Wildlife at Home, the Wetlands and Lakeside Park

I had a small window this morning to visit Lakeside Park. I had to be back home before 9 AM, and it looked like it was raining outside. Perhaps I should just stay home. I was undecided and so let my google assistant decide for me. Was it going to rain this morning? No, came the reply. I hurriedly got my things together and set off on my bike. It was really humid this morning and the ground still showed signs of the rain which had passed through. Lakeside Park seemed quiet, with not many ducks or geese. I spotted the great blue heron on the far side of the lake, preening its feathers. The kingfisher was perched high up in the willow tree. A large bird flew over from my left, perhaps another heron, but the markings on the wings looked different; it was an osprey. It landed at the other end of the lake in the far left corner on an outstretched branch. I made my way on foot, up the trail and then down through the undergrowth, doing my best to keep out of sight while I looked for a good ...

This morning saw me waiting for the sun to rise and cast some light on a bumblebee that was resting on what I believe was a sneezeweed flower. I'd invested in a monopod on Wednesday, primarily for close up work and this was going to be my first chance to try it out with my older Pentax and my DIY macro lens. It's a full 45 minutes now before the sun rises after I leave my workplace at 6 AM. The nights are gradually closing in, and I am now reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that I soon won't be able to continue my photography at Lakeside Park in the mornings, stopping off on my way home from work. It is simply too dark. I was resigned to my soon-to-be fate and thinking to myself that I probably wouldn't see much of anything before it was time to leave the lake when this beautiful great egret flew in, landing very close to me. I apologize for the blur in this photo, but I simply had to include the egret's flight: Closely watched by myself and the great b...