Monday, August 5, 2013

Pond Mills/Westminster Ponds

Yesterday we went for a hike...
 
Over the meadow
 
 
Through the woods
 
To Saunders Pond
There are 6 ponds in a 200 hectares area.  The ponds are “kettle lakes” created in this glacial clay area 14,000 years ago by the melting of large blocks of glacial ice.
 

 

 
Pond Mills Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) is a large publicly-owned ESA in London (population 366,151). The ESA is significant for its size and for its great variety of natural habitats within the boundaries of a major urban centre. The site is also designated as a Provincially Significant Wetland.
 
We live in the Pond Mills subdivision,
the Pond Mills/Westminster ESA is three blocks from our house.
We enjoy visiting "the Ponds" in all seasons.
 
Beep, our granddaughter.
 
sharing with...

89 comments:

  1. What a beautiful world you have, Karen!! Thank you for taking us on such a great walk!! And your granddaughter is beautiful!! What a joy she must be!! Hope you have a wonderful week!

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  2. Hi Karen, I loved all your photos and what a beautiful granddaughter you have.

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  3. awesome montage of your walk in the lovely Ponds Park!! beautiful pics!

    ...and doesn't the Beeper look LOVELY!! *VBS*

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  4. Such a lovely place to go for walks and taking photos!

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  5. lovely location for your series of photographs; I especially like the yellow/black bird (goldfinch?)

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  7. Beautiful and scenic place with such lovely flowers.

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  8. So very beautiful. Thank you - beauty makes such a difference doesn't it?

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  9. Lovely serie Karen..... so many nice colored pictures and the last one is really a beauty....thaks for sharing.

    Greetings, Joop

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  10. Everything looks great. I love the little yellow bird there, it's so cute.

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  11. Lovely nature scenes! The waterlilies are beautiful and I love the birds. Your photos are beautiful. Have a happy week!

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  12. Great looking place to explore -all the colours look so crisp!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  13. I'm impressed with all the colors you found in your various photo shoots!

    Blue, Ruby, Yellow Window

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  14. I enjoy your hike looking through your photos! What a gorgeous place to enjoy the day with family!

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  15. beep is so beautiful. as are those water lilies!

    you threw me for a loop with 'london'. i said, 'wait! whose blog am i on?' realized it was not that london... :)

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  16. I love your photos- I think this would be a beautiful place to walk--do the coyotes bother people there? We have so many around here, but they run off when approached.

    Cute duck!

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  17. Such sharp pictures; you did a great job!


    Have a good Blue Monday, Karen.

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  18. Beautiful photos!
    Lovely grandaughter!
    have a wonderful week!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  19. I love hiking and like reading about other's treks. Great photos, especially the one of the yellow bird and the pond lily. Thanks for sharing!

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  20. Yes, these pictures are beautiful, beautiful colors, beautiful bird! Your granddaughter is very pretty! Greetings!

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  21. How lucky to have this so close!

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  22. Beautiful little girl ~ and gorgeous photography ~ lovely place to roam and be creative ~ thanks, ^_^ xxooo

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  23. Your granddaughter looks gorgeous among the beautiful nature.

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  24. Beautiful photos! It looks like a wonderful place to visit and to hike.

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  25. I love visiting these nature trails, thanks for taking us on this tour

    I'm inviting you to link up with us for Travel Photo Mondays, come join us.

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  26. What a beautiful series of photo's and what a beautiful place. Have a nice week

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  27. Stunning area!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  28. I know the finch is rather small but...sitting in that sticky thistle? Love your waterlilies.

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  29. These are super beautiful nature scenes ...
    great photo work... thank you for sharing....
    Best regards, Karin

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  30. oh karen, you went for a hike, i am so happy for you!!

    what a great place for a walk, you saw some of nature's finest beauty!!

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  31. Beautiful spot of nature you have nearby. Love the water lilies! And a delightful granddaughter.

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  32. Wonderful hike and a lovely portrait of your beautiful Beep.
    I was interested to learn about the ESA -- great work they do. And how lovely that you live so close to an area like that.


    Also new to me was the definition of Kettle Lakes.

    Great post. Beautiful pictures all.

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  33. Aww … your granddaughter is as cute in pink as the little canary is in yellow. :)

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  34. A great outdoor area to visit on any given day. I would enjoy a stroll through it. Your grand daughter is the best tho.

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  35. Stunning captures!!

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  36. Great series.
    And your grand daughter is so pretty. :)

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  37. What a beautiful place to have so close! The waterlilies floating on the ponds are especially beautiful.

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  38. A beautiful place for a hike, lovely photos.

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  39. These are all wonderful shots but my favorite is the one of your granddaughter.

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  40. Wow, you got me on the word "hike"

    What a photojournal of your trek.

    Now the coyote sighting. I see them quite frequently when I'm geocaching or running on the river at dusk. I've never felt threatened by them.

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  41. Your photos take my breath away! Lovely!

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  42. I am so glad your granddaughter got to enjoy this beautiful place.

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  43. Wow gorgeous bird, beautiful blooms, lovely granddaughter, you have it all!

    And the meadow reminds me of that song we used to sing in Linguistics class - 'over in the meadow in the sun, in the sand...'

    Hazel

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  44. Your photos are outstanding, the best among the brilliant images I have seen. The macros are very clear and the other photos are also perfect. Thanks for showing. You live in a beautiful country, Karin!

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  45. what a wonderful walk and beautiful images. It looks a "bit" like Margloo billabong in Western Australia but without the crocodiles!
    Have a great week, and thank you for stoppipng by my blog today.

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  46. wonderful set of photos - beware the coyotes

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  47. It must be wonderful to live so near to such a beautiful place! I love that little goldfinch and the waterlillies!

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  48. How fortunate you are to live so close to such a wonderful area! Gorgeous photos and Beep is very cute!

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  49. Your pictures are gorgeous and your granddaughter is beautiful.

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  50. Nice to see a picture of a place I know! Wonderful trails to live near. Great pictures.

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  51. Those turned out great!

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  52. What an amazing place to visit with lots of happy wildlife.. and your grand-daughter is beautiful..those eyes and that cute face ... adorable .. Michelle

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  53. Hi Karen,

    So nice to meet you! Your photos are breathtaking! From the landscapes and flowers to the wildlife and your pretty granddaughter, this excursion was most fascinating!

    Poppy

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  54. Spectacular Pics & Beep is a pretty girl!

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  55. Pretty finch in the thistle...but what's even more pretty is your granddaughter...what a sweet, innocent smile!!

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  56. Wow, amazing shots!
    That's the second thistle photo I've seen today.

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  57. Great set of pics Karen, I think the Goldfinch is brill.
    Take care, Gordon.

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  58. Beautiful! What a wonderful walk. I love the waterlilies.

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  59. Very nice photos from your world! Love the water lilies and the sweet duck and of course your little granddaughter!
    /Pia

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  60. What a beautiful area you live near.

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  61. What lovely sights and colors! I'm sure it was a lot of fun. Your granddaughter's smile is just beautiful.

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  62. Those first two photos are just stunning.

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  63. I love your photos! They are beautiful!

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  64. What an absolutely beautiful place, and you are lucky to live nearby.

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  65. How lucky are you to live in close proximity of this wonderland of nature? I'd probably be there all day every day.

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  66. How lucky you are to live in such a beautiful area, and to have such a lovely granddaughter! I really enjoyed the walk - thanks for taking us along.

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  67. Your granddaughter is gorgeous. I love all of your shots and especially that beautiful bird. We also have coyotes out here in Golden Gate park. Not seen one yet and hope I don't :)

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  68. So colourful areas of interest on your hike. Adore the waterlilies - peaceful beauty. And the coyote warning sign is an interesting one too.

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  69. Your photos are so beautiful. And I love that pond! :-) Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  70. Hi Karen,
    Great photos.
    Second picture is my favorite.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Greetings Irma

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  71. Hi,Karen. Nice captures. Your granddaughter is very beautiful.
    There are many beautiful flowers,I enjoyed them very much. Happy day for you.

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  72. A lovely set of photos Karen, especially like the Goldfinch in its environment. Your granddaughter Beep looks a lovely sweet girl.

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  73. What a beautiful preserve to have near an urban area. Your granddaughter is beautiful!

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  74. What breathtaking captures and your little grand-daughter is precious!

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  75. What a beautiful place to be, Karen, and your granddaughter is just adorable!

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  76. Karen..I wanted to let you know that the purple knapweed looks a lot like our new england asters and some others. The V mark is very helpful to identify it..Michelle

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  77. What wonderful photos. So cheery. Here are mine if you have a chance http://www.mariasspace.com/2013/08/my-day-at-bay.html

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  78. What a beautiful water lily flower Karen.

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  79. Your first two photos - and the one of your granddaughter in particular are stunning. It looks like you appreciate the little things that can bring one much joy.

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  80. Exquisite photography! I missed your link at Mosaic Monday, but am happy to find you now.

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  81. Interesting and beautiful selection of shots - espeically your MoM contribution.
    Thank you for sharing on Mandarin Orange Monday. Sorry I am so late...no internet connection all week :(

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  82. This is an amazing series of photo`s. I especially like the goldfinch picture. The child is awfully cute too.

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  83. These are all beautiful shots, Karen! Love the water lily flower and your granddaughter is very pretty..

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