I don’t see hooded mergansers very often and when I do they’re usually in the middle of the lake. Not this one though.
Tag Archives: Nikon Canada
MINIMALISM
Seen on a walk .
SUNDAY SQUIRREL
Black squirrels are very common here. They are actually a melanistic subgroup of the eastern grey squirrel. Their black fur gives them a thermal advantage during our cold winters.
HANG ON
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. 😏
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.
NATURE’S WAY
I like the way plants find a way to flourish just about anywhere!
CLOSE ENCOUNTER
I turned around and there she was. I would have liked a bit more space between me and the duck but you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. Wood ducks are still in our area, I hope for a few more photo opportunities before they fly south for the winter.
WELCOME COMMITTEE
There’s an old house in my neighbourhood that has several feeders out front. Sparrows, goldfinch and pigeons drop in often. The pigeons are quiet and don’t seem to leave any tell tale signs of their presence 😏. I couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating bird.
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.
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
This dog was beating the heat!
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.
GREAT BLUE HERON
I watched as the heron made its way out of the underbrush and started patrolling the shoreline. All the time I was there it didn’t get a bite.
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.
A GOOD RUN
We began to see cabbage white butterflies in April and we continue to see them. I think we’ve now seen several generations of this butterfly and they are by far the most numerous around here this year.
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.
LINE UP
Many of the older homes here have been built with red brick. It does provide a nice backdrop for these late summer flowers.
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 😏
Balancing Act
Japanese beetles are a form of scarab beetle and were introduced to North America in the early 1900’s. They have beautiful colouring but are highly destructive to plants and crops. This one was balancing on some Queen Anne’s Lace.
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.
WINDOW ON THE WORLD
I often spot a cat in the window as I walk by a house. In this case, a dog was watching as its owners drove away in the car. He took a moment to look in my direction too.
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.
SPARROW AND FRIEND
I had hoped the sparrow would land where it did!
PEACHY
Our neighbour grows the most beautiful peach coloured roses. I stopped by often this summer,
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 