26th February 2020
| Location: My backyard, Kitchener | Weather: Light snow |
 | Forecast from today, and for the next few days is and to be pretty miserable with snow flurries and light snow all day. Not much opportunity for getting out, but then again late February is generally not too exciting anyways. I setup a camera and my 500, but no TC, looking out of my patio doors to the little setup I have arranged on my deck, and crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I think the birds had the same idea as me and decided to have a day off because almost nothing showed up. On any given day I usually see lots of Juncos, Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, Tree Sparrows and the occasional House Finch and even a Red-bellied Woodpecker sometimes, but it was not to be today. There was zero activity until late in the afternoon when a Blue Jay popped by and then shortly after that a few Mourning Doves arrived and posed for a short time. As always click an any image for it to popup larger etc |
21st - 23rd February 2020
| Location: Between Bruce Mines & Sault Ste Marie | Weather: Mix of warm & cold temp, but generally sunny |
We have been keeping an eye on the area around Sault Ste Marie for a month or two, with the focus being on the opportunities for seeing and photographing a life bird - namely a Great Gray Owl. A friend was able to give us some good directions to where locally we might find this long time elusive target, so we headed up to try our luck. The "Soo" is an 8 hour drive for us, but the forecast was pleasant and with generally light winds, it was as good as it was going to get.
We left SW Ontario very early am on Friday, and arrived in the planned area mid afternoon'ish. Over the next few hours we managed a few misc bird sightings including Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Northern Hawk Owl, Pileated Woodpecker & a Northern Shrike. Unfortunately at the Owl location the winds had picked up, so although we did get a brief glimpse of him, there was no pics. Next day (Saturday) we headed back out. First stop was where the Owl was seen the night before - the thoughts were that maybe the bird would be hunting in around daybreak, but unfortunately no luck.
For the rest of the day we toured around, but with almost no birds making it onto our viewfinders. However, late in the afternoon we headed back to that same Owl spot and this time we managed a sighting and a few images as well - the light was pretty poor, but I was very happy to get what we did.
Next morning we tried one more time before heading back home, but again the Owl eluded. As we approached the Owl spot we found a Fox asleep out along the hedge line ... It was barely light, so the shots were poor, but an interesting experience.
The other thing that made our trip pretty special were the fellow birders we encountered - If any of you read this I'm obliged to you for helping to make our trip awesome.
We left SW Ontario very early am on Friday, and arrived in the planned area mid afternoon'ish. Over the next few hours we managed a few misc bird sightings including Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Northern Hawk Owl, Pileated Woodpecker & a Northern Shrike. Unfortunately at the Owl location the winds had picked up, so although we did get a brief glimpse of him, there was no pics. Next day (Saturday) we headed back out. First stop was where the Owl was seen the night before - the thoughts were that maybe the bird would be hunting in around daybreak, but unfortunately no luck.
For the rest of the day we toured around, but with almost no birds making it onto our viewfinders. However, late in the afternoon we headed back to that same Owl spot and this time we managed a sighting and a few images as well - the light was pretty poor, but I was very happy to get what we did.
Next morning we tried one more time before heading back home, but again the Owl eluded. As we approached the Owl spot we found a Fox asleep out along the hedge line ... It was barely light, so the shots were poor, but an interesting experience.
The other thing that made our trip pretty special were the fellow birders we encountered - If any of you read this I'm obliged to you for helping to make our trip awesome.
Tip of the Day: Take lots and lots of photos.Take short bursts of a bird when it is active and from a few different angles and on different perches, etc. Get as many shots as you can. When you get them on the computer scan through them and only keep the best ones - be brutal, just the best ... and if you are like the most of us you will end up deleting 90% +..
19th February 2020
| Locations: In and around Kitchener & Cambridge | Weather: Sun & cloud -3C approx |
Yet again the weather forecast was a bit less than totally accurate. It had forecast dull with snow flurries all day, but after getting up a little later than normal (I thought I was staying in all day) I could see that it was bright and pleasant, so I headed out to a couple of local spots - first being Riverside Park, which I hadn't been to too many times this winter, so I was definitely overdue. I'm glad I did - both Nuthatch species were hanging about near the top gate, and I was able to get a couple of shots. The little Red-breasted was a tough one though ... never paused more than a micro second (µS) (give or take a nano second or two) for me to get a shot.
Tip of the Day: To get something a little better than a basic, and likely somewhat boring, shot - study different birds and watch their behavior to capture an original shot that reveals the true character of your feathered subject. See if they’re doing anything interesting – preening in the water, balancing on one leg, twisting their head into a unique pose, or perhaps singing – which will help to get you that one of a kind shot.
17th February 2020
| Locations: Grass Lake - Burlington | Weather: Blue Sky and reasonably mild (around zero) |
| It promised to be quite mild today, but maybe a little on the bright side - Blue cloudless skies are not may favorite kind of day to take bird images, but when that's all there is then .... I started off taking a few back roads out towards Grass Lake where I had hoped maybe there would be some cooperating Horned larks, and possibly a Bluebird back (there had been a pair sighted back last week). Also on the way from Cambridge I saw a few Sandhill Cranes fly over, so again I was hoping that one or two had dropped into the fields around Grass Lake, as they often do in the spring. I never managed a single shot or even a fleeting glimpse of anything, so not a great start For the next hour I stayed as much as possible along gravel roads as I headed generally towards Burlington, with the only sighting .. a couple of distant Horned Larks. The thought was that the Catholic Cemetery might have a few Bluebirds and possibly the often sighted Northern Shrike there. Almost as soon as I arrived I did see a couple of Bluebirds, but after a few minutes they disappeared out of the area, but the Shrike did dance around between a few trees, but as is often the case, it stayed well away from any human activity, so the only shots I managed were pretty distant ... Oh well such is life. After arriving back hope I setup my tripod looking out the patio doors to some perched I had setup next to the feeders, and had a little activity with a few Juncos ... all in all a pretty poor day |  Dark-eyed Junco |
12th February 2020
| Location: Burlington, Brantford, Glen Morris | Weather: Hazy Sun & cloud |
February can be a tough month to find anything interesting to shoot, but anywhere you can find some open water is usually a good bet for over-wintering ducks and other water birds. Anywhere along the shores of Lake Ontario, and of course the other Great Lakes as well, is generally for most of the winter, open water. Closest spot for me is La Salle Marina in Burlington, so it was on today's list of places to check out. La Salle is a little tricky to shoot on a sunny morning as the light is straight out in front of the shore, but by choosing a line that didn't face directly into the sun the back-light effect was minimal.
After Burlington I headed to Brantford where a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk has been seen a few times over the last couple of weeks, but unfortunately after patrolling the area it been seen (off Mohawk Road) for an hour +, I was unlucky and didn't spot "Blondie" .
On my way back to KW I spun around by Paris and over to Glen Morris, and although there wasn't too much around I did find a few Tree Sparrows and several Horned Larks. Horned Larks are often found foraging in last years corn stubble, and a good sign there is some around is to look for tracks in the snow. Unfortunately they stayed a bit out of reach for me today, but maybe next time.
After Burlington I headed to Brantford where a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk has been seen a few times over the last couple of weeks, but unfortunately after patrolling the area it been seen (off Mohawk Road) for an hour +, I was unlucky and didn't spot "Blondie" .
On my way back to KW I spun around by Paris and over to Glen Morris, and although there wasn't too much around I did find a few Tree Sparrows and several Horned Larks. Horned Larks are often found foraging in last years corn stubble, and a good sign there is some around is to look for tracks in the snow. Unfortunately they stayed a bit out of reach for me today, but maybe next time.
6th February 2020
I have added a new section to the blog - "HOW TO". This new section can be accessed by clicking on the menu item on the top right of this page. or by clicking HERE
My first entry is How to add a watermark to your images. and if you click HERE you can check it out. I hope you find it useful.
My first entry is How to add a watermark to your images. and if you click HERE you can check it out. I hope you find it useful.
5th February 2020
| Location: Schomberg, Ontario | Weather: Sunny, clear, but a chilly wind |
Along with a friend and fellow birder I headed, yet again to Schomberg to see and photograph the long time resident Northern Hawk Owl.
This bird never fails to amaze me - it has been here since mid October and forages in an area approx 300 Meters x 300 Meters and yet still seems to find enough voles (mainly) to keep it nourished and sticking around.
I've visited, over the many years I've been doing this, many rare bird locations but never one that is a 100 Meters from a Coffee Shop, so I'm sure Tim Hortons isn't complaining, and quite used to, the hordes of birders trekking in with binoculars and long lenses looking for a coffee and a warm up.
Someone earlier today mentioned that they wondered how many pictures had been taken of this celebrity and it made me think ... approx 60 days here x av # of pics per person .. say 100, x # of photographers per day say 20 (I've seen 100 here on some days) ... would equal 120,000 images .... totally staggering !!!!
The other bit of math that is interesting is the number of voles taken out of this same area. I know a Snowy Owl needs about 10 or 12 rodents a day, so if we consider that the NHO is about half that, then over the 60 days he has to have grabbed somewhere around 300 voles out of that 300M x 300M .... another Wow !!!
This bird never fails to amaze me - it has been here since mid October and forages in an area approx 300 Meters x 300 Meters and yet still seems to find enough voles (mainly) to keep it nourished and sticking around.
I've visited, over the many years I've been doing this, many rare bird locations but never one that is a 100 Meters from a Coffee Shop, so I'm sure Tim Hortons isn't complaining, and quite used to, the hordes of birders trekking in with binoculars and long lenses looking for a coffee and a warm up.
Someone earlier today mentioned that they wondered how many pictures had been taken of this celebrity and it made me think ... approx 60 days here x av # of pics per person .. say 100, x # of photographers per day say 20 (I've seen 100 here on some days) ... would equal 120,000 images .... totally staggering !!!!
The other bit of math that is interesting is the number of voles taken out of this same area. I know a Snowy Owl needs about 10 or 12 rodents a day, so if we consider that the NHO is about half that, then over the 60 days he has to have grabbed somewhere around 300 voles out of that 300M x 300M .... another Wow !!!
2nd February 2020
| Location: Canadian Raptor Conservancy | Weather: Dull, a little cool, but generally dry |
| We have had a session booked at the CRC (The Canadian Raptor Conservancy) for the last few weeks, and so along with another dozen or so friends, and after a meetup for a hearty breakfast and an entertaining "chinwag", we headed to this amazing facility for an afternoon session of photographing in-flight (and some still) shots of a fantastic range of Hawks, Falcons, Eagles & Owls. For this kind of "shoot" it's not necessary to use super telephoto lenses as the birds a) are quite large for the most part, and b) the distance - lens to bird, is very short. Good glass sizes to use were anything between 200 & 400 mm- anything more was way overkill.. I personally used a 100-400 on a full frame camera, and even then I found myself shooting somewhere around 300 for many of the shots. James, the owner of the facility was, as always, very much gearing the flights and setups for the ease and benefit of the photographers present. He, a few times, gave the group some experienced advice as to shutter speed etc for many of the birds flying. Great value, awesome opportunity and a tons of fun. I can't wait to have another visit in the coming months, and can highly recommend it . http://www.canadianraptorconservancy.com |  Gyrfalcon |
Tip of the day: Patience: Wildlife photography can be very much a waiting game. Birds & animals have their own routine & schedule but if you quietly wait, you will often see things that have a way of unfolding in their own time. That bird that was just sitting quietly, possibly skulking in some undergrowth, may suddenly start preening, bathing, mating or singing in the open, so be prepared.
