For two years in a row we’ve seen a solitary eastern screech owl in the reserve. As they blend in so well, you have to search hard to find them. We came upon this owl last April, and we continued to see it for several weeks in the hollow of the tree or perched on a nearby branch. I look forward to seeing one again this spring.

Although relatively common, I had never seen a northern shoveler before and couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted this solitary shoveler in late November. Their spatula-shaped bills give them a distinctive and comical appearance. We went back to the same area in the reserve for several days in a row and saw him each time. However, when we returned after a snowfall to check on him he had left. Like other Canadian “snowbirds” he was headed south no doubt.

The eastern phoebe in this photo landed in the perfect place to be photographed. The fall leaves add an additional bit of colour to the scene. This was taken in October. The bird could be looking back at the summer just ended. (I know I was.) Phoebes are a sure sign that spring is on its way as they are one of the first migrants to return to our area. I look forward to spotting my first one of the season.

I usually see downy woodpeckers on the vertical as they work their way up and down tree trunks searching for insects. So it was nice to see the first bird in a landing pattern on the tree branch if only for a minute. It was windy that day and it had ruffled his head feathers. I came upon the second bird as he was feeding on Staghorn Sumac something I’ve only seen in the fall. Most of the year they seem to prefer an insect diet.

The owl was perched in a tree just off the main pathway when someone pointed it out to us. We had walked by minutes before and hadn’t seen it. We took our share of photographs, the owl was quiet and watchful but in no hurry to fly off. The light was tricky that morning, so I made some exposure, contrast and highlight adjustments in Lightroom.
This is not the first time a stranger in the park has shared what he had seen with us. You often meet the nicest people in the most unexpected places.

These yellow-rumped warbler photographs were taken in April during the spring migration. It can be a little easier to capture them when the trees are just budding than in the fall when the leaves provide them with cover. (Spring takes its time arriving here.) As with all warblers, they’re lightening fast and can take off before you raise your camera to your eye. It’s always a good day when you catch a few of these warblers on the fly!

I love these conspicuous birds. Cardinals are hard to miss and now that the trees are bare and there’s little snow cover to brighten things up, they add some colour to a flat, dull landscape. They are one of the few birds that don’t migrate so I hope to see more of them as winter progresses. A nice reward for tramping through the woods at -10 Celsius!

With the cold weather here the reserve is pretty quiet but the mallards are a constant presence and quite a few pairs remain throughout the winter months. These two photos were taken earlier in the fall. The lake now has a sheen of ice on it but even when it freezes solid a thin stretch by the shore remains open; luckily for the ducks and other animals who inhabit the forest year round. You often hear the the ducks before you see them these days, a cheering sound that slices through the cold December air.

We were coming to the end of our walk when I spotted this peregrine falcon perched on a log in the water. It’s a lucky spot as over the years a number of animals have stopped by it, from frogs and turtles to mink and birds. But that day the log belonged to this peregrine beauty. He stood there, walked around a bit and cooled off in the lake. I fired off as many shots as I could in the 15 minutes he stayed put. I have seen these birds flying overhead, or up in the tree canopy but never this close up. Have to say it was a bit of a thrill.

As we crossed a small bridge looking for a heron that had landed nearby, I spotted a white- throated sparrow perched on a branch by the water. I liked the setting, the bird stayed put and I fired off some shots. The third photo is of another sparrow I saw further along the path. It was early fall when I took these photos but as this sparrow doesn’t migrate, I hope for more opportunities to photograph this attractive bird over the winter months. Though I didn’t spot the heron I can’t say I was disappointed with the way things worked out.

The ring-billed gull is the most common of gulls and not a bird I often think of photographing. Someone by the waterfront had been feeding the ducks and the gulls were flying overhead hoping to benefit too. I took some photos as they circled around. The second shot was taken at a local park. I thought the red maple leaf added a bit of interest to the scene. It seems we often overlook the ordinary when we’re taking photographs. The more I take photos the more I appreciate the importance of composing in-camera and thinking about how I’m going to edit the photo. At this rate I’ll never run out of things to take!

These photographs were taken over the course of the year. Cardinals are one of several species in my area that don’t migrate, you are as likely to see them in spring as in the winter.  I shot the male and the young female near the entrance to the park. There must have been a nest close by because over the the summer there were always cardinals in the area. I hope to get out more frequently with my camera this winter, the reward of doing so can almost make the minus double digit temperatures bearable!

It was nice to see this woodpecker out in the open. Normally I see them darting along tree trunks or on the fly. The bird remained in the same area for quite a while looking for insects. The photos were taken in late May and if you look closely at the tree stump in the second photo you will see the skins (exuviae) shed by recently emerged dragonflies.

I often see this pair in the same spot on the lake. They don’t swim with the other ducks so they tend to stand out. They resemble mallards in shape and size but not in colouring so I assume they must be hybrid ducks. These photos were taken on an overcast day and I liked the way the water formed interesting patterns as the ducks swam towards me. The solitary duck looked like a good subject for a black and white treatment. I used Lumenzia in Photoshop to create the effect.

This was one of several shots I took in mid October before the Great White Egrets headed south. We’ve seen them yearly at the reserve but never in such great numbers or so close by. In the past they would remain in the middle of the lake and I never managed to capture more than a stark white blur. This year was different and like the Great Blue Heron I featured a few posts back, this egret posed beautifully on a beaver lodge well within my sights. I have a few more shots of this bird wading in the shallows which I’ll be putting up in the next little while.

These photographs were taken in mid-October when the autumn leaves had reached their peak. The reflection in the water was spectacular. The lake was teeming with ducks, all I had to do was wait for some to swim through the water with the most pleasing reflections and these two did. The photos only needed modest post processing adjustments, mainly to compensate for exposure and brightness issues.

There are a couple of beaver lodges at the lake. We didn’t see any beavers that day but we did come across this Great Blue Heron making itself comfortable on top of the lodge. It was looking pretty sleepy, maybe it had just eaten and felt like a rest. We stood at the shoreline within 25 feet or so from the heron and with my 300 mm I was able to get some nice clear shots. When we left, the bird appeared to be completely asleep.

The white breasted nuthatch is a very dextrous bird. They will often turn sideways and upside down on surfaces as they hunt for food. I have watched these birds and photographed them for quite a while now and have yet to see a bird pose as perfectly as in first photo. I thought I’d try it in b/w and was quite pleased with the results.

The first photograph was taken late last Fall as the wigeons were migrating south. They remained at the lake until the first frost and returned briefly in the Spring before heading to their northern breeding grounds. When I set out earlier in the week I was hoping to see them once again and luckily I spotted this second pair. Their colouring is less striking than last year’s couple (post-breeding stage). As the season begins to wind down the wigeons are the most welcome of visitors.

The first two photographs were taken in May when the trees were just beginning to bud. The third photo was taken in late summer. Chickadees can move at incredible speeds so the bare trees in early spring made it easier to focus. As winter wasn’t that far in the past they would linger a little longer to see if I had any seed. We didn’t see them in great numbers over the summer as there were plenty of natural food sources for them. Luckily the plant in the last photo was in plain sight and I watched as first a warbler and then this chickadee stopped by for a bite. With the cooler weather here they’re following us along the path again, and I’ll be posting more photographs of them before too long.

Wood Ducks seem to be in competition with the fall foliage at this time of year. The leaves haven’t yet reached their peak but the ducks are at their finest. The mature and juvenile ducks are everywhere you look, creating flashes of colour as they glide along. The autumn light and trees create beautiful reflections in the water and I took some photos as the duck swam by. The reflections creating a perfect canvas for these marvellous ducks.

This cardinal was moulting and still had a few feathers out of place. A handsome bird though and he stood his ground, curious and hoping I had some seeds for him. We have seen a cardinal on this stretch of path before and I believe this was the same bird because of its boldness. Unlike many cardinals that fly away as you approach them, this one was a great poser and after taking my fill of photographs I walked away before he flew off.

It was quiet at the reserve where I took this photograph. The larger birds were out of my lens’ range but these ducks were nice and close. Although the days are still mild, the angle of the sun and quality of the light is different than it was just a month ago. It lends a more muted feel to the photograph which I rather like.

I’m fond of these little birds with their oversized heads and nasal calls. They’re often seen moving sideways or upside down on tree trunks; I was happy to catch this nuthatch in an upright position. It was in a dark part of the forest so I made a few exposure adjustments in Lightroom and corrected a slight green colour-cast in Photoshop.

We have seen several Great Egrets over the past few weeks at the reserve we visit. When I came upon this individual it was perched on top of a beaver lodge, around 50 feet from where I stood along with some other photographers. I’m sure it saw us but didn’t seem to mind. It turned and stretched and preened for quite a while then hopped off the lodge and waded in the water. Although there are a few Egrets at the lake, I think I’ve been photographing the same bird each time I visit as it’s always in the same general area. This is the first in a series of Great Egret posts that will appear on my blog.

The Canada Geese are back in record numbers. They return to our area in late March to breed. Once their goslings are raised they fly off and then return in the fall until the first frost. Many consider them pests; they can be messy, large and loud but there’s something you have to like about these birds. They’re graceful in flight and in the water and do mug for the camera.

This heron’s “fancy pants” and prominent yellow eye markings caught my eye. It was perched in the shadows and seemed to hold my gaze. It wasn’t fishing when I caught up to it, it just stood there and obliged me with a couple of photographs. The photo was a bit dark out of camera so I made some exposure, shadow and contrast adjustments in Lightroom and reduced the noise with Macphun Noiseless CK.

When I saw these two gulls perched on rocks in the river I was reminded of the game of skipping stones – the game of throwing a flat stone across the lake to see how many times it bounces off the surface. Their mottled colour and pink legs and beak identify them as juveniles. The river where I took this shot often hosts a number of herons and egrets but none were about that day. It’s good to keep in mind that even the most common of subjects can make for an interesting photograph. In this case it began with the memory of a game I played a long time ago. I thought the colour image would lend itself to a black and white treatment so I’ve posted it as well.

This mallard was sharing the log with a few other ducks who were not doing much of anything. Most seemed to be asleep. She caught my attention, being the most alert of the group. As she struck this pose I expected her to take a drink from the lake but instead she returned to her former position. I guess she was just having a bit of fun.

I featured this heron a few posts ago when he caught a water bug. In this current series he was fishing for a bigger prize and after patient stalking caught a small fish. There have been several green herons at the reserve this summer. As they keep returning to the same shallows I have been lucky to spot them many times and have taken more photos than I do most years.

Herons are wonderful looking birds at any time but to see them in flight and to witness two flying in tandem was a sight to see. I took these photographs with my 300mm lens and a teleconverter but I still could have used more reach. However, given the herons’ speed and my distance from them I’m pretty pleased with the results. I had seen a heron a day earlier when I had followed a path to the water’s edge. As I bent down to see past overhanging branches, a heron banked within several feet of me startled by my presence. That was the closest I had ever been to one and had I had the time to put my camera to my eye, it would have been too close to focus!

A few days earlier I had taken a head shot of a female wood duck and was looking for a similar head shot of a male. When I saw this male wood duck in the half light, I knew that my project would have to be put on hold. The light illuminated his body beautifully but his head was far too dark and the background too bright. I made some adjustments in Photoshop using Levels for contrast and Luminance Masks to darken the background and brighten the bird.

This heron was having a good day. First he scooped up the water bug, later on he caught a small fish (photos for a later post). I had a long lens with me that morning and standing on the muddy shoreline sharing limited space with several other photographers, I was happy to get a number of shots. The green herons have been late arriving this summer. They often fish quite close to shore and don’t seem to mind all the cameras pointed their way, making for a lot of good photo opportunities.

Mallards are the most common duck in our area and although some migrate south in the winter others remain throughout the year. You have to admire that as it gets mighty cold up here! I liked the different poses these two struck. The female looking calm and composed, the male not as much.

I was about to cross the bridge that leads to the other side of the park when I saw this song sparrow just ahead of me. He wasn’t easily startled and I took a few shots. These sparrows are common little birds, but their colouring is striking. I believe the bird is a mature individual although given his stance in the first photo, I wondered for a moment. He reminded me of kid trying to steady himself.

I usually crop closer to my subject but in this case the Black-capped chickadee was only one element of the photograph. I liked the way the branches framed the bird and the the leaves opposite it added balance to the shot. As I learn more about photography and look beyond the obvious subject in the frame, I see how the background and lighting and the play of colours can turn a photo into something you might look at just a bit longer.