Poems by Heart

It is spring again. The Earth is like a child that knows poems by heart. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Springtime - when everything awakens after a long winter's sleep. A couple of weeks back, I took advantage of the warm weather by heading out to walk whenever I could. All sorts of creatures had the same idea.


One day, early last summer, I ran into a man who was allowing his pair of pet snakes to sun themselves on the rocks.






Well, I encountered him again this year, and he had one of his Ball Pythons with him.






Kids kept stopping by to get a closer look.






Some opted to try him on for size.






This little cutie was proudly showing off his new friend to his dad.





On to other, less slithery creatures...



The ducks are enjoying the new growths of spring.






It looks as if this guy just quit smoking.






This mallard is sailing free over Lock 19.






Robins have been back in the area for quite a while now, but this is the first one who has held still long enough for me to photograph it. Thanks, little one.






A starling has found a nice little glass house in which to build her nest.






A rather small snapping turtle was keeping her eye on things while hanging out near the water's edge. I wondered if she was laying eggs or just having a relaxing moment.






It was a treat to see this little mink pop up on the rocks with its catch. She watched me for a few seconds then disappeared back into the water with her meal.






My neighbour's cat often hangs around my place. He thinks my door is an extension of his own place and just steps right in when he gets the opportunity. Make yourself at home, Oliver.

That's it for today. More photos coming up whenever I get around to them - which is not so often, these days. Thanks for sticking by.

The World Reveals Itself

The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot. ~ Werner Herzog

Let's have a little wander around Peterborough. This takes us back to mid-October when trees hadn't fully changed but the air was still mild and inviting. Please join me!


It was a windy day, and my walk started over at Little Lake where I had a good view of Centennial Fountain showing off her rainbow colours in the brilliant sunshine.






A moment later, the wind picked up, lifting the prism skyward. We were also feeling the mist from across the lake, at times.






This gull was battling the breeze over the waters of Little Lake.






The breezy day was also having fun with the clouds, creating wispy white fingers in the sky.






There must have also been some water droplets in this cloud which formed a subtle rainbow of its own.






This little cutie decided to hang around and pose for a few photos.






Wandering further south, we ended up winding through the paths of the Little Lake Cemetery where this angel was watching over some of the local residents.






Exploring the surroundings, this cutie of a ground hog took one last look before disappearing in her burrow between a couple of monuments.






Something interesting had been going on in this spot where a small, colourful collection of glass and pottery had been left behind.






This little guy was also having a nice little wander several hops ahead.






Juniper berries are bright blue eye-catchers in the sunlight.






Another colourful scene which caught my eye on the way home.






And speaking of home, this was the view outside of my window when the sun broke free of gloomy skies and brushed the trees with its brilliance.

That's it for this time. More photos coming up just as soon as they're ready.

Old Autumn

I saw old Autumn in the misty morn

Stand, shadowless like Silence, listening

To Silence.

~ Thomas Hood

Most of these photos were taken during a walk or two back in October and September.


Colours were still pretty much in full display along the shores of Little Lake in Peterborough.






This couple was enjoying the day's warmth.






As were these two.






This little cutie's colours shone in the late day sunlight.






All dressed up and nowhere to go.






This Liftlock cruise boat was sailing right into the rainbow.






I guess this was its turnaround point for the tour.






That boat sailed alone but this honking flotilla numbered thirty.






And our sweet little mallard friend is waving them through.






There is a rather large community of boaters who stay moored to the harbour throughout summer and early autumn.






The setting sun makes the building across the lake appear as if it's all ablaze.






Good to know that the fire department is always ready – just in case.

Fine Feathered Friends

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” 

~ Robert Lynd

Whether on the wing or at rest, birds are lovely to watch and fun to photograph. Since I've been doing just that the past several weeks, I'd like to share a few of those images below.


A while back, when I posted some pictures of spindle berries, my fine bloggie pal Suldog asked me if they were edible. I have to admit to not knowing that for sure at the time, though I suspected they were not, as the "berry" part is really more like a seed. I looked it up when responding to him and learned that they are edible for birds but rather poisonous for humans. Being one of the feathered variety, this Cardinal was checking them out a few days later.





Canada geese - relaxing, preening and doing a fair bit of pooping atop the dam of our local pond.





One of my favourite feathered friends is the Northern Mockingbird. He he is perched at the top of a dead tree by the pond. I'm also quite fond of that tree, and have posted images of it frequently.





Here's a closer look at this sweetie. It's not the best exposure or even his best side but I'm always happy to see and share him.






Ms. Mallard is showing off her lovely colours in the late day sunshine.






This little Downy Woodpecker was flitting about while I was out walking. It's not a great shot but after several attempts, I finally managed to capture it flying between the branches of this pine tree.





Much to my surprise, I snapped the photo of this hawk through the car windshield while Frank was driving.





Two ducks and a gull - the subjects of this photo are in shadow, but I still loved the colours in the trees and the reflection in the creek.





Over that same creek, you can see gulls flying around at most any time of day. This is a young one, who hasn't acquired his bright, white plumage yet.





This sweet, little sparrow almost faded into the similar colouring of the foliage. If you look closely, you can see a bit of red on his beak from nibbling hawthorn berries.





Last, but never least, the Great Blue Heron, after he had had enough of my incessant picture snapping. Sorry bud!

More photos in a few days.

Fine Feathered Friends

I'm very lucky to have an interesting variety of feathered friends in the area. Some are year-round residents and others stop by for a short visit while on their migration elsewhere. All are intriguing and very enjoyable to watch and photograph. I have a number of bird images to share, all of which were taken over the last month.

We have Mallards on our local pond which hang around all year. This handsome fellow was finding something to eat beneath the water's surface. Isn't he beautiful with all those sparkling water droplets adorning his radiant green head?

This guy drops by for at least a few weeks every year. He's the Double-crested Cormorant, and he works hard at depleting the pond's fish population.

He seemed a bit suspicious of me and my camera. I took one step closer to him after I snapped this image and he decided that was close enough. He was in the water before I could snap another shot.

Our Canada Geese tend to stay for the cold weather too, despite several bloggers considerably south of us who also welcome them for the winter.

This handsome dude is the Belted Kingfisher. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to his visits. He's been seen in any season that doesn't see the pond frozen over but like the Cormorant, he rarely stays for more than a few weeks at a time. I also find that he's very difficult to photograph. Always on high alert, he seems to take off in flight the instant I look at him, unless it's from across the pond as was the case with this image.

On a different day, he was being far less cooperative in the posing department and he kept teasing me by flying across the pond just out of my shooting range. Therefore, this isn't much of a clear image but I appreciate that he flew into a small patch of sunlight just in front of the dock across the pond.

Who says that Robins are the first sign of spring? Ours don't quite stick around all year but they are often seen well into December and seem to return again by early March. They appear quite at home surrounded by the colours of autumn, offering in return, their matching red breast.

Is there any bird cuter than a Black-capped Chickadee? There might be but I think these sweeties are adorable with their "dee dee dee" and their hopping and bopping and flitting all over the place.

They're curious and friendly, and can be encouraged to land on your shoulder or hand while feeding them. I've not had the thrill of that experience but my friend, Daniel has a brief video on his blog which shows how the Chickadees have come to trust him in the short time that he's lived in his new home. Go on over and have a look. I don't mind waiting.

One more Chickadee image - because I just find them hard to resist.

This beauty was spotted by Frank as it flew into his maple tree. The lighting was not its best and it was eying me as I took small steps forward to try to get him into sharper focus. I'm not sure what he is, exactly. A Merlin, perhaps?

That's it for this post. I hope you enjoyed my feathered friends.