SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY

There’s nothing like a sunflower to perk up the day.

CHIPPING SPARROW

Another spring first!

LATE SEASON BUTTERFLY

 

I wish it was warm enough for butterflies. It’ll be a while yet but in the meantime here’s one from last year. It was still beautiful despite the wear and tear on its wings.

MR. AND MRS.

Given their size difference I assume they’re a couple. A black and white treatment seemed the right choice.

SPRING FIRSTS (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)

I’ve seen several robins recently but this time I had my camera with me.

Quackers

I saw my first Red-winged blackbird the other day, so did the mallard 😏

NEIGHBOURHOD WATCH

I was hoping to see a cat in the window, one is usually looking out as I walk by. Instead I heard some very loud barking coming from this little guy.

SPRING EXUBERANCE

After months of cold greys and whites, spring is showing off its colours.

AROUND THE CORNER

A neighbourhood favourite.

SEEN ON A WALK – TWO PHOTOGRAPHS

The weather was truly spring-like last weekend. It’s wonderful to see crocus pushing up through last fall’s dried leaves.

DOUBLE TAKE

When I looked up, at first I thought it was a real cat walking along the fence. I wonder how many others have done a double take. 😏

BRIGHT SPOT

Despite the slow start to spring, house sparrows are always around and their cheerful song can be heard the minute you step out your door.

THEY’RE BACK

It’s so nice to see Canada Geese again. It’s been a long winter 😏

BEE’S BANQUET

The bee must have had pie on its face (Joe-Pie-Weed that is). I hope I identified the plant correctly. 😏

Guard Bird

The bird was guarding a neighbour’s front door. Pigeons are disliked by many for their messy ways but they are intelligent birds and this one definitely had presence.

RUFFLED FEATHERS

I’m not sure how the argument got started but it ended soon enough!

DAYDREAMING

An early spring snowstorm is forecast for tomorrow so I thought I’d do a bit of daydreaming .😏

METALLIC BEE – TWO VIEWS

These jewel-like bees are very small yet stand out due to their brilliant colour. They are also called sweat bees as they are attracted to the salt in human perspiration. Not the nicest name for this attractive bee.

Anticipation

Seeing a Red-winged Blackbird is a sure sign that spring has arrived. This photo was taken last year, around this date 😏. 

ONE MORE BITE

A house finch sure likes what’s on offer, a few seeds to augment its berry diet.

TIPTOE

I enjoyed watching the young goose tentatively explore its environment.

BEE PATIENT

The calendar says spring but the temperature is struggling to reach double digits.  No snow though so maybe we’ve turned a corner. 😏

CORMORANTS’ COURT

This small man made lake attracts a lot of waterbirds during the nicer months. The water is crowded and the birds seem to get along. I liked the way the gulls appeared to form a guard around the sunning cormorants.

STILLNESS

I took this at a nearby conservation area I should visit more often. A boardwalk winds its way through this section of the popular reserve but looking out it feels like you’re the only one there.

SNUG AS A BUG IN A RUG

Late each summer grasshoppers show up in great numbers. They’re skittish and scatter as you walk along. I watched this one as it jumped off the path into the grass and nestled in the leaf.

 

SEEN ON A WALK

I enjoy taking scenes like this. The fall foliage casts beautiful reflections on the river.

BY THE RIVER

Balancing rocks,  another public art gallery to enjoy while walking along the Ottawa River.

REGAL

Viceroys, another one of summer’s delights.

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. 😊

A LITTLE COLOUR

It’s been so grey lately it was time for a little colour. Although taken in late summer the flowers didn’t fade quietly.

COMING ATTRACTION

Late last fall we discovered this pond while on the way to another location. There was so much activity on the water that we never made it to our original destination.  We’ll be heading back in a couple of weeks when spring migration is underway.

JUNIOR

This is a first winter ring-billed gull or at least it was, when I took the photo in October. It is still speckled and has a pink bill.  You can appreciate these birds on their own when they don’t blend into the colony.

WAITING FOR THE WEEKEND

Playgrounds look best when filled with kids.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

These birds are among the first to return in the early spring. We’ll just have to wait a few more weeks.  However, I did see a pair of Canada Geese flying overhead. What a sight at the end of a long winter 😊

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.

BRISK

Sometimes you just have to plunge right in.

RUFFLED

This female northern cardinal had just flown back from a feeder. If a bird can look put out this one certainly did.

FLOWER POWER

Spring passes quickly here. Yesterday we had record breaking warm temperatures, today we’re back in the deep freeze. A few flowers were urgently called for…

THURSDAY TURTLES

Sun loving painted turtles dig into the mud at the bottom of lakes and ponds over the winter. Their metabolism slows down and they can survive without food and very little oxygen.  They’re not stirring yet but as spring returns and the days get warmer we’ll be seeing them again in great numbers.