First Insect Macro Photography Session of The Year...

Lately I've been so focused on photographing birds that I haven't actually gotten out to do some insect photography.  I love photographing birds and other wildlife but there's something about getting really close to insects and seeing just how detailed they really are that is exciting to me.

We thought that we would head out to one of my favourite insect hotspots, the Brueckner Rhododendron Park in Mississauga, Ontario.  Mid May to mid June also happens to be the peak blooming time for the rhododendrons.  This park is stunning with all it's flowering gardens scattered throughout.  Once these beautiful flowers have bloomed, other flowers take over showing off their beauty. 

I packed my macro lens, DSLR and flash and off we went.  I also took my telephoto lens just in case I saw some interesting birds that I wanted to photograph.  Although we did see some birds (Barn Swallows, Goldfinches, a Purple Finch, a Baltimore Oriole as well as many Canada Geese and Mute Swans), I focused primarily on insects.

Unfortunately it was quite breezy at times making it extremely difficult to shoot insects at very close range.  I would set up for my shot, get the insect in my viewfinder, only to have the wind pick up and blow the flower and insect right out of my sight and out of frame!  In order to make it a little easier to photograph insects, I had to find locations that were protected from the wind and then I had to locate cooperative insects!  All in all it was a great day out and I had a lot of fun looking for and photographing insects.  I hope you enjoy these select few photos from our outing.

Fly

Hoverfly

Hoverfly

Inchworms (aka loopers) are the caterpillars of the moth species belonging to the family Geometridae.  There were many present at the gardens.  Even had some crawling on me when I was done shooting!

Inchworm

Inchworm

Inchworm

Point Pelee National Park & The Festival of Birds

After our visit to Rondeau (which you can read about here), we headed over to Point Pelee to spend a couple of days for their annual Festival of Birds.

Point Pelee, located in Leamington, Ontario, is the smallest national park in Canada.  It is the southernmost point of Canada.  Point Pelee is a sandspit formation that extends into Lake Erie.  The tip is also constantly changing.  There was much less of it this year when we visited due to the high water levels of Lake Erie.  Point Pelee is a flyway over Lake Erie making it a birding hot spot during the spring and fall migration.  It is also a great spot for butterfly migration.  Point Pelee is a beautiful park that offers great hiking and biking trails and it happens to be one of my favourite parks in Ontario to visit.  We have visited a few times and have never been disappointed.

Every year to celebrate the birds flying through during the spring migration, Point Pelee hosts the Festival of Birds during the first three weeks in May. This year it was held on May 1st - 22nd.  During this time, specialty birding programs such as birding hikes and presentations about birds and birding, are offered.  Special pins are also awarded to those who see or hear 100 or, for this year only, 150 different bird species within the park.  The 150 pin is a special pin awarded this year only in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday.

During our two day visit, we hiked a few trails, some we did multiple times.  Below is a description with pictures of the trails that we did during our visit to Point Pelee.

Marsh Trail
One of my favourite trails to do, I can spend the entire day doing this trail.  It is a 1 km loop trail.  There is plenty of parking at this trailhead as well as the store where you can rent canoes.  With it's picnic table availability, it's also a great spot to enjoy a picnic while looking out over the marsh. The marsh consists of a multi level observation tower that you can go up and enjoy the view of the marsh from the top.  While we were there, many barn swallows were flying about constructing their nests.  The trail itself is a floating boardwalk that takes you right into the marsh.  Here you will see many different birds, turtles, dragonflies and even some fish.  There isn't much shade, so please be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen.

Marsh and Boardwalk

View From Observation Tower

Marsh and Boardwalk

View From Observation Tower

Brown-Headed Cowbird

(female)

Turtles Basking In The Sun

Canada Goose Gosling

Canada Goose Gosling

Tug Of War

Canada Goose Family

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

Red-Winged Blackbird

Red-Winged Blackbird

Brown-Headed Cowbird (female)

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Barn Swallow

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Marsh Boardwalk

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Marsh Boardwalk

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Barn Swallow

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Centennial Bike & Hike Trail
The longest trail at Point Pelee. It is a shaded trail through forest with beach access points.  We only did a portion of this trail.

DeLaurier Homestead and Trail

This trail is a loop trail that is just over 1 km in length.  The trail itself winds through open fields and a swamp forest.  There is also a historic house and barn with exhibits.  Unfortunately, it was closed during our visit and we were not able to go inside.  There is plenty of parking at this trail location as well.  There were a few boardwalks along the swamp part of the trail and another observation tower, albeit not as high as the one at the Marsh Trail.

Boardwalk

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Garter Snake

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Boardwalk

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

DeLaurier Homestead

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Sanctuary Lookout
This is a lookout over the marsh.  There are benches where one can sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of marsh life.  We saw turtles basking in the sun, a water snake out swimming in the water, fish jumping and swimming close to the surface of the water.  There is limited parking at this lookout though. 

Woodland Nature Trail
Another one of my favourite trails, it is a loop trail that is located at the Visitor Centre and is just under 3 km in length.  This trail takes you through swamp and there are any boardwalks to cross over.  Many different birds can be seen and heard along this trail.  It is also the location that you may see the endangered Prothonotary Warbler.

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Orchard Oriole

(Female)

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Yellow Warbler

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Shuster Trail
This is an approximately half kilometer trail that is accessed from the Tilden Woods Trailhead at the Visitor Centre's parking lot and will take you straight to the beach.  We saw some American Goldfinches, Yellow Warblers and a Downy Woodpecker while walking this trail.  Not much was happening at the beach.

Tip Trail
There are a couple of ways you can get to the tip trail.  You can walk or bike along the park road,
or you can take the shuttle. We chose to take the shuttle to and from the tip trailhead.  You can board the free shuttle at the Visitor Centre and it will drop you off at the tip outdoor exhibit.  It will then pick you up at the same location and return to the Visitor Centre.  The trail itself to the Tip isn't that long, only about 1 km if you take the direct route.  My husband and I decided to walk along the beach as well as the various pathways that are in the area.  Many different birds were flying about!  Here you can walk right to the end and stand at the southernmost point of Canada!  However, due to the high water levels this year, the tip didn't extend quite as far as in the previous years we visited the park.  It was like the tip disappeared!

Barn Swallow

Photographed at the Tip Exhibit

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Common Grackle

Tip

Photographed by Andrew Almeida

Most of the tip is submerged under water due to the high water levels.  In previous years that we have visited, the tip extended well beyond the rocks.

Further Reading:

http://friendsofpointpelee.com