2015/10/31

Fall- and bird-watching at Fletcher Wildlife Garden & Arboretum

Near this time last year, the fall colours at the Arboretum were around peak-time, so I came to the Arboretum yesterday and today to see if the timing is still similar.  Sadly, the timing is a bit advanced this year so most leaves are on the ground now.

Yesterday, I came with a friend and we bird-watched as well.  I forgot my binoculars and telephoto lens at home, and only had the OM 50 f/2 lens on my camera (which is why I returned again today).  I discovered a new birding spot behind the Fletcher Wildlife Garden's Interpretative Centre so we spent some time looking for birds there.

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We saw this bird which we think may be a Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus).  This is a 100% crop of the original image.
 
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Pin oak (Quercus palustris).

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One of the few trees with most of its leaves still on the tree.

Lonely maple leaf
Most of the scenes were like this - more leaves on the ground than on the tree.
 
I brought my telephoto lens today so I was able to photograph the birds.

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Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) enjoying goldenrod seeds.

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Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

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Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens).

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A poor image of the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis).

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

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Male Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus).


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A large flock of Canada Geese, gulls, Mallards, etc on Dow's Lake.


Here is the list of species that we/I saw the past two days:
1. Black-capped Chickadees
2. Brown Creeper
3. Canada Geese
4. American Crows
5. American Robins
6. White-breasted Nuthatches
7. Purple Finch
8. Downy Woodpeckers
9. Hairy Woodpeckers
10. Dark-eyed Juncoes
11. Mallards
12. Hooded Mergansers
13. Double-crested Cormorants
14. Ring-billed Gulls
15. Common Goldeneyes
16. Mystery white goose (Snow Goose?)
17. European Starlings
18. Northern Cardinals
19. American Tree Sparrow
20. Blue Jays
21. American Goldfinches
22. White-throated Sparrow
23. Common Mergansers

Hopefully I can still go out and do some bird-watching next month, if I am not too burdened with work or discouraged by the cold temperature.

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