August 28, 2012

Although the Osprey captured the headlines last weekend and is still at the lake, there is a lot of other activity taking place around Lake Wicwas as the days get shorter, the weather cooler, and the animals become a bit more active.   The cooler nights and warm water are creating misty mornings already.

After seeing very little fox activity this summer - almost no scat on the trails - I captured this Gray Fox one night last week as he prowled for dinner around the mini-cooper.

Gray Fox

I  identified a new butterfly this week - an American Painted Lady.  What I found fascinating about this butterfly is how completely different the two sides of its wings are.   The dorsal side of the wings are orange with black and white spots,

American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

while the ventral side has some pink coloring and two large eye spots.

If I didn't follow it and see the two poses, I wouldn't have know it was the same insect.


Then there was a pretty little lady bug playing hide and seek with me on Linda's flowers.

On a morning kayak I found three ducks in a marsh  - either mallards or black ducks, I believe.

On the same trip I also found two herons scouting for fish close together;  usually I see only one at a time in a given area.  The bird sitting in the middle of a white pine has quite a set of feathers on its neck!

Back to the larger animals, I came upon a small herd of deer on Saturday.  There were at least four adults - they heard me and one started snorting as I froze still.  They all moved off in different directions and soon I was surrounded by them, as I watched them moving through the trees.  But the fawn that was with them was not so careful.  It also played pee-a-boo with me

before it slowly walked off to join the elders.

Always curious - perhaps even more so when they are young. Although it is good size, it still has its spots.

Finally, an update on our loon chick - it continues to grow quickly, but is still well behind last year's chick due to the second nesting and subsequent late hatching

Here is this year's chick, compared to last year's chick as it looked on about the same date last year.  Quite a difference.

August 25, 2012

August 21, 2011

But as long as this beautiful weather keeps up, it will have enough time to be ready for flight by ice-in.