On Monday we trekked in on the Forest Access Road and saw a flitting Yellow Warbler.

The Highbush Cranberries are starting to bloom with the typical (Viburnum) sterile attractor blossoms surrounding the smallish fertile blossoms.

The goslings are growing very quickly.

All turtles,( Spotted, Blanding’s, Painted and Snappers) are nesting nowadays, often on the shoulders of roads.  Lady Snapper :

 

Tuesday was a  calm clear day, very nice for getting out in the blackflies!

I saw and photographed my very first Blackburnian Warbler.  It was very elusive, flitting from branch to branch

 

A skipper(?) on a blue flag:

Blanding’s turtle

 

.. shares a pond with a Painted…

 

 

Culvert is  getting clogged.  Roadway will flood in a couple of days unless the backhoe comes along to unplug it.  Beavers doing their thing!

 

Long shot of very very wary Great Blue Heron.

 

These guys are also singing.  Proper little divas!

 

Wood Duck on the Old Still River Road creek.

I think I saw about two dozen turtles the last few days.  A MNR biologist stopped and queried me about what I was seeing.  Apparently the Species at Risk group have blown my cover!    He also noted the intense nesting season this year.

 

Experiment:   Extremely bright reflection of direct sun off of lily pads.  At the limits of the lens/camera:  f/8 (f/22 equivalent for full frame cameras in terms of DoF and Diffraction) and 1/16,000 second (shortest shutter interval for this camera.)   Worth clicking on to see the specular reflections.  Converted to B&W.

Nice back-lit sprig of Wild Rose.

 

Jonathan Livingston patrolling Marlene’s Chip Stand.

“PLEASE, give me a french fry!”

Up to Sudbury tomorrow for a change of scenery.  I might detour to Burwash on the way home, if time and weather permits.

 

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