The adult Black-crowned Night Heron is quite distinctive with its black back, white underparts and light gray wings:

This morning we saw two juveniles who are a dull gray brown.

Other birds:

Species list: red-necked grebe, great blue heron, black-crowned night heron, double-crested cormorant, mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, gadwall, American black duck, bufflehead, wood duck, American wigeon, long-tailed duck, red-breasted merganser, hooded merganser, ring-billed gull, herring gull, belted kingfisher, rock pigeon, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, house sparrow, northern cardinal, white-throated sparrow, song sparrow.  (25 species)

Some botany:

Park scenes:

Today’s group:

Thanks to Ken Sproule for these photos of a “melanistic” red fox recently taken at Col. Sam Smith Park:

NATURE POETRY

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.                              – Emily Brontë (1818–48)

Miles Hearn