Beaver house on Calcite Creek

 

Another picture from yesterday.

Some pics from going to the dump

Had to make a dump run today as the garage was starting to get a little high with the warm weather.  Stopped along the way to take some pictures and look into a few areas I wanted to check out.  The first is at the boat launch at Longpoint Lake and the other at Lost Lake.

Portage clean up between Burke and Edith Lake

Here is a longer video I took yesterday after cleaning up the portage.  This one is a little longer and a bit shaky but I'm finding out what I have to do to make them better. There are too many changes when doing video compared to composing a photograph, but its working out better every one.  Enjoy.

Sunset Gowganda Lake

Tonight's sunset

Misty morning hunt

One of the days after a night of rain produced this picture on my deer stand, good thing I had my camera. 

Back from deer hunting

Just back from a week of deer hunting west of Parry Sound.  No deer were hurt while carrying the gun.  Lots of pictures taken and a good time with old friends.  This is a waterfall on the Sequin River  close to where we were hunting.

Snow

Drove down the Edith Lake Rd after the wet snow of last night and this morning.  Still lots of snow hanging around in the afternoon.

Took the  portage north from Edith up to Burke lake, this pic is where Burke just starts to split in two and then flow down towards Edith.

Happy Halloween

Edith Lake

While up at Edith Lake during the warm spell last week,  I noticed all the Red Osier Dogwood had sprouted one leaf right at the top of the stems, a sign of spring I don't think so looking out of the window today.

Winter is coming

It's that time of year when you can finally see through the bush and undergrowth, a good time for grouse hunting.  The last couple of days and a good wind just about cleaned the trees of leaves. A couple of heavy frosts and colder weather forecasts winter is approaching.  Here is a shot of the beaver pond on the Bouche Rd.

New look of Outlook Point

Outlook pt this morning.

Another stop motion test

Here's one from some cutting up a fallen tree.

On my way to town this morning

I don't like going to town but today there was time for some pictures of the farmlands.

Another end of season pic

From Everette Lake Rd.

Snowy and wet

Up to the mine road today to look around, damp, cool and quite miserable.  This is what is left of the Millerette mine at O'Brien east of town.

This was this morning

A few more centimeters fell last night.

Back from Sudbury

Been down to Subury to visit family and take in the leaf colours.  Just got there in time and couple of days later the best of the colours were over.  Home for a couple of days and several cms. of snow today.  Here is a pic just as it was starting.

The best of the colours

First of all I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. With the weather changing today and the winds picking up lots of the leaves are starting to fall.  Cold weather possibly some snow in the forecast.  Moose hunting starts on Saturday with many hunters going thru town yesterday and today.

October and the daisies are still blooming

October and 20°C and some flowers are still coming out.

Gowganda Lake

A few pictures of Gowganda Lake and its many kilometers of shoreline.

Out on the lake today

Have been hoping for a good day to get out on the lake for 2 reasons take some pictures and maybe catch a fish.  Good luck today I bought in my limit of pictures.  Great day for pics around the lake and my luck a female Loon with her chick.  It's getting late in the season for one so young but it will be airborne soon.  When I was taking pics of the young one the adult swam out of sight down the lake, finally the chick looked around for her and headed south swimming.  Maybe the adult is trying to break the bond.

Finally the sun comes out

Here are a couple from near LeRoy Lake.

Rainy days

Lots of rain this week the lake level has come up a bit finally.  Tonight a great rainbow when the sun was setting.

Fall colours

Some of the fall colours coming out.

Trying something new--stop motion

 This is done by taking several pictures of the same scene in this test about 85 pictures and individually timing each one to show for 0.1 sec and making a video of them. It's easier done than said.  Just trying something new.

Viper's Bugloss or Blueweed

Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare) still in bloom found along the highways and bush roads.
Viper's Bugloss was said of old to be an expellent of poisons and venom, and to cure the bites of a viper, hence its name.

Mushroom symbiosis

Walking down along the rivers edge is very shaded with lots of moss and very large mushrooms, here is a group living at the base of a mossy tree.

Montreal River north of bridge

With all the lack of water this year the river is very low.  I hiked up the west side of the river at the bridge and took this pic (not an HDR).  This picture was taken with a very slow shutter speed. I ended up hiking up to Burk Lake and never got my feet wet.

Old Rock fall at Diabase Lake

On the west side of Diabase lake there is a cliff that overlooks the lake, in the winter I fish near there.  Went in and took some pictures of the rock fall at the north end of the cliff, it's cool, wet and in the shadows for most of the afternoons.  Lots of mosses, lichens, small plants and mushrooms growing in there.

Edith lake 2

Just working on some pics, this is Edith Lake with a texture as a base .

Edith Lake Winterberry

Around Edith Lake yesterday, the water levels are very low, last nights 7mm of rain will help it a bit.  Cooler today with the wind it is very comfortable.  Along the shores of Edith are shrubs with red berries that look like they have been stuck on the stems, these are Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). The red berry like drupes  remain on the shrub into the winter. It is a member of the Holly family but is deciduous.

Hot and humid

Wouldn't you know that the beginning of September would be hot and humid, we need a break from this.  On top of that my load of firewood was delivered last night too.  Time to sharpen up the chain saw and get at it.

Back again

Out and about in southern Ontario for a few days visiting and a 80th birthday party for an uncle.  Always great to get home, quiet, clean air, my own bed.  Looks like they have had a lot of rain it's spawned a batch of mushrooms everywhere.  I think this is a Fly Agaric, but I am not mushroom smart any takers on what it is.

Hidden Lake

Today I hiked into a small hidden lake left with a buffer of tall Jack Pines and Black Spruce surrounded by cut over.  Along the edges thick mosses with Leather Leaf, Labrador Tea, mushrooms, bog flowers and Pitcher Plants.  Here are a couple of pics

Hummingbird banding in Gowganda

Wednesday birdbanders from New Liskeard came to Gert and Pauls house to band hummingbirds.  The birders were trained to do this in the US and are just starting to band hummingbirds in the Temiskaming area.  Gert had phoned and reported many hummingbirds on her 5 or more feeders which bought the banders to town.

Trapped in a special trap that they bought in the US they banded 25 hummingbirds in about 3 hours, none of the banded birds were trapped again that day. Measurments were taken, age and sex was determined, weight and a band was placed on the leg. 

This is the start of a humming bird study in the Temiskaming area.  They will be back next year to see if any have come back.

Gowganda this evening

What more can I say.

Tansy

Out checking on the osprey yesterday, the two biggest have left the nest now and the smallest one is being tended to by the adults until it can fly off.  I don't think it will be to much longer until it takes flight.

While waiting for the osprey to appear I took some shots of a grasshopper eating this Tansy flower head.

 Adult landing on nest, young bird is tucked down in nest.

Flowers

While out looking at the Ospreys I took some pics of a couple of flowers that were nearby, Spotted Touch-Me-Not (Impatiens capensis) the first one, the second Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria

Checking in on the Osprey

Good thing I went out today as the young birds are almost the size of the parent.  The one on the right is the adult or so I thought.  Looking at the other pics I can see another head poking up.  I am begining to think these are the 3 young.  There was an adult north of the nest in a dead tree calling to them.  I wish I could have seen the other adult too. 
Update ---Found a pic with 3 heads, I suspect these are all young birds.

Giant Waterbug

Every time you check your minnow trap in the ponds around here you can almost count on trapping a couple of Giant Waterbugs (Lethocerus americanus). Some of these can be up to two inches long and they are in the traps eating the minnnows. They will also give you a good bite too sometimes.  Check out more on this predator of the ponds.  They even fly around at times.

Early Morning

Here is a pic I took a few days ago.  When you take a lot of pics like I do it pays to go back and see what you may have missed a few days back.  This pic is just one I looked right past when I previewed them first.  Fortunately I delete very few pictures which means trying to keep track of what you have can be difficult.