For a long time I have been blogging about birds and bees and dragonflies. All nice and all, but what about the rest of the animals in the city? Namely people and their activities? Well, I thought it was time to start at the roots of the city of Winnipeg.

Point Douglas is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Winnipeg. Also one of the poorest. Also one of the more industrious. Now, how does that all fit together?

It’s that time again. Waking up in the morning, thinking that something is wrong. Everything is too quiet outside, you hear no cars, trucks or other noisy engines. What is going on? Is it too early to wake up? You look at the alarm clock. Nope, not too early, more a bit later than your usual wakeup tine.

You peek through the window, seeing nothing. Now this starts to be uncomfortable. You run to the living room that had a bigger window and see…

It comes and goes by waves, it seems. For long periods I do no night shooting, sometimes hardly getting out after supper. Then there are periods of nightly activity, laced with Red Bull and coffee. Those night owl times can be very productive.

The setting sun

Sometimes they are a bust. When the sun sets, things start to happen. That’s what I always thought when I was younger. It is still true today, although I seem to be less interested in those “things”. Nowadays, when I go out, it is to record the night and it’s beauty.

Oak Hammock Marsh, just north of Winnipeg is always a good place to find dozens of different birds, insects and other critters. The marsh is in a state of “drawdown” making way for plants that have had no chance to grow in the last few years.

Probably a very good idea for the marsh’s ecosystem, but for photography not so much. Reeds now block the view to most of what is left of the water surfaces and birds now nest in the reeds instead of in a more visible place. Again…