Searching for fall colours in Ottawa

Since last month, I have been watching leaves slowly changing their colours on my way to school.  This past Thanksgiving long weekend, I finally had some free time to go outside and enjoy autumn up close.

The week before, I saw an Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) at Sawmill Creek while I was taking a break from sitting in front of my computer all day.

Spring is here because of flowers and pollinators

Last night, I was planning where to go today and considered taking the bus to Stony Swamp, a natural area southwest of Ottawa where photos of interesting animals are frequently shared on Facebook, such as Black-backed Woodpecker during the winter, porcupines, frogs, etc.  But the thought of the trip taking almost two hours, while it is located 15.6 km west of where I live, is kind of ridiculous (Ottawa transit system is quite poor compare to the Metro Vancouver transit system).  Anyways, I decided to walk to the bus station (via Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland) and visit the Arboretum in the end.

Little did I know I would see several interesting things today.

First was this pair of Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) - first of the year!

August's Photographic Update

Sorry for not posting anything since my return from Windy Pine.  I have been working on my project either from home or school, plus I do not have a student bus pass so my destinations are limited to places I can walk and/or bike to.  I still went out a few times, and here are photos from most of those outings.

August 6 - Went for a walk to Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland, and I was surprised at how much vegetation have grown compared to the first time I was there.

There weren't many bird species that I saw - mostly just Mallards (and one heron in this image).

Bird-watching at Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland

I was debating where to spend some time outside this long weekend, especially because the public transit schedule is different every single day.  Looking at eBird, I realized there was a bird-watching spot very close to where I live called Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland, so I searched for instructions on how to get there this morning and walked there right after.

The main purposes of this man-made wetland are to collect run-off water and de-silt the water before it flows into Sawmill Creek.

Critters behind DNA building

Just some photos I took behind the DNA building this afternoon when I came outside to eat my lunch.

First woolly bear I saw this season crossing the parking lot.  I saw a (squished) one while I was biking home later in the day.

Birding in Presqu'ile Provincial Park

Sorry for the delay, but here are the photos from last Sunday when I was birding at Presqu'ile Provincial Park with Trent's ornithology class.

Waking up early and waiting for the school bus just after 6am.

Bridgenorth Trail & Miller Creek Cons. Area revisited

Last year, I biked to a nearby conservation area called Miller Creek.  However, the biking was not as safe I preferred since I was basically biking on a busy country road.  However, near where I live now, there is a close trail that takes me there and through the countryside.  I biked through it today and like the trail quite a lot - quiet, safe, easy, etc.

Saw a dead frog on the hot gravel road.

Update from Inuvik, NWT

Hi all, I am currently in Inuvik, NWT.  I left Ontario on the 15th and then left BC on the 22nd.  Nothing much was done while in BC - mostly just relaxing and enjoying family time with my parents.  My trip up north started on the 23rd from Edmonton to Inuvik, via Yellowknife and Norman Wells.  Here in Inuvik, we were suppose to fly out to Ivvavik National Park on the morning of 26th.  However, once we were in the air and near Sheep Creek, we found that it was covered by thick clouds and snow, and so we had to turn back to Inuvik.  We tried again on the 27th, but due to pilot unavailability (in the morning) and poor weather again (in the afternoon), we were grounded for one more day.

Today is the 28th and I really really hope that we can take off today and get my field season started.

Here are some photos that I took for the past few days.  No time for description for the photos, but they are pretty self explanatory.

The truth about the caterpillar

The weather and temperature today are the same as the last few days - sunny and/or cloudy with cold temperatures. Not looking forward to the coming rainy days although I saw many mushrooms in the woods today that were deteriorating because they can't handle the dry conditions.

The large group of Snow Geese was not near Francis today. Maybe they migrated south? Or perhaps they split up into one of the smaller groups at the mouth of the Fraser River. I observed many of them there today, but this group was definitely smaller in size.

Now, I have been yearning to take pictures of the Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) for a long time now, but always came up short. They are always near the ditches by the Quilchena Golf Course with a whole bunch of Mallards, but they seem really shy and always duck under a well-shaded willow whenever I take out my camera and get ready. The reason that I want to take pictures of them is...well because they are so elegant. The male bird with their colorful and sleek crest and even the female birds are pretty too with their teardrop-shaped eye patch.

Today, I was kind of lucky and managed to get a couple of so-so pictures. But one of these days, I will get a better one (or at least so I wish).

Yesterday, I saved one of the black and red caterpillars. But it pains me not knowing what kind species it was. So I image-google searched "black and red caterpillar" and saw it.

So apparently they are commonly called the banded woolly bear, and the adult will become Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella). It is a common moth around here (I've seen it before around residential gardens), and it is yellow with sparse black spotting on its wings. One interesting thing about these banded woolly bear is that they produce cryoprotectant during winter which is a chemical substance used to protect the tissues from freezing, kind like an anti-freeze. Another interesting tidbit is that folk tale says that the amount of black on the caterpillar will predict the severity of the forthcoming winter (which of course is not true because larvae from the same egg clutch will vary in their "blackness", even if raised under the same conditions). Also, apparently this critter is found in many places because several locations in America have festivals centered around this woolly bear (kind of strange if you ask me).

Now, I came across several banded woolly bears today. However, the sad thing was, they were all road-killed (like above) - probably from bikers or joggers. They had the toughness to last through winter freezes, but not tires or shoes. R.I.P.
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