This summer involved a lot of traveling both within Waterloo Region and all around northern Ontario, so much so that we're splitting this summer into two blogs! Enjoy Part 1 of my summer series and the photos from all over Cambridge, Kitchener, Guelph, and Waterloo!
rare finds in Cambridge
The first two months of my summer were spent creating content for myself and for work during my co-op placement at rare Charitable Research Reserve. They are an inspiring organization built to help protect sensitive ecosystems through research, conservation, and education.
During my time at rare, I participated in multiple events including a Bumblebee ID workshop, a BioBlitz, and preparations for their annual Trail Party fundraiser. Since they house over 14 km of trails, there is always lots to see on their property.
I shot a lot of events in the Slit Barn during my placement and I couldn't help myself to pull the camera out during work breaks. The Barn and Resource House created the perfect infrastructure to house Barn Swallows, which were the cutest and ugliest babies I've ever seen.
Another main character on the rare property is Turkey Vultures. They love perching on top of the Resource House chimney, the roof of the Barn, and the nearby telephone polls. While they might be one of the more common birds I come across, these birds in particular were very comfortable being close to people, which allowed for some fantastic portraits of them!
Kolb Park in Kitchener
By far one of my favourite birding places in the Region. Every season has something new to offer, and each visit always provides some excellent birds and critters. In the late spring, this place is BOOMING with Tree Swallows.
Each bird house was full of these stunning birds and they can be found all over the park in May. Tree Swallows are definitely one of my favourite birds with their stunning metallic blue colour, and I am so pleased with how these photos turned out.
Later on into the summer, the birds who are drawn to the water really popped off. When I visited in July, the Osprey tower had some new occupants! It was so cool to watch the parents flying around trying to find food and taking care of their little ones. The nest was very chatty, seemed like the chicks were close to fledging.
Another find I was finally able to get decent shots of were the Caspian Terns. I've seen them almost every time I've visited this park, as well as other trails housed next to the Grand River, but they are so fast, far away, and usually quiet which is a struggle when you are trying to get still shots of them.
Guelph Lake and Arboretum
Guelph visits don't happen often, but when they do, they are always a fun little day trip. My first visit to the Arboretum this year was less of a trip to find new birds, but to share a birding trip with friends. Since my roommate grew up coming to the Arboretum with her mom, I thought it would be fun to surprise my partner with a special tour of the park from the locals.
The bird turnout wasn't fantastic, the weather was not ideal that day. That said, I was pleased by the non-bird species that we came across. There was a cutesy little Garter Snake that I was able to pick up, which was super exciting picking one up for the first time (yes I did it safely and put it down soon after).
Since this summer has been ridiculously humid and warm I took any opportunity to be in the water. This meant a trip to Guelph Lake for the day. After some beach time during the day to cool off, my partner and I took an evening walk through the trails before we went home.
We came across the biggest patch of Milkweed I have ever seen and it was stunning. This place was FULL of Monarch Butterflies preparing for their long migration in the fall. We also made HUGE progress in the Cedar Waxwing battle. One of the last birds we saw before heading home and listen: is this the best I can do, definitely not, but these are not bad compared to my past waxwing photos, so I'll take the small win.
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