Paths

I don't know what it is,but I love seeing a path bordered by trees.

Today I share several such photos with you.All the pictures were taken at Ft.Whyte Nature Centre,on May 9,2015.

An old railroad track is now used as a path.

Let's walk down this winding path through the Birch trees.

We will stop for a moment to admire these small yellow flowers,for which I have no name.

New leaves are beginning to emerge on the trees alongside this path.

Bright green new leaves and a blue sky are the perfect compliment to this scene.

Memories are blessings that cling to your steps and go with you into your future.

Ft.Whyte Nature Centre

On May 9,a long time friend(I don't like to say old friend) and I went to Winnipeg to Ft.Whyte Nature Centre. This is not actually in Winnipeg,but very close.

It was a cool day but we still saw some interesting sights.

This Canada Goose was sitting on a nest and didn't pay any attention to us,even though we walked by very close to the nest.

In the marsh  the turtles were trying to warm up in the sun.There were several,but I chose to get a picture of just the one.

I was almost under this Red-winged Blackbird,but still managed a halfway decent shot.

The Burrowing Owls are kept in a large building where they have as close to a natural habitat as possible.

I do believe that I am getting desperate for photos,why else would I take a picture of a squirrel. I have a love/hate relationship with this animal.I do think they are cute,but I really get upset when they take over MY bird feeders.Anyway,this one was at Ft. Whyte and no where near my feeders,so it was OK.

 By the way,this photo is not cropped.He allowed me to get that close.

Thought for today:

I AM NOT LUCKY,I AM BLESSED.

For The Love of Birds

I am a 'Birder' or bird lover.I make no apologies for that,because birds are part of God's creation and in my mind are beautiful and interesting to watch. Today I share a few images of recent bird photos and also one other one.

To start,here is an American Coot.This bird is not colourful,actually kind of drab,but it is still interesting.In this photo,I like the rippled water as much as the bird.

OK,no bird in this shot,but I liked the effect of the water around this large rock.I admit,I see beauty where others would shrug their shoulders and walk away.

On my yard there is a lot more bird activity now and I love it. The White-throated Sparrows are such a welcome sight and sound. Their whistled song fills the air on these cool spring mornings.

My Facebook friends have already seen this picture,but I had to show it again.It was a foggy and cold morning,but I thought that perhaps I could get some unique photos at the lake.I was not expecting to see these guys.These are American Avocets.I had never before seen them at our local lake.I guess they must have wanted a trip to the beach,because this is the beach area of the lake.The beach does need some cleanup before it is ready for the sun bathers.

I love the colouring of these birds and those long legs and upturned bill. In the previous picture you can see the long blue legs.This is quite a stunning bird. To say that I was glad I had gone to the lake that morning,would be an understatement.

God looks forward to blessing you every day.

Live expectantly.

At The Waters Edge

After my last post,I feel it is time to go back to nature.I enjoy watching and photographing the birds,although I seem to be getting less picture of birds than I used to.

The American Coot has not given me too many photo opportunities but this wasn't too bad.

The car works well as a blind,and this bird waited just long enough for me to get a picture,before disappearing into the reeds.

The Ring-billed Gulls,on the other hand,are not shy at all. When I arrived at Lake Minniwasta recently,there were several gulls standing on rocks at the edge of the lake.This particular one allowed me to get out of the car and walk into position to get this photo.

While I was at the waters edge,I noticed a small group of Eared Grebes swimming towards me.This one was close enough for a decent picture. Just a note of interest,I read that a group of Grebes is called a 'water dance'. Did you know that?

I have taken pictures from this particular place many times.I enjoy seeing how the pictures change with the seasons and even the weather.One thing that for me remains the same,is the beauty.

From one spot at the lake I went to the boat dock.I have been there before but for some reason had never noticed how photogenic the actual boat dock could be.The calmness of the water was perhaps a deciding factor on this day.

Here is something worth remembering…..

Don't start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday.

Every day is a fresh start,

Each day is a new beginning.

Every day we wake up is the first day of our new life

Heavy Equipment At Work

As most of you know,I like to take pictures of the beauty of God's creation,be it birds,weather,flowers or landscapes.Well,today the pictures are of a completely different nature.

I woke up on April 27 to some monsters in the field behind my house.OK,so these were not really scary,but they are large.

The foggy morning made them look even more mysterious.

The next day,when the fog had cleared I noticed this equipment sitting quietly in the field.I cannot say for certain,as I have not heard the official news,but I do believe this is the start of construction of a new home for the aged.Our current home is old and too small,so this is welcome news.

 Another giant sitting out there,seemed even more out of place.

I walked closer to get a better shot.Now,that's a man sized truck.We don't often see that size of equipment around here.

I can sit on my deck and watch the action.Yes,a lot of noise in involved but the end will be worth it.I don't really mind have this home come up right in my back yard,so to say.When the construction is done it should be a good neighbour to have.

I will be returning to my normal nature posts in a day or two.

Good-bye to April

It is the last day of April,2015.The good news is that,God willing,another day will dawn tomorrow and we can start all over again.May means that summer is that much closer and in my part of the world,the flowers will soon be in full bloom.

To bid farewell to April,I want to show you a sunset,as I witnessed it over-looking Lake Minniwasta.

At first it looked like the sunset would not be all that great.A heavy band of clouds covered the sun.

I still liked the way the lake looked.

As the sun dropped lower,it reappeared below the clouds and now the lake turned a soft shade of purple.

I sat there and waited,for that is what one must do to get those wonderful sunset photos.

The water had,by now changed color again.The orange glow caused the lake to have this gorgeous,rich orange tone to it.

Watching as the sun dropped even lower,it made a golden path across the lake.At just the right moment three Common Loons swam through this area.As an added bonus,I heard them calling in that  beautiful,almost mournful call.I did'nt think the evening could be any better.

One final picture before the sun dropped below the horizon.I am very pleased with how this one turned out.The clouds painted a lovely scene in the sky.

An evening that at first didn't look like it would yield much beauty,turned out to be spectacular.

I do believe I have used this quote before,but it seems to be appropriate for this post.

A birth certificate shows we were born,

A death certificate shows we died,

But photographs show we lived.

Mostly Birds

I have a few images from early in spring,so I had better share them before we get too far along in this season.Spring is an exciting time,with all the new birds arriving and then later the new growth.

The first thunderstorm of the season gave me a chance to capture some of my favourite scenes. Clouds and sky.

On my yard,the first new birds to arrive are usually the Dark-eyed Juncos.I love to hear their cheerful twittering and also to watch their interaction with each other.It seems that they spend more time chasing each other away then they do eating.

Just because I like these little birds,here is another picture of one of them. Sorry for the shadow across it's body.

Once the ice has melted the Canada Geese get busy preparing for nesting. This looks like an odd couple to me.The lead goose is noticeably larger than the other one,yet they seemed to be a pair.

These two have claimed one of the straw bales for their home.On a side note,I was at the same marsh on Sunday,April 26,and several bales obviously have geese nesting on them.

Earlier in spring it was not uncommon to see Bald Eagles around,but by now they have headed elsewhere to start the nesting process.These two,an adult and an immature Bald Eagle were hanging out near a place where there are often food scraps on the fields.

I close this post with one of my photos and an added Bible verse.

The Raptor Festival

On April 11,2015,I attended a Raptor Festival in a small community,called La Riviere. This little town is located about a 30 minute drive west of where I live. La Riviere is better know for it's downhill skiing in winter.People come from far and near to use the carefully groomed slopes,of the sloping hills,which surround this town.
The day of the Raptor Festival the population of this town more than doubled,when over 500 people came to attend the festival.

This is part of the street scene,showing the cars parked along the sides. I was there early and had a hard time finding a parking spot.

All the attention was focused on the live raptors which were on display.Birds like this Swainson's Hawk were injured in the wild then brought to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.Many of the injured birds can be returned to the wild,but this particular bird only had one eye,so would not be able to judge distance and therefore was better in captivity and used to teach us about raptors.

This is a Barn Owl.I do not remember the story behind this bird,but he sure was willing to pose for photos.

A Great Horned Owl was another one of the captive birds on display.This particular owl seemed to enjoy being with people.

Look at the talons.I would not want to be at the receiving end of them.Seeing these birds in this way gives us a better perspective of just how well adapted they are for survival.No mouse or vole has a chance against talons like that.

Next door to the festival site was a small playground and Kai took advantage of that.She was not aware that I took this shot.I'm not sure what she was engrossed in,but I do know she had a good time at the festival.

On the way home,I came across this long line of tanker cars and just had to get a picture.The fact that Jake loved his trains is so deeply ingrained in me that when I see something like this I must stop and get a shot or two.

 The following quote has nothing to do with the rest of the post,but I liked it.

Always believe in God,Because there are some things that even Google can't answer.

Out For a Drive

I spend a lot of time driving around the countryside,looking for photo opportunities.

I know I won't be finding many pictures while sitting in my house.

 I have often mentioned the Kaleida marshes and that is often my destination.Spring brings the geese,ducks and gulls.Well this day there were only a few Canada Geese.

The powers that be put these round straw bales on the frozen marsh and they then provide nesting and roosting places for the waterfowl.I happened to like the bale reflected in the,still partially frozen marsh.

Don't ask me why,but I happen to like this setting. The blue water and sky,the straw bale and a few geese taking off.

These two had much to say. Wish I could understand goose language. :)

I'm thinking she was probably telling him to take a cold shower.

When the geese have enough of me and my camera,this is all I get to see. I sure hope they had on winter 'tires',because the water was still in solid form.

Driving along a little further I came upon a farm. Usually there is not much activity there,but on this occasion I was in for a treat. There were several lambs and mamas in the fence,which caught my attention. Before too long,a little girl all dressed in pink came running towards the road.Following closely on her heels was this little lamb.Made me think of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'. I think this one would have followed her wherever she went. Is that not the cutest thing ever?

Just a thought:

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

First Thunderstorm of 2015

On March 30th,we had our first thunderstorm of the year. It seems very early,but the thunder sounded good and at least some areas got a refreshing rain,not to mention that it also gave some great photo opportunities.

I needed to go to a meeting,but left a little earlier and took this opportunity to get some sky shots.

The dark sky,and it was really that dark,the evening sun on the trees and field and the rainbow, all combined to give a pleasing image.

The rainbow was not very bright but it sure was pretty.

Maybe others don't get excited at a scene like this,but I sure do. I love the contrasting colors.

As the clouds moved on towards the east,the scene changed but it still was lovely. Yes that little white spot in the top centre of the picture is the moon.

 The variety of scenes in the clouds is just amazing. Make sure you take the time to watch the clouds.

A word of advice:

Miss no opportunity to spend time with others,even if it's only a few minutes to chat.

Their love enriches your life,as your love enriches theirs.