Brown, black, green

The water is low at Cougar Creek Park; they've ripped out the beaver dams again. The creek runs between bare mud banks, and the little lake lies a good foot below the last bit of greenery.

They - whoever "they" are - have cut down the blackberry patch: good; it was invading the only path on the north side. Not so good; they've also cut down the tall grasses where the heron liked to hide, hunting frogs at the edge of the water; they've planted rose bushes instead. We saw no sign of the heron, on this visit.

February: a cold, cloudy day, with the sun occasionally making a half-hearted attempt at piercing the clouds. The shrubs are still just bare stems. What with the mud of the banks, the left-over tangle of felled branches and trees, the remaining dried grasses, all the colours are subdued.

Except for the brilliant green of the mallard males' heads.

Mallards and squiggly reflections

Light and dark

"Black"

And in spite of the low water, the cormorant is back. There must be some fish for him; some small fish that don't mind shallow, muddy water.

Cormorant and mallards