A Visit to Ottawa

 So I decided to head down to Ottawa on Saturday.  It was a little windy, so I wasn't sure I would see much.  It wasn't a bad day though.

As I was coming into the park, I passed by this water lily pond.  There were quite a few egrets here.  I think they were gathering up for the trip down south.

A pair of egrets.

This one was fishing.

Then we passed this swan.

Since I was close enough, I got some shots of his head with my big lens.

I like this shot.

Another pulled out shot.

I like this shot as well.

A milkweed.

Another milkweed.

From a different angle.

The bug is a large milkweed bug nymph.

And I ended the day with a heron.

And a Stop at Ottawa

 Since it was on the way home, I ended up stopping at Ottawa.   Well, I stopped at Magee Marsh first but I didn't see anything there.

As I was entering the park, I saw a heard of deer.  This one was close enough that I could get a picture of him.

A pair of fawns.  

I was surprised he stayed there as long as he did but then again, I wasn't quite out in the open.

One more shot before moving on.

I think this is an indigo bunting and if so I will consider myself lucky.

A swan.

A baby swan.  I think these guys look pretty neat.

But for some reason, I will always think of the ugly duckling.

As I was getting ready to move on, I saw this eagle in the tree.  He was lit almost perfectly.

One more shot of him.

This was kind of a surprise.  I didn't know that sandhill cranes stopped here.  It was kind of cool to get one so close.

Since I like these birds, another picture.

There was another crane nearby.  So I had to get a picture of that one.

I'm not sure what this bird is.

I think this is a marsh mallow.

Another angle of one.

An immature eagle.

A more mature eagle but he is still fairly young.  He still has brown on his head.

He was looking around.

Another of the immature eagle.

He's looking at me.

I kind of wish he would have saw something to eat.

One more shot.

There were several rabbits around the park.  This was the only one I was able to get a picture of.

A flock of sandhill cranes.  And then I headed back home after a nice day.

Eagles in Ottawa and Ducks in Magee

 As I was looking on Facebook today, I saw that the wildlife drive at the Ottawa National Wildlife Preserve was open.  So I ended up heading down there.  It was a little cold and windy but not too bad.   I also went over to the Magee Marsh, so these pictures are from both places.

As I was looking for another bird, I heard the sound of a Sandpiper, so I looked down and took a picture of it.

There was an eagle flying overhead.

The swans were looking for food.

But I think they were a little on the cold side.

A Canada Goose.

A mallard.  I just wish the sun were out a little more, I love the way their heads look in the sun.

A pair of mallard drakes and a hen.

I think this one is a gadwall.

I think this one is a greater scaup but I'm not sure.

Another angle of him and a better picture.

This one is a northern shoveler taking off.

A Stop at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

 I saw that the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge drive was going to be open.  I decided to head down there.  It was pretty cool but there wasn't too much to see.  I saw a few eagles but they were out of range or in spots where I couldn't get pictures of them.  I mainly wanted to go down because it is only open once a month right now.

I did manage to catch a pair of swans though.  I didn't think they were back yet.

But given the kind of winter we've had so far, it's possible they never left.

It was still pretty cool to see one.

Just wish I could have caught the ones in flight.

One more shot.

I took a couple drives around the drive today.  I saw some birds but they were out of range for my camera.  Also, it was a little on the dark side today.  Maybe I might go back tomorrow.