Although we’ve seen some dragonflies this summer, this is the first I’ve photographed. There seem to be fewer this year, perhaps the fault of our cold wet spring. When you do nature photography you tend to celebrate the first returning bird, sight of a flower, even the first insect! This dragonfly was particularly welcome as he posed so nicely for the photograph.
The first time I photographed a female red-winged blackbird I wasn’t sure what it was. Its looks and temperament differ greatly from the male. It has a subtler beauty and it tends to stay in the shadows while the male is out in the open singing its heart out.
We’ve seen several paddlings of ducklings in the last few weeks. This duckling was swimming on its own for a while though never far from its mother. The waters are treacherous for these small birds; the lake has a fair number of snapping turtles and the reserve has its share of hawks (although I’ve seen neither this year). I always feel better when I see a duckling rejoin the group.
The old Chrysler was parked on the grass at a local festival. It wasn’t in great condition and I wished it had been looked after better but it was still a handsome car. If you look carefully you can see some reflections from the surrounding trees on its body.
Thanks to BirdNation for correctly identifying the bird as a red-eyed vireo. I guess the text below isn’t too relevant now😏
The Eastern Phoebe is a member of the flycatcher family and returns to our woods in spring. Most of the birds on this particular day remained too far away to photograph. The Phoebe decided to fly in closer but remained in a shady spot. In this case, I think the shadow on his feathers added some interest.
With the arrival of the warm weather in the last couple of days, I don’t know where to look or point my camera first. What a great feeling!
It was nice when this goldfinch positioned himself away from the leaves so I could get a clear shot. He was just within range of my lens and although happy to get the photo, I wish I had had my longer lens with me. Best news of all though, is that last week at this very spot we still wore wool against the cold, today it was 100% cotton!
Spring flowers, one cultivated, the other wild. Similar colour and attitude as well. Despite our cold spring they appear on schedule to celebrate the season.
More scenes close to home. The cool weather persists. Our local birding areas are closed due to flood conditions or are difficult to navigate. With interesting neighbourhoods to walk through there is no shortage of photo opportunities. Even a humble dandelion can make for a decent subject😊.
What first caught my attention was Bob Marley’s portrait in the window. But stepping back I liked the appearance of the whole house; the pitch of the roof, the contrast of colour and construction material and the green of the spruce tree. More going on here than at first glance.
We returned to the site of our city’s annual Tulip Festival and caught these beauties on a sunny day. A late spring has its advantages; normally the tulips would have been well passed their prime. Not so this year.
I didn’t have to travel far to see this Easter Island statue. In fact it was the first of several replicas I saw in this downtown neighbourhood. I had to smile when I saw it peering over the grass as I approached the house.
I took these photographs at this year’s Tulip Festival in Ottawa. Given our cold rainy spring the tulips are slow to bloom. The majority of them look like those pictured below. They’re in a holding pattern (like the rest of us) waiting for sunnier days. The upside is that when they do open up we’ll be able to enjoy them later into the month.
A few blocks from the Parliament Buildings and steel office towers are neighbourhoods like this one. We spend a lot of time exploring these streets; walking, shopping, trying out new places to eat and taking photographs. New places open up all the time but the atmosphere of these streets doesn’t change too much. Something to appreciate.
Not sure what caught the eye of these wood ducks but they certainly had my attention. They remained in this quiet cove for quite a while. This small lake in midsummer is a busy place full of noisy mallards. Perhaps the wood ducks were enjoying a momentary calm.
Even though the tree looked like it had been picked pretty clean, this pileated woodpecker still found it worth investigating. Our largest woodpecker, the pileated is always a pleasure to see and hear, with it’s rattling, slightly maniacal call that announces its presence.
These mallards and wood ducks are my first duck photos of the spring. A good number of mallards over-winter here, the wood ducks migrate in fall and return when most traces of snow are gone. Due to severe flooding we have been unable to return to this reserve. We’ll have a lot of catching up to do when it reopens.
The first photo was taken a few weeks ago. Coneflowers are beautiful flowers and their seedheads are also quite beautiful. In this example they create a natural sculpture.
I’ve also included a little teaser of what’s to come…
I featured a grackle on my blog recently and thought I would again. This time the bird is gathering nesting material. I Iike these handsome curious birds that never remain idle for long.
Not as flamboyant as the male, the female wood duck has a more subtle beauty. As the summer moves on these rather shy birds become less apprehensive of people and will come quite close to shore, as this one did.
I saw a small flock of Canada Geese fly overhead the other day. No matter the temperature, they return here every spring. The grass has not begun to grow yet but with the rivers and lakes thawing I imagine geese are finding vegetation in the water to eat. I thought the bird in this photo struck a very swan-like pose.
Spring seems to be on hold in my part of the country. The nights are still below 0C although the daytime temperature is slowly rising. Until I see some spring flowers, I thought I’d feature some late season sunflowers. I appreciate their endurance and less than perfect beauty as the weather turns colder.
This pre-school in our downtown neighbourhood has a welcoming mural and is bordered by a small garden maintained by the local business community. The garden contains native plants and attracts a variety of insects all summer long. City and nature photography, all within a few metres of each other.
Although my eye was drawn to the tall grass it was the field behind it, with its light and colour that completed the scene. All elements equally important. This photo was taken on a perfect fall day last year.
Frogs are part of the summer landscape. They arrive with the warm weather, sport summer colours and strike some classic poses on lily pads. Just add fly…
Spring is a busy time for downy woodpeckers. Food is becoming more plentiful as it warms up and more insects appear. I took the photos of this male downy with a 300 mm lens, the bird was very close by. Of the many photos I took, these were the only two where I managed to capture the entire length of the bird.
At the reserve we go to most often, we’ve seen barred, great horned and eastern screech owls. We see eastern screech owls most often. We usually hear of their presence from other photographers and then we go in search of them. Given their terrific camouflage, I’m always amazed when we do spot one.
I’ve never seen a hybrid goose before. Its distinctive colouring and lone presence stood out on that March morning. It was still too early for the return of the Canada Geese but not for this bird and I was glad to spot him that day.
This wonderful wildflower was taken last spring. It’ll be a while before they pop through the soil this year. The ground is still pretty frozen but there are a few signs of spring – the sparrows chirping and rumours of the first crocus…
Following a trail down to the lake one year, I spotted an Iris growing right off the water. I was standing close to the water’s edge, looking for ducks and almost missed the flower tucked to the side. Every June, I follow the same trail down to the lake and continue to see the Iris return each year.
Although this photo was taken in November, the trees were bare and the sky overcast. It looks more like mid winter than late fall. Of all the squirrels in our woods this variety of eastern grey is the most watchful.
It was late fall and the geese would be flying south soon. When the trees are bare I get a different feel for the landscape. I can appreciate its starkness and see the detail that is normally overlooked in summer. The geese add additional interest to the scene.
I like to hear the nuthatch’s nasal call, often alerting me to its presence in the woods. As they move along the tree trunks and branches so quickly, it’s often hit or miss to capture one in focus. Oh, but when you do😊.
It will be a few months before we see any damselflies or dragonflies, members of the Odonata species of insects. We begin to see the first dragonflies in May, followed by damselflies a little later. They are delicate looking insects and small, the leaves provide a good sense of scale. I took these photos with my 70-200mm f/2.8. I use it often for close up photography because I tend to walk around with only one lens (I don’t like to carry much gear). I had to crop but still managed to get nice detail.
The white-throated sparrow is a common visitor to backyard feeders but having neither a backyard or a feeder I spotted this bird in the woods. I usually see a few in season but no more than that. This little bird perched himself on a fallen tree and remained there long enough for me to take his photo.
When I was a kid at summer camp we used to call hawkweed (above) the devil’s paintbrush. Both are common names for this attractive flower although the latter appealed more to the imagination of ten year olds! I don’t think I really took notice of the yellow salsify before I picked up a camera. It was while composing in camera and in the editing that I began to appreciate the flower’s detail and form.
A bit late for a Groundhog Day post and too early to spot one out of its den. Groundhogs hibernate until March or April in our climate. No friend to farmers or gardeners as their burrowing can do serious damage and they like to feed off crops. They are cute rodents though and are funny when they freeze in plain sight as this one did.
I liked the way the frog was posed on the lily pad, rather prince-like. The frogs in this cove are very small. You get a sense of this from the plants that surround them.
This photo was taken a few years ago in Spring. The trees are not in bud yet. They’re still covered in snow but we’ve turned the corner on winter; the sun’s a little warmer and the temperatures not quite as cold. As I’ve mentioned before, chickadees remain here year round and they too must be anticipating the warmer days to come.
The fungi and vine on the tree trunk formed a very pleasing arrangement. Nature’s artistry. The bark of the tree added texture and detail.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 