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.

Newfoundland Day 10

No time for shooting. Packed my bags and on to the airport to go home.

This was a trip that I will always remember and I know it won't be my last.

Newfoundland Day 9

How can it be day 9 already? You really need so much more time for a place like Newfoundland. Whenever I go on a trip I have certain shots in my head that I want to get....and there wasn't enough time to finish the list. There's always next time.

We got up early and went to see Puffins at Elliston and the Bonavista Lighthouse. No luck, so I photographed the lighthouse and beautiful scenery.



We also spend an hour watching a beautiful Humpback which was feeding very close to shore. He seemed to be having a wonderful time "flippering".

On its side or back, the whale raises one or both flippers and slaps the water’s surface. The flippers are extremely long, measuring up to one third of the total body length – or 4.5 meters (14.8 feet). The splash, vibration and sound that this behavior made was incredible.

We left to drive to St. Johns for our final night because we had an early flight and didn't want to risk driving in dangerous hours with the possibilities of fog and moose.

Of course we stopped along the way trying to pack as much sightseeing in as possible. We found Trinity and Trinity East after some wrong turns.....once again, a stunning area.

Once in St. Johns we went to find typical Newfoundland houses which are so colorful and really make it seem like an unusual and beautiful place. We heard about a much-photographed set of houses on Battery Road and Lower Battery. Note to anyone going here......walk! A certain someone got the rental car so stuck in the winding tiny one-lane streets that I wondered if we would ever get it out. I can just picture the call to the rental agency. "Sorry about your car. It can be picked up on Battery Street wedged between two houses. Oh....you may want to bring air support to help load it." Thanks for that terrifying and yet funny experience Mum!

Then off for a last look at Signal Hill.

(and I checked my lottery ticket just in case I won…that way I could just stay! No luck.)

Newfoundland Day 8

I was thrilled to finally meet one of my flickr contacts..... we met at the Dungeon and later we spent some time shooting the Puffins at Elliston. I learned a lot....thanks Tony!!

I also spent some time walking the Maberly to Catalina Trail....they call it an ambitious hike. I call it crazy. But worth it just for the beautiful scenery, not to mention the wildlife and fresh air!

Also waited at the harbor for the arrival of the Bowdoin, a 90-year old Arctic Schooner. The year-long festivities honour Captain Bob Bartlett, the famous arctic explorer.