Osprey Marsh

One day last month, Frank and I drove over to a place just a few minutes from my home called Osprey Marsh.

We'd heard about it before but had never been there. The day was overcast, and a storm seemed like a possibility, so we didn't venture too far from where we parked, just in case. We were armed with our respective cameras, lenses and a backpack which carried water and a light lunch if we were lucky enough to avoid bad weather.

We wandered the area, and though we didn't see any Osprey, for which the marsh is named, we did see a few birds and other things, in the hour or so that it took us to explore.

As we approached the marsh, we saw a Great Blue Heron fishing. It's a sight we see often but it was his catch that was most impressive. He had his back to us for a short while and we could see that he had a rather large fish in his bill. Frank, being the astute and knowledgeable fisherman that he is (he wrote the book, after all), knew what it was at a glance.

Just before he flew off with his catch, the heron turned toward us and confirmed Frank's call. He had a huge Brown Bullhead Catfish. He carried it a short distance away and enjoyed his meal.

We looked for, but didn't see any frogs among these lovely lily pads, but the water lily was certainly worth stopping for and admiring.

Nearby, a family of mallards wandered past. The young appeared to be maturing toward adulthood - probably teenagers.

And further down the shoreline, Mother and Father Goose kept watchful eyes as their five goslings took a nap on the beach.

Frank focused on this snail with his camera, and I decided to snap a shot of it with my own. I'm sure he has a similar image somewhere on his hard drive.

On our way out toward the car, we saw these lovely mini orchids or iris-like flowers. They were quite tiny.

The weather held out long enough for us to find a bench, and munch on a few of the goodies we'd packed. We headed for home after lunch. When we were seconds away from the car, the rain began.

Sometimes, these things work out just perfectly.

True Colours

"But I see your true colors shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow."
~Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly

Spring is such a colourful time of the year. Below, are a few photos of some of the many hues I've seen over the past couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy them.

Up at the pond - a fifteen minute walk from home, white water lilies are in bloom. Can you see the downy goose feather off to the right?

"Rapaciously we gathered flowery spoils
From land and water; lilies of each hue,
Golden and white, that float upon the waves,
And court the wind."
~Wordsworth

Some of the neighbours got together to share these bright red lobsters and other goodies one Saturday evening. Hopefully, the crustaceans weren't clawstrophobic - they were packed in there like sardines.

“And like a lobster boiled, the morn
From black to red began to turn”
~Samuel Butler

One of the few purple-petaled irises which made it to full bloom in my front yard, this year.

"I think it pisses god off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it"
~Alice Walker

This adorable yellow gosling was one of only two left to a mother goose up at the same place where the lily pads were blooming. They're very comfortable around people in that park, and came up on shore and settled down for a nap a few feet away from where I was sitting.

“Yellow-colored objects appear to be gold”
~Aristotle





The Blues Brothers - my handsome son, Alex holding our cool young neighbour, Winston. Both happened to be wearing blue sunglasses that day. Don't they make a cute matching set?
"Where did you come from, baby dear?
Out of the everywhere into here.
Where did you get your eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through."
~George MacDonald

A beautiful orange poppy which grew in Frank's back yard. Their bloom time is short-lived but brilliant.

"Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow."
~Kandinsky

I found this tiny silver flower on the pavement in the park. I think it was probably a child's press-on earring. I just like the way it sparkled. I might be part cat.

"Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby."
~Langston Hughes

This pink peony was photographed through the opening of a chain link fence. I never saw the little insect about to land on it until after I uploaded the photos. I also have one shot which shows the insect on the flower. Go on and have a quick look at that here. I don't mind waiting.

“Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose
From out night's gray and cloudy sheath;
Softly and still it grows and grows,
Petal by petal, leaf by leaf.”
~Susan Coolidge

I saw these green canoes (and that red-winged blackbird) stacked up when we went for a drive near Frank's place last week. He's used to me asking him to stop so that I can take a photo. Thanks, Frank.

"The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat."
~Edward Lear

I hope you enjoyed my colourful day. Thanks for joining me.