Now you see me…now you don’t.

On The Doorstep Of Fall

Just thought I would post a few pictures from yesterday and today. The seasons definitely feel like they are changing. The air is crisper and clearer. The trees are on the brink of changing colour, and the animals are all very busy preparing for the winter.

Evening and dusk

Moon setting behind a cloud early this morning


Crisp, clear evening

Sunrise reflected on trees with morning fog

Saw the first otter since spring!

Heard what I thought was knocking at the door (apparently so did my dog because she started barking). It turned out to be this guy on the tree beside our house!

Love our bedroom in the fall…

…and the sparkling reflection of the water from the living room.

The trees are just on the brink of changing colour.

One thing about fall I can’t say I am fond of is it also means a rush to be prepared for the long winter ahead. Here are our wood piles in various stages of chopping.

Battle of a Young Bald Eagle and and Osprey

Heard weird screams outside a few minutes ago and looked out to see a young bald eagle and osprey fighting in mid-air! Two incredibly strong birds. Eagle won and osprey flew away seemingly unscathed. Wow!

Grabbed my camera but the battery was still in the charger – of course >:s  By the time I got the camera ready, all that was left of the battle was the young bald eagle circling the lake looking for fish. Oh well, here are my very rough photos of it.

Have You Ever Seen a Turtle Climb a Fence?

Over the last few mornings we have had a steady trail of snapping turtles climbing our septic bed to dig in the dirt/sand at the top and lay their eggs. This morning I noticed this one who had a different approach than the others. She seemed to be eyeing the vegetable garden instead.  I took the above shots trying not to disturb her too much and when I walked back to the house, I turned around and saw her trying to climb the fence!Of course when I went back to take more pictures of her she acted like a statue again 🙂 I never did see where she laid her eggs but I hope she had success somewhere!

A Fire a Coyote and Other Stuff

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day. The kids and their dad did a yard cleanup and burned some of the sticks and leaves they raked. The girls were so excited to have a real fire and pretended they were camping. They even got to roast a real marshmallow 🙂

At dusk, we had a surprise visit from a coyote. By the time I got my camera, it was already too far for a good picture but I thought I would show the best one I took anyway. I posted a few better photos I took a while ago here. It had it’s eyes fixed on some geese on the ice. Needless to say, we kept our dog Daisy in for the night since we don’t want this to happen to her again.

On another note, I snapped this photo below of a garden the girls made out of their toys. It seems planting the seeds has also inspired them.

Happy Sunday!

Elusive and Silly Otters

For only a day or two every spring and sometimes in the fall, we have the rare opportunity to see otters. It is usually when the ice is half covering the lake and they are so much fun to watch slide and play. Unfortunately they are at a distance so it is difficult to get a good photo of them.

One year I saw a Bald Eagle after one! I am not sure if they were competing for a fish but the otter wouldn’t go under the ice, (maybe for fear of getting trapped?) instead it insisted on going over it which was much to thin and kept breaking under it’s weight. The eagle kept diving at it and finally the otter got to open water and dove under to get away. I wish I had a good telephoto lens for that scene!

These are the best photos I could snap so my apologies for my amateurish photography. They are so fun to watch when they run and slide on their bellies. They look like they are always having fun!

Young Bald Eagle Learning to Fish – “If at First You Don’t Succeed…”

Found some more photos I took of one of the neighbours a couple of years ago. One afternoon, I noticed a huge bird swooping over and over again down to the water at the end of our lawn. It must have done this for about 20 minutes. I managed to snap a few photos through which I later identified the bird to be a young Bald Eagle. It didn’t have it’s identifiable white head yet so I was stumped. It was pretty special to be able to view such a stunning and skilled bird learning it’s craft. When watching the grace and power of an adult eagle catch fish, it is hard to believe they have to aquire this skill, but watching how hard this young bird had to work and practice over and over again to learn, sometimes gracefully, other times downright gawky, it was pretty awesome (and inspiring) to witness.

Deer, Deer and more Deer

Thought I would share a collection of deer photos taken over the last year or so.

These deer were struggling just to move in the deep snow…

…and got frustrated with each other.

This little one hung around most of the morning to avoid some nearby coyotes. It was much less afraid of my daughter in the window.

Bugs were driving the deer batty on this day.

Some Wildlife from the last 2 Days

Just been snapping some pics of the neighbours yesterday and today and thought I would share.

The Great Blue Heron always leaves me breathless.

This little mink has decided to take up residence in a nearby rock pile. It was running back and forth yesterday gathering some meat from something dead and returning it to the rock pile. It was difficult to get a good photo since it is so quick.

This Hare was making many laps circling the house for some reason. It stayed still just long enough for me to get this shot. I noticed it still has a couple of small patches of white winter fur remaining.

Osprey Hunting

Of all the birds and wildlife I see every day, I am always breathless when I watch the Osprey hunting for fish. They are truly spectacular birds. With their expansive wings, they hover when they see a fish, then tuck them in and dive right underwater from great heights. Somehow they effortlessly go from complete submersion to high flight in a matter of moments, shaking the water off their wings mid-flight upon ascent. I have tried to capture the spectacle but feel my photos do not do justice to what is witnessed by the eye.

Hunting


Hovering

Keeping an eye on the fish

Beginning the descent

The plunge

A closer look

Hunting again