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Northern Map turtle basking against deep shadow, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Sidelight Stretch

A northern map turtle basks on the feet of the Snake island bridge.

Mute swans fighting, Blockhouse Bay, Toronto Islands

Crystal Skies

A mute swan, fighting another male, sprays water far and wide during the struggle.

Mute swan defensive posture, Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands

Battleship

A mute swan assumes a defensive posture against the deep shadows of September.


Tigger in winter sunbeam, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Sunbeam

Tigger, our wonderful, intelligent, empathetic friend, naps in a sunbeam during the dark depths of winter.

Beaver jawbone with teeth, Franklin Island, Georgian Bay

Beaver Pull

So, just how long are a beaver’s front teeth?  Almost six inches, as it turns out.

Great blue heron in strong sidelight, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Shining Light I & II

A great blue heron hunts in the September light off of Algonquin Island, evoking the image of this great egret from September of 2008.


Great blue heron skull, Franklin Island, Georgian Bay

Revealed Heronry

The skull of a great blue heron, time-worn and well weathered, shows off the distinctive heron shape, with a long beak for catching fish in shallow waters.

Distant Beast, Fire Parade 2010, Toronto Islands

Le Monstre Marin

Kathleen’s floating sea monster lantern, repaired after massive damage suffered in 2009, haunts the shores of Ward’s Beach during Fire Parade 2010.

Toronto skyline 2003 blackout, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Blackout

The great blackout of 2003 turns the Toronto skyline to darkness in this early digital panorama, as seen from the cityside beach on Ward’s Island. (Click panorama to view larger.)


Brown anole, Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

Backlit Display

A brown anole does its best to ward off the photographer on the Maritime Hammock Trail of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

Mute swan portrait, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Mute Portrait

Dramatic lighting falls upon a mute swan as it swims through the intermittent shadows of late March twilight.

Mute swan outstretched wings, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Show of Force

A male mute swan spreads his wings outside the camera frame after successfully chasing off another pair of swans from his chosen nesting territory in the lagoon. In contrast, this adolescent’s wings are still only partially developed.


Flowering Snowdrop, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Snowdrop Rain

Fresh from a March rain, a lovely early snowdrop prepares to flower on Third St.

Cormorant Skull, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Cormorant Revealed

The pristine skull of a cormorant gives up its secrets on Ward’s beach.  The top half of the bill is hinged just in front of the eyes, and the lower half of the jaw is jointed in almost the same place to help swallow larger prey.

Bird Skull, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Redtail Leftovers

An unidentified bird skull no larger than a quarter is all that remains of a red-tailed hawk’s dinner on Snake Island.


Mink skull, Sans Souci, Georgian Bay

Mink Details

The carnivorous details of a perfectly preserved mink skull, found in the Sans Souci region of Georgian Bay.

Day Lily, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

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).

Mute swan cygnets, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Sibling Asymmetry

Snow-white mute swan cygnets learn to feed off of Snake Island.


Radial Wonder

One of Cathy’s daisy-like flowers opens up in the brief daylight of November.

Flowering water lily, Franklin Island, Georgian Bay

Floral Nova

A water lily flowers in near-perfect symmetry. Tagged as related, this was photographed in the mineral-rich waters off of Franklin Island, Georgian Bay.

Painted turtle, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Back on Black

A painted turtle basks in the sun framed by deep shade in Snug harbour.


Mute swan, Centre Island, Toronto Islands

Snack on Black

A mute swan has a lagoon snack against deep shade near Centre Island.

Morel mushroom, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Magic Mushroom

Belying their market value, morel mushrooms look for all the world like alien brains. This fine specimen, lit with off-camera strobes, made a world-class omelette.

Mink skull, Sans Souci, Georgian Bay

Nightmare on Mink St.

The carnivorous teeth of a mink skull discovered in the Sans Souci area of Georgian Bay.


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