I wondered why the birds were in such a frenzy, when I imported the image I saw why.  The gull in the lower right-hand corner had caught something to eat that the others wanted.  The scene is a bit raw but nature is that way sometimes.

One of the nice things about Downy Woodpeckers is that they remain here even in the winter. They continue to find insects by drilling into the bark of trees; their diet also includes berries and well stocked feeders.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Our local reserve was closed for a few weeks this summer when a trio of male turkeys were acting aggressively towards passersby.  This Tom wasn’t one of the rowdies. 😏

I took many shots of this egret last summer. I have never seen one moving through the tall grass before. We were taking a path to the river and thought we might see one fishing there. I think this egret should have asked for directions 😏

I’ve only seen Northern Shovelers in late fall as they pass through on their way south and always in this quiet cove. Their impressive shovel-shaped bills have projections that allow them to filter out food from the water.

Although some mallards remain here all winter, I’ve never seen a black duck in their company. Like most waterfowl, they fly further south before the real cold sets in.

It was a good year for wood ducks. This young male was one of many I enjoyed seeing this summer.

I was looking across the lake and happened to glance down from the platform and saw the wood ducks resting on a log. Not an angle I favour but it did show them off quite nicely.

The duck seemed to know how to navigate the choppy water and I watched it as it moved with the waves.

We discovered this pond late in the season as did a number of waterbirds.  This is one of many photos I took that day of geese and cormorants.

There are plenty of logs at the lake for birds and turtles to climb onto when they want a break from swimming or just have a look around. I caught this young wood duck doing just that.

When I was a kid you either inched your way into the freezing lake or dove in and got it over with.  I think the goose fell into the latter camp. 😊

Wild Turkeys are not the prettiest of birds and can be quite aggressive during mating season.  A  local reserve closed its walking trails this past spring for several weeks when a trio of toms were harassing people. Conservation Officers had hoped to capture the birds and relocate them but they evaded capture.  I took this photo at the same reserve in August, I kept a wary eye on this bird and waited for him to move along before  I continued my walk.

I’ve read that male ducks will often puff themselves up to fend off predators or to attract potential mates. I think this one just had an itch. 😏

I saw the heron in a city park that borders the river.  The bird was perched on the embankment of a man made lake. Not sure what if was hoping to catch.

I have a soft spot for mallards and feature them quite frequently on my blog.  They are pretty hard to resist. 😊

I always enjoy seeing a chickadee. It was a windy August day and the bird seemed to have a tenuous grip on the edge of the rock. It appeared to be molting too.