Greg Shchepanek

On the Ottawa River  Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Petrie Island, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Another great weekend to discover amphibians at Petrie Island Park, this little guy was just a baby he will be having a tough winter due to his size seeing Autumn just began this weekend. Came across two Green Frogs one an adult and this wee little who was sunning along the shore. These photos turned out a lot better than the adults capture. Surprising for such a small guy to steadily pose for the camera with no flight or movement. Still getting used to the new camera but sometimes it takes stunning photos. Especially when up close I find that the  RF100mm F2.8 L MACRO IS USM and even some distance photos turn out so very nice,  colourful and sharp. One of my distance shots was of this little Muskrat who was feeding on vegetation along the shoreline he sat there for quite awhile and was not disturbed about the camera. This photo was cropped for a better...

 Bat Lake Trail, Algonquin Provincial Park American Toad ( Anaxyrus americanus ) Went for a two day adventure in Algonquin Provincial Park and on the first day came across some amphibians along the Bat Lake Trail . First I saw a  Dekay’s Brownsnake and in close proximity found the above American Toad who posed nicely for the camera. The next to see was a little baby toad  about the size of the tip of the finger he was fast moving but eventually came to a halt to get some great photos of the little guy.  Little baby  American Toad  ( Anaxyrus americanus ) When I arrived at a body of water on the trail I found it teaming with Northern Green Frog s not happy to pose for pictures but I managed to come across this one who believed he was hiding form me trying not to fall in the water I was able to get a trio of shots of this guy.  Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) It was a great day for amphibians along the Bat Lake Trail . On the se...

 Year 2025 Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Shaw Woodlot • Ontario, Canada.  Canon PowerShot G7 X From the website Viewbug received the award of Staff Favourite which I was so honoured to receive seeing that this is one of my all time favourite Northern Green Frog photos. It took some balancing act to be able to capture this angle of the frog it being floating in the Snake River. I was able to have one foot on a rock in the river to get this shot and the frog amazingly cooperated in the photo session, I have yet to duplicate the scenario on my lengthy adventures as a nature photographer. But it seems that I have a high regard in my frog photos, them being some of my most popular photos online.  Now how I have been doing on Photocrowd getting awards of Highly Commended  and Merited  from a panel of judge results, I have also placed first on the Leaderboard for the first week of participation on the website. These are the said photos in ...

 Amphibians Galore American Toad ( Anaxyrus americanus ) Surprising to find so many amphibians hopping around the Fletcher Wildlife Gardens in downtown Ottawa. First, there were rabbits found pretty much everywhere which is not surprising but nice to see and photograph. Most notable was finding an American Toad close to the Amphibian Pond and later finding a pool just filled with Northern Green Frogs and their tadpoles which was a great setting to photograph the frogs. Usually we go to Fletcher for some bird sightings but this time proved to be the amphibians that were present throughout the Gardens leading to a most pleasant surprise and an opportunity to get some great shots. The Gardens are located next to the Dominion Arboretum and situated within the Central Experimental Farm and is known for its floral arrangements of natural Canadian plants and ornamental water ponds situated throughout the property.    Always happy to come across a Toad on my adventures usually f...

 Most Favourited Frogs  Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Foley Mountain Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. Second to Squirrels comes those amphibians, the frogs that are a favourite to my viewers on my Flickr site and presented in Explore. The above photo is the third most popular that was taken just this year while I celebrated my birthday out in the woods. I discovered this Northern Green Frog on Foley Mountain at a beaver pond, here it was teaming with frogs that were posing to boot. This particular frog sat and had no concerns as to the large lens that was positioned in front of him. Going out I commonly search after the frogs be it next to water or far from the shoreline. It is nice to capture them in the water but I'll take them as I can get them. It is surprising how far you can find some species from vicinity of water, commonly I find Leopard Frogs high on hill tops and nowhere near a source of water. As well Wood Frogs are known for their locati...

 Rideau Lakes, Ontario Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Foley Mountain Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. Every year on my birthday, I go on select short trips with my best friend Roy. This year we visited the Rideau Lakes Region and stayed in Sharbot Lake for the night. During the day we visited some Conservation Areas and one Provincial Park. The first we stopped by was Mill Pond Conservation Area, where we found beautiful moist woods and probably the worst area for bugs to annoy us, mostly Deer Flies and Mosquitoes. It seemed that there was not much to photograph other than a number of Northern Green Frogs that we found here and there particularly in the streams and ponds we explored.  Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Mill Pond Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. What proved to be a beautiful location was a Beaver Pond that we found on Foley Mountain Conservation Area. After enjoying a great lunch at the Westport Brewing Co, we d...

 Exploring Petrie Island Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Petrie Island, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In the East end of Ottawa, Orleans, there is a popular island on the Ottawa River called Petrie for nature enthusiasts and those who just want to lounge on the beach. The island is made up of various wetlands types and there are a number of trials to follow to view nature in its splendour. The island is a great location for viewing amphibians and turtles. Let's start along the Educational Amphibian  Pond where I observed both American Bullfrogs and a Northern Green Frog .  American Bullfrog ( Lithobates catesbeianus ) Petrie Island, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  There is also great turtle viewing ares especially the Turtle Trail where there logs and boards set for turtle sunning and basking. On this day the Northern Map Turtles were out representing and putting on a show for the viewers. The large females and the somewhat small males dotting the logs...

  Wonderful Wetlands Just West of the City Harlequin Corydalis/Rock Harlequin ( Capnoides sempervirens ) Carp Barrens Trail, Ontario, Canada. With an intense rainfall it was any wonder that I would get any photos at all. But it subsided within a half hour & I was able to enjoy the beauty of the wetlands embedded in the rocks of the Carp Barrens . It was wonderful seeing all the Rock Harlequins bringing colour to the Barrens not seen since my trip to Algonquin Provincial Park last year. The presence of frogs along the rocky shorelines of the Barrens was also a nice surprise seeing that I haven't come across many amphibians this year. All in all it was a great adventure to the Barrens even with the heavy rainfall. The rock climber, Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Carp Barrens Trail, Ontario, Canada. On the rock shoreline, American Bullfrog ( Lithobates catesbeianus ) Carp Barrens Trail, Ontario, Canada. Unknown Spreadwing Damselfly ( Lestidae ) at...