Odd Ducks
I was out for another bike ride along the Humber river trail today and I found these funny little ducks swimming their way upstream, I had to stop and take a look. After a few shots I watched them for awhile before hey swam away, continuing on with their day. Still have no idea what kind of duck they are but I hope to see them again one day.
Nigel and I headed out to Colonel Sam Smith Park today. It was chilly out by the lake, but we hoped we could get a few good photos while we were here.
Yellow Bush on Rocks
I spotted this yellow bush all by itself on the shoreline. A pretty little pop of colour against the blue ake.
The View From Here
These two ladies were enjoying the view of the city skyline in the distance. Nothing much else was happening at the park. It was that kind of day.
After a lovely visit with a friend at a local yarn store, I decided to swing by Splitrock Loop trail. My goal was not to hike the entire trail but to get more photos of the birches from the last hike.
Birches
I tried so many different angles of the trees and settled on this one. I love the play of light and shadow in the image.
Three Rocks
I walked a little further down the trail to where the trail splits for the loop section. Here I found this grouping of rocks, with the branches of a tree reaching down from above.
My main goal of this extra short walk was to get an interesting shot of the birches, and I’m really happy with what I’ve come away with.
I met Nigel at Claireville for another walk around the trails today. I had a hard time being inspired by what we saw along the path. Although I took a bunch of photos, a lot of them ended up in the trash.
Goldenrod
I liked this area of goldenrod flowers that had gone to seed. They look so soft and fluffy.
Claireville Footbridge
We liked the look of the footbridge crossing over the river in the late day’s light. The challenge was to find a spot to get a clear photo without any trees poking into our shots. We found that spot once we crossed the river and moved upstream. I focused more on the river, leaving the bridge as some interest in the background. This image was the best of the day.
I’m off to Colonel Sam Smith Park with my friend Nigel. It’s the middle of January and we are hoping to find something to photograph. We’re anticipating seeing some ducks and lo and behold we find – ducks.
Gadwall Playing in the Waves
This Gadwall duck is playing in the waves at the shoreline before swimming as far from us as possible. I guess our long lenses are intimidating. Interesting fact about the Gadwall is that they often snatch food from diving ducks as they surface. They’re the pirates of the lake.
Rocky Shoreline
I notice that the ducks seem to congregate along the shoreline. I guess the shallows are warmer. Do ducks even feel the cold? I wonder sometimes as I’ve seen them stand on ice for long periods and they seem to enjoy just barely unfrozen water all winter. How? And can you give that superpower to me?
Male Long Tail Duck
This long-tailed duck is one of many enjoying a paddle around the shoreline. He has an impressive tail which I assume is for mating purposes but what’s interesting to note is his plumage during winter The males have two mirror-image plumages: in summer mostly black with a white face patch; in winter mostly white with rich brown, black, and gray on the face. I’ve only ever seen the winter plumage as they are from the high arctic and they are there for the summer and my travels don’t take me that far.
After our fill of the ducks we head home to warm up and plan our next outing.