GREAT BLUE HERON

Posted on August 5, 2026 by bilyreid

Managed to shoot the following sequence on a recent outing.

GREAT BLUE HERON CATCHES YOUNG MUSKRAT

FLIGHT OF NO RETURN

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GARTER SNAKE

Posted on July 27, 2026 by bilyreid

A quiet walk through local countryside revealed the following encounters with garter snakes.

GARTER SNAKE

An unlucky frog is captured by a garter snake.

Final throes of the encounter.

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PURDON CONSERVATION AREA

Posted on June 28, 2026 by bilyreid

The Lady Slippers are out in full bloom in the Purdon Conservation Area, Purdon, Ontario.

LADY SLIPPER ORCHID

Because they require specific soil fungi to grow, you cannot transplant them, meaning you must see them in the wild. You’re welcome!!

PURPLE PITCHER PLANT

Also known as the Northern Pitcher Plant, it is a carnivorous plant that thrives in nutrient-poor acidic bogs and wetlands like that of Purdon.

The Purple Pitcher Plant traps insects using a water-filled, tubular leaf with downward-pointing hairs that prevent escape.

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WORLD CUP FEVER

Posted on June 28, 2026 by bilyreid

Lionel Messi

Soccer fan, professor Gad Saad, says that Lionel Messi might just be proof of the existence of God. Blasphemy you say!! Maybe yes, maybe no.

But the divine has a habit of hovering over the fate of the Argentinian teams. 40 years ago this week, Diego Maradona punched in the infamous “Hand of God Goal” in the match that saw Argentina defeat England. With God on your side, how can you lose??

I was fortunate to capture this image of the world’s best footballer way down under in Ushuaia, Argentina.

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LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

Posted on June 23, 2026 by bilyreid

Pope Leo recently visited Barcelona to consecrate the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ in the cathedral of La Sagrada Familia. Here’s a shot of the complex I took several years ago prior to the start of the Camino de Santiago.

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EVEN MORE WARBLERS

Posted on May 17, 2026 by bilyreid

A good flow of warblers through the Ottawa area in the past few days. (As per usual, click on each image for full screen display on laptop or desktop, then click again for even greater expansion.)

ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER TAKES FLIGHT

NORTHERN PARULA IN FLIGHT

BLACKBURNIAN TAKES FLIGHT

TENNESSE WARBLER FEEDING ON AN INCH WORM

SPRING ODDITY…….WILD TURKEY

PILEATED WOODPECKER

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MORE WARBLERS

Posted on May 11, 2026 by bilyreid

(NB: For those using a desktop computer, click on each image for full screen display)

YELLOW WARBLER

NORTHERN PARULA

BLACK THROATED GREEN

NASHVILLE WARBLER

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SPRING MIGRATION

Posted on May 4, 2026 by bilyreid

A slow start to the spring migration so far.

PALM WARBLER

YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER

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LADIES DAY AINTREE

Posted on April 10, 2026 by bilyreid

“Oh to be in England, Now that Spring is there”

Robert Browning’s Home Thought From Abroad was never more appropriate. The season is off to a great start with a Cambridge win in the annual Boat Race last weekend down on a very choppy Thames. Another sure sign of the season is the “Grand National” held at Aintree, Merseyside this weekend. The most challenging hunt race in the world with twice round 30 jumps. The race went international in 1944 with the success of the movie “National Velvet”, starring Mickey Rooney and a young Liz Taylor.

Whether they enjoy horse racing or not, almost everyone in the UK places a flutter on the race.

Final warning to the “Runners and Riders” before the “OFF”.

“BEWARE THE CANAL TURN!!!“

Here’s hoping for no casualties.

LOADING PLATFORM MANCHESTER TRAIN STATION PRIOR TO THE RACES

MANCUNIAN LOVELIES STRUTTING THEIR FINEST ON LADIES’ DAY

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IRAN

Posted on March 2, 2026 by bilyreid

Walking to a dental appointment last week, I happened to pass the Iranian embassy in central Ottawa. Through a protective iron fence, I was able to snag a shot of paint damage thrown at the front door of the building.

PS: Next time you see me, ask about the night I spent in a Tehran police cell.

Fond memories of Iran.

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