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. ...

I never know what I'll find when I go to Lakeside Park, and sometimes it isn't what I find, rather what finds me. Partly hidden behind the woodland's latticework of twigs and fallen branches, this coyote knew I was there. It could definitely hear my clumsy rubber boots and with the wind coming from behind me, it also had the advantage of scent, but it hadn't seen me yet. I knew that I only had a few moments, if that, to capture some photographs. My autofocus struggled, as did the coyote's sight, to cut through all of the obstructions between us, but I did somehow manage a few shots before the coyote disappeared into the undergrowth.  The unexpected often catches me unprepared. A little earlier in the morning, I was attempting to take a photo of the first migratory warbler that I have seen this year, a yellow-rumped warbler. The warbler would not sit still for an instant, and in the course of attempting to relocate the warbler, I was entirely ta...

The oppressive grey-clad sky which seemed to have been with us forever finally gave way to warmer weather today and some much needed blue sky. I heard snowbirds (dark-eyed juncos) in the pollinator meadow and I was in pursuit of a photo. The same snowbirds which frequent my feeder at home, but these were nowhere near as tame. They were hiding behind branches and keeping a safe distance from anything moving. I concentrated on trying to get a clear shot through the criss-cross of twigs and managed to snag a few photos before the juncos moved on. Disappointed that I hadn't been able to get a clearer shot, I released my attention from the bushes, turned around and noticed what looked like someone's dog standing in the snow-covered meadow. I half expected to see the dog's owner walking a few feet away holding the dog's leash, but there was no one. This was a wild dog and a beautiful one at that. A coyote that appeared to have been hunting for small prey through th...

I had to venture out again today, just to pick up a little something from a local grocery store. It's a short walk which crosses Highbrook Park and the edge of the Borden Wetlands, so a good excuse to take my camera. Highbrook Park is a small pond with a path running alongside. It has the usual, ducks, geese, muskrats, etc. Lots of  butterflies and dragonflies, so I snagged a dragonfly (male widow skimmer) photo on my way: A song sparrow's singing caught my attention. After a few choruses, it flew to the ground and then did its best impersonation of a pufferfish: Looking nothing like a song sparrow at all. It was of course sunbathing! I crossed the busy Fischer-Hallman Road, taking the shortcut along the edge of the Borden Wetlands, not expecting to see much of anything and of course, there right in front of me was a coyote. No time to focus, just raise the camera and a few quick clicks as it disappeared into the wetlands. This is obviously not in focus, but I...