More Gray and a Little Blue

 Yesterday was a clear crisp day, and I had more time to spend at the Gray Kingbird.  I first checked out the trail at Mitchell's Bay.  Not much of note, but there is a lot of mud showing along the shoreline. Good for shorebirds!

One can see quite a bit from the dock.  There were many Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer and Wilson's Snipe that I could see.

Still hopeful something rare will pop up there.  Potential is very good along that trail.

Since I was in that direction, I then headed to the Gray Kingbird spot.  It was motionless in a tree for a long time, but later moved around.  I was able to get better photos.

There were lots of birds in the area, so some of us walked down Balmoral Line for a ways.  Kinglets and various sparrows were plentiful!  I had hopes for some rarity, but that never materialized.  However, it was nice to sort through all these birds.

This Autumn Meadowhawk was thawing out in the morning sun!

In the marsh, five Greater White-fronted Geese were notable among the hundreds of waterfowl.

In the afternoon, I just had to get out, so went for a walk at Reid C. L.  Hardly any birds as usual for there, but it was a nice fall afternoon for a walk.  Some trees are showing good colour.

This Red Oak is living up to its name!

I encountered one Garter Snake at the edge of the field taking advantage of the warm sun.

It was warm enough for some butterflies, including Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, and several Eastern Commas.

Today was another very crisp but clear day.  I headed up to Dow Wetlands.  I was hoping to encounter some Redpolls since some have been seen along the Lake Huron shore the last couple of days.  None for me yet!  The redcoats redpolls are coming!

There were not as many birds as I had hoped, but it was enjoyable none-the-less.

American Tree Sparrows arrived in the last week.

One the way home, I heard that the Little Blue Heron was found again along the Thames River.  After lunch, I decided to try for it.  Luckily it had stayed in the general area.  Although it was across the river, here is a photo or two.

Been a long time since I have seen one!  I once found a similar bird in Bate's marsh, as seen from the causeway.  That was way back on August 26, 2000!  It stayed a few days.

Hopefully the trend continues for rare or decent birds in the area!