PHOTO POST
Bright light and shadows run through this week’s post, with photos from garden and forest, marsh and lakeshore.
This Mullein plant, lit from the other side by early morning sunlight, grows just beneath a bird feeder. The spot is a favourite hangout for squirrels, who encourage the Blue Jays to spill as much seed as possible.
Purple Finches (who always look more red than purple to me) also visit the same feeder.
The Goldfinches and Hummingbirds get their own special feeders.
The above photo comes from a bit farther afield, on the bank of a small pond within the grounds of the Darlington Nuclear Station.
Below, the shadows of sunset play across the surface of Soper Creek where a submerged branch breaks the gentle current.
On the same evening, a Kingbird rests above a logjam on Bowmanville Creek.
Dozens of Dunlins swirled along the lakeshore on a breezy afternoon, plucking insects as waves splashed over the stones.
Every so often the birds would rise together in an instant, swoop out over the water in a fast-moving cloud, and circle back to a new spot a bit further down the shore. What caused these sudden flurries? The Dunlins, it appeared, didn’t appreciate the company of a Grackle, whose stroll along the beach repeatedly got too close for comfort.