Looking for Deers at Mission Marsh

I decided to make a trip down to one of my favourite places to take photos, the Mission Marsh. My ultimate goal was to try and get some photos of the deers that frequent the area. I did end up getting a couple keepers but I also had the chance to explore and capture some other great images as well.

On my way to the marsh, I drove down the usual dirt road that the deers can you usually be found, but didn't really see any initially. So I headed directly to the marsh and as soon as I arrived I focused on photos of the Sleeping Giant. It was a slightly overcast day which meant for some nice even lighting. The Giant was a nice deep blue colour and Lake Superior was almost all thawed, with small sections of ice. After I got the usual shot from the parking lot, I noticed some geese more towards the Mount McKay view so I trekked through the bush and managed to get a good vantage point.

I ended up bringing along my Fuji X-Pro2 and the 90mm 2.0. Because I had a long reach with the end, I was able to capture a decently close up shot of the two geese perched on the ice. From there, walked around the marsh a bit, and eventually made my way back towards where the deer hopefully were. I made a few stops along the way and took photos of things that caught my eye. 

Once I got back to the dirt roads where the deer were, I found a bunch grazing on the side of the road. I parked slowly on the side of the road and cautiously approached a younger deer, hoping not to scare it away. I was able to get a couple really good shots of him alone before he ran back to his parents. After that, they hid back in the forest and that was that. 

I decided to walk around the area a bit and see what I could find. There are actually lots of hidden gems in the area if you are willing to look. There is a couple old cars, and a lot of great textures. Before heading back to town, I decided to park my car and explore the train bridge a bit, something I had never done before. 

I figured I should start making my way back, but as usually, I stopped a couple more times along the way. I spotted a couple vocal geese on the train tracks. I couldn't get too close but I did get one photo I liked of the two them. There were also some pretty over grown stairs that caught my eye too.

After a few more photos on the edge of east end and one of a single grain elevator, I was done. 

Mission Marsh

It had been quite a while since I had the chance to walk around Mission Marsh, but I decided to do so this past week. The cold weather started easing up a bit and there was an early frost in the morning so everything had a bit of a freeze to it. The sun was a bit higher then I would have liked but I had to work with what I had. For those who don't know Mission Marsh too well, there is one area specifically that usually has a lot of deer wandering around. On the way to the Marsh I already saw about 3-4 deer, but I knew I would be heading back that way on the way out. 

So my first stop was the actual Marsh. Of course, when you first arrive in the parking lot, it's almost impossible not to notice the view of the Sleeping Giant. Luckily for me, the mix of shadows and slightly cold frosty weather made for some pretty cool images. I then made my way down the boardwalk, which you technically aren't supposed to enter but it just meant it wasn't plowed. The viewfinders were taking down but I actually got a couple good detail photos of the frost on them. 

As I came around the trail I heard a whole lot of chirping from the squirrels. I spotted one in a bare tree so I proceeded to sneak some shots of him. Well, to put it lightly, he was not impressed. He kept running up and down the tree, looking for a way out. Finally, as I got a little to close for comfort, he literally jumped from the top of the tree, which was at least 30 feet in the air onto the snow below. He then climbed back up another tree and chirped at me some more.

I decided to then drive back to see if there were any deer on the road in the area I mentioned earlier. I parked on one of the side streets and immediately saw about 10 of them scattered in the forest and a few on the road. I didn't really have a true zoom lens but I did bring my Fuji XT-1 and 16-55mm (24-70), so it had to do. I managed to get a couple 'close up' photos of the deer(s). 

There was also a couple old vehicles half buried in the snow which actually made for two of my favourite photos of the walk. Before I left I decided to head down the other side road and that's when I saw where the rest of the deer were in the backyard of the one house on the street. As I stood there taking photos of them, they stood completely still and just stared right back at me. They were probably wondering if had food. I will have to go back soon with a slightly longer lens and see what I can get. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Mission Marsh in November

This will just be a short post but I wanted to share some photos I took on a cold November morning out at Mission Marsh. I noticed while driving how the lake looked so I immediately grabbed my camera and headed out to a good open area with a good view of the Sleeping Giant and Lake Superior. For these photos I used my Fuji X-T1 and my wide angle 16mm lens. 

I also stopped on the way back to see if there were any deer lurking around and there were about 7 of them. I didn't have my zoom lens so I made due with what I had. I included one of the photos here. Then I finished off with a couple photos of the city from the bridge leading back to Fort William Road.