Baker’s Dozen
One of the lovely things about living on a major migratory route is seeing the migrations happen: large groups of birds travelling long distances together. When they first arrive here on the Islands, they often remain together for a week or two before splitting up to build their nests. Flocks of 50 blackbirds at a […]
Rude Awakening
Startled from its nap, an early black-crowned night heron waits for the photographer to leave so it can get back to some serious sleeping.
Centre Mom VII
A Canada goose sets up shop in a planter on Centre Island’s boathouse dock. Very possibly Lucy, her normal planter wasn’t available due to renovation work.
Sing Your Heart Out
A blackbird, back on the Island for another season, sings its heart out in the Ward’s wet meadow.
Spring Colours
Some of the earliest colours of Spring, a mallard duck swims in the low sunlight of snug harbour.
Early for the Party
An early arrival in March of 2009: one of the first Great Blues to finish its long migration north.
Moonrise Swans
Illuminated by the light of the rising full moon, mute swans sleep on black ice halfway across the outer harbour to the Leslie St. Spit.
Waking Nap
Mature pintails nap in the light of early morning reflected by the Queen’s Quay terminal building.
Dive! Dive!
A pintail dives beneath the surface, fishing against the hardened seawall on the city-side.
Diving Mallards (video)
Our local mallards have learned a new behaviour: how to dive. Normally a dabbling duck, the extent of their underwater activities usually stops at mooning passersby and picking up what they can reach under the water’s surface. Some local mallards, however, have picked up the ability to completely submerge themselves, just like cormorants. Captured here […]
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.
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).
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.
Backlight Perch
A black-crowned night heron perches on a branch near Forestry Island, interrupted from its fishing by a certain photographer interloper.
Robin Lashes
The delicate details of a robin’s face exemplifies the sharpness of Canon’s EF 300mm f/4 prime telephoto.
Mourning Chilling
A mourning dove relaxes in the half-grass of spring, with a closeup of its wonderful facial feathers and catchlight.