It’s cold and grey outside, so I thought a bit of summer was in order. I took the milkweed beetle in July; it’s going to be a long winter. 😏
Tag Archives: Landscape
GEESE AND FRIEND
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.
DUCK OUT OF WATER
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.
BRISK
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. 😊
FADING FAST
It’s cold and grey outside (we had our first dusting of snow) but it definitely was sunny when I took this at the beginning of October. Quite a difference a month makes.
Wild Turkey
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.
HALLOWEEN COLOURS
The only thing nicer than one butterfly is seeing two on the same plant. I believe these are fritillaries… This was taken in early September.
YOUNG WOOD DUCK
I took this in early August at a local reserve. The young wood duck had recently emerged from the water with its siblings. The young are quite fearless but its mother was close by.
EASTERN CHIPMUNK
Chipmunks are getting ready for winter; gathering as much food as they can and preparing their dens for the cold months to come.
GOLDFINCH
On a cold wet day, a return to summer is in order. A goldfinch provides a needed bright spot.
MALLARD FRIDAY
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. 😏
GREEN HERON FISHING
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.
SPIKE
I liked the strong contrast of colours and the flowers’ spiky appearance. 😏
Tuesday Mallard
I have a soft spot for mallards and feature them quite frequently on my blog. They are pretty hard to resist. 😊
FAR SHORE
One of the ducks found some shade beneath the asters on this hot September day. I saw the bright flowers first and then these two.
STAGHORN SUMAC
Staghorn Sumac is a flowering plant native to Eastern North America. Its leaves turn beautiful colours in fall and remind me of party streamers.
FLY BY
I’m not a fan of most flies but this one has attractive colouring and great eyes!
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE
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.
PILEATED WOODPECKER
The woodpecker had been drilling away at the tree for some time when he suddenly looked up, perhaps taking a break from all that hammering.
WINDING DOWN
There are still flowers about but on some recent walks, the gardens are looking more like this. As for the trees they have begun to show off their fall colours.
AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS
I like these large ducks, close relatives of mallards. They’re often seen swimming together and also tend to be a little less vocal 😏
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH
We tend to see more goldfinch in the late summer and early fall as flowers dry and form seed heads, their food of choice. This male looks like he’s beginning to moult.
SUMMER REFLECTIONS
Taken one day in early September.
MID AIR – 2
I caught the bee as it darted between the flowers. Always nice when this happens!
IT’S THE JOURNEY
On a recent drive heading to a new birding area, we stopped when we saw this pond close to a suburban development. The water was teeming with several egrets, cormorants and a lot of other water birds. We never did make it to our original destination.
SUMMER’S END -2
I don’t look forward to the end of summer but do enjoy these kinds of photo opportunities.
NORTHERN CARDINAL
I enjoy seeing cardinals no matter the season. I saw this one in the spring. He struck a fine pose too.
GREEN HERON
I saw the heron in the reeds but couldn’t get a clear shot. All of a sudden it decided to fly across the pond and I caught this. More to come…
MID AIR
I took a number of shots of the monarch but only realized I caught it in mid air when I got home 😊
CHIPMUNK
I stopped and watched this cute little guy as he paused between bites to look at me. I finally walked away and left him to his snack.
SOFT LANDING
As I walked along the path the grasshoppers scattered. Luckily I saw this one land.
TIPPYTOES
I haven’t seen many Asian Lady Beetles (pictured) or Ladybugs lately. Last year I saw some around this time so I’m still hopeful I will!
GROUNDHOG IN THE GREEN
I’m always surprised at how hefty groundhogs look as their diet consists mainly of grass and the contents of people’s vegetable gardens 😏. They hibernate from late fall through the winter so right now they’re working on their fat reserves.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS – TWO PHOTOGRAPHS
Not to be overlooked.
BARRED OWL
People we met on the trail pointed us in the general direction of this barred owl. Unlike other owls who often keep close to the trunk or inside a tree cavity, barred owls often are quite easy to spot if you know where to look. This owl was my first of the year.
Road’s End
After a long drive we thought we’d make one last stop. I took this photo at a conservation area close to home.
Had I followed the rules of landscape photography, I would have had more in the foreground but I wanted to convey the vastness of this wetland.
SUMMER’S END
The landscape is looking more like Autumn. There’s still much to enjoy but our long awaited summer is coming to an end,
REFLECTIVE GOOSE
I like photographing geese and reflections. I got quite lucky here.
WATER LILY
If you’re lucky a dragonfly will land nearby. Just the water lily that day, still not too shabby 😏
GOOSE GATHERING
I watched as the two geese joined the rest of the group, they really look like small aircraft on the descent 😊
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 