Some birds hang out all winter long, especially the waterfowl. On my walk recently the ducks were close to shore and didn’t seem to mind me being there.
….feeding bread to birds seems to stem from an old European tradition
When my Dad was still alive I remember he used to save up his stale bread to feed to the ducks and geese down by the lake. I never gave it much thought until I started to read the warnings about feeding waterfowl who live in the wild. Apparently bread is very bad for them because it can prevent birds from getting the nutrients they need to thrive because bread fills them up. Also, moldy, bread can be dangerous to birds and can pose a number of health problems for them. If the chunks of bread are too large, they can actually block the digestive tract. A regular diet of bread products fed to waterfowl can cause serious harm and even be fatal.
I came across a group of people feeding the birds down by the beach. Although I don’t agree with the practice it did give me an opportunity to get some interesting shots.
I’m always searching for the perfect or at least somewhat interesting photo when I’m out walking. On days like today when the temperatures have dipped below freezing and there’s a brisk wind in your face it’s uncomfortable taking off your gloves to shoot that perfect shot. I have come up with ways to warm up my hands when I put the gloves back on but I am definitely fussier as to what I want to photograph.
Today on my walk in the park I managed to get a shot of the beach closest to the park entrance. After taking my first photo a flock of geese took off in the sky and I managed to grab another shot. I wanted to get a photo of the bullrushes that were shaking off their fluffy seeds but the wind prevented me from getting a perfectly focused shot. In the end I decided that the shots that I had managed to get were fine for today and because I was in danger of slipping into the pond if I got any closer to the bullrushes the consequences could have been very bad for my health and longevity.
At both ends of our beach on Big Sand Bay there are wonderful stones and boulders that the water and waves flow and crash over all year round. As a result most of them are smooth and rounded. They come in many colours and have interesting veins and cracks. I love how the water gives them a glossy sheen when they are wet.
I’ve just returned from a five day stay at the cottage on Georgian Bay. As some of you may know my cottage is on an island and to get there you have to take a ferry. So I am literally surrounded by water when we go there. The cottage is on the north shore so it looks like we’re on the sea. This past week the lake was calm and great for swimming and paddle boarding.
This weekend I finally opened my cottage. It is truly my special place. I normally open sooner but I was so busy with my art show that this was the first opportunity I had to go up with my daughter. Opening up is always a big job and I knew that I couldn’t do it on my own so having Andrea with me made the whole process so much easier and more fun. Here are a few images from the north shore at Big Sand Bay and from the dock.