Conversations (audio)
[audio:9870-Conversations.mp3] The lonely call of a Toronto Island coyote on a still November night (919KB MP3). Note: if the audio player doesn’t appear, click the title (Conversations) to view the actual post.
Wile E I and II
A late twilight, and unfortunately distant, encounter with a resident Toronto Island coyote who wasn’t very happy with the human interloper on its turf. These are thoroughly tagged as b-roll shots, it was far too late in the evening for any sort of useable light. Still, it isn’t every day that you kayak past a […]
Late for the Party
An adolescent black-crowned night heron clings to an IYC tree in November, 2009. By this time of year all of the herons are gone, migrating south to sunnier climes. Perfectly able to fly, its a mystery why this fellow hung on so late in the season.
Last Day Lily (timelapse)
One of the last day lilies of 2009 unfolds in this three-hour timelapse (click the play button to view the timelapse).
Egret ABCs
Great egrets do the most fantastic then when they catch and swallow a fish — all of their feathers stand on end. In this progression, an egret catches a fish (left), swallows (centre), and totally punks out (right).
Ancient Waiting
Taking a page from the old “Is it live, or is it Memorex?” ads, a large painted turtle leans into the sunset light of a gorgeous August evening.
Up Close and Personal
A tiny painted turtle fills the camera’s entire frame, hovering just inside the minimum focus distance of the lens.
H10 Pretzel
Sadly Trumpeter swans never stay long in our sunny climes, but when they do visit it’s always a small event. Here Trumpeter H10 does its best to turn itself into a pretzel, balancing in the shallows off of the QCYC’s Rapids Queen.
Dynamic Duo
A lovely muskrat couple hoover back zebra mussels as fast as they can, on a “feeding platform” in Snug harbour. In the spring and fall (it’s usually frozen solid in the winter) when the waters clear (in summer the waters warm up and are full of algae and weeds), you can see mounds of zebra […]
High ISO Cutie
Testing the limits of Canon’s 5DmkII high-ISO performance, ISO 25,600 captures a baby racoon in the dark hollow of a willow tree 45 minutes after sunset. Not useful for print or colour work, it is an interesting look into sensor technology to come.
Healthy Teeth
Beautiful dental work: up close and personal with a red fox, yawning from an afternoon nap in the sunlit snow.
Bro Men
Tigger and Marble wile away a long summer afternoon, dealing with their stressors as only felines know how.
Backlight Perch
A black-crowned night heron perches on a branch near Forestry Island, interrupted from its fishing by a certain photographer interloper.
Gnat Overload
Midges (formerly misidentified as gnats) take flight in massive swarms off the harbour side of Algonquin Island.
Entrail Spaghetti
A juvenile racoon, in fact this fellow, sucks back a tasty morsel from a long-dead carp near the IYC as if it were designer Italian pasta.
Seafood Snack
A juvenile racoon enjoys a sunset snack on a long-dead carp (and I do mean long-dead, the stench was overwhelming) near the IYC.