Oshawa Harbour December 30th, 2012

I was getting itchy to get outside but didn't want to go too far so I went down to the harbour. Bright blue skies and lots of sunshine... a beautiful, crisp winter day.

Bonnie Brae Point

Ring-Billed Gulls. They look very comfortable with the snow, snuggling into it for a nap or to pass the time.

 

One leg warm, one leg cold.

I caught some nice light on this one.

They almost look like they're enjoying the snow rather than just putting up with it.

You don't get to see their red mouths very often. This one was yawning, not squawking.

This guy had to dig his toes in when a strong wind gust came up.

Wave patterns...

There are 1000s of shells and shell fragments on the beach. I'm curious as to what they are.
Update: John Foster ID'd them as Zebra Mussels.

The gulls pretty well always outnumber them, but there are always some Canada Geese at the lake.

If you have the time and the inclination, nature offers incredible detail for us to examine. These sand 'cliffs', all of 6 inches high, were in one or two spots where the conditions were just right.

These miniature sand ridges (about 1 mm high) mark the edges of waves as they wash up on the beach. Each succeeding wave wipes out earlier ridges and marks its own limits, but only if the sand is the right consistency.

Further along from the 'sand cliffs' the waves were forming miniature sculptures under a ridge, but again only in one or two spots.

It's been so mild up to now that there's no shore ice to speak of... at least none of the huge chunks we're used to seeing some years. 

The harbour pigeon flock.

At this angle they look like so many 'eyes in the sky'.

Lake Ontario has a huge effect on our weather. At about 200 miles long and 50 miles wide at the widest point, it's no wonder. Clouds over the lake change often and quickly. It was nothing but blue skies when I arrived, but an hour later the dark clouds were moving in from the west.

We often have blue skies overhead in town but when you look south, you often see a band of clouds over the lake. This was mid-afternoon, a real contrast to the shot of Bonnie Brae Point above.

As the afternoon wanes, some of the geese head inland to the corn fields. The gulls stick around the lake.

My hands got a bit cold, even with the hand-warmers I use. I just can't operate a camera comfortably with gloves of any sort on. But what a glorious day!

- fini -