Thursday, April 26, 2018

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.

38 comments:

  1. Amazing shots! Looks great!

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  2. Some beautiful views here, William. I wonder how ducks can survive the cold winter and not freeze to death. A lot of them think Ocala's too cold during the winter and head to south Florida! :)

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  3. Glad to see your winter is fading away and there is more to be seen than ice!

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  4. Still looks too cold to go paddling in

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  5. I always wonder about the ducks. Mallards?

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  6. @Weekend Windup: thanks!

    @Lowell: these ones do fine. As long as they have access to underwater vegetation, they do okay. Some locals do feed them corn, which suits them fine.

    @Marianne: it was a long winter.

    @Tom: some people do skate on the river, but I would never walk on river ice.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Bill: that'll be at least a month.

    @Marie: most of them. The occasional wood duck too.

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  7. Hello, pretty views of the river. I am sure the ducks are happy there. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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  8. Always ducks around no matter who cold it is!

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  9. You show the seasons slowly changing.

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  10. Your header proves that Spring is on the way.

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  11. Melting at last. I like the reflections.

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  12. @Eileen: they must be used to the area.

    @Norma: after a long winter.

    @RedPat: they can thrive in it.

    @Red: I like to do these comparisons each year.

    @Janey: the tulips are coming!

    @Sharon: emphasis on melting.

    @Lady Fi: so do I.

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  13. I like to walk near water... lakes, rivers... It is so pleasant, quiet, relaxing...

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  14. Always fun to see the changes over time.

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  15. Beautifully captured William. Love the reflections. Fascinating to see the ice trapped under the water like that. Those ducks ducks are tough, swimming in that freezing water ☺

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  16. Hi William, Very nice photos and the clouds' reflection in the water is so pretty.

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  17. bye bye snow ... see ya next year, right? ( ;

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  18. Can't wait for some colour green after all the brown and white!

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  19. I love changes of seasons. You are capturing it well.

    Janis
    GDP

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  20. Beautiful views, it's nice that the ice is disappearing. The reflections are very nice to see once again.

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  21. Winter is going little by little though.
    Beautiful photos, I especially liked the reflections in the water.
    Many greetings
    Maria de
    Divagar Sobre Tudo um Pouco

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  22. @Catarina: it is indeed.

    @Stefan: that it is.

    @Grace: they don't seem to mind.

    @Mildred: I had two interesting days in terms of skies when I was photographing here.

    @Beth: well, hopefully by late October!

    @Jenn: we had a lot of the white stuff.

    @Janis: and more to come.

    @Bill: thanks!

    @Maria: thank you.

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  23. The ducks must be happy that Spring is coming. Nice series of photos, William!

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  24. Signs of Spring in your lovely photography ~

    Happy Days to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  25. A lovely selection, I do like to see the reflections too!

    All the best Jan

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  26. It all looks beautiful, but so cold!

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  27. Ice skating is but a memory again...

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  28. Quite a difference~! I particularly like the photo of the ice flow underneath the water. Very interesting!

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  29. The River is beautiful in winter and in spring.

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  30. We made it to spring. The birds are back. Life is good!

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  31. @Marleen: they're happy to see it go.

    @Carol: thank you.

    @Jan: thanks!

    @Michelle: cold is a good thing.

    @Mari: thanks!

    @Kay: for another year.

    @Cloudia: indeed.

    @Jeanie: thanks!

    @Klara: thank you.

    @Orvokki: it is.

    @Jennifer: indeed.

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