Jemseg is a small farming community situated in Cambridge Parish, Queens County,
New Brunswick. The Jemseg River flows into the Saint John River and there is an abundance of picturesque landscapes and wildlife all year long. There is also a lot of land that is not used for agriculture or other commercial purposes and this provides ideal conditions for nesting and habitat for small mammals.
The eagles, hawks, osprey along with migratory birds make for exciting photographs.
The osprey are my favourite raptor to photograph due to their sharp features and hunting skills as they make quick work gathering their lunch.There are also smaller birds that nest and migrate throughout Jemseg and present a different challenge to the photographer where you must move quietly along the underbrush. Quietly moving along the wood line or keeping an eye on the marsh grass provides species that you do not see everyday. The ability to get sharp images of these
smaller birds is partly technique, abundance of natural light, and a bit of luck. There are days where the birds stay in the shaded areas or they are surrounded by so much foliage that getting a photo with lots of detail does not work out. As the seasons change so do the species that can be found in Jemseg. One migratory duck that is becoming more prominent over the last few years is the beautiful and colourful wood duck. This past fall saw the most wood ducks I saw in Jemseg in the last
dozen years. In the months of September and October, I routinely saw well over 20
ducks spread along the river, brooks, streams, and ponds. Two of my favourite photos was a pair of wood ducks swimming along the shoreline of a pond. The second photo is a wood duck in an opening surrounded by a cluster of trees in a small stream that faced the rising sun. I used a Nikon 500mm f4 lens where I managed a few sharp photos of
these amazing moments.
The years spent visiting Jemseg created wonderful memories and it remains one of my
favourite photography locations in New Brunswick. The roads running through the
Jemseg community is well maintained and gives an excellent view of the ponds andrivers. If you find yourself driving Hwy #2 running through New Brunswick, stopping intoJemseg is a quick detour that you will certainly enjoy.
