Monday, February 23, 2015

A Favourite Harbour of Mine

 Whitby Harbour last Friday

Some of you may have noticed that I frequently visit the Town of Whitby on Lake Ontario. Last Friday was a bitterly cold day but since my husband and I had met some friends for lunch close by, we just had to check out the harbour.


Looking at the west side of  the harbour entrance

The last time we'd visited the harbour, it was completely frozen. I was pretty sure it would still be as the temperature was way, WAY below freezing.

 The rocks totally covered in layers of ice

 Large sheets of floating ice

But to my surprise there were lots of places for ducks to swim and there were a few Common Goldeneyes, Red-breasted Mergansers, Lesser Scaups, Mallards and Trumpeter Swans swimming amongst the ice floes.

 Male Common Goldeneye

It was interesting to watch the ducks as they were constantly dodging floes that were floating into each other.

Female Common Goldeneye


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40 comments:

  1. Gill - That British WomanFebruary 23, 2015 at 7:37 PM

    I wondered why there were so many photos from the Whitby area. Our dd lives in Pickering.

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  2. ValerieFebruary 23, 2015 at 7:37 PM

    Wow - now that's COLD ! A lovely series of shots "E.G.". That 2nd image is brilliant and the 3rd amazing. Don't you just love the constant look of surprise on the Goldeneyes?!

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  3. UnknownFebruary 23, 2015 at 7:39 PM

    Lovely pictures as usual particularly Whitby harbour shots. It looks very different from the Whitby in England :)

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  4. CloudiaFebruary 23, 2015 at 7:53 PM

    Those ice sheets entranced me. Your whole post was like a breath of fresh cold air!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  5. RevrunnerFebruary 23, 2015 at 7:56 PM

    Colliding floes--something else to worry about. :-)

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  6. TexWisGirlFebruary 23, 2015 at 8:00 PM

    glad they found open water!

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  7. Gail DixonFebruary 23, 2015 at 8:06 PM

    Those ducks must be very hardy. They certainly are beautiful, and the color of the water they're swimming in is gorgeous.

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  8. Ruth HiebertFebruary 23, 2015 at 8:09 PM

    I can't even imagine how cold that water must be.It is amazing to see the ducks out there and freezing their feet.

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  9. Sylvia KFebruary 23, 2015 at 8:21 PM

    Oh, cold indeed, but SO beautiful!! And what superb captures!! They truly did take my breath away! Those ducks are braver than I am, that's for certain. Thanks as always for sharing the beauty!!

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  10. JackFebruary 23, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    Was there an ice breaker at work in the area? I am reading about so much cold weather from New England to the Midwest and up in Canada that I am surprised to see some open water.

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  11. RandyFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:11 PM

    It looks so cold.

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  12. The Furry GnomeFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:31 PM

    I have noticed you go there frequently, but the pictures are still beautiful!

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  13. Linda W.February 23, 2015 at 9:39 PM

    Wow - lots of snow and ice. And one very hardy duck!

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  14. AnvilcloudFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:45 PM

    I like all of the ice in #3.

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  15. Yogi♪♪♪February 23, 2015 at 9:50 PM

    If I were a duck I would have flown off to Florida a long time ago.

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  16. Ginny HartzlerFebruary 23, 2015 at 9:50 PM

    Love the ice covered rocks. And the lake has what looks like flat mini icebergs! Is that a cross? Poor ducks, they must be freezing! But what else can they do.

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  17. William KendallFebruary 23, 2015 at 10:08 PM

    Very chilly, but the birds don't seem to mind.

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  18. Mary HoneFebruary 23, 2015 at 10:43 PM

    Brrrrr, pretty yet cold.

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  19. RoseFebruary 23, 2015 at 10:48 PM

    Spring will come....spring will come. I keep telling myself that. In the meantime I will enjoy your pictures...love that third one.

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  20. Krishna/കൃഷ്ണFebruary 23, 2015 at 11:36 PM

    Full of ICE, it is interesting...

    Thanks

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  21. IndraniFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:00 AM

    Wonderful pictures, but I was thinking how much cold you had to bear for taking these lovely pics.

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  22. CountryMumFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:10 AM

    Wonderful photos. The ice sheets are fascinating.

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  23. HalcyonFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:01 AM

    Whitby is a nice place. We also had some friends that lived there and it is interesting for a stroll. The ice photos are so beautiful. Hope it warms up soon though.

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  24. The CrankyFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:46 AM

    With their golden-gimlet stare, the goldeneyes remind me of a teacher I once had...
    Once she pinned you with that stare, you confessed - and if you had nothing to confess to, you made something up!

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  25. Margaret Birding For PleasureFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:56 AM

    WOW! That looks very cold but gorgeous photographs. Glad the ducks found some water to swim in.

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  26. AmyFebruary 24, 2015 at 3:00 AM

    yes it does look very cold but it is so pretty!

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  27. PerthDailyPhotoFebruary 24, 2015 at 4:27 AM

    I love visiting harbours also EG, but I am never going to see amazing sights like these at Whitby harbour. I would really love to. You have to admire the tenacity of the bird life to survive in these conditions.

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  28. UnknownFebruary 24, 2015 at 4:44 AM

    Beautiful pictures of ice and snow!
    Would love to see such beauty by myself, but it wasn't freezing enough over here...
    Have a fine day
    【ツ】Knipsa

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  29. Hootin AnniFebruary 24, 2015 at 5:56 AM

    OMGoodness...here I am sitting in the warm house, and the temp here this morning is just below 40 degrees...and I thought THAT was cold. Nosirree!! Now THIS is cold.

    But beautiful.

    Great post. I'm visiting today from your link left with Nature Notes.

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  30. eileeninmdFebruary 24, 2015 at 7:45 AM

    It all looks so cold but beautiful too. Lovely scenes.. The ducks are pretty too. Great photos.

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  31. MadSnapperFebruary 24, 2015 at 9:30 AM

    i like the sheets of ice in the first photo, that is a gorgeous photo. i can't figure out how those ducks put their legs and butts in that icy water..

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  32. orvokkiFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:03 PM

    Lovely images. Love the harbor in white snow.

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  33. cieldequimperFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:29 PM

    Big... nay make that huge sigh of contentment from me. Love it!

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  34. Amy at love made my homeFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:54 PM

    Those huge sheets of ice really are amazing aren't they! xx

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  35. JudyFebruary 24, 2015 at 3:52 PM

    I wonder why the ice is all in flat slabs... I was at the Mississippi River in Almonte (Ontario) and the river was full of slabs that had ploughed into one another and created pile-ups!

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  36. jp@A Green RidgeFebruary 24, 2015 at 6:28 PM

    Ice chunks with such cold water temps...makes me wonder how a duck can stand it!!!...:)JP

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  37. Judy February 24, 2015 at 9:23 PM

    I totally love the ice covered rocks! It really makes for a beautiful photo.

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  38. Rambling WoodsFebruary 24, 2015 at 11:24 PM

    Oh so happy to see some areas of open water.. The rehabbers are starting to get diving ducks in again that are starving....We need some warmer weather.... Michelle

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  39. betty-NZFebruary 24, 2015 at 11:42 PM

    Wow, those are some amazing shots! I love winter scenes like this, but not being cold in them!

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  40. Joan ElizabethFebruary 25, 2015 at 4:29 AM

    I have never seen iced over water like that ... except for the tiniest of puddles.

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