Covid restrictions eased off during the month with vaccinations taking hold. Places of interest opened again, some with restrictions and we "hit" some of our favourite spots.
(Scroll over the pictures to read the captions)
Mud Lake was on our rounds as usual.
The ducklings are growing in size, the adults are in various stages of molting
![Mum mallard and 3 growing juveniles](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ae78ea2d-844a-439c-8e7b-087ded9c1597_rw_1920.jpg?h=d7defbb75b0774f74b899f1443c9be94)
Mum mallard and 3 growing juveniles
![Younger mallard juvenile](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c87dbcfa-08d6-4b27-b7e2-c6aec8f00529_rw_1920.jpg?h=4c426fa06e7a6c63005b9651f0277b98)
Younger mallard juvenile
![Female wood duck](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c5e28674-ea8c-445a-9266-4b22851eee55_rw_1920.jpg?h=205a3bf80a0f3af4382fc14852bd1690)
Female wood duck
![Young female wood ducks "in discussion".](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/b22baa03-070a-4dc9-a3b4-2757fbba8ca5_rw_1920.jpg?h=6383bf644f64838caaf53159377a6303)
Young female wood ducks "in discussion".
![Young female wood ducks "in discussion".](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/dd0c39cd-8fa7-4ba5-ae91-ddfe4506efdb_rw_1920.jpg?h=062d6a6606bd55c37067c90db6c850bb)
Young female wood ducks "in discussion".
![Male wood duck in full molt](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/4c87b26e-9520-4490-b46c-234722a258cb_rw_1920.jpg?h=eea74f46036baa809e6b6bb327cea1d4)
Male wood duck in full molt
![Male mallard going through molt](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/d7d3eca5-d63d-4127-a9d7-61eb134d42fe_rw_1920.jpg?h=45706225d5df4a8481a23dd06812dd92)
Male mallard going through molt
Summer flowers were in bloom, some seemingly earlier than normal.
![Milkweed](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/8a6c92c0-d32b-499f-a98d-bcd8127c4b7d_rw_1920.jpg?h=d1159072a43062f50a923c3cb52fb431)
Milkweed
![Purple flowering raspberry](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c466b531-e669-48b3-872a-a4ad44eb6bff_rw_1920.jpg?h=dae4ccaa911b424ddad50c7761cf010c)
Purple flowering raspberry
![Saint John's wort (medicinal)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/a06b767f-82f0-4cf6-890c-fc11f42b0d68_rw_1920.jpg?h=1571e0465ce9512dd5b6b3ac1ef33f98)
Saint John's wort (medicinal)
![Waterlily](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/12c0bc33-0129-4c1f-bd75-5922630ee5d5_rw_1920.jpg?h=c591eb4c05cec03e3fe4a14374c4faba)
Waterlily
![Meadow-rues](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/75c26988-efdd-4f2a-b92b-88fb4e552594_rw_1920.jpg?h=eb9b75f0c1d4dae8eb8a1ea9e306953b)
Meadow-rues
A few other Mud Lake eye catchers
(I didn't notice the second frog in picture #2 until I got home!)
![Bull frog](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/4d666070-8007-4f61-9bf2-6c6ebbe5a5ba_rw_1920.jpg?h=18e29328ea4bed8548f276fb6712e0d3)
Bull frog
![Bull frogs](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/e4057e03-1936-44ec-81ef-b8e47ff9c4fd_rw_1920.jpg?h=98ac31fd48fc13901d190d48cf925812)
Bull frogs
![Land snail](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c156607a-94a1-465a-a3b8-234db8fc2778_rw_1920.jpg?h=a4e54b08e7d7bc0b23ee581c06462e1d)
Land snail
![Cabbage white butterfly](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/2cc1a983-ed27-4c95-8d2b-1942f270c254_rw_1920.jpg?h=bde313be26cd609f09adda2f3b2404a7)
Cabbage white butterfly
![Great blue heron](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/49b6f7f2-a165-4e44-aefa-02e954097f9d_rw_1920.jpg?h=992a87f1e36604681793478306731b0c)
Great blue heron
With our annual pass in hand we headed back to Parc Omega....
We arrived an hour or so after opening so the full welcoming committee was on hand. The youngsters were off to the side not ready for the action yet.
![Elk](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/45061739-c9a4-4fda-96ca-6c4fa39573bf_rw_1920.jpg?h=a936a7d2400260a4930012fd18756f42)
Elk
![Elk](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/a8bc3bab-bc19-4807-a9db-b688b236cd81_rw_1920.jpg?h=70eb001b515107d189e5d27764ba6080)
Elk
![Juvenile elk](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/7f18465f-164a-42b2-ad21-9edd743ebd64_rw_1920.jpg?h=f14fedcd4b1549415ec93d8905831e42)
Juvenile elk
Other juveniles were keeping close to their parents as well.
![Fallow deer fawns](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/5c42604e-176f-4d4b-a671-70f3788f5fd6_rw_1920.jpg?h=984a25c391364e199ca19d834560a92d)
Fallow deer fawns
![Fallow deer mum and fawn](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/be1adffe-7203-4eb1-a082-77000bdc5b6c_rw_1920.jpg?h=dbdad3ee7982c66eefab0d0dfdd79e5d)
Fallow deer mum and fawn
![Fallow deer fawns](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/e3acfd69-ba14-4815-b128-82fe2a2e21a1_rw_1920.jpg?h=149fabb4bea2591c554546558ca19503)
Fallow deer fawns
![Young buffalo](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/760b7833-fa27-4362-b824-9692846ef933_rw_1920.jpg?h=07e4ab127a1bb8347cffa7ba40ebe24a)
Young buffalo
Large antlers and horns.
Elk horns aren't always balanced, alpine ibex do not lose their horns, they just grow constantly.
(Ibex is one of the few animals we avoid as they tend to put their front hoofs up on the car to ask for carrots.)
![Unbalanced antlers](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/2a2e2b75-5e85-4ee7-9172-5e4fecb96354_rw_1920.jpg?h=6a4fe96f916d7bbc542c64601955c981)
Unbalanced antlers
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/82b92d1d-bff5-4d27-8a26-e03ab88c2fb6_rw_1920.jpg?h=819aeec2c6593f05af16e20e0167a84c)
![Alpine ibex](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/79e4e46d-21fc-460d-a7bb-dd181086b7c8_rw_1920.jpg?h=a257e10129e34b95f6ac45e29fd38813)
Alpine ibex
I wanted the bear to stop and smell the roses (lilies), but no luck.
![Black bear and tiger lily](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/bcda1b9c-04ad-4d94-9020-b7ead3c3d8b7_rw_1920.jpg?h=d1054a069949f459efbefeac2a8a82b1)
Black bear and tiger lily
A male red-winged blackbird constantly chirped to let it's last fledgling know where it was. A phoebe had caught a small butterfly and was on its way to the nest.
![Male red-winged blackbird](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/897f2b8f-4cd7-4029-bd67-a4f58d1fbf55_rw_1920.jpg?h=cc719cbf9b9e0d6f853895c3bd74b096)
Male red-winged blackbird
![Juvenile (fledgling) red-winged blackbird](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ee275e7f-b898-47f6-a8e4-71b795784431_rw_1920.jpg?h=bf6adf62527be6f0636e02c8d930f622)
Juvenile (fledgling) red-winged blackbird
![Juvenile (fledgling) red-winged blackbird](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/070e8499-33a3-4c62-b474-4c32780c8361_rw_1920.jpg?h=db4ff4925edc72f95655923dace217d0)
Juvenile (fledgling) red-winged blackbird
![Phoebe](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/07af4ee6-347a-47ff-a4b8-13dca67f71bb_rw_1920.jpg?h=ddcf45a565f83f7fcffa0185a12c7b94)
Phoebe
A raccoon was raiding the food station again and we were serenaded by the arctic wolves (and others?) howling.
(See/hear following video)
![Raccoon](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/8d3f45af-d1b9-41dc-b4f5-99c09c79e341_rw_1920.jpg?h=04bb66d0b3d993dc257db2141b970435)
Raccoon
![Arctic wolf howling](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/e78022a6-52d5-499e-bad4-719c2f6737fd_rw_1920.jpg?h=f1195a32a63781337f61b175322eadc5)
Arctic wolf howling
Parc Omega has an extensive collection of large wood carvings.
![Turtles](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/94b4e6a6-ffb2-40d8-8662-b0ae943979d2_rw_1920.jpg?h=c3b17dcceec81d76c470dabfd58cc8ce)
Turtles
![Elk, deer, turkeys, eagle, wolves and moose](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/5d619418-0d45-4537-9e21-50d13944fd09_rw_1920.jpg?h=621e69a3c23a4e662a223f1cbbe535fd)
Elk, deer, turkeys, eagle, wolves and moose
On the way out there was a good view of the toll keepers at work welcoming visitors.
I love the three heads in the car at the left.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/32d73a9b-c5ed-4157-ae1a-8d604e55fb8a_rw_1920.jpg?h=577ead868731d5eb80be7a384724da95)
Upper Canada Village relaxed their visiting rules as Covid restrictions eased. There was still no visiting inside buildings and without a season's pass only timed entrance tickets were available.
The Village People were available, in reduced numbers, to provide the verbal stories. (And because there were so few visitors, they were very happy to talk at length about almost any topic.)
![Still some reminders....](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/6845c80a-56d8-4176-97ed-b624a86cdeba_rw_1920.jpg?h=6e9e2d1ec6272150fe721d2171868d3c)
Still some reminders....
![Buckboard wandering the village making deliveries](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/43b09533-f5e3-4baf-8cb4-15abdb1ad251_rw_1920.jpg?h=039752b29648bbe10168874bdc4194a4)
Buckboard wandering the village making deliveries
![She spins wool all summer, and then does it for herself all winter.](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/a1b81d39-d516-4f31-b5f3-d7c55a5761f8_rw_1920.jpg?h=867ad7b01afa38ab2e5a2cd6ae24cdbe)
She spins wool all summer, and then does it for herself all winter.
![Tasting the baked sausage pies at the backdoor](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/bc78cb2d-eefb-4bc8-985a-83c947a33993_rw_1920.jpg?h=75c7244dc287e03549383ce215626054)
Tasting the baked sausage pies at the backdoor
![With a longer white beard, he plays a different role at Christmas.](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/1096e2ae-3484-4dce-97d4-fa5906512d08_rw_1920.jpg?h=06d14810e0e99e28195546f7f6201be1)
With a longer white beard, he plays a different role at Christmas.
![He's been baking bread for over 20 years.](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/c1e87c68-c23d-46d9-a8fe-299b2800f793_rw_1920.jpg?h=b8984cb1da0f9cc0392b00b227056798)
He's been baking bread for over 20 years.
![Gardner with 20 years experience](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/ea1ce0a9-e8d5-4dec-a25d-e36e681436e0_rw_1920.jpg?h=e13bcd1446203055bcbabe9d123dc36c)
Gardner with 20 years experience
![Carp looking to be fed](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/f558af18-8fd1-41a5-aebc-2b212c59eb79_rw_1920.jpg?h=e2a678fe570115be684a9fd010a0b7f6)
Carp looking to be fed
![Friendly horse](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/8b31bd1e-cd8b-4e4d-ae74-b0439b5debd9_rw_1920.jpg?h=a0d0a5a370be210509448986deb7f81b)
Friendly horse
![Three young pigs relaxing in the dry mud](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/292f5c8b-a5b0-436e-9c15-c4941fdd3307_rw_1920.jpg?h=0be011d39215ff286adcd98c111219a1)
Three young pigs relaxing in the dry mud
![Hollyhocks](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/05391041-7561-41a0-818e-8c56527ae1f5_rw_1200.jpg?h=7a750dcb1a86669fc022b97725197174)
Hollyhocks
![Hollyhock reflections](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/e5093f7f-c60a-4b16-9f6c-34153856202e_rw_1920.jpg?h=da6350f5442864d662c9acf79930a257)
Hollyhock reflections
Miscellaneous
(Scroll over the pictures to read the captions)
![Tall ships in Brockville harbour](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/547f91ba-7c05-465e-b823-bfe56b01bc8a_rw_1920.jpg?h=74501481f0946ac221858759b1cc28db)
Tall ships in Brockville harbour
![Golden Hawk (arobatic team) Sabre jet](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/9b778145-c837-4d2c-8369-200255a7d7bd_rw_1920.jpg?h=a8836c1afc72b9c427fa35a4bd7cd5d4)
Golden Hawk (arobatic team) Sabre jet
![Brockville mural](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/0e7162b7-e0d4-407e-a445-9d8b24e54b35_rw_1920.jpg?h=e375ada96105b3bb69f1f2c4758a5da9)
Brockville mural
![Mural in Osgoode (village in south part of Ottawa)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/917b507f-f2fe-4d0e-95ac-97cd0ffcc786_rw_1920.jpg?h=4451962c9728423c1c6b33d06d962dbd)
Mural in Osgoode (village in south part of Ottawa)
![Graffiti under Heron Road bridge. (needed a tall ladder to do this one)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/571e2dfd-6227-4fd5-b779-aac13b019759_rw_1920.jpg?h=c0a1acab1adfe8b412d06dac6d57a57a)
Graffiti under Heron Road bridge. (needed a tall ladder to do this one)
![Musk mallows](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/0f122287-45e8-495e-9759-4ab6aff2db10_rw_1920.jpg?h=f59feb1c2a0820d0c17443410dc47620)
Musk mallows
![Nice flower in Brockville garden](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/5cfe1713-5eda-49a6-8cd9-c24678e9c3df_rw_1920.jpg?h=4193f5afa3e2fb2c4ed69e4977ee9bfd)
Nice flower in Brockville garden
![Three juvenile osprey in Iroquois](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/e912dcf7-6b74-40b5-b51c-2718a9e77ce2_rw_1920.jpg?h=f08e7e32cc1501c888d98151eb3ddf12)
Three juvenile osprey in Iroquois
![Between 6am and 11pm you are free to do what you want](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/246fd75f-5c9a-42aa-9527-ea66620cbdde/18fc3ec1-2d01-45eb-a5ee-a7a258b15348_rw_1920.jpg?h=2a550c0156428f55f754f4eef7f497c1)
Between 6am and 11pm you are free to do what you want
The website linked below is what caught my eye in the last two weeks of the month.