I'm blurry, but I'm cute

On Sunday afternoon, 1 November 2015, it was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had just seen this owl, so that helped.

The other thing I would have missed seeing was a handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down.

Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie!

1. Coopers' Hawk -1
2. Bald Eagle -2
3. Ring-billed Gull-8
4. Great Horned Owl-1
5. Hairy Woodpecker-3
6. Northern Flicker-1
7. Blue Jay-2
8. Black-billed Magpie-4
9. Common Raven-7
10. Black-capped Chickadee-30
11. Boreal Chickadee-1
12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4
13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1
14. Bohemian Waxwing-27
15. Pine Grosbeak-8
16. Pine Siskin-12