The fourth photo in this series illustrates what most of us already suspect...that old, hollowed-out fish carcasses are pretty gross. Even for a prolific carrion scavenger like the Turkey Vulture, it's enough to make a guy gag.

 

A Great Egret tossing back its breakfast of freshly caught gizzard shad.

 

An Osprey doing a pretty low flyover.

Hamilton Harbour
 

A juvenile Double-crested Cormorant.

 

Here's the baby squirrel that likes foraging for birdseed in our lawn. Despite being blind, it seems to do quite well for itself, chasing off chipmunks that get too close and stuff.

 

A Magnolia Warbler giving me the 'hurry up and take the photo, already' look.

 Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, ON

Belted Kingfisher. Don't be deceived by the twinkle in the eye and the happy expression...this youngster is an absolute menace to minnow society.

Dundas, ON
 

Northern Flicker. I was pretty happy to get a photo of a flicker in a tree because 97% of the time when I see one, it's on the lawn foraging for ants. Flickers love ants, maybe moreso than any other bird.

 

A Northern Parula who loved ambushing unsuspecting gnats from the cedar in our backyard.

 

"I vant to suck your nectar". It's amazing that wings as wispy and transparent as those of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird can carry them over 4000 km from Canada to their winter home in Central America. And back again in the spring. Jeez.

 

Great Blue Heron perched in a tree overlooking the creek. Backlit shots tend not to work well for me but I didn't mind how this one turned out with the bokeh and all. Also, two local fellas I chatted with on consecutive days here referred to the creek as a 'crick' which is kind of cool.

Dundas, ON.

A Red-eyed Vireo that popped its head out of the leaves for about a nanosecond. This was in our backyard a few days ago when a swarm of migrating birds descended on the neighbourhood.

The backyard

The Green Heron who was pretty close to the nice, comfortable rock I was sitting on.

 Burlington, ON

Common Loon. A junior one...but they do grow up fast. When they get to be about 12 weeks old and start to fly, they typically leave their parents. They will be mature enough to mate at age 2 or 3.

 

When the beaver dam lets go upstream, it's a rule that you have to go practice your long exposure skills. Even if it's more of a wee rill than a proper waterfall.

 

Happy to cast a fly into a mountain stream with my favourite mountain dog helping me out.

Mt. Robson Provincial Park, B.C.    📷: Meaghan
 

When this Spruce Grouse came onto our campsite he looked me in the eye and strutted straight toward me. I was unsure whether he wanted a sparring partner or someone to mate with. Not really interested in filling either of those roles, I took a quick snap then hid behind the tent for a while.

 Pukaskwa National Park

Cedar Waxwing.

 Valens Conservation Area

Not many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds hang around our yard into September but here's one that popped by for a few sips of bee balm nectar.

 

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds doing a couple of football game flyovers.

Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, ON
 

Eastern Kingbird.

 Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

The stunning badlands landscape of Dinosaur Provincial Park. - - - This park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the Red Deer Valley near Brooks, Alberta. It's one of the richest dinosaur fossil locales in the world...58 dinosaur species and over 500 specimens have been discovered here.

 

While it's always fun to photograph a new bird, it's even more exciting to get a snap of one you've never heard of. In this case it's a Lark Sparrow.

 Dinosaur Provincial Park