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.
The landscape is looking more like Autumn. There’s still much to enjoy but our long awaited summer is coming to an end,
I like photographing geese and reflections. I got quite lucky here.
If you’re lucky a dragonfly will land nearby. Just the water lily that day, still not too shabby 😏
I watched as the two geese joined the rest of the group, they really look like small aircraft on the descent 😊
The reflections in the river are taking on an autumn feel too.
Some years I see chickadees everywhere. I haven’t seen many this summer but as they remain year round I hope for more opportunities.
As we followed the path down to the beach we saw an egret standing in the long grass. After a while it turned towards the river and we left it to its wandering.
I followed this cabbage white as it moved from flower to flower. This one looked a little bleary eyed from all that nectar 😏
At least it looked like that to me 😊
I think I’m seeing more bees now than I was earlier in the summer as the season nears its end.
Late summer – cooler nights, and daytime temperatures still nice and warm, the landscape now a mix of flowers and grasses.
I’ve seen very few dragonflies this summer, I was happy to see this one.
Under the bird feeder was the place to be for this red squirrel.
Bees and flowers, summertime favourites.
We’ve seen several monarchs this summer but until now they’ve been very flighty. I finally got a few minutes to photograph this one.
On a quick walk in the neighbourhood, I saw a house sparrow land on a stoop for a few minutes. Looking for its mate?
Another scene that signals late summer.
I don’t know who was having more fun, me or these characters.
That’s what I like about mallards, they look you right in the eye.
I had almost given up seeing any frogs this summer until I spotted this handsome fellow. I’m not sure who was more surprised!
I heard the pileated woodpecker before I saw it. As we got closer, several people were gathered close to the tree the bird was excavating. If you look closely you can just see its tongue darting into the hole it had drilled to retrieve its meal.
It is still very much summer but the landscape is slowly showing signs of fall. There’s a bit more yellow in the fields and milkweed pods are opening to release their seeds. I like photographing these changes.
As the summer moves along wood ducks become a bit bolder and don’t retreat when they see you. This imposing male strode along like he owned the place 😊
We recently visited a favourite nature reserve that had a variety of birds the day we were there. After taking a good number of photos, I slowed down to catch my breath and noticed this scene. I’m glad I saw it, there’s a lot we can overlook when our eye is on the “prize”.
The sunflower was centre stage but it had a nice supporting cast 😊
Even on a cloudy day, there’s always a bit of sunshine to be found in the summer.
This female downy was enjoying her meal. When these little birds are feeding they don’t notice the photographer lurking in the background 😊
Metallic or Sweat Bees have to be among the most colourful of bees. They can be attracted to the salt in human sweat though this one was more interested in pollen 😏
It happens to the best of us!
The other day we came across quite a few milkweed beetles and I took a lot of photos; more to follow. They certainly have impressive antennae!
Another bee this week (and several ants); all enjoying the Queen Anne’s Lace.
I saw this Blue Jay in a wildlife garden back in May. He was staying close to the feeder but I took this shot when he flew to a nearby tree.
I’m happy to be seeing a lot of bees this summer going about their business.
This beetle has only faint spots on its dome, I had wondered if it was an immature ladybug or an asian beetle. It has been identified (see comments below) as the later. It was searching for aphids just like its spotted cousins.
We noticed a lot of aphids on the flower stems and so did the larva of this ladybug. It seems that aphids are their meal of choice.
I don’t much care for these gulls in the city but on the river my opinion of them changes. They fish and fly and even pose quite nicely; and you don’t need to keep “an eye to the sky” 😏
On this muggy overcast day, we thought we’d cool off by the river. I shot through a break in trees and was rewarded with this scene.
One day in June we were treated to a mallard and her chicks swimming along close to shore. They had passed a gull earlier on who didn’t glance their way and this Great Blue Heron who was very preoccupied with finding its next meal.
European Starlings are an introduced species to North America. They’ve adapted very well which is reflected in their numbers and range. They aren’t a popular breed; considered bullies at feeders and they often nest in the same tree cavities as native birds. On the plus side they have a wide vocal range and they consume a variety of harmful insect pests. I enjoy seeing these attractive birds as they’re one of the first to return in spring as the weather starts to warm up.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 