A somewhat relaxing month spent at cottages and  local day trips.
Please note that some people might find the video at the bottom of this webpage disturbing.
A mid afternoon walk around Mud Lake early in the month was very quiet with most of the animals resting.

The mallards had settled down for the afternoon, I didn't even see the third one until I got home and started editing the pictures. Just the one cardinal was in evidence, and he was either a juvenile, or an adult coming out of moult.
There seemed to be an abundance of frogs: 
leopard, bull and green frogs. 
Green frogs look like bull frogs, but have ridges down their backs, while with the bull frogs, the ridges turn down and surround their ears.
leopard frog
leopard frog
bull frog
bull frog
bull frog
bull frog
green frog
green frog
The neat looking orange coloured spotted jewelweed blossoms were everywhere. A few had gone to seed and ready to violently spring open at a slight touch (for which they are also called "touch me not" flowers). 
The white arrowhead flowers were much in evidence and a few Queen Anne's Lace flowers were curling up to go into their seed stage. A few maple leaves were turning colour already.
Spotted jewelweed
Spotted jewelweed
Arrowhead flowers
Arrowhead flowers
Queen Anne's Lace blossom progressing to seed
Queen Anne's Lace blossom progressing to seed
maple leaves
maple leaves
And last but not least, two fungi caught my eye
Another Mud Lake visit towards the end of the month, but this time in the earl(ish) morning, was not quite so quiet.
The wood ducks were out and about, a few showing a little post-moult colour.
male wood duck
male wood duck
male wood duck
male wood duck
male wood duck
male wood duck
All females on the log
All females on the log
looking for cracked corn on the bridge railings
looking for cracked corn on the bridge railings
A few other birds showed up, including an Osprey, some hungry chickadees and nuthatches and a friendly female downy woodpecker.

Osprey overlooking the lake

chickadee
chickadee
nuthatch
nuthatch
nuthatch
nuthatch
downy woodpecker
downy woodpecker
A few more that caught my eye.
jack-in-the-pulpit seeds
jack-in-the-pulpit seeds
grey squirrel
grey squirrel
bull frog
bull frog
pickerel weed blossom and bees
pickerel weed blossom and bees
thistle and bee
thistle and bee


And another trip to Parc Omega, this time on a very hot day. The gate-keepers/toll collectors/moochers were still very much around with some of the young ones now comfortable approaching cars.
female elk
female elk
white fallow deer
white fallow deer
female elk and calf
female elk and calf
youmg bull elk
youmg bull elk
fallow deer fawn and female
fallow deer fawn and female
fallow deer fawn
fallow deer fawn
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
white tailed deer
Arctic and black wolves relaxed while the alpine ibex climbed to the top to have lunch.
Arctic wolf
Arctic wolf
black wolf
black wolf
alpine ibex
alpine ibex
With the heat several animals headed for the water to keep cool.
The bear was low enough in the water that he had scrunched up his nose to keep it above water.
The Parc obtained two orphan moose young last year. They have been quite shy and hard to find, but now fresh tree branches are put out for them each day in an open area, and the water attracted them on this hot day.
Despite offerings of carrots, a few of the elk headed for the water by noon hour.
Some of the elks' antlers were starting to shed/shred the velvet, losing the nice soft velvet look.
And then there was the one who seemed to enjoy a good scritch behind the ear. 


Out and About
Various birds of a feather
Ruby-throated hummingbird
ruby throat needs just the right light to be seen
ruby throat needs just the right light to be seen
wing stretch
wing stretch
wing stretch
wing stretch
Mergansers
incomplete wings on juvenile
incomplete wings on juvenile
preening on the beach
preening on the beach
Mute swans: the pair had 5 cygnts - two white morphs and three the usual grey.
Oddly placed great blue heron warming himself
Colourful starling and curious screech owl
Mushrooms and fungus (plus a lookalike😊)

coral tooth fungus

coral tooth mushroom
coral tooth mushroom
coral tooth mushroom
coral tooth mushroom
Indian pipes (not a mushroom but a perennial)
Indian pipes (not a mushroom but a perennial)
Indian pipes
Indian pipes
coming through the pine needles
coming through the pine needles
Florals (plus)
Bottle gentian
Bottle gentian
cardinal flower
cardinal flower
cardinal flower
cardinal flower
meadowsweet
meadowsweet
waterlily
waterlily
turtlehead
turtlehead
grass
grass
soybean
soybean
purple loosestrife
purple loosestrife
In your face
chipmunk
chipmunk
toad
toad
Miscellaneous
hay bales
hay bales
hay bales
hay bales
old pine cone
old pine cone
trees in fog
trees in fog
rocky shoreline
rocky shoreline
rocky shoreline
rocky shoreline
a toad and his toadstool
a toad and his toadstool
sunfish school looking to be fed
sunfish school looking to be fed
oblique streaktail hoverfly (click to enlarge)
oblique streaktail hoverfly (click to enlarge)
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
balancing rock sculptures
We spent a few hours at Old Fort Henry in Kingston. There was not much activity due to Covid restrictions.
A heads up. 
Some people might find the following video disturbing. It deals with an alternative food source for chipmunks.
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