The weather was truly spring-like last weekend. It’s wonderful to see crocus pushing up through last fall’s dried leaves.
Tag Archives: Photography
COMING ATTRACTION – 2
Stopping to stretch my legs at a highway rest stop, I heard the familiar honking of geese overhead. Looking up I caught the team as they flew by. Another sign of spring’s return. 😊
WHITE TRILLIUM
Trilliums grow wild in our woods in late spring. Another thing to look forward to as winter fades.
TIME OUT
Cormorants and gulls found the same outcropping to enjoy some sun on an early October day.
DAY LILY
A little bit of colour on this cold grey day.
Happy Feet
I featured this green heron a few days ago as it came in for a landing. Here’s a parting shot. 😏
Uninvited
Japanese Beetles are a form of scarab beetle. Despite their attractive appearance, they are an invasive species in North America and parts of Europe and very destructive to many crops and flowers. They do make interesting photography subjects though.
TA-DA
I watched as the green heron searched the shoreline for something to eat. Without success it flew off only to come in for a landing a short time later.
LAZY AFTERNOON
These American Black Ducks had the right idea.
COMING SOON…
On this sunny February day, with the temperature above zero, it’s easier to imagine a scene like this before too long. 😊
QUIET MOMENT
I had not expected to see the wood duck on the path. I took this with a long lens and clipped a bit of its wing but enjoyed the bird’s relaxed pose.
LATE DAY SWIM
These geese took their time navigating through the dense reeds. There were no other birds in sight, just this calm pair.
Being Green
I was hoping to find a few frogs among the water lilies that day but they remained quiet and well hidden. All in all I didn’t leave disappointed.
FAR SIDE
I wish I had been closer to the egret and company but the photo did capture the quiet mood of the afternoon at the lake.
ON A MISSION (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
Ring-billed gulls are very intense looking birds.
OPEN AIR GALLERY
We are lucky to have a lot of public art on our city streets. It’s nice to slow down for a few minutes and take it all in.
WHAT’S THE RUSH?
The goose had somewhere to be. 😏
RING-BILLED ROUNDUP
I enjoy seeing ring-billed gulls on the water, although we often see them in city parking lots and public parks scavenging for food. I liked this photogenic group; note the mottled bird on the left, it’s a juvenile. These gulls take three years to reach full maturity.
SEEN ON A WALK
These items looked like they had been placed with care although they were left there for garbage pick up. A well used sofa, a child’s toy even the plant growing out of the concrete made for a homey scene despite its location.
Lake View
I often see waterbirds in the shade of this wonderful tree. I always pause here for a while and take it all in. It’s one of my favourite places.
MARSH SCENE
We stop by this marsh every autumn and take in the beauty of the place; and if no birds appear it doesn’t really matter.
VERY PARTICULAR
There were plenty of seeds in the feeder but they weren’t on this blue jay’s menu. 😏
FEMALE HOODED MERGANSER
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.
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.
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.
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.
NATURE’S WAY
I like the way plants find a way to flourish just about anywhere!
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.
SPIKE
I liked the strong contrast of colours and the flowers’ spiky appearance. 😏
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.
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.
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 😏
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.
SUMMER REFLECTIONS
Taken one day in early September.
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.
