Cobourg Mural/Our World

 Mural on water treatment plant, Cobourg, Ontario

This mural depicts the early days of Cobourg, founded in 1798, and is a celebration of the town's bicentennial. As you can see,  fourteen years after the celebration the mural is dirty and looking a bit worn.

Closeup of left side

Closeup of right side

Click  HERE to see tons more photos about Our World.

Red Trillium/Sunday Best

Red trillium

This is a great time to walk the trails  in the Provincial Forests in and around East Gwillimbury.  Red trillium are in full bloom as are many other wildflowers.

I am linking to Your Sunday Best at A Rural Journal

Porcupine/Camera Critters

 Porcupine in a tree

We could see the porcupine from the road but I walked in to take this shot.

High up in the tree

To see many more critters, visit Misty Dawn at CAMERA CRITTERS 

Forest/Weekend Reflections

York Regional Forest

Reflection in a forest  creek, bugs creating rings to add interest. That's why the bugs were making circles in the water, right?

To enjoy reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections HERE

Woodsy/Rural Thursday

 Trout lilies

Wildflowers are blooming beneath hardwood forests, a favourite time of year for me and my camera. Trout lilies grow in colonies that can be - can you believe this - as much as 300 years old!

 Dutchman's breeches

The blooms are said to resemble pantaloons hanging upside-down. Seeds of Dutchman's breeches are spread by ants.

Canadian wild ginger

Usually the heart-shaped leaves are seen first since the flower is hidden below them where beetles and other crawling insects  fertilize them.

I am linking with
Rural Thursday

W/Alphabe-Thursday

 Church windows, Jackson's Point, Ontario

WINDOWS, a great w-word. Here are just a few to get you thinking about their various shapes and patterns.

 Greenhouse windows

Here I loved the curved lines created by the tubes as they related to the angles and lines of the window parts.

 Porch windows

Originally I took this photo because I liked the shadows. Doesn't the repeated pattern remind you of  a plaid?

Barn windows - altered!

Okay, I admit this is NOT what the windows looked like unaltered.  This version makes me smile and I hope it curves your lips upwards too. What I did was apply planet photography to the original, which you can try on a photo of your own by  clicking HERE.

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE

Heronry/World Birds

 Standing guard

Last week my husband and I discovered a small heronry consisting of about a dozen (maybe more) nests.

As great blue herons aren't that fond of humans, especially when they are building nests or raising their young, the heronry was in an out-of-the-way place that I could barely reach with my zoom lens fully extended. I have also cropped the photos to make them appear closer.

The heron above was much nearer to me than the heronry, but still a long way away. This one was in a tree across a marshy area where it had a clear view of the water below and of the heronry.

Delivering nesting material

One by one, herons left their nests to collect materials for their nests or to look for food.

The heronry

Meanwhile other herons guarded huge nests high up in trees that are not yet leafed out. I imagine the nests will be well hidden in a couple weeks.

Flying over

I am linking yo World Bird Wednesday.

April 24/Nature Notes

This week by the waterways

I suspect this Canada goose has eggs hidden nearby. It was watching me carefully and not going anywhere in a hurry.

Moving clockwise around the mosaic: Wild cherry blossoms; pied-billed grebe; evidence of beavers; two male mallards; a straight-away on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more
NATURE NOTES.

Birds of a Feather/Our World

 Eastern bluebird

Last Thursday I was excited to see this cute little guy sitting on power lines overhead. Although bluebirds seem to be fairly common in eastern Canada and the eastern U.S.,  this is the first one I've seen well enough to know for sure what it is.

House sparrow

On the other hand, this is a common bird that appears to be everywhere! And...

House finch

here's another commoner.

Click  HERE to see tons more photos about Our World.

Dandy/Sunday Best

Bee sipping nectar

I am linking to Your Sunday Best at A Rural Journal

Muskrat/Camera Critters

 Muskrat on a mission, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

Last Wednesday, a muskrat swam close to shore within range of my camera lens long enough for me to take a few photos.

Turning to leave

To see many more critters, visit Misty Dawn at CAMERA CRITTERS 

Marsh/Weekend Reflections

 Reflection of old machinery in the Holland Marsh, Bradford, Ontario

Reflection of another relic in the marsh

To enjoy reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections HERE

Waiting/Rural Thursday

 Talbot River

 April and the river is quiet.

Upside-down and waiting for summer

I am linking with
Rural Thursday

V/Alphabe-Thursday

 Last year's tough old tendrils and this year's new growth

VINES: In spring, not just the weather is full of contrasts.

 Twisted VINE

This old grapevine reaches for the sky by winding it's way to the top.

 Black-eyed Susan VINE

The black-eyed Susan is a vine I am looking forward to seeing in a month or two but...

Taking over!

this is a vine I would not to see growing on my house!

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE

Osprey/World Birds

 Osprey removing leaves

Nest building, nest cleaning...the ospreys living atop a soccer field light standard near where I live are busy, busy, busy.

 She's off 

 And away she goes

Then returns empty hand...er..clawed

I am linking yo World Bird Wednesday.

April 17/Nature Notes

Yard mosaic, Monday April 16

Here are some of the flowers blooming in my gardens last Monday. Remember,  I'm not showing you the weeds. I'm also not showing you that I am only halfway through this year's spring cleanup.

Largest square: purple pasque flowers, which may be my favourite flower of all - dependable early bloomers (but I'm fickle when it comes to my favourite flowers). Moving clockwise: the yard robin hoping I'll help it by digging up some worms; daffodil; pink pasque flower; white lungwort; and pale yellow primulas.

York Regional Forest

This time of year when first entering the forest, it appears there's nothing to photograph. But looking carefully I found fast-growing mushrooms, emerging tree leaves, budding shrub flowers and blossoming tree flowers.

Unfortunately, we didn't walk very far into the woods on this trip so I didn't get to check out the wildflowers, and since Saturday the weather has been overcast and rainy. Next time, I hope to capture a few blossoms.

Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more
NATURE NOTES.

Cabot Head/Our World

 Viewing deck on third floor of lighthouse

For more than a century, the Cabot Head lighthouse guided ships away from the treacherous shore of the Bruce Peninsula, the land that juts into Lake Huron nearly separating Georgian Bay from the rest of the lake.

 Lighthouse, Cabot Head, Ontario

The lighthouse is situated on a cliff and, as you may have guessed, located in an area named for explorer John Cabot.

 Another view

A kerosene lantern with several parabolic reflectors was placed at the top of square tower, which rises 80 feet above water level. In good weather, the light could be seen for 16 miles.
 

 Old electric light

Eventually,  electricity replaced kerosene. And later the lighthouse was replaced by...

Lighthouse substitute

a stand alone automated tower. Today the lighthouse is a museum.

Click  HERE to see tons more photos about Our World.

Spring Beauty/Sunday Best

  Claytonia (aka spring beauty)

Low growing and spring blooming, these are currently blooming in a forest near where I live.

Growing at the base of a tree

I am linking to Your Sunday Best at A Rural Journal

Attitude/Camera Critters

Watching me watching him

Last weekend, this guy had attitude! He spent much of the day attacking the male cardinal reflected in the chrome on my brother-in-law's truck. He never caught on that he was attacking his own reflection.

I tried to get a photo of him pecking the chrome, but he flew away every time I pointed my camera at him, so I guess he was more afraid of me than the "other cardinal."

To see many more critters, visit Misty Dawn at CAMERA CRITTERS 

Canal in Window/Weekend Reflections

 Water in canal makes wonky reflection in boathouse window

Makes wonky reflections in TWO windows

To enjoy reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections HERE

Clip-Clop/Rural Thursday

 Amish buggy at side of road with reflective orange sign

Horse-drawn family wagons tend to travel at between five and eight miles per hour, so reflective sign makes them safer on roads frequented by faster moving vehicles. This one also has battery-operated lights used at night.

 Amish buggy from a different angle

Notice that this wagon has a sliding door.

Clip-clop, clip-clop

I love the sound of the horse and buggy coming down the road.

FYI: The driver of this buggy waved to us as he passed us and didn't have a problem with my taking this photo.

I am linking with
Rural Thursday