We didn’t see many Great Blue Herons this year and they tended to fish at quite a distance. I had to crop the photo but was rewarded by some pretty spectacular reflections and lighting.
Tag Archives: Bird Photography
WOOD DUCK
I took this photo two weeks ago, before the temperature began to drop. The wood duck had a faraway look as though he knew it was soon time to leave for the winter. Snow is on the way tonight, I sure hope all the birds that should have left are well on their way. I’ll have to check on the next sunny day.
CHICKADEE
The sumac provided a perfect landing spot for the chickadee. The bird was in the open and took its time to look around, making this animated subject easier than usual to take.
NUTHATCH – 2
I featured this nuthatch, in a late October post, looking half asleep. In this photo the bird had reached the end of the branch and looked like it was weighing its options.
CANADA GOOSE
The goose was at quite a distance and I tried to position myself to get a clean view of it. I shot down a narrow tree lined pathway so there were a few unwanted shadows in the frame, most of which I removed. There were no colourful reflections at this spot but the vegetation added some interest to the water.
WOOD DUCK, INCOMING
I like the wake created as the duck glided through the coloured water. I watched as she swam around, changed course and headed in my direction forming the trail behind her.
REFLECTIVE GOOSE
Fall in the Northern Hemisphere is a short one. The days get colder, and the leaves change colour and fall. But before they do, they dress the water in fabulous reflections which caught this passing Canada Goose.
NUTHATCH
The forest was dark, so to compensate for this I shot at a high ISO which made for a noisy photo. I corrected this in Lightroom using noise reduction and the moire filter.
The nuthatch looks half asleep as he makes his way up the branch, almost sleepwalking.
MALLARD
I feature mallards a lot on my blog. There are plenty of them year round always up for a photo shoot and are sociable, good looking subjects. This handsome male was competing for my attention with the wonderful fall background.
DOWNY WOODPECKER
One of several woodpeckers we see year round, I took this photo in July. Using a narrow depth of field I got the background you see here.
WHY SO SERIOUS, HERON
This juvenile Black-crowned night heron was a fair distance from me and very high up a tree. I had to crop the picture quite a bit and when I did I noticed its stern expression. It’s a common look for this stocky heron and one that never fails to make me laugh.
GREAT BLUE IN THE FALL
These herons usually remain until the lakes begins to freeze, so with a bit of luck we’ll have a few more sightings before then. I didn’t see the heron right away. I was focussed on a goose in the water and panned around to see if there were any other birds about when I spotted the heron standing absolutely motionless. At that distance I would have missed him if hadn’t been for the goose!
TYPICALLY CANADIAN
This photo was taken on the weekend at a nearby reserve. The lake has several beaver lodges, the one in the background is one of the largest and provides a nice backdrop for the Canada Geese.
NOT AT MY BEST
I featured the same cardinal a few weeks ago, in this photo he’s giving me a a sidelong glance. I guess he realizes he’s looking a bit rough. While out today I saw another cardinal that was in perfect form but it flew off before I could take a shot.
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE
I heard the chickadee, aimed my camera and got him mid song. They are a common little bird but animated and attractive. The tree was very leafy wth little sunlight filtering through which contributed to the painterly background.
WOOD DUCK
I often see a duck resting on this log by the water’s edge. It’s down a tree lined path so the birds are usually in the shade. The reflections in the water at this time of year make for an attractive background.
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
I didn’t see many night herons this summer but the few I saw were nice and close. So intent on fishing they ignored us, the only challenge being the leaves blocking our view and the narrow pathways.
YOU’LL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME, I’M NOT AT MY BEST
I have seen cardinals in this state for the last several weeks. For such a handsome bird, they can look pretty rough when moulting and this one wasn’t taking any nonsense! I’ll be featuring more from this rogues’ gallery in posts to come.
WHAT’S UP CHICKADEE – 2
On September 8 I featured a chickadee that looked a little ruffled. Today’s bird was taken on the same day, in the same location and looked well groomed. Perhaps this bird was a bit older, not moulting or hadn’t had a recent bath. All might explain the difference in their appearance.
WHAT’S UP CHICKADEE
I wasn’t sure if the bird was moulting or just wet. Another chickadee close by didn’t appear out of the ordinary. If the bird was moulting, it still looked pretty sharp unlike other birds that can look downright ugly!
IN THE REEDS
The Canada Goose was swimming close to shore winding its way through the reeds. I usually try to get a clean shot of a bird but in this case I thought the reeds made for a more interesting and realistic photograph.
BALANCING ACT
We often see Black-crowned night herons intent on the water, performing this balancing act. They can hold the pose much longer than I can keep my camera raised. I took the photo from further than I would have liked but it does allow a glimpse of the surroundings.
SISTERHOOD OF THE DUCKS
These four ducks are a tight knit group. I’ve seen them swimming in close formation on my last couple of visits to the reserve. On this particular day they were drying off after a swim. I was happy to get them all looking up, it took a while as they did some preening beforehand.
SPARROW
A morning when there were a lot of sparrows about and not much else. On days like these you appreciate the beauty in the ordinary. The sparrow was a nice poser and the surrounding vegetation framed it nicely.
YELLOW WARBLER
The bird was at a distance and in the shadows. Sometimes you get lucky, this was the only shot I took before it flew off. I see these warblers in the woods all summer but rarely get the chance to photograph them, they rarely touch down for long.
FEMALE WOOD DUCK
Standing on a platform looking out at the lake we saw this female wood duck doing the same. I rarely see a male wood duck on its own, the females seem to appreciate the quiet though. No chicks in sight, probably taking a break from it all.
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
We’ve seen several Black-crowned night herons this summer. They can stand motionless in the water for long periods waiting for a fish to swim by or else stalk with the best of them. This heron is the first one I have taken this year with no reeds blocking my view.
LINE UP
It won’t be long before these mallard chicks set out on their own. We saw some when they were newly hatched but only a few times since. They were enjoying the swim and I felt cooler just watching them in the water. It’s been a strange summer, fewer birds, fewer bugs but the vegetation is lush. I hope to have more opportunities to photograph the former, perhaps I will as the the summer moves along.
FEMALE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
The first time I photographed a female red-winged blackbird I wasn’t sure what it was. Its looks and temperament differ greatly from the male. It has a subtler beauty and it tends to stay in the shadows while the male is out in the open singing its heart out.
WOOD DUCK CHICK
We’ve seen several paddlings of ducklings in the last few weeks. This duckling was swimming on its own for a while though never far from its mother. The waters are treacherous for these small birds; the lake has a fair number of snapping turtles and the reserve has its share of hawks (although I’ve seen neither this year). I always feel better when I see a duckling rejoin the group.
EASTERN PHOEBE
Thanks to BirdNation for correctly identifying the bird as a red-eyed vireo. I guess the text below isn’t too relevant now😏
The Eastern Phoebe is a member of the flycatcher family and returns to our woods in spring. Most of the birds on this particular day remained too far away to photograph. The Phoebe decided to fly in closer but remained in a shady spot. In this case, I think the shadow on his feathers added some interest.
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH
It was nice when this goldfinch positioned himself away from the leaves so I could get a clear shot. He was just within range of my lens and although happy to get the photo, I wish I had had my longer lens with me. Best news of all though, is that last week at this very spot we still wore wool against the cold, today it was 100% cotton!
HAIRY WOODPECKER
This female hairy woodpecker was taken in a wildlife garden in the city. We saw more birds that one morning than I saw all of last spring. There was a feeder close by and the birds were taking turns at it. I waited for the bird to settle in a nearby tree and took this shot.
MALLARD
Mallards are gregarious ducks and it’s fun to watch their antics. It’s when you find a solitary one that you can really appreciate the breed. More subtle in appearance than the male but still a handsome duck with a contented expression; out of the fray for a while.
COMPANY OF TWO
Not sure what caught the eye of these wood ducks but they certainly had my attention. They remained in this quiet cove for quite a while. This small lake in midsummer is a busy place full of noisy mallards. Perhaps the wood ducks were enjoying a momentary calm.
PILEATED WOODPECKER
Even though the tree looked like it had been picked pretty clean, this pileated woodpecker still found it worth investigating. Our largest woodpecker, the pileated is always a pleasure to see and hear, with it’s rattling, slightly maniacal call that announces its presence.
COUPLE OF DUCKS (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
These mallards and wood ducks are my first duck photos of the spring. A good number of mallards over-winter here, the wood ducks migrate in fall and return when most traces of snow are gone. Due to severe flooding we have been unable to return to this reserve. We’ll have a lot of catching up to do when it reopens.
GRACKLE ENCORE
I featured a grackle on my blog recently and thought I would again. This time the bird is gathering nesting material. I Iike these handsome curious birds that never remain idle for long.
FEMALE WOOD DUCK
Not as flamboyant as the male, the female wood duck has a more subtle beauty. As the summer moves on these rather shy birds become less apprehensive of people and will come quite close to shore, as this one did.
GRACEFUL GOOSE
I saw a small flock of Canada Geese fly overhead the other day. No matter the temperature, they return here every spring. The grass has not begun to grow yet but with the rivers and lakes thawing I imagine geese are finding vegetation in the water to eat. I thought the bird in this photo struck a very swan-like pose.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 