Flight Shots - Birds of Prey

Some shots from a Birds Of Prey In-Flight Workshop at the Canadian Raptor Conservancy.

Fotosource Contest

Fotosource 2009 Photography Contest

Third Place Winner

Nature/Wildlife Category

Another good example of doing whatever it takes to get the shot. This was taken on a recent trip to Cape St. Mary's in Newfoundland. We lugged who knows how many pounds of gear 1.4 km to "Bird Rock" along a rocky path. Then spend all day there getting covered in bird crap. It was all over us. All over the camera gear. In our eyes, in our mouths.....everywhere! And yet, it was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had.

Barn Owl

Eastern Screech-Owl

Another one of my favorites....the Eastern Screech-Owl. The sounds they make are just amazing.





I've been concentrating lately on obtaining more natural backgrounds and better background blur. I've found that so many nature/wildlife photographers (including myself) get so excited about the moment and forget to move around. This is especially fun when you are working around water....I'll do whatever it takes to get the shot, even if that means getting soaked or laying in mud.

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Northern Saw-Whet Owls are Ontario's smallest Owls. What they lack in size, they make up for with the cute factor!

Algonquin Trip

Made a few great trips up to Algonquin Provincial Park in the last few months. Our last trip was timed perfectly, it's beautiful there in September/October and we had fun doing the Mizzy Lake Trail and searching for wildlife.

Still didn't find a Moose but thanks to a pro photographer I met, we now know a few areas that the Bears use for their "day beds" and great areas to see Moose as well. So....when spring comes I'll be able to setup my blind and just wait for them to come to me. So much easier than searching the park and sometimes missing them by mere minutes. (as was the case with a bear cub and bull moose this time.)

We had the pleasure of being visited by two of Algonquin's wild banded Gray Jay's.

These birds are facinating and so tame. Algonquin Provincial Park's Gray Jay study, is now one of the world's longest-running investigations of a population of colour-banded birds. The Park's study began back in the 1960s.

Gray Jays are characteristic birds of Canada's great north woods and are among the very few that stay with us all year round. Famous for their soft, fluffy plumage, their extreme tameness, and their habit of seeking out humans to look for handouts, they amuse and charm anyone who camps in our country's wild places from coast to coast and in every province and territory.

The unofficial name, "Whiskeyjack", still used by many bush people today, is a corruption of an Algonquian Indian name, "Wisakajack,"for a mischievous spirit of the forest who liked to play tricks on people.

In Algonquin Park, Gray Jays are at the extreme southern limit of their range in eastern Canada. And, since they do not migrate south the way most birds do, it is here in the Park that many people who live in the cities and towns of southern Ontario make their first acquaintance with this famous Canadian bird.

Thanks to my amazing friend Miles, I came away with some landscape shots I was happy with. He's given me his time,helpful shooting tips and processing tutorials. And of course lots of laughs :) I'm lucky to have such a great friend who I respect and enjoy. Miles, you are one of a kind.