As spring got warmer, it was easier to get out early and watch the sun rise and literally see the early bird get the worm.  Mornings were still cold, but if I could tough it out a couple hours, the sun usually provided enough heat to shed a layer or two.  The ground was getting a little greener, and some of the birds moved on to the rituals of making babies.  I was beyond excited for this stage of spring because migration of many of the different warblers and other birds was in full swing.  I saw more duck species than I had heard of before.  The “bugs that bite” were still missing in action and there were still no leaves to hide the birds.  It was perfect.  

Each time I would head out with a new hope and excitement for what I might find that day.  Each evening I would come home with almost 1000 shots and over 12,000 steps logged.  If only my appetite didn’t outrun my legs, this would have been a good weight loss routine… 

On these walks, I would pass the occasional walker and on one occasion I ran into a fellow photographer. We got to chatting (standing further away than the acceptable social distance mind you) and realized we both liked taking similar pictures.  This chance meeting has been directly responsible for my one and only owl sighting and subsequent photos.  One might see photography as a lone “sport”.  But in reality, we get a lot of information from others.  I have found certain warblers by asking obvious birders (the ones I ran into just after sunrise with binoculars)  what they had seen on a particular day and where.  Some folks see my camera and immediately spill the beans on what they deem a great location to get a good photo.  I am happy they share.  My fellow photography friend and I have since exchanged more information about where we have found rare sightings.  I stumbled upon a fox on my own, but was given a head’s up about a fox den with kits by walkers who noticed my camera.   They basically let me follow them all the way to the den. Some of my coolest shots exist because I chose to strike up a conversation with strangers and they taught me about locations in the region.  I was helped in finding an owl.  I returned the favor by speaking about the fox den.  We have since shared other locations for shot opportunities.  Everyone should enjoy the outdoors, and I don’t feel any need to keep what I know a secret (unless I feel the safety of the animals would be threatened).

When I first started trying wildlife photography, I had grand hopes of getting a bald eagle. I was fascinated by them and really wanted to have a great shot of my own.  I got a couple from a distance last summer during a trip past the French River and up to Marathon, and I was ecstatic.  They were not the pics I dreamed of in terms of close up and high quality, but they were my first bald eagles.  Recently, I have learned there are eagles here in the Waterloo Region.  I didn’t know that multiple bald eagles nested along our grand river.  Or that one could be seen along the trees at Columbia lake in Waterloo.  It is true, and I now have many pictures of bald eagles, including a couple of eaglets that have recently left the nest.  I watched them grow up the last several weeks and they have practiced long and hard at flying and based on what I have seen they will be fine.  They also look like very large birds that are potentially even the same size as their parents already.  This was exciting for me, and I enjoyed seeing the birds, as well as helping others see them.  

This has been a trying spring for us all, and now we are heading into a shockingly warm summer.  Covid has taken away so much that we took for granted.  But we can take a little something positive away from this forced time away from offices and travel.  We can meet new people that we may have never met in “normal” times.  We can share information and have new experiences. Take more walks.  Breathe in more fresh air.  Get to know the creatures big and small that live right in your neighborhood.  You will be surprised!