A little of the north

 Over the last couple of weeks, we have made two trips to North Bay. It wasn't really a birding trip, but I managed to get in a bit, and see some of the more northern landscapes anyway.

One of my go to places while in the area is the La Vase River, at the very south end of the North Bay area, at a place called Champlain Park. 

It includes the mouth of this river, as it empties into Lake Nipissing. It is of historic significance to European settlement, as it was an important link for explorers and members of the courier de bois in their quest for fur trade related travels. Some of the earliest European explorers traveled along this river, including Etienne Brule and Samuel de Champlain, although it was used for many centuries before by Indigenous people, and it was they who introduced it to the European explorers.

It was a fairly good spot for a few birds while I was there, but nothing out of the ordinary. Some of the birds must have been quite used to people, as several Black-capped Chickadees followed us...

...and decided to check out the outstretched hand of Kristin, our daughter, to see if we had any handouts.

Even a White-breasted Nuthatch decided to follow the example of the chickadee.

There were a few Rusty Blackbirds lingering, although I expect most of this clan had already moved further south.

There was even a lingering Red-winged Blackbird.

Mallards, of course, show up almost anywhere there is open water, and there was at least a dozen that came to investigate us as we stood along the edge of the river. Presumably they had been fed by the locals from time to time as well.

 This next view is of the river looking upstream, towards Trout Lake about 14 kilometres away. Along the edge of the cattail marsh off in the distance, was a Great Blue Heron.

I'm sure it was extending its stay this far north due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. While we were watching this heron, a Ruffed Grouse was busily drumming in the forest across the river.

Laurier Woods Trail, a complex of several kilometres of woodland trail at the edge of the city is always on my list of places to go when I am there. Woodland birds, in fact any birds, were almost non-existent on this trip at the time of day we were there. But it has some nice views amongst the rocks, hills, trees and wetlands. If it wasn't for the some general industrial noise from time to time, one would think you were really out in the wilds, and not within the city limits of an urban area of more than 50,000 people and related industry to be expected at this Gateway to the North.

There are a couple of places we often like to stop at along the route, and on this second trip, we checked them out. The first place is Brooks Falls, a few kilometres east of Hwy 11. I have photographed it at all seasons, and each time it is different. The light was a little too bright and contrasty for my photographic preference, as I like to do some slow shutter speed photography to get the silky smooth look to the water. It is a little tricky getting down to the bottom of this river, where the best angles can be had. With the less than ideal lighting conditions, I didn't risk it and had to be satisfied with the upper view.

Here are a few from previous visits, with the first one being one of my favourites, taken in October of 2012, and from the lowest level one could get to.

On one occasion we went north in winter. This shows what it was like in March, 2012.

Another typical stop we make is at this lake, right along Hwy 11, a bit north of Huntsville. Obviously the peak of the colours is past, but the golden Tamaracks are a nice view towards the end of the autumn season, especially when intertwined with the dark green spruce trees.

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The Snowy North...a hint of things to come

We recently went on a little trip up to North Bay, something we do once or twice a year to visit 'the kids'. The photo in the header is of Brooks Falls, showing the Magnetawan River in some of its autumn splendor, just a few kilometres east of Hwy 11. This is a photo of a couple of years ago, since at the time we went this year, the colours were well past their best. In fact it was one of the snowiest trips we have made to North Bay, but more of that later.

We did see the Magnetawan River, but from Hwy 124 rather than the location of the header photo. Here Marie gazes at the tumbling water.

The weather was rather dreary, with mostly cloudy conditions that produced either a bit of rain or snow. While we always enjoy visiting our daughter Kristin and her husband Alex--the kids--I also enjoy getting out and exploring some of the landscape that consists of rocks, hills, lakes and trees, which is quite a bit different than that of the extreme southwestern part of Ontario.

Our daughter had noted that a falconry demonstration was going to be held in nearby Callandar, and so we took it in. The demonstrators had 4 species of raptors to show, including a Gyrfalcon/Peregrine Falcon hybrid, a Harris's Hawk, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon. This first one is the Gyr/Per hybrid. Raptors don't normally hybridize in the wild, but for captive birds, it does happen.

 Harris's Hawks are normally a bird of the southwestern US, but are favoured by raptor specialists for their demeanour and ease of handling.

Laurier Woods is a conservation area at the edge of the city. It encompasses about 97 hectares (240 acres) and has more than 10 km of trails through the aforementioned rocks, hills, lakes and tree landscape.

Beaver lodge

There had been a bit of wet snow falling during my hike, but it was just warm enough that it didn't stick. However by the next day, with the slightly falling temperatures, it was a different story. We woke up to this:

Here are the same two spots along Laurier Woods Trail, shown above, but 24 hours later.

 And a couple of more photos of the same area.

As one might expect, birds were not terribly abundant at this time of year, and under these conditions. However I did see a few, including

American Robin

Black-capped Chickadee

 Common Redpolls were in fact fairly common. I saw several groups in various places I visited.

 And I saw my first Snow Buntings of the season.

I also saw a lingering Hermit Thrush and Winter Wren among about 30 species overall, but without getting any photos. The Winter Wren was close by this beaver dam.

 As mentioned, Common Redpolls and Black-capped Chickadees were quite regularly found.

When we left North Bay, it was still pretty white, and the landscape along Hwy 11 was a reminder of what the southwest might be experiencing before too many more weeks go by.

Quite often we stop in at Brooks Falls either on the way up or back, but with the snow, I didn't relish climbing up and down over slippery rocks and leaves, so we passed it by this time. This next photo is from several years ago when I did venture close, but refrained from climbing. It wouldn't have had this much snow this time, but gives an idea of what it can look like in late winter.

By the time we got close to Huntsville, the temperatures had warmed to a balmy 4C, and with the brilliant blue skies, the snow had all but disappeared. I stopped briefly at a lake along the highway. If you look closely you can see a bit of snow on the shadier side of the spruce trees. This is one time of the year when the Larch trees really stand out with their golden needles just about to drop. I didn't have to enhance the colours at all!

Northern Landscapes for a change

I spend most of my time here in southwestern Ontario, naturally, so it is a very pleasant change to see what other parts of the province look like. Our daughter and her husband live in North Bay. The 600+ kilometre trip from our house to theirs, takes us through vastly different landscapes. Recently we timed a visit to (hopefully) coincide with some impressive autumn colours.

The first leg of the trip is pretty boring.....from Chatham, through Toronto and then heading straight north. Once we get into the Barrie/Orillia area, we really start to feel we are getting there and by the time we get north of Huntsville it is the land dominated by rocks, hills, lakes and trees. This first image is just a short distance north of Huntsville, right along Hwy 11. The lake probably has a name, but I haven't investigated to find out what it is. Regardless of its name, or lack of one, it is a place I stop at briefly, sometimes venturing across 4 lanes of traffic, just to enjoy the view while numerous vehicles are impatiently heading to their respective destinations.

We like fresh spring water---a welcome treat from the municipal water---and there is an accessible spring a short distance off the highway at Novar where we stop and fill up several water jugs. However as soon as one gets off the highway and prepares to travel down this paved side road towards the spring, one sees this next scene.

This image was actually taken a couple of years ago. I was particularly pleased on that occasion to see a bright red kayak with two paddlers approaching, so I waited and got a few shots of them in action. The scene this year was similar, but without the kayak.

A little farther north again is a place that I discovered several years ago, and is one of my favourite places to take a break. It is Brooks Falls, and I have stopped numerous times over the years, in all seasons. The Magnetawan River flows here, and depending on the water flow, can look impressively powerful at least close-up. The access is via a municipal park by the name of the falls, and one can park just a few metres from the trail that takes you to several vantage points.

The day we visited this year was bright and sunny, not conducive for the best photography here. These first two images are a couple of my favourites from a previous time, one in mid-September and the other two weeks later.

Owing to the bright, contrasty conditions, I focussed on areas that were in shadow where I could capture more intimate scenes.

We made it to North Bay. In reality it isn't all that far north, being at a latitude well south of the 49th parallel, the typical southern boundary of Canada across much of this vast country. But relative to where we live in the extreme southwest, which is more or less at the same latitude of the northern California boundary, it is north! (Aside: I remember many years ago travelling through the USA, and explaining to an American traveller where we were from. His comment was quite revealing: "Oh, that is the part we didn't get from the British!")

One of my favourite places to explore while at North Bay is Laurier Woods Conservation Area. It is almost 100 hectares of natural area within the city limits of North Bay....what a concept, and what a treat! There are several kilometres of trails.

 Somewhat surprisingly, the colours this year were not as vibrant as a year ago, even though this year was a few days later. There was generally more green than I expected.

Without being all that familiar with birding hotspots of the area, I contacted a birder friend who spent several years living just south of North Bay. He recommended several spots, and so on this visit I checked out places like Sunset Point, an area protruding well out into Lake Nipissing, giving a 270 degree view of the lake.

Sunset Point Park

Sunset Point

 This next photo is also of Sunset Point, but looking northward towards the city centre. The shallow water and extensive sandy shoreline looks great for a few shorebirds and of course gulls. But it also lends itself to numerous people out walking their dogs, so maybe such birds give it a wide berth.

I also checked out the Callander Sewage Lagoon for birds, and of course Laurier Woods. Another spot at the south end of North Bay was Champlain Park, right along the lake and with a small river passing through it.

Given the time of year (second week of October) and limited time spent birding (it was primarily a family-oriented trip), I didn't see any really unexpected birds, but had a good array. Most were waterbirds, and included Common Loon, White-winged Scoter, Horned Grebe and various duck species. I think my total was about 30 species, and I dutifully entered my observations on ebird. At least now I have a better idea of where to spend birding time in the future, and have some other ideas of places to visit such as the Cranberry Trail, which goes about 2.5 km through the forest and includes marsh and lake viewing. It is nice having such extensive natural habitat within minutes of where we were staying.

While in North Bay, a visit to Duchesnay Falls is always a treat. It is located right along the highway leading out of the northwest side of the city.

Duchesnay Falls, the overview look

Duchesnay Falls, the close-up view

And just to wind things up, here is High Falls, just north of Bracebridge, located between a small roadside picnic park and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources office on the west side of Hwy 11. It is an impressive sight, but one has to pick the vantage point carefully to eliminate the bright red signs warning of danger, and the metal walkway going across the falls on the upstream side.

For many of my waterfall photos, I like slow shutter speeds (typically 0.5-6 seconds or more) to highlight the silky smooth look. However for High Falls, I chose a faster shutter speed to try to stop the action and capture the feeling of raw power of the water. It is even more effective when there is more water flowing over, as I have sometimes seen here. In this case, the shutter speed was about 1/1000 sec.