Carden Plain Songbirds

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Finishing tax season last week, I needed a day to blow off some steam.  Ron and I called Glenn Springer, a friend who lives in cottage country.

Glenn wanted to meet us at Carden Plain, a conservation area on Highway 48 south of Minden.  Carden Plain is a vast limestone plain with wetlands, and is now a protected area.  It is well known as a bird breeding ground in the spring and summer months.

I met Ron at a little after 5:00 am and headed east, for about a two hour drive.  Early morning is a good time for bird photography because the birds are active and the light is not harsh as it is in mid-day.  We met Glen at the designated spot, and it didn't take long to set up.  The birds were plentiful.  Here are a few images:

This little guy is a Tree Swallow, a small bird and very fast.  Luckily there are birdhouses set up along the roads which provides home to mating pairs.

This is an Eastern Phoebe. Very active, and not afraid to pose for the camera.

This is a Red-winged Blackbird. Very active and talkative.

This is a Song Sparrow. Very active and singing constantly.

By all accounts, it is still a little early in the season for bird photography.  Lucky for us that we found this place early in the season.  We will try to return when young chicks have hatched and the parents will be actively feeding their young.

There are many more adventures on this trip, so stay tuned.

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark

The Dress Rehearsal

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Part of the satisfaction I get out of joining a camera club is forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and learning new techniques.  The Richmond Hill Camera Club has an annual photoessay competition.  Photoessays are a series of photographs compiled together, usually accompanied by a piece of music.  The goal is to tell a story with these images.  The music is also very important, as this sets the pace, and keeps the viewers interested.

Another thing that I have been interested in is time lapse photography.  A time-lapse is a series of photographs stitched together in a movie format.  There are many technical issues to resolve to accomplish this in a seamless fashion.  Shoot on a tripod, manual settings, manual focus.  That was the easy part... some 1,600 images later, then came the problem of putting it all together, and finding the right piece of music.

Sometimes the planets line up, and it all comes together nicely.

Here is my photoessay, called "The Dress Rehearsal":



As most of you know, Mary Ann has gotten involved with the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra as their Treasurer.  When I was thinking of a subject for a time-lapse, this seemed like a natural.  After asking permission to photograph the rehearsal, I was ready to try it.

I was thrilled with the end result.  In fact, this photoessay won the annual RHCC photoessay competition.  Not only that, the conductor of the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra liked the time-lapse so much, it was added to their website.

I'm sure there will be a few more of these in my future, given the right topic...

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark

Creativity???

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Life of an accountant is tough this time of year.  I should have blogged an entry much sooner than this.  The last entry was our Florida trip back in January!  Sorry about that.

As most of you know, I am active within the Richmond Hill Camera Club, in fact, I'm the President this year.  Maybe that's another reason for not blogging sooner!  One aspect of the camera club that I really enjoy is participating in club competitions.  A perennial favourite is the Creative competition.  Creativity can mean many different things.  In this competitions, however, creative means "altered reality" or something you would not see in real life. And heavy Photoshop processing is a must.

Here are a couple examples of images I have entered in this category over the last few years, and have scored pretty well:

Title: "You did have to buy Big Glass, didn't you?" - special thanks to Mary Ann for being my model on this one.

Title: "The Wings of Man" - yes that's Jeff on Maho Beach, St. Marteen.

And my personal favourite:

Title: "A Dozen Egghead Friends" - see how many of my kids and friends you recognize!

A more common description of creativity is seeing something in a different, or unusual way.  This can happen when you least expect it, and you have to keep an open mind.  Some examples that I have caught are:

Recognize this image?  It is a wooden staircase at the Art Gallery of Ontario.  Very popular with the photography crowd. But the creative aspect is that this was shot from the top, looking downward.  The normal view of this staircase is to shoot it from the bottom looking upward.

 This is a parking garage in Glasgow.  Very interesting lines, curves and patterns.

This one is much more abstract.  A family wedding we attended was the event, the ladies dancing was the focus of the image.  I love the slow shutter speed and the primary colours, nobody else liked it, but that's art...

Now that my busy season is coming to an end (I hope), I will blog more frequently...

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark

Next Stop - Venice Rookery

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The next stop on the photo tour was the Venice Rookery.  I had been there on my last visit to Florida, and loved it, so this was definitely a must see on this trip.

Friends Paul and Cynthia have a winter home in Venice, and had heard that the Rookery was wiped out by storms last fall.  Since Venice is over an hour drive from the condo, it was a risk worth taking.

Fortunately, the damage was not fatal, the mangroves had begun to grow back, and provided a habitat for nesting birds.  The birds had also returned to the Rookery.

Venice Rookery is quite an anomaly.  It is a small mangrove outcropping in the middle of a small lake, actually not much bigger than a pond.  And it is located in the middle of the town of Venice.  I drove up on a Friday, and there were about a dozen other photographers there.  This will give you an idea of the layout of the Rookery.

As you can see, all of these birds are building and protecting their nests.  It is quite a site to see as much activity in such a compact space!

The majority of the birds on site were Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Anhinga.  Most had paired up and were building nests, but some were looking for mates, and some were sitting on eggs.  I thought it was a little early to be on eggs in the middle of January???

Here are a few images of a pair of Blue Herons building a nest.

The male Blue Heron bringing nesting material to the female.

The male presenting the branch to the female.

The female accepting the branch from the male.  The male would then fly off and search for another suitable branch. Very interesting to watch (and photograph).

Male Blue Herons that had not yet found a mate were much more aggressive in showing off.  The more aggressive the better.  Here are a few of my favourite images.

Blue Herons were not the only birds getting into the act, Great Egrets have beautiful mating plumage  also.

As I mentioned above, there were Great Egrets already sitting on eggs.  Seems a little early in the season, but hey, "Live and Let Live"...

Another treat was a visit from a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Large, very beautiful birds...

I was very happy that the Rookery had bounced back from the fall storms. And once again, the drive to Venice was well worth the effort.  I'm already looking forward to the next opportunity to visit.

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark

Second Stop - J N Darling Wildlife Refuge

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The second stop on our photo travels was the J N Darling Wildlife Refuge, a 6,400 acre mangrove forest on Sanibel Island.  Cars can drive through the refuge and stop and explore at any time.  Because of the shallow waterways, the refuge attracts migratory birds and local bird populations.

The last time we visited, we observed Blue Herons, Great Egrets, crocodiles and Mangrove Tree Crabs.

On this trip we observed Blue Herons and Great Egrets, but we were also treated to a few other species of birds.

American White Pelicans.

Redish Egret.

White Ibis, which can have brown feathers.

Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron.

But the birds that I really wanted to see were the Roseate Spoonbills, and luckily we found a pair enjoying a little fishing.

These are beautiful birds that migrate from South America to Louisiana and Mississippi.  The last time we were in Florida in May, they had already migrated north.  Luckily for us, they were still in Florida in January.

Still more birding adventures coming, so stay tuned...

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark

First Stop - Lovers Key State Park

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The first stop on our search for birds was Lovers Key State Park.  Lovers Key is a small island south of Fort Meyers Beach.  Although the highway passes through the island on the drive to Fort Meyers Beach, the entire island is a State Park.  Mary Ann's cousin Anne and I struck out one morning.

I had been to Lovers Key the last time I was in Florida, and recall seeing nesting Osprey and assorted Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Red Bellied Woodpeckers.  This time was no different.  And having a 600mm lens made it even more fun.

There were a few Osprey flying around the area, but I only found one pair staying close to a nest.

One of the pair was always around the nest, probably to safeguard it from other birds stealing it.  They did not seem to stay in one spot in the nest, so it may be a little early for eggs.

Anne was using my second camera body with a 80-200 f2.8, and liked to shoot the trees in the area, particularly the dead trees along the ocean.

The island is full of shallow waterways that are the food supply for many local birds.  Here are a few doing a little fishing.

 White Ibis.

Little Blue Heron (no kidding).

Stay tuned for further birding adventures...

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark

January in Florida

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Mary Ann and I decided that we needed a break and some quiet time on our own, so we planned a trip to Maggie and Jay's condo in Fort Meyers, Florida.  We invited Mary Ann's cousin Anne and her husband Russ to join us, which they did.  This was my third time down to the condo, and each time is more relaxing.  The Gulf coast is full of nature photography opportunities, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The weather in the winter months can be hit-and-miss in Florida.  The week we picked was spectacular.  70's and 80's and sunny, all week (for those of you who can't speak Fahrenheit, it was around 25 degrees Centigrade all week).

Here are a few shots around the area.

Hanging around Fort Meyers Beach the first weekend we arrived.  Weather was terrific, and everyone was headed to the beach.

Not surprisingly, Fort Meyers Beach is made up of restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops.  But there was an energy about it, especially in nice weather.

 
The beach was made for sunsets, and still very crowded at 6:30 at night.

We learned that another cousin Janet was in Florida with a friend Cory.  We met them for an afternoon of exploring, and a few drinks on the beach on Sanibel Island.

Those of you who know me well, know that I would have been photographing birds non-stop if I could.  Not surprisingly, there are lots of stories about photography on this trip, but I'm saving those for a couple more blog postings.  I did manage to bring some birding gear with me, a really cool 600mm f4 lens I picked up from my friend Ron. A lens like that is a game changer, and takes photography to a whole new level.

You will have to stay tuned for those stories!

If you are reading this blog for the first time, don't forget to review the archives at the right side for earlier entries. And feel free to add a comment, as well as share this blog with your friends. If you have not already done so, please enter your email address in the "Follow my Blog by Email" box on the right hand side. It will be much easier for me to stay in touch with you. If you don't see a signup box on the right side, then click on the blog heading and that should take you to a webpage with better graphics. You should then see the signup box on the right side.  If you have trouble signing up, send me an email at mark.girard@rogers.com.

Thanks for reading...

Mark