Velo D’incendie
Shadowland’s car sculpture is reborn as a bicycle in the flames of the Fire Parade 2010 bonfire.
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.
Distant City
Zeke and a friend light up the fabled black ice of 2005, seen here at sunset about half a kilometer off of the boardwalk. Click image to view larger.
Birds of a Feather
A pair of Canada geese fly through the inner harbour in 2007 in perfect synchronicity.
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.)
Waterline
A beaver swims past the shores of Algonquin, its face perfectly reflected in the calm waters of May.
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.
Eye of the Beholder
A ridiculous array of Kenko extension tubes — 68mm worth — opens up a garter snake’s eye to fill almost the entire frame.
The Reptile Twins
A pair of garter snakes stare intently before leaving the safety of their hibernaculum in search of an early Spring meal.
Mute Portrait
Dramatic lighting falls upon a mute swan as it swims through the intermittent shadows of late March twilight.
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.
Tundra Stopover
A lone tundra swan, easily identifiable by the yellow spot in front of its eyes, stands on thinning ice near Algonquin Island. Rare to see hereabouts, it could have been seperated from this group that flew overhead previously. (Click image to view larger.)
Ariel
Ariel braves the shifting flames of the 2011 equinox bonfire, hooping to the Arythmic’s beats.
Numbered Days
And old squaw duck pauses between fishing dives, perfectly reflected in the lagoon’s surface. Their days here this 2010-11 season are already numbered, as migratory birds begin to return to the Islands and increase competition for food.
Super Moonsong
A freshly returned blackbird sings to an almost full “supermoon“, adding his voice to the rising cacophony of the wet meadow in springtime.
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.
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.
Ducks in a Row
Mallard ducklings prepare to go head to head with the turtles, in the “we can fit more on a log than you” category.