Lens Artists Challenge – #86 – Treasure Hunt

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Travels and Trifles for this week’s theme

This week’s theme is very long and detailed so I’m cutting and pasting the instructions here:

This week we’re going on a Treasure Hunt! The challenge is to search for specific items – either from your archives or newly captured – from the list below. Extra credit items are a bit more challenging. Focus on quality over quantity and hit us with your best shot(s)!

Challenge Items: Sunrise and/or sunset, Something cold and/or hot, a bird, a dog, a funny sign, a bicycle, a seascape and/or mountain landscape, a rainbow, a church, a musical instrument, a boat, a plane, a waterfall
Extra Credit Items: An expressive portrait of one or more people, a very unusual place, knitting or sewing, a fish, an animal you don’t normally see, a bucket, a hammer, a street performer, a double rainbow, multiple challenge items in a single image. My opening image, for example, includes a sunrise, a seascape and birds in a single shot. See how easy it is?! 😀

My favourite portrait of my granddaughter.

Sunset at the cottage

Strange fish

Rhino at the Toronto Zoo

Street Performer in Hamilton

Sunrise in the Neighbourhood

Water fowl in the Park

Two more recent sunsets in the park

Whimsical Quilts

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Mama Cormier

,,,from the Orangeville Quilt Show last weekend

I loved these fun quilts.

October Photo a Day – Birds

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to City Sonnets for hosting October Photo a Day

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Overhead

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Frank for hosting the Tuesday Photo Challenge

All Lined Up

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Judy for hosting the All Lined Up Photo Challenge

A special shout out to our son-in-law for the last photo of our granddaughter with the line of dipping sauces in front of her.

Friendly Friday Photo Challenge – Looking Up

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….a little late with this one but thanks to Something to Ponder for hosting this week’s challenge

Birds and a Beaver

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…more photos from my daily walks

Now that the weather is warming up I’m seeing more and more birds. Living next to the lake has always given me lots of opportunities to photograph the waterfowl, even in the winter but now that the weather is finally warming up (for a day or so and then it gets cold again) the number of birds is definitely increasing and their activity level is on the rise as they get ready to mate and build nests. Here are a few more birds that I’ve witnessed on my walks.

Another critter that I discovered this evening was a beaver that resides in the pond over at Col. Sam Smith Park. I knew that there were beavers there but I’d never seen one before today. At first is just looked like a rock sticking out of the water but I knew it had to be more than that based on the excitement of two other onlookers.

Sunny but Cold

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…..six days into spring and it still feels like winter

Despite the cold, the sun makes me want to walk around my neighbourhood. When the wind isn’t blowing it isn’t too bad. Unfortunately the areas that I like walking the best are always near the lake and even the tiniest breeze can be bone chilling cold. For some reason the geese, ducks and swans don’t seem bothered by the cold. It must be all that lovely down next to their bodies.

Birds at the Toronto Zoo

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….cold, grey and windy outside but warm and calm indoors

On Sunday, despite the forecast of high winds and rain, the Turners and I ventured to the Toronto Zoo. We had a lovely day and the rain never materialized to more than a mist and the high winds held off until we left.

One of my favourite places at the zoo is the Rain Forest Pavilion. For one thing it’s very dry and quite warm in there. It houses some beautiful greenery and some very interesting birds. One of the most interesting for me was the Hamerkop. This is a medium sized bird that lives in the wetlands of Madagascar, Africa and Arabia. It is famous for the large nests it likes to build and the one at the Toronto Zoo is no exception.

Homer is free to fly around the pavilion and the staff leave nesting materials lying around for him to build his dome shaped nest. These nests can be as big as 2 metres deep and 2 metres wide. Not only has Homer used the building materials that are left for him but he’s clearly found other objects, like mittens and pieces of paper to add to his structure.

Most of the other birds were kept in more enclosed areas to protect them from flying into the cold outside. They seemed pretty content with their surroundings where there were numerous trees, perches and resting areas.