Favourite Photo of 2013

Red-bellied woodpecker

I find it difficult choosing favourite photos...especially one for an entire year. However, I confess that in October when I accidentally lost many of  the photos I'd taken between January and October - I dropped an external hard drive - the photos I mourned the most (at least at first) were of this red-bellied woodpecker.

FYI: I was pleasantly surprised to find a folder of red-bellied woodpecker photos still on my computer. YAY!

I am linking to City Daily Photo Theme Days  HERE

Snowy Owl

 Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

Visiting from the Arctic, this female Snowy Owl was sitting quietly on a pier that juts out into Lake Ontario. Her mate (almost pure white) was further out on the pier. Snowy Owls are hardy! It was a bitter cold day and they just sat there in the wind.  Not me! I soon left the pier to find a warmer spot.

Same Snowy Owl

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.”

Burlington Canal Lift Bridge

 Lift Bridge - the road is UP

This bridge goes over the canal between two cities: Burlington and Hamilton. Large ships pass regularly through the canal from Lake Ontario into Hamilton Harbour, a busy port.

Boat about to go under bridge

I like this canal because vacationing waterfowl from the Arctic spend time here in winter. Although ships pass through,  ducks are present when the canal is otherwise quiet.

 Road is coming down

You cannot see the traffic, but there are quite a few cars waiting or the road to come back down. It was early morning and a few motorists needed to get to work.

 Driving across the bridge

This is what the elevated road looks like when it's back at traffic level.

Bridge seen from east side of pier

After crossing the bridge, we parked and walked out onto the pier that stretches out into Lake Ontario. And look who was swimming in the canal!

Male Long-tail duck

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Ice Storm Aftermath

 Ice Storm, five days later

The big news here is the ice storm that arrived last Sunday. Many people (mostly in Toronto) are still without power because so many broken tree limbs landed on power lines. Hydro (electrical) crews have been working non stop.

 Ice on staghorn sumac berries

Ontarians north of the city (where I live) were much luckier! My neighbourhood has experienced power flickers and that's all.

Ice on fences and weeds in the countryside

Fence, weeds and ice under hazy sun

I am Linking to Mosaic Monday HERE.
Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more NATURE NOTES.

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.”  

White-breasted Nuthatch

 White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

I love these agile little birds!  This one was making fast trips to and from the feeder, which made me suspect he was not eating all the seeds but perhaps  hiding some of them.

 Upside-down

I wasn't the only one watching. So was a sweet little hairy woodpecker. And guess what! As soon as the nuthatch hid his seeds and left, the woodpecker sneaked in and took the hidden seeds.

Looking away, perhaps suspecting something

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
Camera Critters HERE  and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.



Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.” 

Late Afternoon

 Lake Ontario at Hamilton yesterday #1

 Lake Ontario at Hamilton yesterday #2

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

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.”  

Decorated Gate

Welcome! Today is Boxing Day in Canada.

I am linking to Friday Fences here.

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.” 

Christmas!

Frost on my sun room window

The frost looks a bit like angel wings to me. Hope you are having a great day!

 Another window pane

 Same window pane as the second photo

Christmas Eve

I hope you're ready!

Ice Storm Decor

 Ice on Echinacea  #1

The Greater Toronto Area and the rest of southern Ontario  experienced an ice storm over Saturday into Sunday, which has left much destruction and quite a few people without electricity. But amazingly it also brought some beauty - at least I find it pretty - in my gardens.

 Ice on Echinacea  #2

I can only imagine how sparkly my garden would have been if the sun had come out!

 Ice on Echinacea  #3

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Frost on Window

Jack Frost on sun room window

When it's really, really cold outdoors, Jack Frost decorates our sun room windows overnight. In the largest square you can see where sunlight  started to melt the frost, which I think is pretty too.

Yes, it HAS been unseasonably cold lately!

I am Linking to Mosaic Monday HERE.

Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more NATURE NOTES.

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.” 

Back to the Future

Bee luxuriating in pollen - Remember summer?

Since today is the first full day of winter, it seems like a positive idea (for many of us) to look back to summer 2013. OR ahead to summer 2014.

I am joining I Heart Macro HERE.

Long-tailed Ducks

 Male (front) and female long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemelis)

It was finger-numbing cold, overcast and very windy the day I took these photos, but this is the time of year when I see flocks of long-tailed ducks swimming in the icy waters of Lake Ontario.

 Sitting up tall in water

Early in winter, these diving ducks can be quite shy of humans, just having arrived here from the Arctic. Later in the season they sometimes move a little closer to humans carrying cameras. (I sure hope so!)

 Female long-tailed duck

I love the odd sounds they make when they talk to each other, but these ducks were silent. However, one male was wagging his tail feathers and  the whole flock moved further out into the bay. I suspect the tail wagging was a warning signal.

Taking off

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.”

Christmas Lights

Lights reflected in window and on driveway

We have snow but it was slightly above freezing point yesterday so there was some melting, enough for lights to be reflected in this driveway anyway.

 Lights reflected in driveway

 More lights

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

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.”  

Fence Decor

 An East Gwillimbury Fence

Hasn't the recent snowfall enhanced these decorations nicely?

 Closeup of one post

Looks like were gonna have a white Christmas this year.

Closeup of top rail

I am linking to Friday Fences here.

E/Alphabe-Thursday

 Entrance into long drivway

E is for Entrance.

 Entrance into Jordan Harbour

Front entrance into home

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE 

Bald Eagles 2

 Adult Bald Eagle

I can't believe I've seen three bald eagles in less than a week!

Adult's profile

Sunday afternoon, my husband and I were driving along the southern shore of Lake Simcoe when we spotted this adult bald eagle sitting on the ice. I was about to have some fun taking photos of this handsome guy when a loud snowmobile happened by and scared him off, but at least I did get to take a couple of photos.

 Juvenile Bald Eagle

Disappointed, I was about to get back into the car when  this juvenile Bald Eagle flew over my head and...

landed close to a puddle in the ice and then walked into it. I couldn't see what the eagle was up to until I saw the photo on my computer screen.

Juvie guarding its frozen dinner

 Looks to me like there's a frozen duck there and the juvie was laying claim to it.

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

Santa Decor

 Extreme Decorating 2

Perhaps you remember the home I posted in October that was decorated for Halloween HERE.  This is the same place!

 Soldiers guarding the front door

 All aboard! 

 Santa delivering gifts on a motorcycle

 A second holiday train

Festive snowmen

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.