Tuesday, October 24, 2017

The Great Outdoors and Going on an Advencha!


I had a few more photos of the small trail beside the local marsh. Lynde Marsh is right beside a newly developed neighbourhood. The people on the trail that morning were all in a tizzy because of some surprise visitors. These cute little masked fiends were gobbling up all the seeds that people had tossed everywhere. I find it amazing that people don't make the connection between throwing food on the ground and the fact that more than sweet little chickadees are going to be attracted to it. These guys were pretty calm and ignored the people. I still was wary of them being close, but walked by without incident. I was warned numerous times "there are raccoons ahead on the trail!!!". Lots of people were even turning back! Ahhhhhh!!!






The soft autumn morning light was really nice.






Lots of beautiful blue jays cawing through the woods, mostly up in the high tree tops alerting all forest residents of intruders. One pretty fellow was lured in by the seeds offering a nice photo op. So. Blue! Love these guys and I wish I saw them more often in my own backyard. Remember Sammy Jay in the Thornton Burgess books? My daughter is named Sammy, but she's pretty quiet ;)








Blue on Blue.



Down around our feet were the nimble chipmunks. I do have these tiny creatures living in my backyard. They compete for seeds with the birds ... hands down, chippy wins every time. It's those expandable cheeks!



The Canada Geese forever debating ... north? south? Should we stay or should we go now ... There are new signs at the parking lot "Do not feed Geese & Ducks". Not working.



I brought this big pinecone home with me (+one) and roasted them in the oven. They came out all glossy from all that sap covering the needles. I may have had the oven a little too hot and they almost caught fire. oops!




I think this is a black walnut. I saw walnut shells scattered around the path, and then spied this one caught in the branch. My dad went ape for black walnuts, and he would pickle them. Um ... yuk. They just looked like something dark and dangerous on the basement pantry shelves. Good for a Halloween prop though! (I should have saved some from their house.)


And wild cucumber casings here and there. These look so cool. We used to have wild cucumbers growing down in our woods. The vines would drape artistically around the trees and shrubs and they produced the neatest looking pods.







And the "advencha" part of this post is that my son Kevin and his pal Jake (who we have known since he was teeny tiny) have gone north to do a 60 km three-day camping/hiking trip along the Western Uplands trail in Algonquin Park. This is Kevin's first backcountry hiking trip (as opposed to backcountry canoe trips, which he has done). He was a little concerned when Jake told him all the stuff he brought for blisters on their feet. Oh, and the temperature suddenly dropped this afternoon ... I hope they're warm enough when they stop to make camp. Here they are at about 3 or 4 years old. Don't you love those toothy smiles :) When Jake came by this morning he was proudly sporting his handknit headband that the girls at the Portage Store knit this summer ... very cool! Good luck guys!


Thanks for stopping by today!

Wendy

Toodles!!


17 comments:

  1. The Uplands is quite a trail to take on!

    Raccoons are very resourceful. I remember one visit to my parents, coming into the kitchen one evening, looking out at the hummingbird feeder hanging from the rafter over the stairs... and seeing a raccoon clinging to the nearby post with three legs and using his remaining front paw to tip the feeder, draining out the liquid. He noticed me watching him, and seemed to have this expression that said, "what?"

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  2. Such lovely photos of the critters in your neck of the woods, Wendy. You do have sweet wildlife. Cute racoon and chipmumnks. The Blue Jay is a handsome fellow. The blue in those feathers are quite beautiful. Love the Autuman light in your photos. As for Kevin and Jay, I am sure a campfire will keep them cosy and warm.

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  3. Raccoons are so cute. We had some visiting the bird feeder out back for a while. Great photos of the blue jay.

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  4. Seeing the Racoons so close would be great. Your photos show a beautiful place.Thanks for sharing your walk.

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  5. Your photos are so great, Wendy! I love them all. Those raccoons are so interesting. I know they're a nuisance but I love to watch them. One time when I was a kid, we had a raccoon attach itself to the screen on the sliding door and just sit there for about an hour, hanging by its claws! We sat around the dining room table watching him to see when he'd jump off. It was better than TV, I guess! I hope the boys - men - have a great time on their advencha!

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  6. Lots of nice fall photos there! I remember Sammy Jay and all the other Burgess characters.

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  7. Enjoyed seeing all your photos. You have taken them in many different angles.

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  8. Wonderful photos Wendy, especially love that blue jay! Are raccoons dangerous? I got the impression from your post that maybe they are? I hope Kevin and Jake have a great time. Fabulous that that have been buddies for so long.

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  9. Hello, the raccoons are well fed. I love all the birds. The Jays are pretty and great captures of the geese in flight. I love all your pretty nature scenes and phots. Looks like my kind of walk. Cute shot of your son and his friend. Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!

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  10. I love your photo's Wendy it's lovely seeing all the wildlife that you can get so close to. I hope that the men enjoy their advencha I'm sure they'll have a great time. Thank you for the lovely comments you left over on my blog. xxx

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  11. Your photos are lovely, Wendy. It's so much fun to walk the trails in the fall, and, lucky you, you certainly met many wildlife pals along the way.
    I bet the boys will love their trip!

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  12. I would definitely give those raccoons a wide berth!

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  13. Lovely autumn photos, Wendy, and beautiful close-up shots! I love the blue of Blue Jay. When we go to Yosemite, raccoons often climb up and sit in the hotel balcony. They watch us intently as we go about our business. We, of course, keep the door shut until they leave. I think they are curious, but definitely not vicious.

    -Soma

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  14. Raccoons are fun to watch, but they are such scavengers. They never seem too bothered by us on trails - they move off quickly. I've never seen the wild cucumbers with their casings; very interesting. Your jays are lighter blue than ours. I always enjoy seeing them with that distinctive crest on top of their heads.
    Hope your son is having a wonderful time!

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  15. This is a lovely post, Wendy - I do so like to see the "alien" wildlife which is so common to you and uncommon to me. I'm totally with you on the pickled walnuts, my mother is the only person I know who likes them so a jar lasts a long time in her house. I hope the boys had a safe trip. x

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  16. Wonderful photos!! I just love this time of the year!! The racoon photos are just adorable. Have a nice weekend. xo

    ~ Wendy

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  17. You never know who you might meet :-)... fantastic photos.
    Amalia
    xo

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