Mallard ducklings
Hen mallard with a brood of newly hatched ducklings on the pond next to the Rideau River, June 20, 2013.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Category Archives: Nature
Green heron
After seeing a pair of green herons on the pond next to the Rideau River where I photographed ducks, turtles, red-winged blackbirds over the past several weeks, one of the herons was good enough to pose for me at last on June 18, 2013.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Eastern kingbird viewed while out for a run with Hera, my friend Jason Quinn and his dog Nos, June 17, 2013. The eastern kingbird is a plucky species of flycatcher common in the area. I see a few mated pairs every spring nesting in shrubs along the Rideau River. They are usually successful at rearing their broods as they mount a spirited defense of their nest and young, driving away crows especially. The often perch on the wires in the background, watching for the insects on which they prey, snatching them out of the air.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Egg shells are all that remain of the clutch recently laid by a turtle in the soft earth next to a pond by the Rideau River that were dug up and eaten by a predator, likely a hungry raccoon. Life in the natural world is typically short and comes to a sudden and grisly end.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Vireo, possibly a warbling vireo seen and photographed June 15, 2013 in a wooded area next to the Rideau River.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Merrily rides the huntsman bold, Blithesome and gay rides he … — Brothers Grimm
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“Funny, you don’t look it” is a typical response when people learn I am a hunter. Aside from the fact I am gay, I am a gentle and thinking man. People find it hard to believe that I can choose to hunt down and kill a game bird or animal. Yes, hunting, unlike my gayness, is an ethical choice I make. It is a moral choice I keep to myself a great deal of the time as I find I have more venom spat at me for choosing hunting than for being gay. I concealed that I was gay and in a relationship with Mika from most of my hunting buddies. My hunting buddies are men and women from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. They are generally conservative. I feared I might lose them as friends and hunting buddies if they knew the truth, or at the very least, they would be uncomfortable knowing. It turns out they were not bothered in the least and are happy for me that I am in a long-term relationship with Mika. We remain friends and hunting buddies, taking to the field to pursue game and enjoy our sport. Everyone who takes up hunting has their reasons for doing so, but as for me, I have had a lifelong passion for hunting, the outdoors and wildlife. Continue reading
Geoffrey’s hunting diary: Red-wing blackbird chicks
On my daily training runs with Hera I found a red-wing blackbird’s nest in the reeds at the edge of a pond in the spot near the Rideau River where I run her. I am keeping an eye on the nest, taking care not to disturb the birds, and in due course saw that four chicks were hatched. I used my camcorder to capture some candid footage of the mother blackbird feeding her chicks.
Video produced and published by Geoffrey
Toad hatched this spring. Found in the grass next to the Rideau River, May 25, 2013.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Geoffrey’s hunting diary: Trumpeter swan
Video of a trumpeter swan seen on a marsh pond near Spencerville, Ontario, May 20, 2013.
Video shot by Jason Quinn
Yellow warbler viewed in a mixed habitat of shrubs and meadow next to the Rideau River, May 20, 2013.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Geoffrey & Mika 