A merganser crèche
This momma common merganser and her babies swam across the lake just before sunset the other night. I thought she would angle away when they got close to me. Instead, the crèche came right along the water’s edge in front of me. The babies jostled for a place on mom’s back while she briskly paddled past.
Near this same spot, a loon had favoured me with a evening show a couple of days before. The lake is always beautiful and I’m appreciating the wildlife enjoying it so far this summer.
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Common loon – uncommon photographs
I have photographed a solitary loon at this small lake in early summer for years. It is unlikely that it is the same one each year, more likely just a convenient spot to fish and rest for a couple of weeks before continuing on its migration. I went out near sunset, close to 10pm presently, and enjoyed watching the loon preen, shake and then settle down for the night.
When I arrived at the water, it was overcast. The weak light was great for longer exposures. As the bird raised out of the water to shake itself dry, I liked the motion blur of the wings and the water.
After a little while, the sun fell below the cloud line and lit the water up in golds and pinks. Before it dove behind the hill, I went to the far side of the lake to photograph the loon in silhouette. It was a special evening for me with one of my favourite birds.
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A Coyote for Lilac Festival
I found this coyote trotting around some acreages on the western edge of Calgary yesterday. She grabbed a spot of shade under a lilac bush which seemed to be foreshadowing for a great outdoor event going on downtown today.
The 4th Street Lilac Festival in Calgary is a great outdoor party with music performances, artisan vendors and a variety of other entertainment. I don’t know if the coyote decided to check it out. Yesterday was really hot and today has cooled off a lot – so, maybe, she will. Either way, I’m just happy the flowers are in blooming, wildlife is out and summer is here.
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Cold coyote crossing
One of the many short blizzards that have been part of this spring’s personality caught this coyote’s passage through this field. She didn’t look particularly excited about the chilly wind or the snow that it carried down from the mountains. I appreciated how beautiful this animal was framed in the layers of this scene. For her part, a brief, disapproving glance was her only acknowledgement of our shared moment. After a few seconds, she sauntered into bushes ahead of her. I hoped she had a den to shelter in nearby.
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Capturing Motion: Upside-Down Chickadee Photography
I love showing motion in my wildlife images. Here one of the chickadees landed upside down and I was able to capture the instant it turned to fly away from the branch. The relatively slow shutter speed created a blur in the wings as it gathered together to launch. The images below are from before and then immediately after this one. They share a bit of the moment that I was really happy to realize with these beautiful little birds.
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A night whale swimming in the stars
I went out chasing a cold lightning storm with the hounds a couple of nights ago. We watched some strikes from Springbank as the weather raced over Calgary. I was a long ways from the storm so only a few photographs worked out well. It didn’t matter though as the clouds trailing behind looked beautiful against the starry sky.
It was a flight of fancy when I imagined a whale swimming in the sky. A little post production work realized the image in my mind’s eye.
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Adorable Canada Goose Goslings Braving a Snowstorm
It seemed a bit unkind for these little goslings to have a snowstorm hit after only hatching a few days earlier. Mom and Dad kept them moving from one side of the pond to the other.
Staying warm probably wasn’t a concern but keeping them occupied and out of trouble was. It was cute to see the first babies of spring. It will only be a few weeks until they look like their parents so it was nice to photograph them while they are so little (and yellow!)
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Out in a surprise snowstorm
I didn’t see the forecast so the snow falling this morning was unexpected. The dogs and I piled into the vehicle and headed out. I wanted to get some last wintry shots – and hoped to find an owl. I haven’t photographed one flying in the snow in a long time.
I found this one out hunting in the sleet. Snow falling off branches startled him a couple of times. He looked at the ground a few times in different places but never dove after something.
I’m sure it was just me but he look a little bit miserable. I look forward to finding him and his mate in nicer weather soon.
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Shaking and spraying in Belize
We spent a lot of time on the dock at the Anchorage Resort in Caye Caulker. We were there for most of our stay in Belize. The dock extends out into the sea and was usually surrounded by pelicans, cormorants, a variety of shorebirds and a few osprey. It was a wonderful place to photograph these birds throughout their days. Watching the cormorants cycle of diving, fishing and then drying off always held my attention. This cormorant surfaced and then rose up to shake off the water. The droplets flew chaotically while the surface boiled around his tail. With the piercing blue eye sharply contrasting the blur of the wings and the spray, this photograph was one of my favorites from many overlooking the Caribbean.
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A snowy in the surf
When we were in Mexico a couple of months ago, I found this snowy egret fishing in the shallows off the beach. While she stood motionless, I used a slow shutter to blur the motion of the small surf as it ran over the rocks. There was a tranquility in that moment that I felt this photograph came close to capturing.
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The exuberance of chickadees
Chickadees are constant companions in our backyard throughout the winter. These hardy little balls of feather and fluff chitter away as they fly from tree to feeder and back.
Even on the coldest days, they energetically continue their conversations and activities. With winter hinting, somewhat reluctantly, at giving way to spring here in the Foothills, I have taken a few opportunities to photograph these little birds from our second story deck.
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A cormorant perched
Double-crested cormorants fish, nest and fly all over Caye Culker where we stayed in Belize. There were a few wooden posts where they would often stop to preen, dry off and then watch for their next meal. Here I got off the dock, waded a bit closer to the bird and put the camera low to the water for this shot.
