Sylvia's Simple Shots

The Siberian Squill are in bloom in the neighborhood.

Several front yards have these tiny beauties.

Beautiful blue color hanging on this delicate stem very close to the ground.

I have not see the white ones this year. 

I squeezed getting my taxes down to the last day.  It really did not take as long as I anticipated.  

Now, that I have retired there a very few pieces to collect and plug into the calculations.

I did manage to get to the bank to pay the bit I owed.

It's been a good week for photography.  I have visited several of my regular water spaces to see what I could find for birds and flowers.

Here's are a few shots from Beaumaris Lake.

The Ruddy Duck with it's bright blue bill.

The Golden Eye which in the sun shimmered its green head.

The Red Wing Blackbird which is a staple of many wet places.

The Common Grackle was showing off its blue head and yellow eye.

The St. Albert Botanic Park was starting show color.  The Pasque flowers are always early bloomers.  The pink flowers are apple blossoms and the small purple flower was very close to the ground.

It's that time of year.  The waterfowl have arrived and trying to sort out a place for a nest and raising the next generation.  

The American Avocet is always a treat to see. We are on the northern edge of their breeding area.

The Beaver was very curious to see what I was up to and then went on it's happy way.

The Canada Geese were defending territories and there was much posturing, chasing and honking going on.

The Lesser Yellowlegs were scoping the area for food.

The Northern Shoveler duck was there showing off his bright head.

Photo Blogging Challenge - My Choice

I found this Grey Shrike-Trush Grey Catbird near my home this month.

It is a new one for my Bird Photo List.  When I saw the red just below her tail I quickly assumed it was a Robin.  But the beak was not right as it was dark and a Robin beak is yellow.

So, the research began.  With the internet things are so easy to look up and I quickly found that it was a shrike and not a robin.






 

 I visited the Clifford Lee Nature Sanctuary this month.

It has wetlands and boardwalks through the forest and along side the water.

A road trip was undertaken as it is a few miles out of the city.  Well worth the visit.

There was a tussle between two Canada Geese and you can see the wings and water flying!

Oil on Water is an upcoming challenge so I decided I should get started early this week as there is some set up required.

I searched the web for some tutorials.  This one by Visual Arts Photography is the my choice to base my set up on.

Once set up then you can easily change out the background and keep shooting.   I use scrapbook paper, game boxes, and colorful advertisements.   Anything colorful will work.

When I used the Blokus pieces with great primary colors I was happy with the results.

This shot is a paper tole sheet.

I am working on getting a great photo for the a show later this year.

One of my challenges in May was water drops so I set out with my water bottle to find a sunlight dandelion.

We have huge forest fires burning here this month and there has been very little rain hence bringing my own H2O.

Love this shot against the blue sky.

I found this flower on one of my longer walks this month.

It is a Pasque Flower.   I love the purple color and the texture on it's surface.

It is quite a large flower but I like the bell shape of the it.


May's theme was our choice so I shared some of my favorite pics from May.


Sharing with the Photo Blogging Challenge hosted by PJ.

Mosaic Monday - This Week

A few photos from the past week.  The purple pasque flower was snow free this year when I went by this week.  Last year it was snow covered.
As I crossed the bridge a pigeon came to rest on the rail very near me so I just took a shot.  I rarely can get that close to them.  I guess he felt he could get away fast if I moved.
The bushes by the train station were just getting ready to be in full bloom.  Love this shot as I can just see the blossom ready to burst out.
There has been a construction site set up near the entrance of the bridge for a while now.  It consumes a portion of the park and I was wondering what was going on.  Now I know. They have closed the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge and are installing these barriers all along the whole length.  I expect that soon the east sidewalk will be closed and the same will take place there.  Really puts a damper on shots of the river, valley and area from the bridge. Safety First!

We have had some rain recently.  I could not find much evidence as it has just absorbed into the very dry soil.  At the fountain I found a bit in the base.

Submitting this to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage now only being done once a month. 

Mosaic Monday - Spring Snow

We had snow this week.  Wet and heavy which broke branches on trees.  On my walk Thursday I hear wood chippers in several areas.  We had one break in our side yard and the chipper was there early Thursday.  The arborist indicates that the wound should heal and the tree likely will survive. 
The daffodils were weighed down.
The purple pasque flower seemed to be faring better.  I love the way I captured the fuzziness on the petals of this flower.
The pigeons seem well fed.  I liked the way I had touches of green in this shot including the bird. 
Submitting this to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.