Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Of Birds and Bugs (in Woodbine Park)
A male song sparrow being true to his name
Ladybug on Queen Anne's Lace
A dragonfly with a very interesting dark pattern on its back wings. (No idea what type of dragonfly it is).
A male cedar waxwing. Haven't seen one of these reclusive birds in years
Close-up of a male goldfinch
A pair of male goldfinches. Both of these had flitted away a moment later
Labels: Cedar Waxwing, dragonfly, Goldfinch, Ladybug, Song Sparrow, woodbine park
Monday, July 27, 2009
A Stroll Through Woodbine Park
This is a deliberate attempt at achieving the bokeh effect. Not sure it completely qualifies, but I really like how it turned out. Used the macro lens and deliberately focused on the flower in the bottom of the field of view, and let the rest go diffuse. I like the vague forms of the other flowers, as well as the wisps of long spindly leaves reflecting the light of the evening sun in the background.
Some shaggy-looking daisies found in Woodbine Park. Am guessing that this is a genetic variant of the usual, non-shaggy variety.
A Common Red Soldier Beetle on Queen Anne's Lace, also seen in Woodbine Park. I saw plenty of examples of why this type of beetle is also called the "Hogweed Bonking Beetle". ;-)
Labels: bokeh, Common Red Soldier Beetle, Coneflower, daisy, woodbine park
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Fountains and Birds Down by Woodbine Park
After lunch, the girls, Yo-Bob and I headed down to Woodbine Park. I took the ball chucker in order to wear-out Yo-Bob, and the girls played in the playground. The fountain had also been turned back on, and the water-level of the pond has risen considerably, making it attractive for people and for the local birdlife.
The fountains at Woodbine Park
Close-up of the smaller "sub" fountains by the base of the big fountain
Shot of an accommodating female Mallard duck who was swimming with her drake
This female Red-Winged Blackbird alighted on an adjacent bench, and allowed me to take a couple of quick pics before she flew off
Labels: fountain, Mallard, red-winged blackbird, woodbine park
Sunday, May 03, 2009
A Walk Down by Woodbine Park and Woodbine Beach
A trio of daffodils shot at mid-day down by Woodbine Park
This Mourning Dove paitently let me take a photo of it.
Some sort of goose(?) shot from amongst the reeds at Woodbine Beach.
There were a few guesses out on what this bird is, but a birder friend of mine thinks it is likely a Muscovy Duck, possibly a Muscovy/Mallard hybrid. Almost certainly an immature hen, since it doesn't look like a Muscovy male at all.
I stumbled upon the starting point for the "Steps for Life" (http://www.stepsforlife.ca/) walk while down at Woodbine Beach. All along the pathway were small signs to commemorate people killed in various workplace accidents over the years. Took a pic of the people coming around a bend in the path they were to follow, which I think gives a sense as to the turnout they had.
Labels: Daffodils, Mourning Dove, Steps for Life, Woodbine Beach, woodbine park
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Late Evening by Woodbine Park
The trilliums (trillia?) in our front garden have finally bloomed. Here's a close-up of one of them using the macro lens.
Being squawked at by a red-winged blackbird down at Woodbine Park. Unfortunately the bird is not in as sharp a focus as I would have liked, but the expressions is great.
It's warm enough now that our dog Yo-Bob can go fetch balls thrown into the pond by Woodbine Park. I bought a throwing-stick for dog-balls today and we got him good and tired having him chase the ball all over the park.
Labels: red-winged blackbird, trillium, woodbine park, Yo-Bob
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A Warm Morning at Woodbine Park
Yo-Bob happily fetching a stick from the pond.
Another male-red winged blackbird claiming territory at Woodbine Park.
The girls playing around with the water fountain.
Labels: Annie. Vanessa, red-winged blackbird, woodbine park, Yo-Bob
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Red-winged Blackbird in Woodbine Park
Still sick with a cold, but the dog still needs his walk, and I need to take my "Picture of the Day". So we went down to Woodbine Park, where we heard the loud squawkings of Red-winged blackbirds claiming territory for themselves and picking the fluff out of the bullrushes in order to line their nests.
A nice shot of a male red-winged blackbird among the bullrushes. Love the telephoto lens -- what you see here is maybe 15% or so of the original size of the shot.
A relatively dowdy-looking female red-winged blackbird. She didn't like me one bit and kept sending a warning squawk to her mate, who only moved when he felt the dog was getting too close.
Another male red-winged blackbird, this one basically claiming that the tree he is in is his.
Labels: red-winged blackbird, woodbine park
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