Chickadees forage well on their own all summer long, so we don’t see as much of them until the weather gets cooler. They’ll soon become our constant companions. When I took this photograph earIy last month I was lucky that the bird sat still long enough for me to take its picture. Often they don’t!
In June when the peonies begin to bud the ants arrive in droves. The buds secrete a sap that attracts the ants. Once the flowers bloom the ants disappear with no harm done to the plants. I had my 105mm the day I took this photo, I had hoped for some flower shots and got a “twofer” instead!
This wood duck pair was enjoying a quiet swim around the lake. The photo was taken in May when both were in full breeding colours, no young yet for these two. Parenthood was still a few weeks away.
If the weather cooperates we usually see the first dragonflies at the beginning of May which was the case this year. The photograph above is one of the early bloomers, a clubtail. The second dragonfly, a meadowhawk, was taken in July but I’ve seen them late into the fall. I hope to see a few more before the season ends.
I usually see these little acrobats in the trees and only occasionally foraging on the ground. These two were approaching their meal differently. You only truly appreciate their diminutive size when spotted on the ground. Beautiful little birds that we enjoy year round in this part of the country.
I have rarely come across this variety of skipper. The orange ones are more common in my area. Any time a butterfly remains still long enough to take a photo is a good day. Spotted in early July.
They are our smallest squirrels and yet the most assertive of the lot. It’s funny to see red squirrels chase the larger greys around the park. I’m not sure if it’s because they’re territorial or they just enjoy it. Maybe it’s a bit of both. This little guy was giving me the eye, I blinked first and moved along.
On this cold grey day, summer seems like it’s been over for weeks not days. In looking through my catalogues I found these two photographs I took earlier in the year, when the whole summer stretched before us. We’ll still get some nice temperatures before the cold really sets in but on a day like today a little summer cheer is welcome.
I do like frogs, something I came to realize when I took up nature photography. You have to appreciate their patience and skill in the hunt, their ability to hide in plain sight, their comical expressions and those eyes. With the cooler days upon us, we haven’t seen them for a while. I imagine they’re preparing for their long winter of hibernation until next spring…
This was one of only a few Great Blue Heron sightings all this summer. A cold rainy start, followed by drought conditions might explain this. When I did come upon this regal bird I was delighted. He was just within my len’s reach and just far enough away to not care about my presence. I do hope to see one again before their fall migration south.
I enjoy photographing a lone duck, taking a break from the noisy group. This lake has many fallen trees that the ducks and geese take advantage of for just such a purpose. It was a good year for water lilies and their leaves provide a pleasing backdrop for the shot.
We’ve seen more chipmunks than usual this summer. Two reasons for this I imagine – their food sources are plentiful and we’ve seen fewer of their natural enemies in the woods, hawks and owls. This little guy was enjoying a snack and judging from his full cheeks hadn’t finished consuming an earlier one.
Early in the summer when everything is in bloom, you tend to admire it all but don’t really focus on any one thing in particular (at least that’s the case for me). However, as summer winds down I look at flowers and grasses more closely enjoying them that much more.
I took these handsome fellows back in May when they were in full breeding plumage. They are the most colourful of ducks and migrate to our region each spring. If we’re lucky wood ducks remain until the first frost. As the season progresses they become less wary of people and will swim close to shore or walk along the pathways for some nice close-ups.
This scene in Quebec, reminded me of black and white postcards I’ve seen in shops selling old prints. The stillness of the lake, the empty chairs waiting for their occupants to arrive, sit a while or take out the canoe. Ah, Summertime!
I love to see ducks swimming in formation, they swim with such purpose. American Black Ducks are not as common in our area as mallards but when you see mallards you usually see a few American Black Ducks as well. They might be common but I still find them extremely appealing.
Although many flowers are beginning to fade at this point in the summer, they still hold a lot of appeal. Queen Anne’s Lace reveals an intricate weave. The yellow salsify contrasts with the one beside it that’s gone to seed, Both beautiful in their own way.
I took these photos in May as the Grackles were migrating through. I’ve yet to see them in the fall although I’m sure they fly through as they head south. I usually spot them along the shoreline, half hidden by branches looking for food. I was lucky in this case as the bird was out in the open. Grackles are gregarious birds, if you see one they’re usually in the company of more. A striking bird with its iridescent plumage and yellow eyes.
Photographs taken at different times during the summer. Of the three kinds of flowers pictured, the peonies are the ones I look forward to the most. Once their buds form in May you know the summer heat is close at hand. Their form, scent and brilliance are much anticipated. The flower in the second image is beginning to fade, I’m not sure when it was in full bloom although the photo is quite recent. I took the morning glory earlier in August, it has a wonderfully long growing season. I liked the play of light on the pink of the flower.
This warbler passed through our area last spring. I hope to catch another glimpse of these birds as they migrate south this fall. I usually see warblers high up in the trees. This bird was busy hopping along the ground close to a decaying tree and feeding on insects as he went. Fast subject, tricky light.
We had a very rainy spring when I took the photo of these shelf fungi. I didn’t publish it as I was hoping to pair it with something similar. Except for a brief period this summer when it rained so much we had flood conditions it’s barely rained since, so I thought I’d try a black and white treatment of a colour photograph I’ve posted before.
As I mentioned in a previous post there is a feeling of change in the air, as the seasons slowly shift. I feel a pressing need to store up all the remaining sights and sounds of summer. One way of doing this is to linger a little longer in the fields of wildflowers. This touch-me-not and salsify caught my eye.
Rock Dove is another name for this bird, that most of us call the common pigeon. You see them all over the city, but we were in the country, in the woods, which made their sighting more unusual. They were the only two pigeons around, so perhaps they were a breeding pair. I had the time to really look at them as they perched in this natural setting and found them attractive, not a quality I usually attribute to this breed. More dove than pigeon these two.
These photographs are the first I’ve ever taken of this woodpecker. I have not seen one in our local woods although they are said to be quite common in our area. We spotted him while on a road trip earlier in the summer. The bird was a handsome one but tricky to take because of the light conditions. I had to open up the shadows, remove the colour cast and adjust the luminance and saturation. He was quite close to us and our presence didn’t bother him so we managed to make the most of our brief encounter.
This female mallard was drying off after a swim but those wayward feathers would not be tamed. She is moulting like many other birds at this point in the summer. It’s a vulnerable time as she can’t fly until her feathers are replaced. They’re excellent swimmers though and the lake provides a lot of reedy waterways to escape to.
I have had few opportunities this summer to see or photograph Great Blue Herons. In fact we’ve seen fewer birds of any kind this year. This handsome bird, although a distance from shore, was not hiding in the reeds so we were able to get clear photographs. I hope for more sightings as I have to get my fill before the cold weather sets in and the herons head south.
I noticed the muted background before I really saw the flower rising against it and was struck by the start of the slow change to fall. I walked a little further and saw this Maple, always the first tree at the reserve to change colour every year. We’re still under heat advisories and the days are long but the slow approach of fall has begun.
Continuing with my Thursday blog theme of trying out the Fuji XT-1, I took these flowers with the same lens (23mm). I didn’t really think to use a wide angle lens on flowers but I tried it and was quite pleased with the results. I’ve only ever worked with one camera at a time, a DSLR but with a Fuji in my future that’s going to change!
This female merganser stood out among the other ducks on the lake. She seemed to be the lone merganser swimming alongside the mallards and wood ducks. She didn’t display her crest and with no mate nearby I thought she looked like a young one. Hooded Mergansers are small ducks and are divers not dabblers. Although we didn’t see her catch anything while we watched her, she certainly was trying.
These two don’t have much in common except for their challenging looks. They see me and hold their ground. The cardinal was at quite a distance so I had to crop the photo more than I like but with that expression and amazing crest I just had to feature him.
We missed all the hatchlings this year but still see some young birds once in a while. We came across this scene recently. The adults were off to the side and the goslings were snuggled together, some asleep, a few looking dozy. We took a few photos and let them settle down.
In the first photo, the play of light and angle of the flower made me take notice. The hedge bindweed, a member of the morning glory family, doesn’t usually catch my eye. The bright yellow salsify is one of my favourites though and I thought the tall reed growing beside it was as perfect a natural arrangement as one could get.
This little bird was a pleasure to see after a hot long walk without too much to show for it. The best part was that it wasn’t ducking behind leaves and branches allowing me these clear shots. I believe it’s a warbler but I’d appreciate a positive ID.
It seems to be a good summer for cabbage whites, it’s very hot and sunny with plenty for these butterflies to feed on. Not as flashy as many butterflies they still have a unique beauty and are fun to photograph in some of their loopier poses.
Red-winged blackbirds are among the earliest migrants to return in the spring. We see the males first and often hear their song before we spot them. The females are often found further into the woods gathering nesting material. Their colouring is more subtle than the males but just as beautiful I believe.
Raccoons will eat practically anything, in this case the raccoon was eating some feed that had been left for the birds and squirrels. He was having a fine time of it as we approached along the trail. I have never encountered a raccoon this close up before or one so well fed and relaxed. He ate happily and only left when someone else came along.
We missed the arrival of newly hatched chicks this year; there seemed to be fewer young and we weren’t around to see them when they hatched. So it was nice to come across this young family enjoying the cool water on a very hot day. The young still swim in tight formation at this stage but they’re old enough to no longer need a minder bringing up the rear.
Two more wildflowers that I look forward to seeing each summer. The flower in the first photo gets it’s name from the pistils in the middle of the flower which develop into heads of seeds with long fuzzy hairs. They look like smoke. The vibrant yellow of the sunflower attracts me as it did the bee. Like many other areas this summer, we are experiencing drought-like conditions, you may notice the heat stress on the flower’s leaves.
These painted turtles look pretty put out. In other reserves where the turtles tend to dive for cover when you approach, these turtles stay put and glare. Like frogs they blend in well to their surroundings. On a windless day if I see duckweed floating on the surface of the water, chances are a turtle underneath it is propelling it along.
I’ve found that when startled, a dragonfly will fly off but will often return to the same spot. That is what happened here although on its return it landed at a different angle. We get a good number of dragonflies over the summer, I believe this is a variety of meadowhawk.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 