A month with very mixed weather: no snow on the ground, lots of snow on the ground, some rain etc etc
A cool morning's walk in the woods near Almonte produced a few eye-catchers.
![Thin coat of ice on a shallow puddle](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/018cee30-abd7-41e0-ab27-1d407473db2d_rw_1920.jpg?h=a80c5246eb35e14b58ae3bae1cebec12)
Thin coat of ice on a shallow puddle
![Thin coat of ice on a shallow puddle](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ade23b57-30e7-4622-a7e7-4d8347a24153_rw_1920.jpg?h=83e0ce317961248d3012935379ff09b3)
Thin coat of ice on a shallow puddle
![frozen moisture on grass](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/b9ddaf26-39ea-4445-9fc6-36b06a33706e_rw_1920.jpg?h=6e2626dda6e82ca6d6b44366f3b726fa)
frozen moisture on grass
![Backlit beech leaves](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/71582927-2621-4c2c-aed9-19b82811de8a_rw_1920.jpg?h=1662c8b0084b285d0736b4c93464ab84)
Backlit beech leaves
![backlit dead fern](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ffa3c485-c76c-46a2-9c33-2172b054b160_rw_1920.jpg?h=ed4d76925a0be792d1cee54513d07276)
backlit dead fern
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/8dadf670-2256-4231-85db-d5c01a6336f8_rw_1200.jpg?h=7a9c0a1fec9e324498dd089687af671d)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/a4b6a4e5-6f4d-4bc5-928f-8a5152828f07_rw_1920.jpg?h=8f4b2753a1d57761a4c9f1886f78eef6)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/9f5fb0e6-9c3c-47dc-bdda-669445e9099b_rw_1920.jpg?h=a4ddb7e237a02de7c4ab1ea5a24718af)
![Black-eyed susan](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ae53483e-25f4-4f91-b75f-72a3865ebdb4_rw_1920.jpg?h=19321aa7c4767324630edecb074e6c72)
Black-eyed susan
Nearby NCC trails were full of photo-ops, including 8 chickadees descending on me as I stopped to photograph a large mud slathered beaver lodge. Other birds, and a mouse, were active at feeding stations.
![5 foot high mud slathered beaver lodge](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/b58e8eae-1d61-4384-b1d4-40a6a761a3b5_rw_1920.jpg?h=49b2b43916e9903e3500191ca06412b0)
5 foot high mud slathered beaver lodge
![8 chickadees demanding a handout](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/9e012655-5726-44c9-88ce-3087170cd7bc_rw_1920.jpg?h=4ce72348760c41a79333b8f18d9e5a74)
8 chickadees demanding a handout
![male evening grosbeak](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/033c0c26-9b2e-4255-824d-c422cc47f7e5_rw_1920.jpg?h=bb09d72b71abf892c792dd27623df608)
male evening grosbeak
![blue jay](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/10c0a246-5b7f-43e5-9838-c916272b7cb1_rw_1920.jpg?h=789ca3114c21cbcfc9040b7753823ed6)
blue jay
![red-bellied woodpecker](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/7ca6db16-86f5-4a20-a5a3-270ec66097e8_rw_1920.jpg?h=9787da32a72558730c12ce3166fad0e4)
red-bellied woodpecker
![merlin](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/cfdfd9a0-d4f0-4aa6-9874-d8e383b41b94_rw_1920.jpg?h=784736e17b3631a9e2c090e73629015a)
merlin
![field mouse](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/dfc8271a-f72c-43a3-8239-fe5d5f255cdf_rw_1920.jpg?h=8ad8ebd89e03c4e52a939047bf7705c5)
field mouse
The changing weather produced some Mud Lake comparisons with prior months.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/864be408-fd20-403f-a3b7-8504e4345d60_rw_1920.jpg?h=cdfb96f7f7cf7bc94d4ea8cd5e789dbb)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/7b29cc0c-aad7-4bc6-926d-060ffb7e6d0d_rw_1920.jpg?h=c1c847a91f00f715e134fda0cd0890b2)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/e2b24447-93d8-4557-881b-958a0a0f8970_rw_1920.jpg?h=1596cebc390d4d71bf6ab93e7a91be80)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/73610012-c851-4f3b-a968-2feb051208c2_rw_1920.jpg?h=9f86723a64e78a38644335c3d33c4e11)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/32b83b4e-3e74-421e-bc8e-f7a06e96c410_rw_1920.jpg?h=51abaac23e2b778c4c9ec67818503cd2)
A small flock of robins is over-wintering again at Mud Lake, not sure they can fluff up as much this downy woodpecker. Red-breasted nuthatches are few and far between and often back in the branches. The cardinal with the damaged wing feather seems to be doing fine.
![Robin](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/95e0fdc1-c530-4b7e-94f7-5947243af163_rw_1920.jpg?h=706de6087b3140e40145f477b4c5d378)
Robin
![Downy woodpecker](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/3794673b-4ae0-4810-859f-4ecdd1800718_rw_1920.jpg?h=cd039fc8b8aa4158cbcc17515bec5971)
Downy woodpecker
![Red-breasted nuthatch](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/70a20e45-0d24-47c5-873a-ac93a4e17e2d_rw_1920.jpg?h=1b72428635ed8a549548d65977dece00)
Red-breasted nuthatch
![Male cardinal](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c30fbe0b-1481-48ce-a57f-10d659a21aa4_rw_1920.jpg?h=cdf828f7c840ff24e2080610a0a9f1d4)
Male cardinal
![Female cardinal](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/bcf27bb3-df6d-4812-a409-e67c8af42e67_rw_1920.jpg?h=53f80947701c1705d92b9e025a8fedff)
Female cardinal
The wild turkeys certainly glisten in the sunlight.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/d961e4f6-55c6-4fdb-8f88-7929872dbce0_rw_1920.jpg?h=5b96dd085da3e77f7ee33e7581b6deca)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/b8595279-c032-41f8-a520-64c1457ca32e_rw_1920.jpg?h=55526f7f9e72f2f9273f9ccafae5fe9a)
There was a large flock of mallards at Billings Bridge; the (rare) Barrow's goldeneye duck was at Strathcona Park, but, strangely, what caught my eye were the pigeons.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/1eea0bb7-abcf-474e-b78c-4be39aab36d0_rw_1920.jpg?h=44a50306c2f1dd4846a61248e8e70469)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/26b8c4df-9aac-4b14-8ca6-bd5380ad15ce_rw_1920.jpg?h=c6de47d931317bd434d1f3fbaac30826)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ef950c5e-72cd-43e9-a95f-dd803a5b1a2f_rw_1920.jpg?h=82e9c916874c9b05135ea901df3a597c)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c8cc374e-7b14-469a-9473-0ffc0f0c14a2_rw_1920.jpg?h=f32bebd63a0ca9ab5d60aba8c9b16381)
Always something different at Parc Omega when visit. A few eye catchers from a visit at the end of the month.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/39dc98bb-5597-40a0-9bbd-083b1d854a6c_rw_1920.jpg?h=1a4fa9a68a75510ebaf2efbcb4a007b3)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/45e33e77-39e2-42cd-9d05-7f4b34b56217_rw_1920.jpg?h=e1ceb95b2894dc2010ffcdc945decb50)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/1e5adc96-2a0d-411e-9921-af63669b3cb7_rw_1920.jpg?h=13a597f53d9973dacdad83e8465004df)
A good number of crows are around as usual, along with lots of squirrels.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/99515478-114a-4119-92ce-d6d8c74e3fc6_rw_1920.jpg?h=9e86c471a00d01f7a0af3eb56e34b47e)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/dc100c21-00ff-404c-985b-9393e10353e3_rw_1920.jpg?h=f6b75719087381049a38d50d4463b2c5)