A small flock of Tundra Swans returned to Neibauer for a brief fall visit. A pair of Mourning Doves also showed up at the feeders, resting long enough for a few detailed sketches.

A cold weekend spent cleaning, packing and ferrying everything to the new cottage across the bay. The north shore of Colpoy’s is poorer for ducks and shorebirds, but it is better for close views of deep water divers. Scattered groups of winter plumaged Common Loons and Red-necked Grebes patrolled the turbulent waters.

My last weekend spent at the old cottage. After being ousted by the real estate agent, I headed out to Sauble Falls. An immature Great Blue Heron hunted at the base of the falls, largely unconcerned (and unnoticed) by the camera-wielding tourists milling about. Continuing up the shoreline, I made a stop at Oliphant Fen just as the sun began to set. A Wilson’s Snipe drew my attention as it scuttled off through the grasses beside the boardwalk, pausing to watch me a few moments before vanishing into the fen.

A trip out the Dyer’s bay the next morning did not turn up all that much, but a lively flock of American Pipits along the way made up for it. The birds were slow to scatter as I drove through them; one was already dead on the road. I pulled over for a half hour and watched them as they squabbled and foraged under, around and on top of my car. Just before I left, a Raven appeared and flew off with the carcass of the fallen bird.

Cranes, however, were the real target of this trip, and I finally came across a small flock just as I was rushing home in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Three adults and one juvenile stood in a swamp barely ten yards from the edge of Zion Church Road. Knowing my usual luck, I made one quick sketch of the nearest bird and hoped that they would stick around long enough for a second look after dinner. It would end up being the only crane sighting I would have all weekend. A trip to Skinner’s Marsh the next morning in search of more Sandhills instead delivered a flock of at least ten Great Egrets. They were skittish, but a few remained in view.

Perhaps the last time I’ll ever sit on the south shore of Colpoy’s, I spent some time during my final morning there sketching a flock of Ring-billed Gulls resting at the water’s edge. I’m going to miss this quieter, shallower side of the bay.

I visited Mountsberg Conservation Area for the first time in many, many years. For several hours I hiked and birded the lakeside trail, only to find that the observation tower that was my destination had rotted and was very near collapsing. Some time spent back at the raptor cages sketching the owls and falcons made up for my disappointment.