I, after many years of talking about it, finally booked a winter weekend trip in Algonquin Provincial Park. I also convinced my friend Nigel to accompany me. Okay so it wasn’t really that hard to convince Nigel especially when I dangled the idea of photographing the American Pine Marten. It was what I wanted to photograph as well and really the whole purpose of my winter trip. After getting a little lost in the campground the marten was supposed to be in I finally figured out my way and immediately we found the little guy.
Pine Marten
He is so cute and I was glad to see he has a healthy fear of us humans. This keeps both us and him safe. Always stay a safe distance from wild animals and if you need a reason why take a long hard look at his feet – those claws are there for a reason. Some animals look cuddly and cute but they don’t understand our need to squish and cuddle them. I saw some weird stuff and this is why I mention this [rant over].
Another visitor that came by while we were photographing the marten was this beautiful blue jay.
Blue Jay
Winter can be a great time to photograph birds. They are usually looking for handouts and come closer to humans than any other time of year. And if you read my blog you will notice that most of my bird photos are in the winter, sometimes near feeders like in Claireville Conservation Area but other times they will come up to you when you offer them seed if you’re out hiking in a popular spot.
Gray Jay
Further into the park we stopped at a spot that was another hot spot for birds and lo and behold we found the Gray Jay. This bird was just recently chosen to represent all of Canada. Its is another friendly bird that will eat seed off your hand if you offer it.
Another little critter that will get a little closer in winter is the red squirrel. The little guy below had no problems getting close to us as long as there was seed to keep him preoccupied.
Red Squirrel
Our first day in Algonquin Park was very eventful. I have way more photos than I have time to get through. There were so many more birds along with another pine marten over at the Visitor Centre. We are looking forward to another day in the park before we head home.
