Getting up extra early to go out shooting today was much easier than I thought it would be. I guess it was the fact that I had two photographers going out with me and I was looking forward to learning from both of them. Our first stop of the day was Frenchman’s Bay in the hopes of finding some shore birds. This turned out to be a bit of the bust due to high water levels and no path to get a clear view of the area. With it being so early the dew had still not evaporated so the only photos I shot were of the plant life with dew on them.
Dewy
We trudged back to the car slightly defeated but hopeful the next stop would yield something. Driving around to the east side of Frenchman’s Bay we stopped for a short walk along the waterfront trail. We were a little more successful in finding some birds here. The first bird we spotted was a Song Sparrow which serenaded us for a short while before flying off.
Song Sparrow
Also around the area were Starlings, Terns and a couple Swans enjoying the early morning sun. I found all sorts of things to photograph – coloured stones in the shallow water, many different shore flowers and the geometric shapes of a children’s playground. I had a great time at this place and would love to come back again soon. Moving on from this place we ventured to Alderwood Park a short distance away. Here we had the best luck we’d had all day. As we walked on the trails we spotted a Great Blue Heron sunning himself in the middle of the bay on a fallen log.
Great Blue Heron
The sun was a little to strong to capture a fantastic image and after I had shot off a few shots my friend asked if I had gotten the turtle in my shots as well. Well low and behold I had. If I had noticed earlier I would have fixed my focus as he is blurred but you can’t win them all. From there we headed to Ajax’s Rotary Park where we walked along the waterfront trail across Duffins Creek. There were lots of gulls, swans, geese and another Great Blue Heron (this one flew away before we could get anywhere near it). I spent some time photographing the gulls and my patience paid off with this great shot of a gull about to land on a fallen tree trunk with weeds in his mouth.
The Landing
My favourite shot from the day. We visited two more places before deciding that was it for the day.
