Escape to Pen Lake

Got to enjoy the antics of loons all weekend in Algonquin Park--flapping on the water as they spontaneously take off and their haunting group calls. They let me get a lot closer than last year...seemed pretty tame. I didn't see any babies.

There was also a bald eagle on the lake. both times I saw it it was being harassed by gulls. 

red eyes and a beautiful neck band. there's something about their heads that makes them look almost computer simulated?

with dragonfly

one leg up

stretching out the wings

#67-69

#67: Great Blue Heron; June 5, 2010; near Godfrey, ON
Finally got a GBH to pose for me for a few seconds! I had seen another one earlier in the day with an injured wing. It's wing was just hanging down very awkwardly :( 68: Wilson's Snipe; June 5, 2010; Hwy 10
So apparently the common snipe and the Wilson's snipe basically look the same, but one has a couple extra tail feathers and stripes on its underwing. They used to be classified as the same bird. I'm 90% sure this is a Wilson's, since I guess the common snipe is not in this region. I hope I'm right.

#69: Common Loon; June 5, 2010; 13 Island Lake, Ont

A little Canadiana here. I know this is a lame shot...bad light (light was fading fast...what could I do?), chromatic aberration, etc....and I'm sure I'll get way better shots of loons when I go to Algonquin this summer, but I'm antsy. Plus by that time, the babies are going to be much bigger and I love that they are riding on the parent's back in this picture....how adorable is that? I never really looked at loons this closely before (and didn't realize they are so big?!)