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.
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.
Walking by this exterior wall I thought at first that someone had decided not to finish up the plastering. On giving it a second look I saw a skyline emerging from the surface. I’ll have to return to photograph the rest of the wall as the story continues along the brick. A hidden gem in an older part of town.
Winter or summer, set off against snow or foliage, cardinals are such handsome birds. Often shy, I seldom have a chance to focus on them for very long but not this bird. He stayed put, only moving a bit to change his pose.
We’ve been doing more photo walks in the city, as wildlife at the nearby reserve is pretty scarce right now. We’re taking our time in areas we normally tend to rush through and are finding things of interest and beauty. The plants in the first two photos would look at home in the tropics, lush and dense but they are growing in some containers on a patio. The third photo is of a flower that made its way through a hedge and I liked the strong contrast of white and green. When I set out on one of these walks I never know what I might see and my 24-70mm lens gives me some latitude for nature as well as street scenes.
