Action At The Marsh

Never a lack of action at the marsh. Sometimes it is subtle action, but at other times the chase is on, with wings flapping and  water spraying.

Some time ago, I had just such action to watch at The Discovery Nature Sanctuary. 

The pictures may not always be perfect, but I enjoy the challenge of getting them.

Two male Mallards and one female are sure to cause a stir.

No sooner had the water settled, when a Canada Goose landed.

You will notice that in both pictures the goose has its bill open, obviously announcing its arrival.

Our attitudes are contagious, whether grumpy or grateful.

Let's choose our attitudes carefully.

 

New Growth

The new growth of spring always fascinates me. Those small leaves look so clean and shiny.

We are now well past that stage, but I will share these images anyway. all of them were taken right on my yard.

These are not my words, but I find them encouraging. I hope you do too.

Three Things You Cannot Recover From:

The word after it is said,

The moment after it is missed,

The time after it is gone.

So choose your words wisely, embrace every moment you have with those you love, and never waste time arguing over things that will not matter in the last 5 minutes of your life.

Those last words bear repeating:

So choose your words wisely, embrace every moment you have with those you love, and never waste time arguing over things that will not matter in the last 5 minutes of your life.

 

Sunset Scenes

Well, it looks like Blogger doesn't like headers. I can't seem to find a theme that allows me to use my header the way I want to. Guess what? I will outsmart blogger and just feature my  monthly header picture in each post. Maybe after a while they will change things again.

After asking Google and clicking around, the new header is up. not quite sure how I got there, but that's ok.

Some more sunset pictures are in order. These are from a while ago, but the beauty is still the same.

A wide view of our lake. Sadly this lake is our source of water and because of a drought situation, it is dangerously low.

While waiting for the sun to set, some birds flew by. I think they enhance the photo.

As the sun drops below the horizon, the few clouds light up, creating a beautiful scene.

A short time later the sky has changed into deeper, richer colors. That's what I like about a sunset.

Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.

 

The Blessings Of spring

One of my favourite places to go for sunset scenes, is Lake Minniwasta. Yes, I have many similar scenes, yet each one is slightly different.

The setting sun, peeking out from the clouds and reflected in the lake, gives a pleasing scene.

That golden path across the water is so beautiful.

While I wait for the sun to set, a lone Mallard swims across the calm waters.

On another day, I was able to get some photos of a Common Loon on the lake.

When I arrived at home, so had the Robins. They were everywhere. The feast that attracted them, was last years apples.

Give this some thought:

I have too many flaws to be perfect,

But I have too many blessings to be ungrateful.

 

An Afternoon at St. Vital Park

I love spring. Both as a photographer and a birder, spring is one of the best times for exciting new pictures.

The Mallard drake is a gorgeous bird. This is one of those birds, that is common around here in spring and summer,one which I will keep on getting photos of whenever I have the chance. The thought is always, that the next shot may be the perfect one.

Canada Geese are another very common bird during the spring and summer months. I love capturing them during the bathing process.

The most colorful duck we see around here is the Wood Duck drake. I already have more than enough photos of these birds, but once again, the next one may be the best one, so I keep on shooting.

God brought out all the best colors when he made this one.

Where there is water and perhaps a human or two who might throw out a morsel of food, there will be gulls, like this Ring-billed Gull.

 Just Something To Think About:

Father, so stun our hearts with your grace today we’ll have a hard time complaining and criticizing, whining and worrying.

The Canada Goose

The Canada Goose has become a familiar sight around here. When I was growing up, we would see those huge "V" formations in the sky in spring and again in fall, but rarely did we see the geese during the summer. Now they are everywhere, even in busy cities. If they have water and a place to make a nest, they will make themselves at home.

To me those first goose calls are a sign that spring is right around the corner.

Some folks don't like them, and I will agree, they leave a mess wherever they are, but I think there is something beautiful about them.

I could not see a nest here, but I do think it was probably hidden in the reeds.

These birds become very protective of their nests and later the young.

Upon landing, there is nothing better than to stretch out those powerful wings.

I enjoy watching this, and of course capturing it with my camera.

I am not sure if this was supposed to be a nesting platform, but these two used it as a place to relax.

Whether you like these birds or not, they are resilient and will make themselves at home almost anywhere.

God cares for the birds and that includes the Canada Geese.

 

Early Spring Sightings

 A quick stop at the Discovery Nature Sanctuary on April 10 yielded a few early spring images.

On one of the ponds two male Mallards were slowly gliding along,creating interesting lines in the calm water.

One of last years Milkweed pods still had a few seeds hanging on. These thin filaments glisten in any small amount of light.

I also checked out a known field of Prairie Crocuses. It was even a little early for them, but they still showed some beauty.

Some of the flower buds were just emerging from the cold ground. They are hard to see, as they blend in with the ground so well.

I love the soft look of these special flowers. 

The Prairie Crocus is the flower of Manitoba, so therefore it is illegal to dig them up or even to pick them. it is best to walk carefully and take as many pictures as you want. This assures us that these flowers will be around for others to enjoy.

Nowadays, it is not that easy to find these flowers,but I remember as a child we used to pick many of them. They were growing in abundance in almost any pasture. Back then we did not know that they were a protected species, or maybe they were not even listed as such then.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful.

Discovery Nature Sanctuary

In recent years a new nature preserve has taken shape.

The beauty is that it is only about eight miles from my place, so I can go there often.

Discovery Nature Sanctuary is located just east of Winkler, Manitoba. This place is still new, but it offers some relaxed walking paths, a creek, a pond complete with marshes at the edge. Also, it features some mature trees as well as shrubs. All this attracts a variety of birds. I have added a link to the Facebook page of this site.

My first visit there this spring was early, so not too much green around yet, but that didn’t mean there was nothing of interest .

All photos in this post were taken on April 10,2021.

The empty shell of last years milkweed was still hanging on.

Along the edge of the pond, I spotted this fella. I believe it is a Mink and that may mean that the ground nesting birds will have to work a little harder to protect their nests.

What do you see here? I see a bird, don't ask me what kind, but it looks like spread wings to me.

I love this old tree, and yes, it is alive,but as I said it was early, so no leaves at that time.

The creek is calm, waiting for the action of the waterfowl which is sure to happen shortly.

Yes, this place is at the edge of the industrial area of the city, but the birds really don't care.

Lord, thank You for the detail You put into creation and for being at work even when we can’t see it.

Discovery Nature Sanctuary

Sunset At The Marsh

Friends, we are once again stepping into a new month. What will the month of May bring? 

We don't know, and in my opinion that is a good thing. We can all do our part to make this month or any time the best it can be. 

Take time to see the beauty of springtime, whether it be returning birds, new growth or even a beautiful sunset.

Today I ask you to join me at the marsh, Kaleida Marsh to be exact.

The birds on the water became secondary as the sun was setting and giving us that path of gold across the water.

I know I take far too many photos at a time like this, but I don't want to miss even a moment of beauty.

A small flock of ducks are silhouetted against that orange sky.

The look and feel of the sunset changed moment by moment. I really like the moody look in this shot and the next.

This was one of those sunsets that held me spellbound, even as the light faded.

At the edge of the Pembina Valley stands a small cluster of mature trees, which look like one tree, hence it is referred to at my home as The Tree. 

This is the scene I captured recently. the dull cloudy sky left me with a rather dull picture, but with the right programs that can all be changed.

 

Here is the same picture, taken into Luminar and a more interesting sky added to it.

Luminar is a very easy to use, yet powerful editing program.

I don't like changing the look of a photo so drastically, without telling my viewers what I have done.

Which version do you prefer?

A setting sun still whispers a promise for tomorrow.