Presqu'ile, duck drama and maybe a kitty ghost

This will be a mish-mash of things, and probably very long/picture-heavy (birds!), so feel free to skip it.

Friends R & C came up for a visit on Sunday February 12th, and I went back with them for a couple of days, for a much-needed mini-getaway. Time with friends, out in Nature, is the best kind of therapy, IMO.

Above, we had gone to Presqu'ile Provincial Park late Sunday afternoon and again on Tuesday morning, walked along one of the trails where the birds (mostly chickadees) are accustomed to being fed. However, we got lucky, as there were two nuthatches around, one of whom was persuaded (with much patience) to come down to us. The first pic above is mine, the second was snapped by R -- that's my gloved hand holding up the seed. What a joy!

The chickadees were plentiful; the one above was on R's hand.

Below, Miss Kitty, the stray Siamese that R & C took in several years ago. She's a spoiled princess now, as she should be.

More pics from the two-day visit:

I really appreciate their kindness in letting me visit. I came back on Tuesday evening (the train was 90 minutes late leaving Toronto--argghh), so I don't think I outstayed my welcome. Or hope I didn't! 

********

Yesterday was Family Day, a provincial holiday in Canada (though it might go by different names depending on the province/territory), and since it was nice out, I went for a walk along Trailhead Place and into Lake Ontario Park.

All the duck drama took place in a little cove on the other side, closer to the condos:

There were several females minding their own business, feeding (not all pictured below), as well as four males. One of the males (pictured in the second snapshot below) was working hard to keep the other three away.

I stood and watched them all for quite some time, wondering when duck-breeding season starts. There certainly was a lot of (biologically-driven) drama!

The bonus was this robin that came over to say hello.

It was nice to see that harbinger of Spring, even though we're bracing for a wallop of winter weather.

********

The "ghost" event happened last night, after 11 PM. I had gotten up for a bio break, then was just settling down in bed again when one of the small motion sensor lights I turn on at night came on.

I turn two on at night, one on a bookcase in the upper hall, and the other on the low shoe bench by the front door, just in case I need to find my way around in the event of a power outage. It was the downstairs one by the door that came on, and I have to say that it completely freaked me out. Enough that I actually screamed, then grabbed my phone and got up to investigate. (Never read a mystery novel before shutting out the light!)

The thing is, anytime Derry would walk that way after I'd gone to bed, heading for the stairs, the light would come on. It's a bright daylight LED one, small but mighty, and it illuminates that area. I don't recall it going off by itself before and I think all the hair on my arms stood up. I went down the stairs and told Derry, out loud, that if it was him to stop it, he was scaring the beejeepers out of me. (I don't do well with the idea of ghosts and I don't like to be scared.) I actually switched both detectors off, then went back to bed, but had to listen to a soothing meditation to calm down.

There's quite likely a logical explanation for that occurrence...but maybe, just maybe, it was Derry in spirit. Whatever it was, I'd prefer that it didn't happen again, thank you very much.

********

Below, two final pics from my little outing yesterday, both in Lake Ontario Park.

Take care; peace.