I’ve never seen a juvenile European Starling before and at first I wasn’t quite sure what it was. Then I saw a mature bird close by which confirmed it.

These goslings must be full grown now, getting ready to fly south for the winter.

I like getting a bird looking in my direction. Sizing me up perhaps 😊

I took this earlier in the summer,  I haven’t seen any grackles in a while, though it’s a bit early for their fall migration.

I love catching geese this this, straight on and looking a bit goofy 😊

I’ve never seen a juvenile Red-winged Blackbird before. An exciting first; I liked its striking wing patches.

I’m partial to mallards, as longtime readers are probably aware. The duck walked towards me on the shaded path and I took the shot.

On a walk in a park we go to often we came across several wild turkey hens and their youngsters. I think this mother hen needed a bit of time on her own. but they always tend to look frazzled  😊

I’ve only seen two Great Blue Herons this summer, this was one of them.  I kept hoping he’d do something rather than just standing there. Still a heron is a heron 😏

The chickadee appeared to be craning to see something. Even stretched out in full you can see what a tiny bird it is.

It’s always nice when I chickadee puts on the brakes long enough to get a photograph.

The female Lesser Scaup had her pick of fellas but didn’t seem impressed . 😏

I’ve seen a lot of grackles this year although I’ve seen fewer birds in general. Grackles are intelligent birds and fun to watch as they go about their business. They are known for their striking yellow eyes and iridescent plumage. This bird was enjoying a snack in the shade so its colouring was more subdued.

I frequently see Red-winged blackbirds perched on car side mirrors.  I was waiting for this one to peer into the mirror but it was content to just stand there.

It’s been a fine spring for these young birds.  I see them on most of my visits to the lake.

I featured a portrait of this duckling’s mother a few days ago.  In this photo the young wood duck is trying to keep up with her as she heads back to the lake.

One in a group of Lesser Scaups we saw at the very beginning of last month. They are known to breed in the west of the country and in smaller numbers in eastern Canada.

Wood ducks are usually a lot shyer at this point in the season. The reserve where I took this has become more popular in the last couple of years so the animals are more used to people. Probably not a good thing for them, but it does work out for the photographer.