Seeing the Muskrat upclose and Northern Shrike returning!

The sky early morning didn't look too promising, so I decided to switch up my daily routine and biked to the dyke after breakfast. And what a rewarding decision!

The clouds were thick and heavy in the morning. It turned better in the afternoon, but I was already tired from the morning bike ride.

Whoa! When I biked to the wooden lookout at the Terra Nova Natural Park, this Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) was right underneath it - enabling me to take these great closer-than-usual images. Thankfully, it didn't seemed to notice me for a while. Such a beautiful looking creature.

Munching on grasses. Yum.

Snow Geese are still around. This is a panormaic view. Not too many birds, I guess.

Pink flowers.

Near the slough, I came across a pair of shy Killdeers (Charadrius vociferus) calling out loudly. Not the time yet to see them do their nest-protecting strategy (as witnessed by Hugh of Rock Paper Lizard), maybe in a month or two.

Across from the field from where the Killdeers flew to, I noticed a lone bird perched on the top of the tree. It certainly doesn't look like a Red-winged Blackbird or an European Starling, and it had a much longer tail. Then I realized it was a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)! It had been a while since I saw it last time back in Christmas holidays. And this time, I have a much powerful camera to document its beauty.

This bird didn't seem to be in a hunting mode as it stayed on a tree for quite a while. Meanwhile, several Chickadees were quite nervous on nearby trees, as this is a predatory songbird looking to hunt small birds, mammals, and insects.

It actually sang a song for a bit. It sounded like water trying to come off the tap but with water is turned off - warbling with squeaky notes.

Shelter

It drizzled for a tiny bit when I was about to go home. But the weather turned out better in the afternoon. Nevertheless, today was definitely a rewarding day. Some other things that I saw but didn't/couldn't photograph were: flying swallows, hummingbirds hanging around blackberry trees, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk being harassed by crows and jays.
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