The few Great Blue Herons I’ve seen this summer have been at quite a distance. I usually see them fishing in the reeds close to shore. This pond is large and not very deep.I guess the heron was trying his luck a little further afield.
I noticed this dog watching as another chased its ball. I was at quite a distance so at first t I thought I was looking at areal dog (a very composed one 😏 ).I think the sculptor must be a true dog lover .
For a few weeks now, I’ve noticed that some plants and trees are beginning to show a change of colour. This small plant was a typical example. It’s still in the mid-30’s C but time marches on.
As summer winds down I especially enjoy walks by the river. The local flowers are beginning to fade but the sunflowers are still bright and dance in the wind alongside the grasses.
This was my first sighting of a clouded sulphur this summer although they are among the most common and widespread of North American butterflies. At their brightest they’re as yellow as sulphur which is how they got their name.
It’s easy to see how this dragonfly got its name.It’s colours are festive and it has the habit of perching on tall grass where its wings catch the breeze like a flag or pennant would.
We had driven to a spot outside the city hoping to photograph some birds. It was a quiet day with little around but we did see this cormorant. We watched him fish for a while (with no luck) but he did put on a nice display as he dried his feathers.
I had heard some frogs in the water so I was surprised to see this one sitting in the shade of some trees. It seems they are quite happy to forage on land and shelter there as well. It was such a hot day, this one might have just wanted to get out of the sun.
The sparrow looked like it just had a dip in the nearby pond and found a place to dry off. The temperature has gotten very hot again so I imagine it was enjoying the coolness.
Butterflies have been pretty scarce this summer, so I was very pleased to see a monarch. It flew between the clover and made itself visible for quite a while.
This is the second silver-spotted skipper I’ve seen recently. When I did get a clear shot, it was flying off but did display some of the silver that it’s known for.
The temperature has cooled off somewhat so it’s more pleasant to get out with our cameras. Although I’m not seeing the number of birds I usually do, I have seen quite a few young wood ducks. This female was going for a quiet swim when I caught up with her.
This field borders an entrance to a reserve we visit from time to time. On a hot day this area has the most wonderful scent as the sun works its magic. It’s a favourite spot for rabbits and bees as well.
Echinacea or coneflowers are native to eastern and central North America.I started seeing them a few weeks ago, another sign of the hotter summer months.
The lesser scaup is a new duck to me so it was pretty exciting to see some on two occasions this summer. I took a lot of photos, next time I’ll feature the pair swimming together.
The cardinal landed on the path, just a little ahead of where I was walking. She was one of the few birds I saw that day. There were many around but none were visible through the dense forest.
We came across this fledgling on a recent walk in the park. The little bird looked dazed and confused. I assumed it was a very young red-winged blackbird because some adult birds were nearby and very raucous. We went on our way and hoped the chick was claimed when we left.
I’ve seen fewer butterflies this summer, as other bloggers have mentioned. So I was happy to see this one even though it was turned away from the camera 😏 . I believe it’s a silver spotted skipper.
Our favourite reserve has become very popular so we took a quiet path to avoid the crush. Looking around I saw this scene. My spouse calls these intimate landscapes, I like that!
I’ve only ever seen a thrasher a few times and almost missed this one as I was at quite a distance from it. They’re a common species but not to me 😏. Thrashers are in the same family as catbirds and mockingbirds.