It's raining, it's pouring, "Gorilla" is snoaring!

 How about that: +10°C, rain and mist and fog with visibility under 200m.

How about this for poor insulation:

Okay, these Reds are from a few kilometers further north of here.

WOB

Moutain Ash and Rowans, Elephants and Pelicans

 It was a bad day, wet, cold, no real birds to speak of. The stream at Centennial Park, Washago was actually frozen over this afternoon - no open water, except around the road bridge pylons.

What to do?

I was thinking(?) I haven't seen any elephants recently!

How about that.

Then I thought back to yesterday morning.

No elephants in Rowan trees:

Do you see any? Elephants hide in Rowan trees because they can.

And why can they? They paint their toe nails red. 

Why didn't I think of that?

And now we know why Pelicans are so good, too:

Never stop learning. I had never seen this on any of my walks in Tudhope Park!

>  >  W O B ->

The "eyes" have it

 This afternoon I felt I must try harder! I wanted an owl.

What did I find? A few gulls circling in an agitated manner. Several dozen doves were very calm and collected. Then maybe more than 100 gulls flew over, probably on their way to the city dump?

There are photos, but I'll skip them tonight. I settled back and began to prepare to call it a day. Clouds were covering the sun so I didn't even get a shot at sunspots. But like "Kim's game" the scene in front of me was somehow different from what it had been before the gulls had distracted me. But what? So I used binoculars to scan the snow bank. And there it was, a new arrival. I got out of the car and took a quick "documentary" photo. And then I relaxed and took some more.

Here are the initial 3 shots:

Between the 2nd and 3rd photos I changed my position slightly to get the owl in front of a background tree, (I moved a few feet, my 2 feet, to the east so the owl!s position shifted to the right, How boring.)

I think the owl has been through this before:

I hope I'll see her again,

WOB

Preparing for the BC - II

 So Vicki and I went out this morning to try our expected first stop for next Saturday for the CBC event. Vicki was quite successful with 4 bird species. But I saw nothing but animal tracks. Did meet a person who saw coyote and an owl this morning quite nearby. However!

So we returned home and I set out on foot at area number 2 and recorded the following squirrel sunbathing at -2°C - weathernet said -11°C!

A short distance further I saw 3 Chickadees flit among the trees - too quick for me. However, soon after I saw what I thought were 2 Nuthatches flying into a tree. I took photos but see a Chickadee and a Nuthatch:

So I was not completely skunked.

WOB

Preparing for the Big Count

 I try to find where the birds are hiding - so I can find them when I need to, for example for the Big Count in the winter.

One spot I like is around the  Leacock property, around the museum and boathouse:

What has been missing in recent years has been the woodpeckers. I hope this means that the trees are healthy and not that the birds have gone.

We shall see.

WOB

Justin and Bob said I was "gullible" - and I believed them!

 When one starts to "see", then gulls are really incredible. How many species of gull can you spot? And how many different ages among them?

And one says that birds of a feather flock together - what does that make me?

W O B

Marking Time

 The tides?

Sea Geese?

Mergansers:

And I saw what appeared to be a spider! 6°C and then the fog settled.

And I was buzzed by a drone, too. Great day.

WOB

Which way is the wind blowing?

 Just a thought before I put my beard outside the bed covers.

So which way is the wind blowing?

Easy if you think about it - WOB

Snow Squalls Woebegone

 Peter and I paddled near this island in October. I believe it is called Thistle Island, near Heron Is. which we did paddle around:

This island is only 3Km away from me. And yet in a matter of minutes it could vanish from sight when it was obscured by a snow squall. And 12Km further north at Washago Highway #11 was closed yesterday and as of this writing was still closed.

Click on the blue links to get photos and news links to the events of yesterday:

Snow transforms Orillia into a winter wonderland (16 photos) >40CM in Orillia

The next article was written a little later:

Stranded Hwy. 11 motorists taken to town hall in Gravenhurst for night

Now that island shown above is not visible today at all as the snow continues to reach our more southerly position, Don't you appreciate generosity!

Snow squall heading toward Orillia; Highway 11 remains shut down 130cm!

And yet I still like "Come from away".

The power went off in Bracebridge while Vicki was talking to her sister. And it was off here for several hours, too.

We have food and water to last us . We actually have food for the food bank as well.

WOB

A Walk in the Park Saturday afternoon 3PM to 4PM

 We got dumped on! All morning. And last night. So when it looked bright after lunch I went for a stroll not really knowing what to expect. Our condo entrance was full of snow:

Looking north-west -

And right to the entrance - compare that if you will to the scene on April 8 -

However, where I wanted to walk was clear. This is the Trans Canada Trail, the Ganaraska Trail, the Millenia Trail, the Gordon Lightfoot Trails for Life Trail, and umtil 1985 the CP rail line into Orillia:

And here's how  the trails were cleared - at Tudhope:

The trails eastward:

And this is what 40cm might look like if protected from the wind:

Now, just 15 to 20Km north the snowfall was 130Cm and the highway is still closed 24 hours later, but that will be another entry. 

So here is my guiding lights back home:

 Wobbily but still standing!

WOB