Late last fall we discovered this pond while on the way to another location. There was so much activity on the water that we never made it to our original destination.  We’ll be heading back in a couple of weeks when spring migration is underway.

This is a first winter ring-billed gull or at least it was, when I took the photo in October. It is still speckled and has a pink bill.  You can appreciate these birds on their own when they don’t blend into the colony.

These birds are among the first to return in the early spring. We’ll just have to wait a few more weeks.  However, I did see a pair of Canada Geese flying overhead. What a sight at the end of a long winter 😊

Sometimes you just have to plunge right in.

This female northern cardinal had just flown back from a feeder. If a bird can look put out this one certainly did.

Another occasion where I heard the woodpecker tapping away before I spotted him.

We are fortunate to see quite a few wood ducks during the warmer months. They return each year to a nearby lake, breed and raise their young and then migrate at the first frost. I took this photo in late summer.

The river is shallow at this point and muddy. It’s also a favourite fishing spot for Egrets.  This one had caught something, and cleaned up after eating .😊

The duck doesn’t seem to mind winter at all.

This is a slightly re-edited version of a photo I’ve featured before.

You can just see a bit of this downy woodpecker’s red cap.  I like the way his back feathers caught the wind as well.