Borden Wetlands

The first signs of frost in the mornings heralded a change of colours in the trees and bushes.  The sun no longer burned but provided a pleasant warmth, and thank goodness, there were next to no mosquitoes. I have to say that fall is undoubtedly my favourite time of the year. Warblers had been making their return journey south for their winter. Feeding on the insects that were plentiful on the sunbathed bushes that edge the Wetlands. And that is where this common yellowthroat was found. I also came across a blue-headed vireo that did not seem perturbed at all by what it had found.  A stinkbug! A female magnolia warbler. And a yellow-rumped warbler of which there were many. They tended to congregate with these white-throated sparrows. Warblers are currently still moving southward through Ontario. This is a black-throated blue warbler from a few days ago. Golden-crowned kinglets were also working through the woodland. Passing through the Wetlands was a new bird for me. This is a...

A walk is never complete without a camera. You never know what you might see. And when I am unable to carry my bulkier Nikon then my pocket-sized Canon always comes along. A tiny little PowerShot with a ridiculous 40x zoom that sits over a tiny crop sensor. It obviously cannot compete with my larger camera, but in good light, it can still take a photo. I was walking past the Wetlands, rushing so as not to be late for an appointment when I glanced over, looking past the trees to the edge of the water. I noticed a group of white birds standing out among the lily pads. There were three great egrets (Ardea Alba) and one juvenile great blue heron (Ardea Herodias). There was no time for photos and I hurried on. Thankfully though, on my return walk home the great egrets were still in the area. Two of the great egrets had perched precariously overhead on the dead limbs of trees. I snapped a few shots, hoping that a few would contain some detail and made a mental note to return the next morning...