Forest walkies

Down to capture the trailcam memory cards, I was startled by a barred owl. It's been hanging around, hooting in the night. Perched on the tree, upper right, I didn't see it. It flew right across the pond to the other side, or so I thought. I could see that it was the barred owl, that wingspan, and the distinct pattern.

 

As captured on the trailcam, I was looking for the owl. What I didn't know, as I walked looking up, is that it was perching on a tree on my left, behind the large tree off centre-right. It was a hoot! I practically walked by it. At that point I gave up to just enjoy the walk.

May 21, 2016 – a flashback, since I didn't see the owl!

What a gift, watching our Barred owl having a bath in the wetland. He knew I was there, I've been watching him for more than a month. In the background you can hear the rose-breasted grosbeak, blue jay, grey tree frog, etc.! Just before he went for a swim, a chickadee was trying to talk him into taking off. I thought I heard the owl chick, but I'm not sure. The siren at about 2:00 startled him. He sat a long time grooming. 

Barred Owl bathing from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The colours around the pond, and in the meadow, are starting to show!

This is our Lot #3, which drops right off into the wetland. It's a great spot for critters, as they trot along the trails on the edge of the forest. You can see the colours of the changing leaves across the way. 

These big, old white pine trees are falling into decay. 

More mushrooms! I love the texture in the close-up.

I walked around the pond, coming back around to the front yard. Things are colouring up nicely.

Back up to the house, I checked out the last of the hibiscus. A caterpillar was munching on the last blossom. Enjoy, little caterpigly!

The potato vine fooled me and came back to life after our frosty nights. The begonia (?) has just begun to bloom. I looked for a plant tag, and couldn't find one. I started breaking off branches. Please correct me, if you know.

Nutmeg

The froggies like the low water situation in the goldfish pond. Cinnamon finds it harder to reach them, though! He creeps up to the edge, peeks over, ears flattened, and one-by-one they hop and dive. We expect rain this week, and I won't refill it from the well. 

Finally, the wild grapes are attracting all sorts of birds. A robin was here the other day. It wasn't amenable to a photo, hiding from me.