Late Spring

It has become a tradition for us to open the family cottage over the Victoria Day weekend.  We see lots of different weather; sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy.  This year we had a cool Saturday, cold Sunday morning and hot Sunday afternoon.  There was barely a bud on the trees, let alone any leaves.  On Saturday the air was so cool and the sun so faint that the Trilliums were barely willing to open.  Sunday was a different story.  They were out in their glory and I found a friendly Downy Woodpecker digging a rotted log, looking for grubs. 

Trilliums

A cold harsh wind on a cloud morning left me wondering why I hadn't just slept in.  When you arrive at Peter Corner's Corner in early May, you know your in for a treat.  Bzillions and bzillions of trilliums, not to mention the spring bird migration.  I set about shooting the trilliums and during a brief break, about half a dozen varieties of warblers flew through the bush I was in.  Glad I took my binoculars. 

Woodland Cemetery

This might be the oldest cemetery in London, ON.  During my walk, I viewed stones dating back to the 1850s.  There are some big old monuments and a very nice, neat and tidy veterans' section.  To many Londoners this is the cemetery with the deer.  A couple of weeks ago, I went and saw lots of big lenses.  That usually means a very rare bird sighting.  Well my guess was correct.  It was a pair of Great Horned owlets and one of the parents.  A little later I found a red-bellied wood pecker.  The deer, well they were molting and not very attractive.  Maybe next time.