Nest Armour
The only armoured nesting site on the Island is always one of the first to be occupied in the spring by returning Canada geese.
Lucy Décor
Lucy the Canada goose sets up shop on the dock of Yael’s houseboat. The planter wasn’t there for the 2010 season, so Lucy nested in a planter on the dock of the Boat House on Centre Island.
Docknest
Early spring 2009, and a Canada goose inexplicably lays an egg on an IYC dock. Do they sometimes lay eggs before their nest is complete?
On Guard
A goose proudly stands guard near its nest, on a small point of land just off of Doughnut island.
Touchdown Rain
A Canada goose touches down in a rain of suspended water droplets, near the IYC on the inner harbour side of their island.
Blue Waiting
Another great blue heron, completely backlit, wades in the waters off of Doughnut island fishing for dinner.
Day for Night
A juvenile black-crowned night heron, like this one photographed earlier, fishes along the shoreline of Doughnut island’s Three Fingers.
Mallard Adolescence
A mallard duck, half duckling fur and half adult feathers, swims by Snake Island.
Catnap
One of my favourite things about kayak-based photography: you can be completely silent. Here a black-crowned night heron naps the afternoon away, beak tucked in wing, completely undisturbed and unaware that I’m even there.
Cormorant Chicken
A cormorant chick, bare to the world, peers unabashedly at the camera. Tagged as related, this chick was photographed offshore from the Norgate Inlet in Georgian Bay.
Fledgling Fuzz II
Cormorant fledglings, now covered in a fine layer of fur, nuzzle each other and await their parent’s return with a fresh delivery of food. Tagged as related, these were photographed offshore from the Norgate Inlet in Georgian Bay.
Merganser Riding
Merganser ducklings ride their mother’s back, set against the folded granite of the Canadian Shield in Massassauga Provincial Park, Georgian Bay. Tagged as related.
Cute as a Duckling
Deliciously cute mallard duckings look as soft as kittens before their feathers begin to grow in.
Bad Hair Day II
Juvenile Canada geese begin to look a bit ratty as their fur gives way to feathers, just like these mute swan cygnets.
Bad Hair Day
Mute swan juveniles begin to look a bit ratty as their fur gives way to feathers, just like these Canada geese juveniles.
Salad Bar
A mute swan feeds her cygnets by pulling up vegetable matter from the depths, like a floating salad bar.
Size Differential
A mute swan and her cygnet near the Toronto Island Marina show just how much size difference there is between children and parents.
Nest Watching II
A mute swan mother sits on a prime nesting site on Long Pond in 2007, rendered uninhabitable in 2008 due to high water levels.
Nest Watching
A Canada Goose mother sits on a prime nesting site near Doughnut Island in 2007, rendered uninhabitable in 2008 due to high water levels.
Egret Flight
A great egret displays its fine wingtip feathers as it takes flight near Doughnut Island. Tagged as a b-roll shot, the angles in this photograph just didn’t come together.
Egret Ruffle
A great egret shows off its ability to stand every feather on end after swallowing a fish near Snake Island. Tagged as a b-roll photograph, this was taken far too late in the evening for any decent sort of light.