First Snow / Col Sam Smith Park: November 10, 2018

Col Sam Smith Park at 7 am:

It was a very windy and chilly morning (-2 degrees). You can see the frost on these Oriental Bittersweet Leaves:

The first snow of the season (for me) is always exciting. Here are the first flakes which arrived at about 7:15 this morning:

Shortly after, a little flurry came in:

By 9 am, there was a considerable amount of snow on the ground:

With the wind and chill, it was difficult to get bird photos but here is a Northern Mockingbird:

Northern Mockingbird.

For a few years, I haven’t been seeing Mockingbirds here so it is nice that they have returned and will likely stay for the winter.

Other birds that I was able to photograph are Canada Goose:

Canada Goose

and Ruby-crowned Kinglet:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

We got to talking about bird names in Québec and a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet is a Roitelet à Couronne Rubis.

Here is the complete bird list which includes a Marsh Hawk.

Species list: red-necked grebe, mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, gadwall, bufflehead, redhead, greater scaup, long-tailed duck, red-breasted merganser, common merganser, greater black-backed gull, herring gull, ring-billed gull, marsh hawk, hairy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, brown creeper, northern mockingbird, golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet, northern cardinal, house finch, American goldfinch, American tree sparrow.  (25 species)
Staghorn Sumach is glorious in winter:

Staghorn Sumach (Rhus typhina)

Miles Hearn

                                   NATURE POETRY

The hosts of lovers, young in death,
Go seeking down the world to-night,
Remembering faces, warmth and breath—
And they shall seek till it is light.

– Hortense King Flexner (1885–1973)

 

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