December 26th 2021
| LOCATION: Niagara-on-the-Lake | WEATHER: Cool (+4) and mainly cloudy |
Our annual family Christmas gathering & dinner that we have always had on Boxing Day was postponed at the last minute because of a possible Covid19 infection on one of my grandsons. So ... I took the opportunity to head down to the Niagara region where a few interesting species are hanging out, with the primary target being a male King Eider, which I am delighted to say I was able to photograph.
Tip of the Day: In order to create beautiful images of birds on a consistent basis, it is important to understand the many elements that combine to make a good photo. These includes exposure, composition, light, sharpness, perch, pose, and background. It's quite easy to photograph birds in action. Why? They hardly sit still! Action is always there, but it requires more effort and patience.
December 21st 2021
| LOCATION: Algonquin Park | WEATHER: Sunny for most of the day |
One of most favorite places to go in the winter months - it's a huge pity that is so far away for me (takes me just over 4 hours from home to the Visitor Centre) However on a day that is successful that long tiring drive is the least of my concerns. Today was that kind of day with several good sightings. My main target was to get a decent shot of a Pine Grosbeak male, and late in the afternoon in the parking lot of the Visitor Centre, we had 3 males in our sites, and managed a few half decent images in the can.
Other surprises were a Spruce Grouse that sat, reasonably close and generally in the open, for a few clicks ...
Last week when I was in the area I gad hoped for a sighting of a Pine Marten, but never got a peak of one, but today we had one running around in the open for a little while.
My plan had been to stay the night in Huntsville then go back out in the morning, but the weather forecast was to be snowy and windy, so I saved myself the price of a hotel room, and headed hope late in the afternoon.
Other surprises were a Spruce Grouse that sat, reasonably close and generally in the open, for a few clicks ...
Last week when I was in the area I gad hoped for a sighting of a Pine Marten, but never got a peak of one, but today we had one running around in the open for a little while.
My plan had been to stay the night in Huntsville then go back out in the morning, but the weather forecast was to be snowy and windy, so I saved myself the price of a hotel room, and headed hope late in the afternoon.
Tip of the Day: When out shooting, try to remember to take both horizontal and vertical images. That way you can make a decision about the best shape when you are back at your computer.
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
December 19th 2021
| LOCATION: Melbourne area | WEATHER: Mix of sun & cloud |
I took the drive down to this area in the hope of seeing a Short-eared Owl. In years past this was a good place to find them, especially in the later afternoon. Unfortunately today I was totally out of luck with Owls of any species, but there was a lot of Hawks around. I saw Kestrel, Rough-legged, Northern Harrier and lots of Red-tailed Hawks, so the day wasn't a total waste
Tip of the Day: Get to know the bird you’re planning to photograph . Knowing about that bird's typical behavioral traits, will help you to predict movements or other things that will give you the edge in getting that killer shot.
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
December 14th 2021
| LOCATION: Algonquin Park | WEATHER: Sunny mainly, but some cloud |
Up at 2:00am and leave the house at 3:00, for the 4 hour trip north to Algonquin in search of a few of the northern Finches and maybe some other goodies.
I headed initially for the Visitor Centre, mainly because it was at the far end of Hwy 60 and I was quite early. The plan being to start there and work my way back west along 60. Initially I was prepared for at least one night staying in Huntsville, but after checking weather for the next morning it didn't look very feasible with significant rain in the am.
Best spots for me were at the Visitor Center and Spruce Bog.
I headed initially for the Visitor Centre, mainly because it was at the far end of Hwy 60 and I was quite early. The plan being to start there and work my way back west along 60. Initially I was prepared for at least one night staying in Huntsville, but after checking weather for the next morning it didn't look very feasible with significant rain in the am.
Best spots for me were at the Visitor Center and Spruce Bog.
Tip of the Day: In the winter, especially here in SW Ontario, it pays to take a couple of days and visit some well known, and more distant, hot spots. Even if this is not your area .. do some research and I'm sure you will find that within a few hours drive, a couple of known and productive spots will present themselves. Good Luck
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
December 10th 2021
| LOCATION: Grass Lake area | WEATHER: Damn, I can't quite remember :) |
| After speaking to a local area friend on line last night about this area, and what species she had spotted, I decided to check it out for myself today. Funnily enough I wasn't quite prepared for some of the goodies that presented themselves - some days are just like that.\ I suppose ... First opportunity was a Northern Shrike that sat real nice for me just along from Grass Lake. The light was nice and I managed a few decent shots. Over the next two hours I saw, and in some cases photographed, another Northern Shrike, 2 Bald Eagles, Pileated Woodpecker, Flock of Pine Siskins, a couple of Red-tailed Hawks, a significant flock of Horned Larks, Lots of Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a few others that is jumping out at me (memory wise) All in all ... a pretty good day!! |  Northern Shrike |
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.
December 8th & 9th 2021
| LOCATION: North of Luther Marsh | WEATHER: Cloudy and a little snow |
Another couple of days scouting some some, old some, new spots along the gravel roads north of Luther Marsh.
Sun never seems to shine up here, so the light was often quite dreary and a challenge to get some details.
However, although there was a lot of uneventful hanging around and scoping with the bins ... every now and then something interesting would popup. My primary target was White-winged Crossbill, or for that matter any of the true winter finches (Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak or Red Crossbill), but the White-winged was the only available ... still it's still early in the winter season, so you never know.
On quite a sad note I came across what was obviously a pet rabbit, that had escaped, and the poor little guy was trying to survive in the cruel temperatures and conditions (-8C that day). I found it on the edge edge of a 3 house hamlet and knocked on some doors, but nobody seemed to be aware of the little guy. I tried to grab it, but in the deep snow and heavy brush, he disappeared.
Sun never seems to shine up here, so the light was often quite dreary and a challenge to get some details.
However, although there was a lot of uneventful hanging around and scoping with the bins ... every now and then something interesting would popup. My primary target was White-winged Crossbill, or for that matter any of the true winter finches (Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak or Red Crossbill), but the White-winged was the only available ... still it's still early in the winter season, so you never know.
On quite a sad note I came across what was obviously a pet rabbit, that had escaped, and the poor little guy was trying to survive in the cruel temperatures and conditions (-8C that day). I found it on the edge edge of a 3 house hamlet and knocked on some doors, but nobody seemed to be aware of the little guy. I tried to grab it, but in the deep snow and heavy brush, he disappeared.
Tip of the Day: In many locations birds are quite used to seeing vehicles coming and going, so sitting in your car and taking photos of birds can be quite effective. However it's important to position the vehicle in an area where birds appear to be agreeable to your presence and such that from your open window you have a good viewpoint.. Once setup keep your movements within your vehicle to a bare minimum, and avoid sudden changes in position, and of course stay quiet. One thing though be aware that the temperature differences between inside and outside can affect the quality of your image, so try to keep the car cold .. it will likely help.
December 7th 2021
| LOCATION: Breslau, Ontario | WEATHER: Cloudy and cool (-4) |
Overnight we got some more snow, and with the likelihood of some more this afternoon I decided to stay fairly close to home. A month or so ago I had some decent sightings (American Pipits etc) close to Waterloo Wellington Airport, along some of the unpaved roads, so why not ... another visit seemed a good idea.
It was a bit later than normal for me getting out (didn't sleep that good, so it was 9:00am before I was on the road, but being only 15 minutes away it wasn't a big deal.
I stopped and scoped a few of the places that was productive last month, but today for the most part, there wasn't anything popping up. However on one the ploughed fields I spotted some movement and was delighted to see about a dozen or so Horned Larks foraging around, so after about 20 minutes they eventually came close enough for a few shots (all taken from inside my vehicle). Cute little devils :)
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
It was a bit later than normal for me getting out (didn't sleep that good, so it was 9:00am before I was on the road, but being only 15 minutes away it wasn't a big deal.
I stopped and scoped a few of the places that was productive last month, but today for the most part, there wasn't anything popping up. However on one the ploughed fields I spotted some movement and was delighted to see about a dozen or so Horned Larks foraging around, so after about 20 minutes they eventually came close enough for a few shots (all taken from inside my vehicle). Cute little devils :)
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
Tip of the Day: Birds are notoriously skittish and any abrupt movement can scare them away. This includes the way you lift your camera. Rather than lifting it quickly to your eye, as you would elsewhere, make it a slow, subtle movement. If you’ll miss shots by moving slowly, try to keep the camera to your eye as much as possible. If you’re sitting you may be able to find a way to brace your arms on your knees to help take the weight.
December 5th 2021
| LOCATION: Burlington and Oakville | WEATHER: Cloudy, but not too cold |
 Winter Wren | Yesterday was quite harsh lighting and although I was quite happy with the results, I thought that another visit to both La Salle and Sedgewick was a good idea .. maybe get some better shots Along with a good friend and fellow Photographer we headed to Lake Ontario to see what we could find. La Salle was the first stop to see and photograph some of the many Canvasbacks that have taken up temp residence next to the marina. With the subdued lighting we were able to get some decent pics of these beauties. Other waterfowl in the vicinity were American Black Ducks, White-winged Scoter, Buffleheads, Red-breasted Mergansers, Northern Pintail, Mallards, Trumpeter Swans and Goldeneyes. Some we photographed - some we didn't. Along the boardwalk we managed a few shots of one of the other seasonal residents ie Winter Wren. Mid morning we headed to Sedgewick and were delighted to see some of the species I had missed the day before. - Northern Parula, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Fox Sparrow and Song Sparrow. We saw the aforementioned and managed a shot of one or two. |
Tip of the Day: Do backups regularly. There is nothing worse than realizing that you have lost some images/data due to failed equipment, inadvertent deletion etc etc, so back up your info, as I have found out to my cost on several occasions. In my case data loss, although I was able to have it recovered at considerable cost $$$, (through failed external hard drives (twice)), so I now subscribe to relatively low cost back up service through a company called Backblaze. Check it out it's worth the few $$ they charge per month.
December 4th 2021
| LOCATION: Burlington to Oakville | WEATHER: Generally sunny and not too cold |
 White-breasted Nuthatch | It was a cool morning but with the sun it felt quite pleasant .. almost :) I headed initially to La Salle Marina in Burlington, with my main target being a Winter Wren . Every year, along the boardwalk, is an excellent place to find one or two of these beauties, but so far this year (3 visits over the last 3 weeks) I have been out of luck, but this morning I had one of these little gems pop up and give me a bit of a show for about 10 minutes .. made my day!! While I was there I also had a Nuthatch give me a nice pose as it was cleaning out a hole in a fallen branch ... so far the day was going well :) Next stop was Sedgewick Park in Oakville. This Park is located immediately next to a Sewage Treatment Plant and although the smell isn't the most pleasant, this spot can be a bit of goldmine for interesting species. Every year they have a few songbird stragglers and this year is no exception, with Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Parula and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher hanging around. Today I only saw a Kinglet and a Yellow-rumped, but I was pretty happy with that :) |
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% +..
December 1st 2021
| LOCATION: Grey County (near Arthur) | WEATHER: Sunny with a little cloud |
| Throughout the day I did see a few raptors flying past or perched on a barn etc etc, but this Kestrel was the cream on my apple pie shot. I spotted him perched on this tree on the side of the road, and he stuck around even after I skidded to a stop, opened my hatch back, dug out a camera and shot off a dozen shots or more. Thanks AK :) Earlier in the day, along with some friends, I found a few birds, and managed a few shots as well .. Snow Buntings, White-winged Crossbills, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and of course the inevitable Juncos, Chickadees, Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers. While waiting for the Snow Buntings to arrive - although there was a couple of birds scavenging along the roadside, a passing pickup truck (who didn't really slow down much), nailed one of the poor Snow Buntings ... poor little guy :( Highlight for me was a very cooperative Pine Siskin who came down to eye level and gave me quite a few shots . |  American Kestrel |
Tip of the Day: This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget to dress warmly when going on nature expeditions. Areas that birds tend to gather in are far more exposed to the elements than residential areas. The wisest option is to dress in layers, so that as temperatures fluctuate you can compensate.
