Northern Ontario visit - a photo essay

From September 22nd through the 25th I visited my brother's 265 acre property in Northern Ontario.  The daytime weather was gorgeous and, as soon as the sun went down, the nighttime temperatures were cold. We had a bonfire every night to keep warm.

In no particular order, the following photos are just a selection of some of my favorites - bad as some are - to remember the trip by.  The morning fog and bright sun made it somewhat challenging for light conditions.  

Freshly emerged Monarch butterfly clinging to sunless
wood pile for over 24 hours. 

No life birds were seen during my brief stay in Northern Ontario - but, there was one possibility; American Three-toed Woodpecker.  I heard the sharp chip note of a woodpecker that, if I was in the lower peninsula, would have not created a question mark.  But, in N. Ontario?  I finally found the bird; indeed, a Hairy Woodpecker.

I did see a life butterfly - unfortunately, no chance for a photo - of the northern version of Red-spotted Purple, a White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis).  It's somewhat difficult to see how this is a sub-species of the Red-spotted Purple - but it is.

Poor photo of Red-breasted Nuthatch

The property's original building nicknamed "the mouse house."

Poor photo of coyote hunting the meadow

Beautiful spiderweb high up in tree

Pileated Woodpecker

The swamp or bog

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Hermit Thrush

White-crowned Sparrow

Same bird - probably a hatch year bird.

Monach butterfly gently lifted from the sunless wood pile and placed
in the sun.  It flew away an hour later.

Palm Warbler

White-throated Sparrow 

A view of Basswood Lake

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar?

Pond across from my brother's bog.

Swamp Sparrow - what a miss!  Could have been such a
good photo.

I was amazed by all the spiderwebs here

Northern Flicker perfectly posed but made fuzzy by the
early morning fog.

Study in cuteness - baby Red Squirrel.  There were two playing under
the mouse house.

Pretty pink bog plant

Bog or swamp on my brother's land.  Though it appears
perfect for moose browsing, I never did see a moose ...
or a bear.

Song Sparrow.  Counting junco and Lincoln, this was a seven
sparrow species two days.

Savannah Sparrow

Same Savannah

Unidentified dragonfly

Unidentified slow and fuzzy tiny insect that the
Green Darners hawked and ate.

Savannah Sparrow

Green Darner (I think)

Canoeing around Ralph Lake - the most pristine lake I have
ever been on.  The bright sun mutes the bursting color of the
deciduous leaves.

The long view from the bottom of the driveway