"Out & About" Photo Blog: 2nd Marsh & McLaughlin Bay WR -- November 3rd, 2012

I was down at the marsh yesterday to join other volunteers in repairing the boardwalk. I arrived late so my contribution was minimal.

About 15 employees of Hewlett-Packard and some of the executive of the Friends of Second Marsh were replacing broken boards and some runners on the boardwalk in Ghost Road Bush. Hewlett-Packard employees have been doing this volunteer work on the boardwalk since 1999 when the boardwalk was started. The lumber was donated by Peacock Lumber in Oshawa. (Please correct me if I have any of the points wrong.)

They also brought a chainsaw to cut up the large tree that had fallen on the boardwalk near the Beaver Pond. My back appreciates that fix. :-) The improvement in the boardwalk is appreciated by all that love to visit the marsh.

I got shots of some of the workers, but not all. Next time I join you I'll make a point of getting everyone.

The Chickadees & Nuthatches appreciated the handouts that some of the volunteers brought.

A piece of the tree that was over the boardwalk. Anyone willing to count the rings for me? :-) I estimated 60 years old.

Many of the cattails at the Beaver Pond are flattened (south side only). One suggestion I was offered was aliens. Seriously though, it looks like something a strong wind downdraft might cause, or much more likely, the beavers did it.

I assume this channel through the pond (north side of the boardwalk) is from beaver activity, so maybe they trampled the other side for some reason. Curious.

Some of nature's jumbles interest me.

This is Orange Jelly fungus... slimy looking stuff, but colorful.

A milky fungus on the end of an old board from the boardwalk. It looks likes it has grown from within the board and is oozing out.

Turkey Tail fungus.

McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve

I decided to check out MBWR before heading home. It had been a while.

There are still splashes of color at Wilkinson's Pond.

A few Highbush Cranberry berries brighten an otherwise "colorless" scene.

Lichens

The 2nd Marsh side from the GM viewing platform.

I ended up walking down to the lake. This shot shows Bonniebrae Point in Oshawa in the foreground and downtown Toronto across the lake... about 30 miles distant... always easy to see on a clear day.

One of my favourite subjects in the fall is Milkweed seed pods, once they've opened. They offer an infinite variety of options. They're never boring in my eyes.

A busy shot but it shows a surprising number of pods on one stem, at various stages.

Another conglomerate on one stem, looking like a bouquet of sorts.

I didn't take many shots of the pods last year so I'm making up for it this year. :-)

Mostly overexposed, but I like the result.

Sumach seed ball.

GM has planted several Tulip trees on the site. The flower resembles a tulip apparently. Even the leaves remind me of a tulip. Tulip tree leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of the Eastern Swallowtail butterfly.

A gall of some sort... one I haven't seen before.

Highbush Cranberry.

The grey skies of November. They always make me think of the Gordon Lightfoot song.

There are never many people at the marsh or at McLaughlin Bay. You can usually count those you meet on one hand. With few humans to distract you, it does make your connection with nature stronger and more personal, but I'm surprised that more don't visit them. Maybe it's our busy lives. Maybe it's a lack of interest in nature.