunk that was so friendly on our last visit but it was no where to be found. Actually there were very few of them. Must have been hiding from the chilly weather in there burrows. We had a great Friday evening at the campfire. Saturday evening it was quite damp and windy so we had a movie night instead. We watched 4 of the seven episodes of the Frozen Planet. The scenery was amazing and it was so informative. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. The sun returned on Sunday and we were able to get out and do some more exploring. We came across a mom and young deer so I was able to get a few good shots of them. Mom would stomp her right hoof if I was getting to close. So then I would just stay in that spot for a while before edging closer to them. It was a very relaxing weekend spending time with all the wildlife that Rondeau has to offer. Looking forward to our trip back there in the spring to enjoy the bird migration.

Turkey Vultures circled above all week-end

Looking for something dead to eat

Milkweed seeds blowing in the wind

Friday evening sunset over the marsh

A Brown Creeper looking for bugs

Angry bird

This fella was putting whole peanuts in the shell down his throat and then 

grabbing another one with its beak. You can see just a piece of the peanut.

Milkweed bugs feeding on the pod

 

Young deer adventuring on its own

An amazing display of reds. Most trees were still green

Bald Eagle way up in a tree

10 Wild Turkeys safe until another Thanksgiving

Strutting her stuff

Angels blowing in the wind

Male Hairy Woodpecker on a dark rainy day

Female Hairy Woodpecker working on a lightpost

Fall colours on the water

Female Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Mom and her yearling enjoying the sun

Mom keeping her eye on me

Young one licking its lips after eating an apple

WARNING: The following pictures may be offensive to some viewers.

Be brave like I was and take a look..........

Eastern Fox Snake with his once a week meal of a dead mouse

His eyes are cloudy as it is about to molt and it 

goes blind until just before it sheds its skin

Just the tail left to go down