A morning Rosebud...

A few local wild flowers...

Bunchberry.. Lady's Slipper..

Ant on a Chive flower...

New Growth...

on a Spruce tree..

A Spider and his supper...

I witnessed a 'nature moment' yesterday at camp, initially I was just intrigued with the spider and the 'neat web'...he was just lying there, waiting I guess, as all of a sudden,
he flew down the web and

grabbed this unsuspecting mosquito into his clutches and began eating

It didn't take long for him to suck all the life out of the mosquito, I couldn't believe what I was seeing,

when he finished, he dropped the black shell and went back to sitting quietly patiently waiting for his next meal!!!

Feeding the brood...

Was at camp all weekend, weather was perfect, and the photo ops too!!!

my girlfriend told me about a nest they had seen down near the beach, but she couldn't tell what kind of bird it was, so the next morning I went down, camera in hand and sat quietly waiting for her return..I was rewarded!!!

Seems to be an European Starling who has taken over a woodpeckers nest...

A Ducky day...

Dropped by the Lake this morning before work, and to my pleasant surprise, there were at least 4 different families of mom and ducklings,
they were all so cute.. here are a few of my favorites.
Notice the water droplets on the top of this little guy, they were all very busy diving in and out of the water in search of food.
This little fellow was resting on a rock, mom was close by though, with his siblings..

One of the many 'dads' keeping a close eye too, on the broods !!

One of the moms with her group taking a break...

and another mom with hers...

This fellow dropped by too for a few minutes, looks like he is from the Warbler family, not sure what kind though for sure, notice the orange spot on his wing, anyone have an idea what kind he could be?

Reflection in Parry Sound...

This is a small lake outside of Parry Sound, there is supposed to be Pickerel in it, there were a few teenagers fishing on the other side.

A Parry Sound Bullfrog...

He was a big one !!

The two who almost got away..

Notice the 'rear end' of this beautiful Raccoon, I was so ticked at myself, that I missed a perfect shot of him, I think a 'once in a lifetime photo op'
He was beautiful.. first one I had ever seen so close, we are starting to get
the odd one up here, I've heard, but I have yet to see one.

I had the perfect chance to get a nice capture of this fellow, too, but by the time the truck was stopped and I was ready he was heading into the bush..

A Purple Finch..

Caught this Purple Finch in the tree last evening, the sun was catching his head 'just the right way' and the head was such a beautiful color!!

Sudbury Superstack, Sudbury, Ontario..

Here is another landmark of Northern Ontario, the superstack towers above all other stacks, it is amazing to see, and I thought you might enjoy seeing it too!!

The Inco Superstack in Sudbury, Ontario, with a height of 1234 ft. is the tallest chimney in Canada and the Western Hemisphere, and the second tallest freestanding chimney in the world after a Power station in Kazakhstan. It is also the second tallest freestanding structure of any type in Canada, ranking behind the CN tower but ahead of the First Canadian Place. It was constructed by Inco Limited in 1972 at an estimated cost of 25 million dollars.
The Superstack sits atop the largest nickel smelting operation in the world at Inco's Copper Cliff processing facility in the city of Sudbury.
For more info see this article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inco_Superstack

I lived in Sudbury in the early 70's and my landlord at the time actually was a foreman on this project,
he often told us stories about the building of this, for example, during a bad storm, the stack would be swaying in the wind at least a few feet, not sure if he was exagerating or not but I was not impressed as
heights scare me to start with. lol!!

The Big Nickel, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Sudbury Ontario, is the largest city in Northern Ontario in Population.
It is well known for its nickel mining and other minerals.
When passing through, on our way to Parry Sound, I took a picture of the 'big nickel'. It is pretty impressive !!

A favorite landmark, The Big Nickel in Sudbury, Ontario, is the largest nickel in the world, and is the exact replica of the 1951 nickel. It stands at 30 feet high and 24 inches thick. It was erected in 1964.

The Big Nickel is made from two vertical columns and some iron pieces that frame the first layer. Plywood makes up the middle section and then the exterior is covered with an outer coating of sheet metal.

You can't miss the Big Nickel while traveling through Sudbury, Ontario which attracts many tourists to the fascinating science center.

A few of the 'feathered variety'...

These young ones are busy learning all the 'tricks of the trade'...

Taken in North Bay, On....A beautiful Cedar Waxwing

I was taking pictures of a museum to show you ( will post soon ) and heard these fellows up in the tree,

we do have them here too, but haven't seen any yet this year...a bonus find for me, I thought!!

A silhouette of a black Squirrel..

In the tree, this fellow was just too fast for me...but I liked it.

A few out in the field..

A pair of beauties enjoying a snack..

This Billygoat kept his eye on me..so cute.

Not sure of the breed of this fellow, but he needs a haircut !! ha!

A young Moose...

A curious moose, was wandering away, but decided to turn around and take another look at me!!

A weekend away..

I have many great pics to post !! Parry Sound and surrounding area is called 'cottage country' in Southern Ontario, it is a great spot to visit, I was so lucky to get pics of local sights,
but also the wild life I seen on the way down and back was even more special to me, I tell you I was in my glory to say the least. :)

will post not in any peticular order for variety though...over the next few days !!

A Parry Sound, Ontario Sunset..

I liked this one, especially because of the seagull flying over, what a nice area this is, we have passed by many a time going to Barrie and other Southern Ontario destinations, we decided a spend a day or two here this time and so glad we did.

A Hawk..

We are away for the weekend, hopefully will have a few nice pics to show you over the next few days,

caught this Hawk on the trip down, not sure what kind it is right now, but will find out.

A baby Grackle...

I am assuming this little fellow has just left the nest (in the neighbors yard) he is up in my wild Lilac bush at the back, his brother or sister is sitting further back and I couldn't get one of it, and the mother is sitting on a nearby branch cackling at me!! I hope they both make it!!

My Weeping Caragana...

in bloom, it must be getting tired now as a lot of the branches go 'up'

instead of 'weeping' but I still like it, and it attracts bees etc. for my

summer 'macro' shots !!

A face 'only a mother could love'...

Bought one of these 'tree faces'...so cute !!

Having a 'corny' good time...

Mine alllllll mine !!! lol
Also love the 'corn threads' still on his whiskers, in the above pic!!

Hubby made me this 'corn chair' for the squirrels at camp, they do enjoy it !! ha!!

A Marsh Marigold..

in a nearby creek near our camp..

A Pony's tail...

Caught this young pony 'catchin' a few rays' this morning, she (or he) never moved the whole time I was there, I was so hoping it would get up, next time, but the tail was going steady, chasing away the flies I presume,
next week I will go back and try for an 'upright' !!
Notice the tail 'flipping' in the above pic ! :)

A Crabapple tree in bloom..

Spring has been a long time coming in Northern Ontario this year,

trees are finally starting to bud !!