As I do on many weekends, I decided to take a drive along the lake to see what critters I could find, or whatever else that catches my eye. I always hope to see large birds such as Hawks or Eagles but also love catching a glimpse of Herons or Cranes. Being spring now, you never know what might be passing through as it makes its way north during the spring migration.
Some baby Red Tail Hawks in 2016 waiting for Mom and Dad to bring home supper.
My first stop was to check out a Red Tail Hawk nest that I saw a couple springs ago. Reading up on the Hawks, I found out that there is quite a variation of habits when it comes to nests. Sometimes they will reuse a nest, or build a new nest every year. Or sometimes they leave a nest for a year then come back to it. Unfortunately I didn't see any activity around the nest. I did see a raptor of some sort down the road, but didn't get a clear view of what it was to properly identify it. It was definitely in range of the nest, but not extremely close. I was not able to get a picture of it, as it was gone as quick as it appeared.
The journey continued on to Port Dover to get a bite to eat and to get some gas in the car or it was going to be a very quick day. Any time I'm in Port Dover it requires a little tour down by the pier. On my last visit to the pier, there were lots of photo opportunities with all the ducks that were around. But it was not meant to be this day.
Mallard ducks in Port Dover, Ontario.
The journey continued towards Port Ryerse. In Port Ryerse we stopped along the lake to see what was there. Not much activity there other than some Mergansers floating about off shore enjoying the very cool breeze blowing across the lake. These ducks like the open water so they head south in the winter as things freeze up and return when the waters open up again. The ducks didn't want to cooperate for photos so I took the opportunity to take a picture of the moon which was out and looking proud in the late March sky. After the moon shots we continued our journey down the Waterfront Trail as the breeze was much colder than I anticipated. Never thought to wear my photo gloves, but I sure could have used them.
Playful Crow just hanging around in a tree.
All the way along the Waterfront Trail, our eyes were always open trying to spot some Hawks or Eagles. A great Hawk day wasn't meant to be. I chalked it up it being breeding season which starts at the end of February and lasting through March, so I guess they had better things to do that day. But there is always something to take a picture of so we continued on.
The next stop was near Port Rowan to take a few pictures of what seemed to be a very playful Crow that had just landed in a tree. Down the road a bit I found some Ducks to photograph. I saw some Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers and some others I wasn't able to identify even with my trusty Birds of North of North America Field Guide. I certainly need to brush up on my Duck identification.
Moon in the daytime March sky.
Jet passing overhead.
Next stop was in Long Point. Always a great place to see some Sandhill Cranes. And this day didn't disappoint. There weren't many, but there was a pair hanging out in their common hangout. I never get tired of taking pictures of these beautiful creatures. Sandhill Cranes are a very old species of bird. According to Wikipedia, fossils have been found of Sandhill Cranes as old as 2.5 million years. They are named after their habitat along the Nebraska's Sandhills. If you haven't seen the videos of the flocks of Sandhill Cranes you need to do a YouTube search to have a look. Their flocks are over 10,000 strong. An amazing sight to behold. I would love to see that in person some day. These birds are also very talkative. To identify them just listen to their calls. The female will call twice to the male's one call.
Sandhill Cranes in Long Point, Ontario.
Next stop was the Boathouse Restaurant in Port Rowan. A great restaurant with very quick friendly service. I highly recommend the very tasty Breakfast Burger. After fueling up we headed towards home to get home in time to see the Leaf game. It was Saturday after all.
While on the way home I decided I had enough time to check out a pond which had reports of a Beaver. Normally I find feathered creatures, but I believe all creatures should be photographed. Especially animals I don't get to see very often, and I certainly don't see Beavers very often. My first stop along the pond I didn't see the Beaver but there was still lots to see. There were some Canada Geese, a few Tundra Swans, at least one Mute Swan passed through, and last but not least, some Mergansers. I took some pictures of the Geese, Mergansers, and got a shot of the Mute Swan flying by but no signs of the Beaver.
Beaver hanging out at a local pond.
Not seeing any sign of the Beaver, I decided to go over to the dam and see what I could see there. There wasn't much going on there, then out of nowhere a Bald Eagle appeared. I tried my best to get a shot of it, but I wasn't quick enough to react. It was certainly unexpected even though I've seen and photographed a Bald Eagle here before. The worst part of it all, is that it headed over to where we just were at a rather low altitude. So off we went back to where we were, hoping that the Eagle would circle around so I could get a shot of it. But unfortunately it didn't reappear while I was there, but then Shannon spotted something moving in the shadows along the edge of the pond. I couldn't tell with the naked eye what it was, or even if it was an animal at all. Looking through my 600mm Sigma I could see it was a Beaver. I was fascinated by this sighting so I made quick adjustments to my camera to accommodate the low light in the early evening shadows. The best angle of the Beaver was the furthest away of course. I took some photographs there, and continued to move closer while taking shots as I went. I was worried I was going to scare the Beaver away as I got closer but it didn't seem to care as it was making quick work of the stick it had, removing all the bark. I was able to get pretty close but unfortunately it was a bad angle, and there was a bush between us. I took a few more shots, and decided to call it a day as the sun was setting quickly, and again the Leaf game was on.
Beaver working on removing the bark from a branch.
The conditions couldn't have been much worse to get pictures of the Beaver but I did the best I could under the circumstances. That's all you can do as a Photographer, as the conditions won't always be ideal for the situation. Take what you have, and make the best of it. Seeing the Beaver made my day. Even if I didn't have a camera it would have made my day. I hope to get back there again soon to try and get more shots of the Beaver and hopefully get the Bald Eagle to cooperate.
Till next time,