Long Point & Lasalle Park March 9th, 2013

A group of us went down to Long Point on Lake Erie in the hope of seeing some of the thousands of Tundra Swans that migrate through the area on their way to the Arctic. If you time it right you may see tens of thousands apparently. We saw several hundred but we didn't catch a big day. Such is nature.

We saw a few 100 along a treeline in a farmer's field but they were a few 100 yards away so I didn't even try for a shot. Our closest view was several small flocks that flew overhead.

They're a beautiful bird and with their haunting call as they fly, it makes for a wonderful sight.

Abandoned houses always catch my eye, especially interesting ones like this. How long did someone live here? Why did they leave? Why didn't someone else buy the place? The placement of the bay window seems a bit odd. Was the portion of the house behind the spruce tree added after the bay window was in?

We combed the backroads in the area for a couple hours hoping to find a huge gathering of swans but it wasn't to be.

It was time for lunch so we stopped at a highway restaurant where the "famous" B.E.L.T.C.H. sandwich is served... Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, Ham. Apparently a former chef came up with the idea. It makes a B.L.T. sound like simple fare. I chose their all-day breakfast. It was delicious.


A Bald Eagle flew by at one point and perched in this tree, sharing it with some of his smaller cousins. If I had a 600mm lens, maybe I could have got a decent shot of him.

After lunch our group leader took us back to where they had seen some Tundras and Sandhill Cranes. The cranes were a couple 100 yards into a field and and the swans were behind them, another few hundred yards further back against a treeline. I didn't take any shots... they were too far away for any good shots I thought. But we did get a good view in our binoculars and scopes.

We concluded that we weren't likely to see any better views of Tundras so our leader suggested we leave for home, but stop at Lasalle Park in Burlington to see what was there. It's a popular stopping point for waterfowl and they didn't disappoint today.

When we first arrived I spotted this small bridge on the opposite side of where the 'action' was.

Got one!

Checking the shot...

The action was on the 'east side' as my daughter calls it. A good mix of swans & ducks. The Hamilton steel plant is across the bay.

It's US Steel now. Stelco went bankrupt a few years back.

We arrived at Lasalle just in time to see the last few geese and swans flying about, before they settled in for the night.

Greater Scaup. Their brilliant yellow eyes stand out well in photos.

The silky smooth water made a good background.

It looked like the three adults were teaching the juvenile some synchronized swimming techniques. The Coot in the foreground was the judge.

Unlike the yellow eyes of the Greater Scaup, the darker eyes of Coots almost disappear in shots that don't pick up catchlights in the eyes. Sometimes I add a catchlight in Photoshop. A simple name for a 'simple' bird but I think they're attractive.

Many swans are tagged. Something else you can fix in Photoshop if you want to bother.

Someone started feeding the swans, so many left the water for an easier meal.

This Wood Duck stole the show. He was the only one there tonight, amidst the swans, geese and other ducks. I'd guess he had his picture taken about 2,000 times or so in the half-hour that I was watching him and all the other action. They're definitely gorgeous... almost looking unreal.

One of our group noticed that he had taken a shine to this female Mallard. He was following her everywhere.

As beautiful as the Wood Duck was, this Red-Breasted Merganser was my favourite of the day. He was at the end of the pier by himself, getting very little  attention from the other photographers that were there.

With his teenage haircut, red eyes and beak, colorful markings, and proud pose, drifting slowly by in the silky water... I love it.

This was the second time that I joined the group going to Long Point hoping to time it right to 'hit it big' with the Tundras. You have to be lucky with nature, or persistent or both. Maybe next time.

But with the Tundras and Sandhills that we did see and the stop as Lasalle Park, it was a great day anyway. Most days out in nature are.

P.S. A note for photographers:
All these shots were taken at 1/160th of a second. That's why some of the shots aren't as sharp as they should be. I couldn't change the speed. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the camera.

When I got home, I checked the manual, even went on-line looking for ideas. I finally figured out what had happened. The switch on my battery pack had been moved slightly when I put the camera in my camera bag the night before (I assume) so I was able to change the aperture but not the speed. I shoot manual most of the time.

Just thought I'd mention this in case it happened to you, and like me, you were baffled by the camera's behaviour. I'll know better next time if it happens again.

- fini -

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