On a Photo Jaunt

Photos: September 15, 2016

You never know what you will see when you go to Parc-nature du Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard. A friend of mine and I like to go there on photo jaunts. After a short walk, a boardwalk leads over a marsh. This visit we spotted this Cooper's Hawk. I downloaded an app when I was in Newfoundland: Merlin Bird ID from Cornell University. It is a great help in identifying birds. My friend is a better birder than I am, but Merlin came to my rescue to confirm her suspicions. There is a camaraderie among people with cameras. We saw several along the boardwalk, most with very long lenses on their cameras. Near this spot, a gentleman suggested the perfect spot to photograph the bird. He was right!



You have to look everywhere to spot the residents of this part, in the water, on land and up in trees (or the sky). I noticed this frog hopping in the plant-filled shallow water.



Ducks are always spotted here, whether resting on logs or swimming.



Red dragonflies were flitting around. This one posed for me. They are often too fast to catch in a photograph.



Here's another. They seem to like the warmth of the wood.



It's not just the creatures that are interesting. This natural sculpture sat in the water. Its reflections added another dimension.



My friend spotted this heron in the distance through her binoculars. My camera just reached it. Here it was puffing up its feathers after grooming.



Another look...

I hope to be back once the leaves start to change.

Fauna: Parc-nature-de-Île-Bizard

Photos: June 3, 2015

I'm not much of a birder. I can identify the most common birds (robins, crows, pigeons...) but many others were just birds to me. After training my camera lens on the variety I saw in the park, I felt compelled to learn more. Above is an eastern kingbird. We saw several on our walk.



I am not sure what this one is. He stopped to have a drink.



There a number of bird houses around the park. This tree swallow was checking things out from the safety of his home.



while this one was flitting from tree to tree.



A barn swallow was enjoying the sunshine. It was chirping away on this tree branch.



Another eastern kingbird did not want to pose. When it stopped to groom a bit, I managed to take its picture.



It takes patience to photograph birds. It's another part of the zen experience of walking through nature. Stop, wait, focus, snap and then try again and again.

Flora in Parc Nature de l'Île-Bizard

Photos: June 3, 2015 

It has been a while since I visited the nature park on Île Bizard. I went with my friend Judy. As we both go with cameras, neither of us minds the constant stopping to look, to find the subject and just to be. We may not have added up as many steps as walking at a steady pace, but we gained in getting in that zen space of being in the moment.



It takes time to notice things. I would not have seen this snail had I just walked straight ahead. The camera stills my thoughts, focuses me.



It clears my head to see things differently, to find the ambiguous, to revel in the details.



David Suzuki says we should spend at least 30 minutes in nature each day. While I don't always manage that, I do know that even stopping to enjoy the flowers on my balcony or those indoors, calms my mind and lowers stress.

Splash

Splash, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photos: September 1, 2013

A walk in Parc-de-l'Ile-Bizard is always a delight. You never know what you will see, but there is always a variety of wildlife. The ducks were splashing around.



Perhaps it was the heat of the day that had them splashing and preening.



It is always the herons that take my breath away. They are so long and lean - their shape changing as their position changes.  There were two hanging around.



One of them landed on the boardwalk which stretches over the marsh and strutted along. Then he hopped up onto the railing to survey the terrain.



The wingspan is large. This one flew over the water. At one point they both took off and flew over the boardwalk. I just stood and watched. It was so majestic. Sometimes you just have to look without a camera!





Cooler days are coming. Changes are starting to be more evident. But on this walk, the sun had not lost its summer warmth. Some of the wildlife is a little less obvious. Camouflage keeps predators at bay.

Another Walk at Parc-Nature-du-Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard

No matter how stressed I am, a walk in nature seems to calm me. With the beginning of a work year (I live on the educational calendar), renovations and much more, a walk was just what I needed.

Near the parking lot, these grasses swayed in the wind. They grow tall enough to hide the cars.



We walked down to see the river. There is something calming about watching the water. The sun was dancing on the water.

The duck seen at the top of this post made quite a display as it spread out its feathers.




Here it is in another pose. Funny how this kind of walk slows down my gait as I stop to notice life around me. It may not be good for my heart (in cardio terms) but it is oh so good for my heart. David Suzuki talks about how important it is to spend time in nature.




The colours, the sounds all contribute to a sense of well-being. Time for me to get out again!

Parc-nature du Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard

A friend and I went out to Parc-nature du Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard. Part of the path is a boardwalk over a swamp. Each time we go out we see different wildlife. Last time we were lucky to see beaver. This time we were treated to watching a green heron, which didn't seem at all perturbed that we were very close by.




The air was still with perfect reflections.

Beaver have dammed the area creating swamps out of marshes. The result - dead trees that stand as testament to drier times. However, the water level was very low - there has been very little rain this summer.




The sun beat down. Turtles took advantage of the heat to bask on logs. There are two kinds of turtles in the park: snapping turtles and painted turtles.

Clouds, reflected in the water give a dreamy feeling to the pond - a bit of Monet painted by Mother Nature.



No beavers to be seen this time. We'll have to go back and see if they deign to let us see them.

Beaver

Beaver, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

It is always wonderful to visit the local parks with camera in hand. My friend took me to one I had not visited before: Parc de L'île-Bizard. There is a large pond / swamp where we saw a variety of wildlife. And what a delight to watch this beaver grooming while its friend slept in the sunshine.

The turtles were enjoying the warm sunshine. In some spots we could see them lined up along a log. Ducks were busy tipping upside down, finding their favourite repasts. Then they would come out of the water to preen.



Red dragonflies flitted around, landing momentarily, but wary of the click of the camera. Spotted, but not photographed: a kingfisher, a green heron, grebes, a hawk, terns. A great blue heron stood majestically by the water, then lifted off to find a better spot to fish. Altogether a splendid walk.