Spending more time outside now

Yesterday I was outside at a natural area (i.e., Gatineau Park) for the first time in a couple of months helping my labmate counting flowers.  Most of the park are snow-free, but everything seems to be emerging later than in Ottawa.  We didn't count many flowers but we did see some interesting wildlife.

The first was this Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) walking away from us nonchalantly.

Then we saw a group of White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) right before they ran away from us

Today, my girlfriend and I went for a walk along the canal during lunchtime to enjoy the sunny weather.

She spotted some Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus), and one of them was trying to eat this crab apple that was too big for its mouth.  The bird smashed the fruit against the tree and ate the smaller piece.

Such a smart bird.

While we were looking at the waxwings, I heard a noise behind us.  And it was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) - right in the downtown area!

On the way back to school, I spotted this American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) perched on a tree right next to the path.

So adorable.

I forgot to mention that I went to Museum of Nature more than two weeks ago and finally saw the Veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) in a more photogenic position.