New Year's Day at Mud Lake

With a warmish 3C temperatures and a light, misting rain, Nanc and I decided to bring in 2011 with a hike around Mud Lake, on the south shore of the Ottawa River. Typically with our hikes, we barely saw anyone else, and despite the rain and fog, some decent pix could be taken.

Living up to its name, the mud on the bottom of the lake can be see through the ice.

The forest canopy provided some protection from the drizzle and made for a good wind break too.

We were greeted by a group of black capped chickadees who were tame enough to fly right up to you and even land on your hand.

Two submerged trees.

This erratic boulder is about seven feet tall and amusingly adorned with graffiti.

A chickadee eating out of Nancy's hand while another waits his turn for a bite.

Interesting fungus on a birch tree, about 10 feet off the forest floor.

Low lying fungus on a pine.

We were thrilled to see two different types of woodpeckers on this hike. We saw a hairy wood pecker but he proved too elusive to get a decent shot. However, this pileated woodpecker was going for it on this tree for a good five minutes.