WILDFLOWERS AND BUTTERFLIES
Turtles
We enjoy watching the turtles when we are out in our boat. These ones are painted turtles and are sunning themselves on an old log. Painted turtles like to gather together and sit on logs, basking in the sun. They have a smooth upper shell. Their head and neck has yellow and green stripes. Contrasting […]
Mallard Ducklings
One of the things we enjoy in the summer is watching the ducklings as they grow. The mothers keep a very close eye on them. When they are very little, they bunch up together when they are swimming on the water. This one is from later in the summer, but I like the picture so […]
White-Tailed Red Squirrel
This summer we have seen a few red squirrels in our area that have white tails. We haven’t seen this before. You can see the white tail in this photo. The photo below shows the tail a bit better. The colouring is different because the lighting was quite poor for this one. It is a […]
Hummingbirds
I’ve been trying to get some photos of hummingbirds. I’m not satisfied yet, but thought I would put these up here for now. They have been very busy for the last while. The male is very bossy, and doesn’t like it when others come near the feeder.
Eastern Cottontail Rabbits
Apparently there are 5 rabbit and hare species in Canada. We have some Eastern Cottontails (bunny rabbits) here in our area. We are seeing more of them all the time compared to several years ago. They aren’t very afraid of us and can often be seen in our yard or in other years as we […]
SongSparrow
We recently had a pair of songsparrows build a nest in our front garden. It was tucked between daylilies, hostas, and wild geraniums. I had some help identifying the birds because I wasn’t sure. They are identified by the stripes and the darker patch on their chest. They have a pretty sound, which is probably […]
Red-Winged Blackbirds
I’ve had the chance lately to see some red-winged blackbirds up close. They have entertained me as I’ve been kayaking past. They are a familiar sight in Ontario, but I haven’t been able to get close enough to take their photos before. Male red-winged blackbirds are easier to spot than the females. They have red […]
Young White-Tailed Deer
We have seen a couple of young bucks in our area this year. They do not seem too shy so I’ve been able to get some photos of them. These were probably born last year. They are starting to get antlers. They eat leafy material from trees, and grasses and herbs. They do like my […]
Red-Eyed Vireo
I took a photo of this small songbird and didn’t know what it was. From the distance I couldn’t tell, but my new lens brought it up close enough to see the bird. Thanks to some friends on Facebook I found out that it is a Red-eyed Vireo. It has a brief song, but it […]