Park Life

Cormorants are very shy birds. They are usually sitting on the stumps in the middle of the creek, but in a place where you need a telephoto lens to 'capture' them. I only have a 200 mm lens so this is as close as I can get.

We were not sure what this raptor was until I got my telephoto on him and then decided it was a Bald Eagle, but a juvenile because his head was not yet white. He is definitely competition for the Cormorants in the fishing department. However, come time for the goose hatchlings, the Eagles will be out in force looking for an easy warm lunch.

Pussy Willows everywhere and many of them blooming already. The bees love these.

This is a Red Maple in early bud. These very red clusters will soon become green leaves, and then, in Autumn, they will turn back to a deep red colour.

We often see groups of young people in the park, clustered in the out of the way spots. As we approach, we get strong whiffs of Cannabis. The resemblance of that odour to Skunk Cabbage is uncanny. As we walked past a cluster of these pretty yellow shoots, we instinctively looked to left and right to see who was smoking Marijuana.

The Dandelion and the Skunk Cabbage are a bit repulsive, but maybe that is why God put them on the top of the list for first spring plants in the wild.
After a long grey winter, a splash of bright yellow is welcome, no matter the source.