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.

At the Quartier des Spectacles

Photos: May 26, 2015

I walked through the Quartier des Spectacles on my way to the metro after a concert of Les Boréades (not the sort usually held in this outdoor space). I love to see the side of this building - each "window" featuring a well-known musician. This is the area where the outdoor concerts are held for the Montreal Jazz Festival and many of these artists have performed in Montreal.




It was a hot night. The rows of red are fountains. Both on my way to and from the concert I saw children playing in the water - fun to see their joy.




We are fortunate in Montreal to have such a vibrant downtown, places where people can gather and enjoy the warm evenings and take pleasure in the visual delights. When festivals are on, and there are many in Montreal, this area is really hopping with crowds and music! and the fountains retreat....

Trillium Hunt

Every year I go hunting for trilliums. Perhaps hunting is the wrong word; I know where to find them. It is just that the season is so short, I never know if I might be too early or too late. Our spring this year has been unusual with a long cold spell followed by sudden heat. I almost missed the trilliums - a number of them were turning pink and starting to wither. The tree coverage has happened rapidly and soon they will all be shaded.



It is odd to think that this beautiful blossom is turning pink because it is fading. While it still looks healthy, this is a sign of it being past its prime in the last stages before it will wither and drop off.



Healthy and white this trillium still has a few days of blooming ahead.




Each year I marvel at the trillium carpet on the forest floor. They are here for such a short time; I make my annual visit to celebrate them.

Blossoms and More Blossoms

The air is scented with the many blossoms that have emerged in the last few days. Where not long ago there were bare brunches now everything has come into bloom. Not much fun for the allergy sufferers as all the trees seems to be releasing their pollen simultaneously!



But, oh what a feast for the eyes! There seem to be blossoms in every shade of pink. A profusion of petals!



It is impossible not to stop and stare with delight, to take in the delicacy, to let oneself ponder a single blossom in the midst of the sea of flowers.



Soon this show will be over and green will overtake the pinks. Spring is the season of changes when each day demands that Mother Nature's work be admired.

Spring in a Rush

No time here for spring - it happens in a rush. Our temperatures jump around in so-called spring with days of summer-like weather interspersed with cooler spring temperatures. A week of "summer" has jolted all the flowers and leaves to grow at once.



Tulips share the stage with daffodils, primroses and all sorts of spring blooms. Magnolias bloomed and dropped within a week.




What a pleasure to see the plethora of colours after the white of winter.



Each day brings new changes from blossoms to leaves. The world around is bursting into colour.

Spring at Parc-des-Rapides

Photos: May 2, 2015

I'm not sure what it is about the rapids, but I love to watch the water. The constant change of the movement mesmerizes me. I watch it swirl and stare where the smooth surface suddenly turns into a choppy, seething rush over the hidden rocks.



All around in the park, a spit of land reaching into the river, spring's arrivals are busy. Bird songs accompany the powerful sound of the rapids. 



Some are here to stay for the summer. Others stop by on their way farther up north.



This heron has found his fishing spot. The water is low this year. We need some rain to fill up the rivers and streams and to dampen the forest floor to lower the risk of fires. Spring is here. A good rain will help things grow.