For those of you readers who are aviators, this little story might be appreciated. While watching a young Great Blue Heron on the river last week, we made him a bit nervous, so he decided to take off. There was a brisk wind, which was not being felt at water level. He took off in the still air, and as he rose above the bank, flying to the east, he moved into the wind which was from the west. This sudden tail wind resulted in a total loss of lift, and with wings, tail, and legs flailing madly, he fell back into the water with a great splash! He then turned around, and took off again, this time to the west, and his subsequent flight was uneventful. It was probably a good thing that we couldn't understand "Heronese", as I can imagine what he was saying about his pre-flight weather briefing! Seriously, this was the first time that I had actually seen a bird crash-land because of wind shear. I have seen some wild landings on ice when the bird expected water, but never something like this.

There are still hundreds of American Avocets on some of our local lakes. We have seen over 600 avocets at one time! On our last visit to a nearby lake, there was no wind in the evening. The water was like glass, and with a spotting scope from the look-out point on the hill top, we could see ducks by the thousands, all over the lake. As they swam around, we could see their wakes over a kilometre away, with the water so still. Later, we drove east, around the lake to a place where we could access the mud flats for shorebirds. Geese were flying around the country-side, looking for a special bedtime treat in nearby farmers' fields. We saw Canadas, (2 varieties, regular and Cacklers) Greater White-fronted, Snows, (both colour phases) and over 500 Sandhill Cranes. The cranes were landing along the shore, on the west side of the lake at dusk, and just kept coming in. What a wonderful sight, and what glorious sounds!

We have been seeing a lot of south-bound plovers, mostly Black-bellied immatures, with some adults and some American Golden Plovers. The young plovers are fun to watch, as they will approach us quite closely, allowing a great view of their feeding behaviours. They tend to run rapidly along the mud, screeching to a stop to grab a tidbit, then rushing off again. Sometimes they will turn their heads sideways, and run along while looking at us. I keep waiting for one to trip on something, but it hasn't happened yet!

The fall colours are spectacular! Take a drive in the country, and look at the hills with a low sun behind you. There are greens, reds, golds, browns, and yellows. In the sky, when the sun is setting, you can add magnificent pinks, purples, and even some aquamarine, to go along with the blues and greys. Fall is beautiful, and you photographers should take advantage of the colourful pallette that Nature is providing for you. Get out and see what this beautiful country can offer for us naturalists. I am reminded of a quotation by Thomas Huxley, who said: "To a person uninstructed in natural history, his country or sea-side stroll is a walk through a gallery filled with wonderful works of art, nine-tenths of which have their faces turned to the wall." Learning what is around you when you are out in the country will help you turn some of those beauties to the light!