On A Winter’s Morn

Juvenile Bald Eagle

It snowed again yesterday. I went out early in the morning to try to find some gulls at the Trail Road Landfill but the white skies were spitting snow even as I left. I found three Red-tailed Hawks along Trail Road, several European Starlings, and at least 200 crows near the dump, but no gulls. Further along the road I saw a single Dark-eyed Junco and some chickadees. I then checked some of the back roads near Richmond and came up with a single Rough-legged Hawk flying over and a Snowy Owl perched on top of a telephone pole, both new for my winter list. I didn’t stay out too long because the snow was beginning to accumulate on the roads and visibility was poor.

The sun came out this morning, shining on snow-laden trees and glistening white fields. I drove out to Dunrobin to follow up on a report of several ravens and two Bald Eagles feeding on a deer carcass. I saw only one raven on Riddell Road, but out near Thomas Dolan I found two eagles: an adult being harassed by three ravens, and a juvenile slowly circling the skies. I managed to take one photo of the juvenile as it was soaring above my car. The only other birds of note were two Wild Turkeys perching in a crabapple tree on Herzberg Road.

After that I decided to head out into the woods. I was eager to go snowshoeing, and thought Jack Pine Trail would be a great place for a long walk even though the temperature was still only -13°C. The trails were already packed down from other people using them, so my snowshoes weren’t really necessary, but I enjoyed the exercise. The trees were all covered with snow, making for some stunning scenery.

In many places the trees were bent over the trail beneath the weight of the snow, making walking upright difficult in some spots.

I didn’t see many birds along the trail; two Downy Woodpeckers and one Hairy Woodpecker were enjoying the suet at the OFNC feeder, while three American Tree Sparrows were feeding on some seed left on the trail. I saw one cardinal, one Blue Jay, and one crow on my walk, while three White-breasted Nuthatches and over 60 chickadees came up to me looking for handouts.

Mammals, too, were scarce; I only saw one red squirrel on my walk, and the only tracks I saw in the snow were a couple of sets of deer tracks. There were no signs of any porcupines or snowshoe hares, both of which can be found here. Still, it was a beautiful morning, and I enjoyed trekking through the woods, taking in the fresh air and snowy winter scenery.