A mid-afternoon visit. Not the best of time to see nature, but then Mud Lake is active most times.
The mallards were in a large tight group swimming the edge of the ice in the Ottawa River
Visitors had been dropping ample supplies of cracked corn, sunflower seeds and a good quantity of peanuts in the shell. The chickadees devoured most of the sunflower seeds, a downy woodpecker found only shells
The turkeys were going after whatever was available, although they weren't able to crack the peanuts.
The squirrels were only too happy to look after the peanuts....
I was hoping for goldeneye ducks floating down/flying up the river, but they were all up in the small rapids in a bay by the yacht club
After a recent light snowfall, there was snow on top of lots of vegetation. A branch, balsam tree, unidentified leaf, oak leaves, burrs, aster seeds, ninebark seed pods, bull thistle.
Up on the ridge the late afternoon sun was lighting up snow and the sumac
Watching the water ebb and flow under the ice can be mesmerizing (or not😊)
A bonus....- A female or juvenile snowy owl from the day before. (NOT at Mud lake)
The owl was some distance away on the power pole. Photos below are the full frame photo with my 600mm (equiv) lens and a close crop
