Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

I started this morning sitting on the bank of Shoemaker Creek waiting for the beaver to appear. I waited and waited. I kept one eye on its lodge and the other on the surface of the water. My imagination kicked in, I visualized the coyote stepping out on the beaver's lodge as it had one week ago. I remember that in total I saw the coyote three times that day: Driving home from work was the very first time when I glanced left across to the trail as I passed and there it was, a coyote, backlit with the sun streaming along the pathway. I wanted to stop but knew that I shouldn't and what was the point anyway, I didn't have a camera with me. By the time I had taken care of my chores at home that morning and finally taken a position at the lake, it was already a little too late to watch the beaver, but I waited in hope. Two families of geese swam down towards me along the Creek and then took to feeding on the aquatic plants that had spread over much of the surface water. ...

A mist hangs in the air over Shoemaker Lake in the early hours, adding a bluish hue to the morning. In my mind, it is a reminder of a far distant time. It is quiet and peaceful, a time for me to catch up with an old acquaintance. Standing in the shallows of Shoemaker Lake, my back resting against a tree, embraced in its branches, which were providing support and convenient camouflage, I waited, watching the ripples on the surface of the water. I ignored the short and choppy ripples produced by surfacing fish and turtles. I was looking for a slow, deep undulation on the surface of the water, a telltale sign that I should ready my camera to take photos in the dim morning light. I was not expecting to capture birds in flight, a quick flick of my thumb to increase the shutter speed was all that I could manage as an osprey headed straight toward me over the lake. Two blazing red epaulets flashed from behind the osprey. A red-winged blackbird aggressively pursued the predator, chasing th...

Other than the odd sighting after their young fledged, the red-winged blackbirds have been all but transparent. That is up until a week ago when they again started calling and displaying from their usual vantage points. Perhaps this is normal behaviour and just a prelude to their migration south. Anyway, as the sign quite rightly says... keep your dogs on a leash: I found the most uncomfortable position this morning in my attempt at getting a good view of the beaver doing its late morning routine. One foot on the bank and one in the water, with my back leaning against some long-dead branches which felt as though they could give out at any moment: My discomfort was not in vain as I did capture some decent photos as the beaver went about its business: Keeping the bed of the stream clear and also taking time to have a snack here and there: Two woodpeckers; the first I believe is a male hairy woodpecker, looking for a tasty morsel inside an old seed head: And t...

My attention has been focused on the warblers for a while now at Lakeside Park and so I decided to check up on the beaver: The beaver was busy clearing the channels in the bed of the stream which runs from the lake: At the opposite side of the lake and nicely lit on such a beautifully sunny morning, I spotted the great blue heron, uncharacteristically standing at the seated area, preening its feathers. I made my way around on the path, changing to a 200mm manual lens and captured this photo of the great blue heron with its crest fanned out: Further along the bank of the lake I came across a white-throated sparrow quite happily sunning itself: A painted lady was feeding on the flowers in the pollinator meadow: I was almost ready to leave the park when I noticed a spec of white in the distance. The great egret was working the edge of the reeds at the top end of the lake: I could not resist taking a few photos as the egret fished and then took time to preen i...

I decided to catch up with the beaver for a short while this morning. The beaver was very active, but unseen for the most part. A trail of bubbles and the larger, rounder ripples which it produces gave away its whereabouts. The beaver did surface for this photo as it selected a large sapling before submerging, taking the sapling with it: There was a lot of activity in the trees beside the pollinator meadow: Chickadees worked through the fir trees looking for insects and seeds: A young cardinal asked to be fed by its parents while sitting in the shade: The starlings again found the tops of the fir trees to sing, and that was just close enough for a photograph: I decided to make my way up the path before I had to leave. The kingfishers are still very active over the lake but are just as difficult to take a photo of: As I neared the top of the lake, the great egret flew overhead. It was hotly pursued by the great blue heron who seemed determi...

The day had started beautifully sunny, but not for long, as a curtain of cloud pulled across the sky, forcing me to adopt a faster ISO. Undaunted by the lack of light, I was determined to try out my camera and monopod with the camera shake option turned off.  Yesterday I discarded 80% of my photos which I know should have been sharp. I deduced that using the monopod was making things too steady and therefore negating the need for camera shake reduction. My first photo was of a little red squirrel, and for some strange reason, I was unable to avoid the red squirrels this morning. This red squirrel was out on a limb near the top of a fir tree beside the pollinator meadow, munching on a pine cone as if it was a cob of sweet corn: After waiting beside the bushes for warblers which never appeared, I decided to call in on the beaver, to see what it was up to. The beaver was doing its usual routine, maintaining the waterways, and this is probably my most detailed photo ever of the ...