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.

I always enjoy seeing these little birds while walking in the woods.

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.