Wood Duck male / Aix sponsa

So, what happened to autumn??? We seem to have jumped straight from summer to winter! Yesterday evening, 13 September 2018, I was out at a meeting with friends and, when it was over and we looked outside, all the cars were covered in SNOW! Our temperatures have been winter-like recently, too. This morning at 10:30 am, it is only -2C (windchill -5C) and is forecast to soar to a balmy 7C with rain later today. Really hope things change and fall does eventually arrive.

It was a fairly quiet afternoon at Carburn Park on 9 September 2018. Only 26 species of bird were seen, compared to the groups who went on the morning walk and saw 60 bird species. As usual, mornings are a better time to go and look for birds. However, I was content with seeing a group of American White Pelicans out on a gravel bar in the river and, further along the path, quite a few Double-crested Cormorants perched, flying or swimming. A Wood Duck, on the way to getting his full colours, was also good to see.

At one of our stops, we looked down the embankment and watched a busy and hungry Muskrat. I always think they have the cutest little hands. Others in the small group saw a Mink, but it was out of view from where I was standing.

On our return walk back to our cars, we stopped to watch a beautiful deer, busily feeding in the tall grasses and plants. A bright yellow Sowthistle flower was just one of the food items I saw disappear. The deer was just a few feet away from the path, until a man on his bike with a large dog on leash came by and stopped to watch. The dog started barking, disturbing this creature who had been so peacefully feeding.

Also on the way back to the parking lot, I spotted what I thought was a white golf ball at the base of a tree. When I took a somewhat closer look, I realized it was a beautiful Inkcap fungus! Hadn't seen one of these for a long time. Took a couple of quick shots and then hurried to catch up with my friends.