Hi there! Hope you are doing well as we navigate through this long Covid winter. Funny enough, grocery shopping has become the big highlight of the week, for more reasons than one. 
We have some beautiful visitors from the north, right in the Sobey’s parking lot on Main Street in Brighton. There are about 7 Pine Grobeaks, feasting on the crabapples from the ornamental trees by the parking lot.
Pine Grosbeaks are infrequent visitors to our area – they only come down from the north when food supplies there are low. I think the last time I have seen one was 7 or 8 years ago. For me, it is always a treat to see a different bird species than the ones I am used to always seeing around.
These birds are very inconspicuous as they are mostly grey with some rusty or greenish markings. They are a little bigger than a robin. They seem obsessed with the crabapples and completely unfazed by the constant activity in the parking lot.
Nice to have a little surprise now and then.
After I grocery shop I always take a solo drive around the loop at Presqu’ile Park before I head home. My dog Winnie likes going for car rides and sticking her head out the open window to sniff out what’s around.
Recently there have been otters out on the ice on Brighton bay fishing. I watched this one dive under the ice 4 times, and come up with 4 fish. 100 percent accuracy. Pretty impressive.
Also on the Presqu’ile loop was this Barred Owl, hunting by the side of the road. Every once in awhile I get lucky. Actually, I think I included a Barred Owl that I saw just west of Brighton in my last post. It’s been a good owl month.
Even though winter is cold and it seems as if everything has gone to sleep or left for warmer climates, it can be the best time of year to find wildlife.
I hope wherever you are, you have a little window out on nature – whether it’s your kitchen window looking out on a bird feeder, or the window of your car as you drive your favourite roads close to home.
What animals and birds have you seen lately?
lovely post Leslie!
Thanks for sharing Lesli, I get out the back roads a couple days a week…just to offer a helping hand to a senior who lives alone. Its a beautiful drive and I have seen three bald eagles on my travels as well as a few nice flocks of Redpolls. I don’t usually have my camera on these trips, but after seeing the large eagle sitting close to the road I’ve decided to start taking it along. Hopefully I’ll get lucky and see that beauty again. Also on one of these trips I saw a GG….I was so thrilled and have been looking and hoping for another sight of that beauty.
Wow Nancy! Every drive will hold that element of potential now! So exciting!
The last four days at dusk we have been watching up to four deer “snacking” about 20 feet from our kitchen window. We regularly spread peanut butter on a tree trunk for the birds, and now the deer are licking it off with gusto. We see both does and bucks – even one buck with an antler on just one side.
Nice view! I wonder if that buck has a sore neck?