Pileated Woodpecker

Last weekend I was coming in from filling up the bird feeders when I noticed a beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on a tree in the woods beside our house. It was madly ‘drilling’ holes in the tree, in search of juicy insects to eat. I didn’t think I’d get back into the house without disturbing him so instead I just enjoyed watching it for a few minutes and soaking up the beautiful sight. I went inside and was amazed that it was still there, busily excavating the tree trunk. So I grabbed my camera, my 600 mm lens and crept out the door. I was sure it would fly away before I could get my camera set up. Nope. So I took a few shots and then moved closer. It still seemed oblivious to me. So I took a few steps closer. Still ok. At one point the bird looked at me, but it certainly didn’t seem very concerned. It just went back to busily excavating in search of dinner.

Here’s one of the images that I made that day. I’m thankful for such a tolerant woodpecker. 🙂

Pileated Woodpecker excavating for insects

Ending soon – my bird photography exhibit at Gilligallou in Almonte, Ontario

Hi Folks! It’s been a busy, busy time and things have kept me away from my blog posts, but I’ve re-surfaced and so you can expect more posts from me from now on.

Just wanted to let those of you in the Ottawa, Ontario area know, that the exhibit of my bird images at the Gilligallou Bird Shop in Almonte, Ontario will be ending this weekend. So while the weather is cool, the humidity is down, and you want to get out for a nice drive in the country, do it now. The exhibit will be coming down at the end of July.

Me, in front of my display of bird photos. They’ll be on display for the month of July, so drop on by to have a look.

A big thank you to Bob and Louise at Gilligallou for their kindness in letting me show some of my images in their store. Be sure to check out their store. It’s packed full of great things – anything to do with birds. They sell very high quality bird seed for birds of all kinds.

And check out this new bird bath. I have my eye on this… ;o)

Birds, Birds, Birds!

With early mornings filled with the melodic sound of bird song, it’s a great time of year to enjoy hearing and seeing  our local birds. Thanks to Bob and Louise at Gilligallou Bird Inc shop in Almonte, Ontario, yesterday I was able to help people see what some of our local birds look like close up.

Bob and Louise have a fabulous shop that is all about birds – feeders, houses, seed, books, binos, and a ton more! It’s one of my favourite shops in Almonte and my visits there usually take a while as I look at all the fantastic things they have in their store. I have my eye on a gorgeous glass bird bath they sell, so I know I’ll be back soon.

Bob, outside the Gilligallou Bird Shop in Almonte. It’s a fabulous shop for all things bird….. 🙂

Bob and Louise very kindly provided me with the opportunity to exhibit 14 of my bird images in their shop. So as of today, I am Miss July – my photos will be up in their shop for the month. 🙂

Me, in front of my display of bird photos. They’ll be on display for the month of July, so drop on by to have a look.

I have 14 photos on display in the store. All the birds in my exhibit are species that occur in the Ottawa area.

If you’re in the Ottawa area, I hope you’ll pop down to Gilligallou to check out my images. While you’re there, you will have to take some time to look around the shop at all the amazing bird feeders, houses and other incredible things. I guarantee you that you can’t just pop in for a quick look. There are too many neat things to see. If you’re needing a new bird feeder or have run out of seed, this is the place to shop. And if you have questions about your feathered friends – what to feed them, what kind of feeder you need for them – Bob and Louise are incredibly knowledgeable and will be able to help you.

Gilligallou Bird Store in Almonte – for everything you need for your birds

Thanks Bob and Louise, for such a great opportunity!

Visit Gilligallou at:

https://www.facebook.com/GilligallouBird

14 Mill Street, Unit #3, Almonte (Almonte, ON)

The Warblers Return – Photo of the Week

I’m late with the Photo of the Week – sorry! Spring is my busiest time of year. The warblers are back, the wildflowers are starting to bloom. Oh, so much to get out and photograph!

But here is this week’s Photo of the Week from 44th Parallel Photography – better late, than never. 🙂 This week’s photo is of one of our beautiful little warblers that pass by on their way up to the boreal forest. I love this time of year and in late winter every year, look forward to seeing the return of these beautiful little birds.

Click on the thumbnail below to view 44th Parallel Photography’s Photo of the Week

Returning – Photo of the Week

It’s been a busy time lately, but I finally got out with my camera. It was a great day to be out – the first time this year that it’s actually felt like spring. It lifted my spirits and I so enjoyed photographing the Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles that have returned to the cattail marshes to duke it out for the best territories. Spring has returned. 🙂

Click on the thumbnail below to view and read about 44th Parallel Photography’s Photo of the Week.

Signs of Spring – Photo of the Week

Finally, I’m back! Enjoying blog posts, social media posts and just generally do things photographic. Between getting over the flu, doing my InDesign II course, and a whole host of other things, it’s good to be back. I don’t like missing my regular blog posting. I feel disconnected. So I’m happy to post that I have a new Photo of the Week. This one is again on the theme of lamenting the lack of spring weather, but with a more optimistic tone. 🙂 This week’s post is about robins. Those tough little birds that usher in the change of the season, from winter to spring.

Click on the thumbnail below to read about 44th Parallel Photography’s Photo of the Week.

Winter in Lanark County

Tomorrow is the Spring Equinox – the official first day of spring. Yay! But it sure doesn’t look very spring-like outside right now! Overnight and through today we’ve had about 10 cm of snow dumped at our front doors and apparently more is on the way. Most people I talk to have had enough of winter now and find this pretty discouraging. True – I’d be happy for some warmth, sunshine and birds singing.

This is probably our last blast of winter for this season. So to celebrate the end of winter, I thought I’d post some images from winter around Lanark County, Ontario. Enjoy!

Beaver ponds are plentiful around Lanark County.

Cattail marshes with old dead trees can be picturesque, especially on days with moody skies.

I love isolating just a few cattails and some snow.

The Tay River from the Christie Lake Road bridge.

Trees reflecting in the Tay River.

A few rustic highlights along the Tay.

Along Althorpe Road after a blizzard.

Dead milkweed pods in the snow. The late day sun casts lovely shadows.

I love the blue shadows the late day sun creates on the white snow.

Tree branches casting a shadow on the snow.

Mounds of snow sculpted by the wind.

Beautiful snowscapes….

Sun shining through the forest trees.

Late in the day on the far side of our pond.

Fresh snow creates a winter wonderland.

Tea coloured ice from the tannins leached from the fall leaves.

Some of winter’s visitors to the area – a Common Redpoll.

Midway – a documentary everyone should see

All of us have impacts on the earth’s environment. Simply by living our everyday lives, we leave our footprint on the earth. Some footprints are bigger than others. And even if you want your footprint to be small and take actions to reduce it, it’s still there. But  smaller is better and that’s the key.

Salvin’s Mollymawk, a species of Albatross. Taken near Kaikoura, New Zealand.

Each one of us should strive to reduce our environmental footprint. In our household, we do things to try to reduce it.  I’m not happy with the footprint of my commute to work 3 days a week. But it’s better than 5 days a week. And I drive the most economical car I can afford. It’s one step away from a go-cart and with my commute, I can’t really go any smaller. I wish I could afford a hybrid. One day. But I hope I help to make up for my commute, at least in part, by the other things I do to try to lessen my impact on our environment. I’m not criticizing anyone for their environmental footprint. We all have one. I just hope we can all do things to reduce ours individually because if each of us does, collectively, it had a big effect, in a good way.

I think many people, perhaps all of us, to some greater or lesser degree, don’t realize the impacts we have on our planet because we don’t see them in our daily lives. I think this is why changing our behaviour and habits to reduce our impacts on the environment is often difficult. As humans, we are visual creatures and we need to see what our impacts are, in order to believe they exist.

This is why documentaries that actually show us the impacts of the way we live and the daily choices we make, on the earth’s environment is so fundamentally important. I recently wrote about Jim Balog’s documentary, Chasing Ice, that shows how the world’s glaciers are crumbling at alarming rates due to global climate change. Balog’s extreme dedication to the project was because he wanted to show the world that climate change is real.

There’s another documentary coming out this year that shows us the consequences of our actions (and inactions) –  the consequences of our modern lifestyles in developed nations. I’ve seen the trailer for this one and I think it’s a great example of showing us environmental impacts that we didn’t even think we had. You know, the out of sight, out of mind thing we humans are so good at.  Chris Jordan’s film, Midway, brings an important issue into focus.

His documentary is about Midway Island in the Pacific. Yes, the Midway Island, where a famous WW II battle took place. But Jordan’s film has little to do with Midway’s historical significance. Instead, here’s what his film is about:

“The Journey

Midway Atoll, one of the most remote islands on earth, is a kaleidoscope of geography, culture, human history, and natural wonder. It also serves as a lens into one of the most profound and symbolic environmental tragedies of our time: the deaths by starvation of thousands of albatrosses who mistake floating plastic trash for food.

The images are iconic. The horror, absolute. Our goal, however, is to look beyond the grief and the tragedy. It is here, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that we have the opportunity to see our world in context. On Midway, we can not deny the impact we have on the planet. Yet at the same time, we are struck by beauty of the land and the soundscape of wildlife around us, and it is here that we can see the miracle that is life on this earth. So it is with the knowledge of our impact here that we must find a way forward.” (taken from Chris Jordan’s Midway website).

There’s a trailer for the film on Chris Jordan’s website. I strongly encourage you to watch it. Warning – it’ll probably leave a lump in your throat. But that’s a good thing. A lump in your throat can provide the motivation to change your behaviour, for all of us to change our behaviour, so that this awful situation is remedied.

Salvin’s Mollymawk, a species of Albatross. Photo taken near Kaikoura, New Zealand.

You don’t have to be an environmentalist, biologist, or nature-lover to understand the significance of this issue. It should affect us all, deeply enough that we change the situation. I’m not sure what the answer is. But I want to find out. I had read about the impacts of plastic and other materials on marine life. But seeing the Midway trailer really floored me. Actually, the word disgusting was what really came to mind.

Buller’s Mollymawk, a species of Albatross. Taken near Kaikoura, New Zealand.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the trailer on the Midway website.

I don’t know when the film is scheduled for release. Sometime in 2013. When I find out, I’ll post it here as well as any links to where it will be showing. I want to see it. I hope you want to see it too.

Redpolls and Tree Sparrows

Today was a bit chillier than the past few and has brought the birds back to the feeder. Instead of the usual Chickadees, Nuthatches and Bluejays, today brought a new assortment of species – Common Redpolls, Tree Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos.

We get Juncos each winter. They don’t seem to stay for the entire winter, but rather, show up for a week or two at a time and then disappear again. We usually have two or three Tree Sparrows visit us intermittently throughout the winter. But the Redpolls are something new. We have seen them at a feeders before, but maybe for a day or two. For the past few weeks, the Redpolls have been coming and going. They seem to show up every few days and normally arrive as a flock of about 10-20 birds.

Seeing as how the Redpolls are not common visitors to our feeders, I just had to get my camera out…. I only managed a few images before my fingers froze to the point of burning. But hopefully these little beauties will return on the weekend so I can make more images of them.

Common Redpoll

I love how the Redpoll (above) has puffed itself up for insulation. There was a bit of a wind blowing today and the windchill was pretty cold.

 

I just love the crimson cap these birds wear.

 

 

I need to look into this further, but I noticed that some of the Redpolls had no colour on their breast while others had rosy breasts. I briefly ready something about different subspecies, but I don’t know if this is the case, or whether this is a difference between males and females, or whether it’s just natural variation.

Several Tree Sparrows accompanied the flock of Redpolls.

This was pretty much all I managed today, but I’m hoping the flock comes back on the weekend so I can get the camera out and try my hand again.

All I Want For Christmas Is…. Bird Photography

As we count down to Christmas, some of us who haven’t yet started our Christmas shopping may have a slight feeling of panic building. Time is ticking…..

The way I figure it, there are two challenges with Christmas shopping. Challenge #1 – what to buy. Challenge #2 – actually getting out to buy it and in particular, getting out before it’s too late and the stores are picked over, looking much like the way the Grinch left the Who’s houses after his Christmas pillage. But even with the Grinch, there was a happy ending….. 🙂

If you’re shopping for friends and family who are photographers, don’t panic. I’ve already posted a list of 12 great photography gift ideas. And the great part is that most of these things can be purchased online. So if you can’t get out and about to buy them, don’t worry. However, I will say that if you can buy locally, why not support your local camera store?

One item I had on my list that I’d like to write a bit more about are a pair of e-books, about bird photography, by Alan Murphy. If you’re into bird photography, you’ll know Alan Murphy’s name. He’s one of the top bird photographers out there. I love his images – clean, simple, tack-sharp and well…. stunning!  Check out Alan’s website.

Producing incredible images is certainly the first thing that attracts me to a photographer. But the second thing that seals the deal for me – makes me a loyal follower –  is that person’s attitude toward the rest of the photography world. By this, I mean, their willingness to share. Those who are willing to share their techniques and not keep them closely-held secrets are tops in my books. And Alan is one of those. In fact, I emailed Alan recently to ask him a question about one of his books and got a really pleasant and informative response.

Alan has written two e-books on how to attract birds for the purpose of photography. His first e-book, The Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography, is a 106 page pdf e-book packed full of fantastic information and advice about setting up perches using natural materials (flowers, tree and shrub branches, rocks, etc.). For example, Alan includes a section on setting up flowers for hummingbird photography. He includes a tip on how to ‘bait’ the flowers with a bit of sugar-water to get the birds to the flower. Can’t wait to try this approach next spring! He also includes chapters on how to attract certain species of birds as well as how to attract and photograph certain taxa of birds, such as waterfowl and shorebirds.

One of Alan Murphy’s fantastic bird photos

Alan’s second book, The Photographer’s Guide to Attracting Birds, released recently,offers up even more detailed and specific information . For example, Alan has a chapter on blinds and camouflage, which is extremely informative. His book also includes chapters on attracting birds using insects, decoys, and audio playbacks. He also has chapters on attracting specific birds such as flycatchers, songbirds, and shorebirds. This book is as jam-packed with excellent information as the first one.

http://www.alanmurphyphotography.comRufus Hummingbird by Alan Murphy

If you’re interested in bird photography, I very highly recommend both these books. As far as e-books go, they are a tad pricey ($50 each or both for $90), but the way I look at it, Alan has shared information that has taken him years to accumulate. There’s no point in re-inventing the wheel and so I think his books are well worth the price. You’re purchasing Alan’s wealth of knowledge and experience, which will allow you to fast-track your bird set-up photography. Personally, I don’t have 20 years to figure it all out myself. I’m not getting any younger! 😉

Copies of the book can be purchased directly from Alan’s website. I highly recommend these books as a wonderful gift for the nature or bird photographer on your Christmas list. You can’t go wrong with these books. And by buying e-books, you’ll see sparing a few more trees.

Good luck with your Christmas shopping. But most of all, don’t forget to enjoy the magic of the season.