Snapping Turtle

While driving past my favourite roadside pond yesterday afternoon, I slowed to check out the logs on which painted turtles usually line up to bask. There were no painted turtles, just one big honkin' snapping turtle.

Snowshoe hare in transition

Yesterday was a brutally hot day, the thermometer in the shade read 80F. The ponds were screaming with spring peepers and wood frogs, birds were chasing each other in fights over territories, and one big bunny was hopping about.

Snipe

Thursday, April 10, I took a drive out to Amherst Island. Along the backroads I spotted this snipe sitting atop a signpost.

Along the shoreline, I also got close enough to this songsparrow to get a shot.

Great Gray Owl

Recently a great gray owl was spotted in our area, thanks to some of my birding friends, I was informed of its location. I went looking for it Thursday morning, and thankfully the person keeping me informed was also looking for the bird, without his help I would not have spotted it in a tree way down a farm fencerow. As we were admiring the owl, it took off and flew to a tree at the side of road near to us, eventually moved to other trees also nearby, and I managed to get some good pictures of it.

Eagles

Today was a nice sunny day, just above freezing, so we decided to take a walk out to the cottage. The snow is still deep, but with the recent thaw/refreeze it is crusted so hard that we can easily walk right over top. While we were at the lake I heard the red-shouldered hawk calling, he was circling over the pines and telling the world of his return. There was also one robin hopping about in the melted areas along the rockwalls, picking about for a meal. On the drive home I spotted a pair of bald eagles sitting in the trees of a narrow valley, and managed to get some pictures.

The wonderful thing about digital raw files is the ability to blow them up. In spite of the size of the birds and a 300mm lens, they were far enough away to make it difficult to get a good shot.

Sparrow

Spotted this sparrow at Little Cat yesterday, Feb. 23, 2008. Turns out to be a song sparrow, not many seen during winter in our area.

Red-breasted nuthatch

1. Down at the local park there are flocks of chickadees that have become tame enough to take sunflower seeds from peoples' hands. This winter a red-breasted nutchatch has joined them, and has come to me several times over my visits this past month to pluck seeds from my hand. 'Tis difficult to hold a camera and catch a decent picture of these nimble little birds, but I managed to get this shot.