This week we got our first real taste of summer weather. What’s great about May is that the days are warm but the nights are nice and cool. No air-conditioning required.
Monday, May 21st, 2018 – Beach one is looking good. I’m amazed how much work it takes to get the beach ready for guests after a rough winter. It was surprisingly quiet for Victoria Day weekend.Monday, May 21st, 2018 – A series of homes just west of the boardwalk. The perfect retirement property if you want to live on Georgian Bay near beach one without a lot of maintenance and fuss.
The cranes like overcast still days when the water is calm. I think it is easier for them to fish because they can see fish swimming more easily.
I’m not 100% sure, but I think the white crane I followed down the beach today was a Snowy Egret Crane. Information about these birds here – http://naturalcrooks.com/rambles/what-large-white-bird-wading-marsh-swamp-ontario/. Apparently these birds are relatively new to Ontario. Their range has expanded north as the climate has moderated. The dark crane might be a Sandhill Crane whose range extends to Southern Ontario for breeding in summer. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can help me out. I’ve decided to call them Mr. White and Mr. Black.
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 – Today was all about the birds. I followed two cranes a few kilometers down the beach on a cloudy Tuesday. Every time I got close enough for a picture, one or both would get scared and fly a hundred yards to the east. (it never occurred to them to head west and they could have been done with me) I took about 50 pictures. Hard to get close to these guys. This is one of the only times I caught them together.Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 – My friend “Mr. White”. I couldn’t get closer than 50 feet before he/she would fly away.Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 – “Mr. Black” was a little less nervous and I could get closer. They were fishing as I watched them. They would fly out over the water and periodically return to shore with a minnow and prance about.Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 – When I got a little too close to Mr. Black he took off – this picture captured just prior to his going airborne.Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 – Mr. Black flying away from me down the beach as I got too close once more. This cycle repeated itself about 20 times.Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 – Last one – I promise. Mr. White showing his vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) skills.Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018 – Today was just one of those perfect days! Windy but warm. Picture taken near 13th street looking toward Blue Mountain. Too windy for the cranes to fish today. Only seagulls.Thursday, May 24th, 2018 – Looking west from beach one across the boardwalk.Thursday, May 24th, 2018 – driving to the beach we had to pull over. The local OPP were escorting a bike race down the length of Mosely drive parallel to the beach. This was on my way to beach 3.Thursday, May 24th, 2018 – As I entered the beach at my usual spot at 18th street I snapped this picture. The folks in the lower left spotted me and thought I was taking a picture of them. Great people it turned out and we had a nice chat. I don’t want to post their pictures to respect their privacy.
