Changes On The River

Today for seasonal transitions, we're looking at the Rideau River in one given spot. I begin with a view west, taken at Billings Bridge in early March one day. The river stays open beneath the bridge through the winter, which becomes a haven for ducks who stay over the winter. The open water was considerably larger than at the height of winter when I passed over, when everything in this view was frozen. Pressure from the rapids upstream undermined the ice between here and there throughout March, while downstream work had been going on blasting the ice, weakening ice between here and its final terminus.

A pair of ducks were along the shore on this side, one in the water, the other perched on the ice in the first shot, then together.

Here we have the view looking east downstream. The river curls and bends on its way down towards its outlet in the Ottawa River, and there was an ice jam downstream, but with the blasting of ice downstream, it wouldn't take long for all of this to break up.

Here we have the shoreline on this side. The water at that point was flowing over an ice floe pinned in place just beneath it. There were considerably more ducks on this side of the bridge.

I came back one day in mid-April. Ducks were in the water as I passed over the bridge. The grassy area is half submerged at this time of year. Stand up paddleboats tend to launch from here, taking a worn path through the grass down to the water in warmer weather.

The view west is here. The ice was gone at this point.

Finished my errands at the nearby mall, I took these shots looking east. Ducks were near the shoreline, where the vegetation beneath the water is within easy reach.