Urban wildlife

Hi my Steemies !

Summer is officially here! Yesterday was the longest day of the year. Here in Edmonton, it means our days are currently 17 hours long!! It's a nice change from the 17 hour long nights of winter. We went to the supermarket past 10 pm and it was still daylight, it's awesome. That wasn't the point of my post tho, back on topic...Celebrating the arrival of summer and sunshine and the fact that I've accomplished my teenage/ early 20 something goal of not working in the summer.

A pelican feeding from the fish in the pond. Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 200

Sure travelling to the Rockies and stalking buffalo is fun and all but sometimes I like to have a slice of wildlife much closer to home, by closer I mean down the street. Edmonton is probably one of the greenest city you will find. Here in Alberta, wetlands and ponds are protected wildlife areas and cannot be disturbed by urban development along with our city's river valley since the flood of 1915. With that being said, as the city grows, these areas are turned into parks as new neighborhoods get built around them.

A group of goslings. Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 200

All of the parks along the river valley connect into one long trail starting at the park down the street from here all the way to downtown of the city, leaving a green belt separating North and South of Edmonton. Of course I've walked most of it before because I was skeptical and sometimes have too much time on my hands but not this time. In these parks, birds and small wildlife adapts to the new surroundings continue to live or visit the area and get used to human presence. In most wildlife preserve, they discourage feeding wildlife, not here. Feeding them responsibly is encouraged, and that is NOT bread. Bird feed and fruits cut up in small pieces is acceptable, they quickly will become your friend, especially the geese, they will eat right out of your hand and follow you around for the rest of the day including the babies! Keep in mind, they are still wild and prone to unpredictable behavior and can attack. watching body language and respecting the boundaries set by each individual animal or bird is important to prevent injuries.

Canada Goose and her goslings. Shot 1/250 sec. f/5 200mm, ISO 400

Out of all the parks, Hermitage Park is the one with the most visible wildlife. You can expect to see Lots of Canada geese and various species of ducks, grebes and various other small birds all day long. On occasion pelicans and swans drop by to feed in the pond or an afternoon float. Yes I said pelicans and swans in the middle of Edmonton...of course I mainly see them when I don't have my camera. Small rodents like muskrats along with his larger cousin the beaver can be seen if you look for them. The large population of mosquito attracts tons of dragonflies, some becoming quite large by the end of summer. In other words... birdwatcher/photographer's paradise(trust me the scenery isn't that spectacular I go mostly for bird watching), I can easily stay occupied for a few hours each visit.

Shot 1/250 sec. f/5 170mm, ISO 400

With a 300 mm lens it works but it still leaves me a little limited in distance, I was originally trying to walk to the other side of the pond to get a better picture of the pelican when I got distracted. Well there was no need to look for what must of been at least 40 lbs of beaver, I have never seen him around or even knew beavers could get as big as he was before today but this was a pleasant surprise. Most of my previous encounters with beavers, they vanished before I had a chance to take a picture but this year I seem to be getting a lot of beaver! This guy stayed eating foliage about 6 feet away from us for at least half an hour while I just did my thing with the camera and just watched.

Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300mm, ISO 200

Obviously, if you live in a city, there is always that one area where wildlife and humans learn to coexist and enjoy each other's company, no need to look far to find a natural oasis close to home in this concrete jungle. This time of year is precious because of all the goslings , ducklings should be coming soon. Well I suppose that is part of my summer plans, I generally end up spending many summer evenings watching the babies grow up.

How do you relax on a summer evening?

Well that's all for now, I wish you all a great summer! I will leave you with a few more pictures of my walk.

Shot 1/320 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 400

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 360

Shot 1/250 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 640

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/640 sec. f/5.6 210mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/250 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 640

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/250 sec. f/5 195mm, ISO 400

All images taken with Nikon D7000 and 70-300 Nikkor lens

Cheers! X🐞X