Braving the Bugs

You loose your tolerance for things sometimes. I find the first couple of days among biting insects hard. You would think I would be used to it by now. We have spent so much time in some very buggy places.

Blood Filled Mosquito

In late May and early June in Ontario you tend to see a bit of everything - black flies, mosquitoes, deer flies and horse flies. We have had four trips so far this spring and spent time on Manitoulin Island, Killarney, Sandbanks and Bon Echo.

Black Bear Mother and Cub

Common Merganser Male

Spring Ice Formations

Outlet River, Sandbanks, ON

The first 3 locations were wonderfully bug-free except for midge flies.

Non-biting Midge Flies

Bon Echo was not so bug free. The moment we stepped out of the van I realized that a short sleeve shirt and short pants were not a good option. I don’t use bug spray very often but the bugs were so thick, we both quickly sprayed our entire bodies. It was just enough relief to get the dining tent set up. I wondered if it would be better at the beach parking lot so we drove there and got out. There was nice breeze keeping the number of bugs down. We decided to have a swim and then cook dinner there. Later we wandered down to the point to shoot the cliff on Mazinaw Lake. The light was nice but the breeze killed the reflection I was hoping for. I used a 10-stop neutral density filter to smooth out the ripples on the water and create a soft reflection. We had a nice evening at the edge of the lake.

Bon Echo Provincial Park, ON

The next day we shot at a waterfall in Flinton Ontario. The bugs were thick there too. Once I started working though, I was able to ignore them for the most part.

Flinton Ontario Waterfalls

There were lots of turtles at the side of the road. We found a young snapping turtle willing to pose.

Young Snapping Turtle

It started to rain so we headed back for a game of cribbage and cooked dinner. Having a dining tent allows us to work out of the bugs and rain. It is the only way we can stand to camp in the spring.

Campsite with Dining Tent

It's Spring!

Winter's thaw, Murphy's Point - Click for larger

I can remember when I was a kid growing up in the Ottawa Valley. Our home was on a rural side road near the village of Lombardy. Winters were long and cold. A friend took me ice fishing on Big Rideau Lake in late March one year. There was so much ice we had a hard time cutting through it so we could fish. I wouldn’t go near the ice these days.

Bon Echo Provincial Park - Click for larger

It should be an interesting spring this year. It will be hard to predict when and what will be in flower. The trees in our area are already starting to bud.

Mayapple flower - Click for larger

Will Mayapple have to be renamed Aprilapple? I hope not. Everyone seems to be so happy to be done with winter. It is hard to not get caught up in the great weather.

Dutchman's Breeches - Click for larger

However I feel a sense of loss. Without a real winter, I’m not sure I appreciate the coming of spring as much as I usually do. I'm also worried about the record temperatures. This really is a game changer. We received half the normal snowfall this year in our area.

It was 22 degrees last week in Winnipeg. WINNIPEG! That can’t be good…

Lori and I were out for a walk this week. I could hear a Mockingbird singing. We looked around and saw it sitting in a bush at eye level. We walked 3 blocks back to the house to get my gear. It was still in the same spot when we got back.

Mockingbird - Click for larger

I also had a good shoot with some students last week on Algonquin Island, one of the Toronto Islands. It was quite warm and we had good light for a Toronto skyline shot.

Flag Waving in Toronto - Click for larger

I have to wonder though with all this warm weather, will we be seeing Palm Trees on the Toronto horizon?

Toronto - Click for larger