January 2022

January 30th 2022

LOCATION: At home in Kitchener

WEATHER: Sunny, but cold (-10C)

I hate to admit it, but my relatively old car is acting up, and so (even though I had planned a bit of a trip this morning) I reluctantly stayed at home  and did a small back yard setup. Generally the same old birds were showing up and stocking up at one of my feeders. However this morning I had a bird I don't think I have ever had around the feeders - a White-throated Sparrow., which almost made up for not getting to my planned location, and of course I would likely have had more "exotic" species to shoot .. maybe !!

​Tip of the Day: ​  It's not quite enough to just put out a feeder or two and hope that a nice bird will show up and pose for you. One thing you don't want is the feeder itself in the image, so what I like to do is setup a few branches or logs next to said feeders, and you will likely find that the birds on route to the feeders will perch on one of the placed branches, providing you with that photo op. It's a good idea to pre-focus on one of the branches, as you will find the birds don't sit too long.

January 27th 2022

LOCATION: Riverside Park Cambridge

WEATHER:  Sunny, but Cold with the occasional flurry

This was pretty much day #1 with a new lens, and was the main reason for going to Riverside Park. I bought this lens for the days that I go trekking along some of the trails, and with it being significantly lighter and smaller than my 500mm prime lens I don't get quite so tired and sore. The new acquisition is the Canon RF100-500 zoom lens and I have to say it is an awesome lens, with incredible image quality. As you can see from these images, and especially if you click on them, that detail is quite outstanding.

January 23rd 2022

LOCATION: Flamborough area

WEATHER: Overcast and cold

Back on the 20th I had spent a few hours in this area and was very happy with some of the sightings. Today along with a fellow bird photographer, we headed back to see if there was some decent activity. The initial idea was to maybe get a few shots of the Harris Sparrow that has been semi resident here for a couple of months now, but this morning it was a no-show. Oh well !!
Next stop was a couple of miles away near the entrance to Christie Lake Conservation Area, and it was hopping with bird activity - I counted 25+ American Robins feeding on the roadside berries - they put on quite a show. Other birds same spot were Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwings, American Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Juncos and Cardinals.

Tip of the Day:  It might seem pretty obvious, but a warm waterproof jacket, a warm hat,  gloves, rain pants and waterproof boots are very important. When we are moving around it might not be quite as important, but quite often we are in a stationary position waiting for the bird to show, or do something interesting.

January 22nd 2022

LOCATION: My back yard in Kitchener

WEATHER:  A tad dull, but lots of light

This morning I rearranged my perches around my back yard feeders - After a a few days taking shots at the same old setup gets a bit "samey", so by doing a bit of layout change, I was hoping for a fresh look on todays and shots over the next few days, then I suppose I will make some more changes.

Tip of the Day:  In the winter birds use a lot of energy to stay warm and as result they will pretty much always be looking for food, so if you look for food sources, then you might find birds.

January 21st 2022

LOCATION: Seaforth area

WEATHER: Cold but sunny

Bald Eagle

Always an issue at this time of year ... where to go, where to go !!

Anyways I decided to head over towards Goderich, even though it was mid morning by the time I left KW, with a plan to see if I could find any a) Snowy Owls and b) maybe a few Snow Buntings, both of which should be findable in that area.

Well ... I found a total of four Snowy Owls all of which were way too far out on the fields for a decent shot, so I was a little disappointed, and not one Snow Bunting ... anywhere.
On the plus side, and very close to Seaforth, I spotted  a couple of Bald Eagles, one of which was a nice adult, and allowed me a few clicks before he got a little nervous and flew a bit further out.

Other than that it was a bit of dud day, but then again, as all us bird photographers are more than aware of, that's not too unusual.
​
Happy clicking folks :)

January 20th 2022

LOCATION: Flamborough area

WEATHER: Sunny, but chilly

Initially I headed to La Salle to see what kind of ducks might be in the area, but with the temperatures being extremely cold all the water birds were tucked down and not moving. On impulse I headed over to the the location where a Harris's Sparrow has been overwintering and was delighted to find that he was still very visible. Close by this location I spotted a bit of bird activity as I drove down to where the Harris was, so after getting a few shots I headed back and was delighted to find that there were several birds feeding on the buckthorn and winter grape along the roadside. So for the next half hour I did a lot of clicking :)

January 16th, 17th and 18th January 2022

LOCATION: Back yard Kitchener

WEATHER: Lots of snow

Over the last couple of days we have had a ton of snow, so much snow that my car got stuck just outside my house, so I was grounded until the snow plow made it around (which ended up being noon on the 18th). However it was a great excuse to photograph some more back yard birds. All photographed through my dining room patio doors ie through glass

Tip of the Day: It is also a good idea to travel with a fellow bird photographer, as four eyes are better than two eyes, especially when looking for certain species eg Snowy Owls. As well as being efficient it also a great personal safety tip ... you dont want to take a tumble along a remote trail and have nobody around to help. Bird safely

January 15th 2022

LOCATION: Home turf again (Kitchener)

WEATHER: Bright sun, but chilly (-18C)

After yesterday's complete waste of a day - yesterday I headed up north of Luther Marsh where at this time of year it can be awesome ... well yesterday it was not . Not a single click after 5 hours and 300km zig-zagging all the back roads. Oh well .... it happens.
So today I decided to stay at home and shoot a few back yard birds..... 

January 12th 2022

LOCATION: At home in Kitchener

WEATHER: Dull and cloudy, but mild

One of my biggest supporters in this passion of mine (Avian Photography) is my dear wife Margaret. This morning she was feeling very poor having picked some bug or other that was making her very unwell, so instead of going out I stayed home and kept the tea flowing etc. While here, I set up a tripod in my dining room and photographed yard birds as they visited my feeders. All shot through glass (my dining room patio doors).

**  As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

January 11th 2022

LOCATION: Haldimand County

WEATHER: Cloudy and cold (-15C)

A bitterly cold morning this morning as I took the hour and fifteen minute drive to Haldimand County, and more specifically Ruthven House. My target today was the Tufted Titmouse, which I had photographed last week at the same location, but I didn't get any shots that I really liked, so my fingers were tightly crossed in my heavy warm gloves.
After about an hour I only had very brief glimpses of two individuals, so after a quick jaunt into town for a coffee and a warm up, I reset up at the same spot as before. Thankfully one of them made some longer and a tad closer visits to the feeders that Ruthven set up. I focused on the shrubbery and trees just beside the feeders and managed several half decent shots.
On the way back to KW I took a looping route through an area quite well known for Short-eared Owls (Fisherville) but was not able to find any, but I did have a Kestrel that sat for quite a bit, so at least I managed ay least something on the raptor side.   

Tip of the Day:  Not so much a tip, but some general bird photo advice -Some of the very common birds can be a lot of fun to photograph and a great way to improve your technique. The Junco and Chickadee below are good examples. Have fun :)

January 8th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Cold (-11C) and mainly dull

After all these years shooting birds, I rarely get a lifer, but today I am delighted to say that I did today. North Dumfries is a 15 min drive for me so it was kind of a double bonus. The Lifer is a Golden-crowned Sparrow.
​On my way from photographing the Sparrow I decided to run around by Grass Lake on my way home, and I was again delighted when I spotted a raptor was sitting up on a pole close to the road ... and the raptor was a Peregrine Falcon. This might be one of the days I should have bought a lottery ticket.  

January 6th 2022

LOCATION: Ruthven House, near Cayuga

WEATHER: Cold, and with only short bursts of sun

Target today was for the Tufted Titmouse that was reported here, so I arrived mid morning and for the first hour the TT wasn't to be seen - a few other species were there .. House Finches, White-throated Sparrow, and lots of Juncos and Chickadees. 
Eventually the Tufted Titmouse did pop it's head out at the feeders, but he was in quick and out quick, making getting a few snaps distinctly frustrating. However after another couple of hours I had a couple of shots I was OK with, One thing for sure you had to be on your toes when he popped out if you wanted to get any kind of shot.

Tip of the Day:  Getting a sharp image of your target bird is not the only consideration you need to think about. Your background is also very important. So when are looking through your viewfinder, and setting up your shot, check out the BG and change your point of view accordingly if there are some distracting elements in the shot. Not always practical (I know), but anything you can do in camera is preferable to post processing. 

January 3rd 2022

LOCATION: Burlington - Stoney Creek

WEATHER:  Sun and cloud

First stop this morning was La Salle Marina, but because of the severe cold the ducks were keeping way out and generally quite inactive... nature of the beast with ducks.
Next stop was down to 50 Point in Stoney Creek where we had heard there was a Boreal Owl hanging out in the park. We walked a lot, and checked a lot of trees, but no Boreal that we could find. We did however, find a Long-eared Owl and a Saw-whet Owl in the same tree ... what's the odds ?? Further around the Park we came across another Saw-whet, but like the first one it was tucked in pretty tight, so images were yucky.

January 2nd 2022

LOCATION: West side of Cambridge

WEATHER: Sun and cloud after last nights snow

Another year under our belt - Boy! where does the time go.
Quite a bit of snow this morning here in Kitchener, but after it stopped in the early afternoon, I took a short jaunt around some of the back roads close to home to see what might be around. As it happened it was quite quiet with very little out in the open "waiting for me", so I hope that isn't going to be the trend for 2022.
The most activity I came across was a small flock of American Tree Sparrows that were foraging along the roadside.

Tip of the Day:  Winter is an excellent time to concentrate on photographing birds coming to feeders. Birds need an available food source to provide the energy they need to stay warm on cold winter nights. By providing food in your backyard, you might attract a good variety of beautiful birds into range of your telephoto lens .. Good Luck