New Territory

Despite the chill in the air this morning, I took myself out to the Hespeler Mill Pond to try and find some of the Greater White-fronted Geese that had been hanging around there lately. Of course I didn't find any. But hey, according to my life list this was my first ever Gadwall, so the trip wasn't a complete loss:

Mostly it was a lot of Mallards, although a sizeable flock of Green-winged Teal came in to land as I was on my way out. A few Northern Shovelers, a few Hooded Mergansers. Two very complacent Mute Swans.

I probably should have brought my scope out and made sure there was nothing hiding in the distance. But after last time, I decided to check out the trail and the vantage points before lugging that thing along. It wasn't an entirely terrible decision, most of the pond was visible enough with just binoculars and/or camera, and there weren't any good places to set up a scope towards the end of the pond that was more interesting (i.e., the marshier end, away from the dam). Still. There were a couple of shorebirds out there, probably yellowlegs but who really knows. And some of those Mallards might really have been Black Ducks or something I suppose. Ah, well. Next time.

The Doldrums Commence

Well, the first frost has frosted, the Juncos have arrived, and the orange on the trees is shading towards brown. Fall is officially on the decline, and winter has to be just around the corner. It's going to be another long, slow countdown to spring. Perhaps longer and slower than usual this year, since I'll be impatiently waiting not just for migrant warblers and green growing things but the dragonfly emergence... kind of feel like I was cheated this year, picking up dragonflies so late. I barely got to survey anywhere at all.

I've been plotting out some places that might be good to go for odes next year. Luther Marsh and the rare property in Cambridge, if their respective owners don't mind. The Guelph Arboretum, as it's nice and close. A couple of the trails along the Speed River that I visited this year for work. Ideally I'd like to set up a regular visiting schedule so as to catch all of the different species that emerge through the year, but I know just how busy my evenings and weekends are during the summer, so that may actually be too ambitious a plan. Also, I'm hesitant to plan to go out wading the river by myself, it's not that I expect to fall in and drown but Murphy's Law implies that that would be the time for it to happen. And to really survey odes, sometimes you just need to get in the water.

Anyway. I have time to figure it out. Clearly I'll have to work a little harder to shift my gears back over to birds for the winter; getting stuck on insects isn't going to do me any good. The winter finch forecast didn't have a lot of northerners coming into Southern Ontario for the cold months, but there's always a few interesting things to see. I just have to get off my butt and go out to find them.