Wandering Camera

This morning I'm joining up with Soma of Whims and Fancies and her new meme Wandering Camera. I'm not sure what to expect, or what I can contribute to the link party, but here's my first submission.

Back at the marsh. I know. Apologies for taking you down there yet again, but this time I'm going to show you all the melancholy shots I got on Sunday and saved for today. Fun right?! Like we all need melancholy on these grey February days.

I really love this marsh area. There are two marshes, Lynde Marsh is fairly large with lots of open water and masses of dried bull rushes. Cranberry Marsh is rather tiny, but that's the marsh I like best. How I wish I could have seen this marsh in its glory days ... long before our town allowed a sprawling housing development right beside it. Even before our town was really just a "town" (we are now over 100,000 and technically a city). 

How beautiful it would have been back when this area was a huge wetland alongside Lake Ontario, and farms were restricted to where the ground firmed up. It must have been a wild and eerie place. A perfect haven for a huge variety of birds and wildlife, all safe under the broken down willow branches and masses of brambly stuff alongside the water. I imagine it would have been difficult for people to walk through the boggy ground and scrubby brush. Pathways are now laid down, and people are urged to keep on the paths to prevent more destruction of this vulnerable area.

 My parents had a willow woods very similar to this alongside a tiny creek. It was neglected, but beautiful because it was left completely wild. It was a favourite place for me to crawl into and sit on a log and watch the birds and wildlife around me. I saw raccoons, muskrats and once a little ermine scampering along the willow branches. Willow trees are one of my favourite trees. They have real character with their old-world silhouettes, and the fact that they moan and groan in the wind makes them seem alive. This area does still draw the birds, and there are lots of water birds passing through on their migratory routes both north and south. I've seen arctic birds here, and wonder how far north they really do travel. It's nice that they stop for a rest where we are able to view them.

The darker waters of Lake Ontario in the background with the still frozen waters of the marsh in front.

As you pass the marsh you come to Lake Ontario, which didn't freeze at all this winter. The melancholy mood recedes as you are welcomed by the big water of the lake.

Aren't these woods wonderful? I played with these next photos a little bit because all those branches were begging for me to highlight them somehow. The next photo I brightened up considerably and saturated more colour into it. The following photo I took out all the colour for a different effect. Is it just me, or does this remind you of Fangorn Forest in Lord of the Rings? Love it :)

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you enjoyed the photos. I'll lighten the mood a little with the ever present chickadees ... played with their photos too (all on the computer).

Have a great day, and thanks Soma for creating this link party.

I hope you can pop over to the Wandering Camera and see what others have contributed.

Wendy