Posts Tagged ‘Woodbine Park’

Sulfur butterflies are pretty though kinda plain when compared to things like Monarch butterflies, but when I saw the way the morning light was catching these sulfur butterflies from behind I ended up focusing on them during my morning walk in Woodbine Park earlier today:

Sulfur Butterfly on Purple Erigeron Flowers #1

Sulfur Butterfly on Purple Erigeron Flowers #2

I had always thought of the purple flowers as a sort of purple daisy, but apparently they are called “Purple Erigeron”, perhaps better known as “fleabane”. The butterflies certainly love them.

The cygnet (baby swans) mute swans in the pond at Woodbine Park are growing. Here are some pics I shot of them earlier today:

Cygnet and Female Swan

Pair of Cygnets

Cygnet Yoga

A couple of shots of what I believe is a male Band-winged Meadowhawk, a common red dragonfly seen in and around Woodbine Park:

Band-winged Meadowhawk – Top view

Band-winged Meadowhawk – Side view

I have been a fan of the Canadian band The Spoons since the release of their “Nova Heart” single back in 1982 (which I probably still have on vinyl somewhere). I dragged my two daughteres to this prior to seeing Brave at the local cinema with them, and after a while they both begrudgingly got into it. 😉 30 years on they’re still going strong, as the following shots demonstrate:

The Spoons Playing on the Main Stage at Woodbine Park

Gordon Deppe and Sandy Horne of The Spoons Playing on the Main Stage at Woodbine Park

Sandy Horne of The Spoons

Gordon Deppe and Sandy Horne of The Spoons

Unfortunately I accidentally spooked this bird when he was wading in a marshy pool at Woodbine Park, but he gave me a great view when he flew by to head to the beaches further south of Woodbine Park.

Snowy Egret in Flight

There are plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds down by Woodbine Park right now. The males are the easiest to spot as they are calling out their territory, but it is usually harder to spot the females as they are better camouflaged. Here are some pics of the ones I was able to see.

I particularly like this shot, which was taken using my new (to me) Olympus E-620 using my 200mm f/2.6 telephoto lens, as there is extra detail captured using this camera’s 12.3 megapixels as opposed to the 10 megapixels in my old E-510. I like how you can make out the touch of “gold” on her shoulder, and the slightly darker patch of feathers just above her beak and eye.

Female Red-winged Blackbird

A few minutes later I saw another female who had just come out of a bath and was drying herself off. So here’s a pic of slightly soggy female red-winged blackbird.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird After a Bath

This male red-winged blackbird was on the ground, looking for something to eat. He spotted me and gave a squawk before heading back to look for more food.

Male Red-winged Blackbird Squawking

I didn’t get much of an opportunity to shoot pics of birds while I was over in the U.K., so it was good to go for a walk in Woodbine Park with the dog to see the birds that have returned (or in a couple of cases, likely never left).

Here are a couple of shots of a male Red-winged Blackbird who was gathering thistle seeds and squawking away.

Male Red-winged Blackbird Squawking

When he noticed me, he directed his squawks at me:

Male Red-winged Blackbird Squawking at Me

One of a pair of Mourning Doves I ran across:

Mourning Dove

Here’s a pic of one of a couple of Robins I saw in Woodbine Park. Am pretty sure at least three American Robins stuck it out for the whole of the (non-)winter we had.

An American Robin

The Mute Swans are back in Woodbine Park’s pond. They didn’t like Yo-Bob much, which accounts for the steely gaze in this shot:

Mute Swan

A Blackbird (or possibly a Grackle?) taking flight from the top of a small tree:

Blackbird Taking Flight

A sure sign of Fall: the Sumac leaves turning in Woodbine Park:

Red Sumach Branch #1