Walking along a river pathway, I saw this overhanging branch, with a few of last year’s leaves holding fast. Saving a spot for this year’s crop.
Tag Archives: Photos
FIRST OF THE SEASON, BLACKBIRD
Last weekend was beautiful and warm and I had my first sighting of a Red-winged Blackbird. The bird seemed to enjoy the weather too and burst into song 😊
A FINE DAY OUT
We always had terriers when I was growing up and I have a soft spot for this breed. This west highland terrier was enjoying the park as much as we were.
MORE LATE FALL
The light was just right on the morning I took this.
FIREWORKS
We’ve been having a spectacular autumn. You don’t have to go into the countryside to enjoy the fall colours. Every tree in the neighbourhood seems to be celebrating the season.
ABSTRACT VIEW
The branches overhang the water so it’s unclear where the leaves end and their reflections begin. It created an attractive abstract.
THE QUEEN’S GOLD
The birds nest shape of Queen Anne’s Lace is revealed as its seeds ripen. The flower was surrounded by the glow of goldenrod.
SLIGHT SHIFT
I went for a walk in our neighbourhood today, a familiar route but one I hadn’t taken in the past few weeks. I noticed that the variety of flowers in the gardens had dwindled and what remained was looking tired. The weather is still hot and summer is still with us but the feeling of a long lazy summer stretching out before us is no longer there.
GREAT EGRET (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
There’s a wetland not far from town that we drive to a few times over the summer. When we pulled over we saw a solitary Egret fishing. I wasn’t using my longest lens but the 300mm did a fair job. After a few minutes, I looked away and when I looked back the bird was in the air. Look at those legs, pulled together like a diver in flight!
FUNNY DUCKS
I took the male’s portrait and then his mate joined the frame. I think mallards are the comedians of the duck world.
DUCK TO WATER
The river was pretty choppy but this black duck knew exactly how to maneuver through it.
QUEEN ANNE’S LACE
I was surprised to see several of these plants developing at different rates under the same growing conditions. Very much like people do, I guess 😏
SALSIFY
I featured a different variety of Salsify in one of my recent posts. Some are cultivated, others grow in the wild. I saw this one growing in a field with other wildflowers. Another elegant “weed”.
FINE DUO
The daisies were growing among the wild grasses; a pretty combination.
GUARD DUCK
The mallard had recently gotten out of the water and was drying off on the grass. I hesitated for a moment before I approached. It looked like a no nonsense duck!
POPPIES PAST
I remember making flowers out of tissue paper when I was a young. Carefully separating and fanning the layers and securing them with a bobby pin. These tissue-like poppies reminded me of those flowers, particularly the slightly windblown ones to the right of the frame 😏
PRIVACY PLEASE
I took this photo as the mallard was emerging from the river. The duck didn’t look too pleased by my presence 😏
LOOKOUT
I like to see robins strike this pose, stretching to their full height. It stopped feeding for a moment, looked around and then continued on.
CURIOUS SQUIRREL
The black squirrels we see in Ontario are a subgroup of the Eastern Grey Squirrel but when I saw this squirrel with its unusual blond tail I thought the light was playing tricks on my eyes 😏. Another interesting discovery on a neighbourhood walk.
MELLOW YELLOW (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
There’s just something about yellow flowers in springtime!
DOWNY WOODPECKER
This downy woodpecker is one of the first I’ve seen this spring. She appeared to be considering how to approach the job of searching for insects.
SPRING YELLOW (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
When I saw this beautiful tree I pointed my lens up to fill the frame. I believe it’s a Forsythia, if not please let me know. No doubt about the daffodil, an annual spring favourite.
Line Up
You can’t get much cuter than these goslings.
JUST A LITTLE LONGER
Not much spring colour yet so I thought I’d revisit fall when the leaves were putting on a fireworks show.
Wood Ducks (Two Photographs)
Wood Ducks are the most colourful ducks we see in this area. A few have been spotted here this spring. They return to breed and remain until the temperatures dip. I took these photos several years back.
WINDOW VIEW
While visiting an art gallery, I looked out a window at this scene. The mesh shade I shot through made for an interesting effect, I thought.
Duck Solo
We have a good number of mallards in my area and they’re a favourite on my blog. They’re handsome, lively ducks and you usually see them in large groups or rafts. This male mallard found the perfect spot for a quiet stretch.
EARLY HERON
Great Blue Herons migrate alone or in numbers and return here in early April. I saw this solitary heron on the water’s edge. With the water open it would find plenty to eat while it waited for its mates to arrive.
CAN’T WAIT (1)
With winter slowly moving along, I thought a warm weather scene was in order. I liked the untamed look of the sunflowers so I let them fill the frame and didn’t crop the shot.
ON FROZEN POND
I took this photo in late fall as the water was just beginning to freeze. Mallards tolerate the cold and quite a few remain in this location all year. We’re under an extreme cold warning tonight and while we add on the layers, I can’t helping wondering how the ducks will manage.
WINTER FAVOURITE
Winter doesn’t seem as long and bleak when there are Cardinals in the woods.
FLASH OF COLOUR
This single poppy stood out among the other flowers in the garden so I gave it centre stage.
BIG RED
Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers in North America. We’re fortunate that they remain year round, On a grey winter day, seeing this lively colourful bird always brightens things up.
FLOWERS IN NOVEMBER
If I could choose I’d have the ground covered in flower petals rather than snow 😏.
Marvellous Mallards
I took this photograph one December day when the light was just right. The male’s head was the emerald green you see here, I didn’t enhance the colour.
EASTERN PHOEBE
Eastern Phoebes migrate south between September and November, so this is probably the last one I’ll see until Spring. We enjoy them for only a short period so every sighting is a pleasure.
ALL SEASON FAVOURITE
We’re fortunate to see black-capped chickadees all year round. I’m always amazed at how a bird so tiny can survive our winters!
AMERICAN WIGEON
Another wigeon photo I took one November day. It looked like he was enjoying his greens 😏.
GREAT EGRET
We’ve had few opportunities to see or photograph great egrets in the last year and a half. Our favourite reserve has been jam-packed since Covid struck and we haven’t been back. We parked by the Ottawa River recently hoping to see one of these beautiful birds and luck was with us.
TRYING TO BLEND IN
A friend spotted the leopard frog in the grass. Pretty good observation as the frog hadn’t just jumped to that spot. It remained in place long after I had moved on.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 