One of the many Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) that make the waters at the north-western corner of Lake Ontario their home year round. They are fun to photograph because their almost pure white colour presents quite a challenge, especially on bright sunny days when the sun is high in the sky. I have yet to be able to distinguish the male from female of this big, beautiful species. No waterfowl is more graceful on the water, but don’t get too close—they have large powerful wings that can break a child’s arm.
Photo taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 80mm, hand-held. ISO 200, 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3
This male Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) was seen at LaSalle Park Marina, Burlington, Ontario, Canada last Friday morning. Not as many waterfowl as usual at LaSalle, but the water was glassy calm and we had a bright sunny day. Some of the best wildlife photographers in Ontario were at the marina that day and it was fun meeting and chatting to them.
The day was better suited to my 300mm f/4 lens, because it focuses faster than my 80-400mm zoom and would have done a better job on the in-flight shots that I took. However, you have what you have and you make the best of it.
Photo taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 400mm, hand-held. ISO 200, 1/800 sec., f/6.3 and “developed” in Adobe Lightroom.
This beautiful little bird, White-breasted Nuthatch (sitta carolinensis), was seen at the Royal Botanical Gardens a few days ago. The Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is located at Burlington and Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. the bird was under a branch in the shade with a messy background and so I wanted to shoot as wide open as I could. This meant using a very high ISO.
I think it is a credit to my Nikon D300 digital SLR that I could get this shot at 1250 ISO with as little noise as there is in the image.
Photo taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 400mm, handheld. ISO 1250, 1/500 sec., f/6.3
It’s early spring and today it really felt like it. So nice was the weather, I really didn’t mind that there weren’t many birds about. The lake was glassy calm, but had few waterfowl to show off on it. Better luck next time, eh. I saw the mergansers at LaSalle Park marina and the Rock Dove at Valley Inn Road. At Valley Inn Road, I also saw a Bald Eagle, but I had just gotten out of my car and did not have my Camera ready.
Photos taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 400mm, handheld.
Two males and a female Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
The following image of a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) was taken on the boardwalk that runs through Grindstone Marsh in Hendrie Valley—part of the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Several of these popular birds can usually be seen when hiking the trails in Hendrie Valley and are brave enough to let you get quite close.
Not exactly a spring event, perhaps, but it does lift the spirits when one sees these big, beautiful birds prancing about in the woods.
Photo taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 400mm, handheld. ISO 200, 1/500 sec at f/6.3.
Grindstone Marsh is such a terrific resource for our area. It has so much to offer year round to the nature lover, especially the birder. Here are three shots of a male Downey Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) seen on the boardwalk.
This morning my wife and I went for a hike through Hendrie Valley—part of the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington—and along the boardwalk that runs through Grindstone Marsh. Still early in the season, of course, and a bit on the cold side, but I did see several species of birds, including Canada Geese, Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, Downey Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays and Black-capped Chickadees.
The trail we used starts up on Plains Road at the Cherry Hill Gates (across the road from Louie’s West Side Grill) and runs through the marsh to Valley Inn Road. We only spent about two hours on the trail, but were quite cold by the time we got back to the parking lot, so headed over to Louie’s for steak and poached eggs—delicious end to a terrific outing.
Here are a male and a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) we saw along the way. Stunning, healthy-looking birds—a real treat to see and photograph. Hope this comes across in the images below.
Male Northern Cardinal
Female Northern Cardinal
(Photos taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 400mm, handheld. ISO 560 and 250 respectively, 1/500 sec at f/6.3)
And again, more photographs from my Saturday morning at the Raptor Centre at Mountsberg Conservation Area at Campbellville in Milton, ON, Canada—part of Halton Region’s conservation park system.
This Great Horned Owl (Bubos virginianus) is considered the tiger of the forest for it is at the top of the food chain and have no natural predator. This bird has imprinted on humans so has to be kept in captivity.
Here are more photographs from my morning at the Raptor Centre at Mountsberg Conservation Area at Campbellville in Milton, ON, Canada—part of Halton Region’s conservation park system. These adorable Eastern Screech-owls (Otus asio) are fully grown yet fit easily on their handler’s fingers. Both birds have imprinted on humans so have to be kept in captivity.
The owl on the right has lost an eye, but they both seem quite content with their lot in life, don’t you think—good food, clean safe living quarters and kind, knowledgeable people to fuss over you all day will do that to an owl.
(photos taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 250mm, handheld. ISO 400, 1/250 sec at f/8)
This morning, I visited the Raptor Centre at Mountsberg Conservation Area at Campbellville in Milton, ON, Canada—part of Halton Region’s conservation park system. Mountsberg Conservation Area is a terrific local resource, featuring extensive wetlands, which are a birdwatcher’s dream with waterfowl and shorebirds by the lake—a Dam and reservoir built for flood protection and stream flow regulation for Bronte Creek—and hundreds of warblers flitting through the forest and meadows. All of which can be enjoyed from boardwalks, birdfeeders and interpretive lookouts.
A bit early yet for the wild birds so I visited the Raptor Centre, which has on display several birds that have been too badly injured to be released back into the wild or that have imprinted on humans for various reasons and can never again care for themselves on their own.
Here are some shots of an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius).
(all photos taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Zoom lens at 300mm, handheld. ISO 720, 1/250 sec at f/8)
Zebra mussels, freshwater mollusks, were introduced to the Great Lakes in the 1980s by European vessels travelling the St. Lawrence Seaway. Since then, they have become a troublesome pest. Zebra mussels clog water intake pipes and turn docks and pilings into surfaces that can tear your skin off. They also filter algae from the water, turning it clear. As a result, Scuba diving in the Great Lakes has become a growing sport. Unfortunately, however, the absence of microscopic aquatic plant and animal life will cause many species to disappear as the underwater ecosystem changes dramatically.
One positive side effect of the zebra mussel infestation, is the food source they provide for some waterfowl species such as the Greater Scaup (Aythya marila). Large numbers of Greater Scaup are now regularly seen in Lake Ontario throughout the winter months.
Male Greater Scaup snacking on a mussel
Close up of male Greater Scaup
Close up of female Greater Scaup
(Taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED lens with a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld.)
This morning saw another cold and windy outing to photograph birds. Fortunately, the sunshine and the thrill of spotting a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) made up for the discomfort. The Eagle circled high above Burlington Bay when a Ring-billed Gull took exception to his presence and made a couple of aggressive dives at the large raptor. In no mood for a fight today, the Bald Eagle took off slowly across the bay towards Stelco (U. S. Steel Canada).
(Taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED lens with a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld.)
Small ducks are usually shy and, because of their diminutive size, hard to photograph. As with most styles of photography, getting close makes for better bird pictures. One of the most beautiful of the small ducks is the Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) a frequenter of the waters at the north-western corner of Lake Ontario—waters shared by the neighbouring cities of Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Here’s a recent shot of a male Common Goldeneye:
(Taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED lens with a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld.)
This noisy fellow—Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is another of the many signs of spring we love to see at this time of year. Like the gulls, Mallards and Canada Geese, the sheer abundance of these blackbirds throughout the warm-weather months guarantees their unpopularity and the under-valuing of their beauty. The males, pictured below, are the first to arrive, but the females won’t be far behind.
The predominantly black colour of the Red-winged Blackbird makes it a challenging subject for a photographer. Here’s the first of the many pictures I plan to take of this flashy, noisy bird.
(Taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED lens with a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld.)
The following three images are my first this Winter/Spring of the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus Serrator)—in this case, the male of the species. This disheveled-looking fellow is quite abundant as the weather warms and is one of the signs of spring I look for each year. I just wish they’d swim a bit closer to shore so I can get better pictures of them. Of course, they do come in to rest and refuel during the peak of migration, so I should have many more chances to get that elusive perfect shot.
The downside of the coming of spring is the fact that in our area we loose several variety of waterfowl. Of course, there are compensating factors such as the arrival of the warblers and the waders, but I will miss the Buffleheads and Goldeneyes, Scaup and Oldsquaws among others.
Here are recent images of some of my favourite species of duck—these are males of their respective species—taken at the extreme north-western corner of Lake Ontario.
(As has usually been the case recently, the following photographs were taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED lens with a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld. I shot in RAW format with Aperture Priority set to f/5.6 and use Adobe Lightroom to “develop” the images rather doing it in the camera. Most of these images have been cropped to some degree for presentation purposes.)
One of these Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) had the bad manners to poop on me while I was taking some pictures of diving ducks. Shameful thing to do, but I have heard that it brings good luck.
Had it not been for that unfortunate incident, I would have written how under-appreciated I thought these birds were. Many see their rude and dirty habits only and ignore their beauty. As with most things in modern life, familiarity breeds contempt and the silly gulls do nothing to endear themselves. Pity.
Photographs were taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED lens with a Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld. I shoot RAW and use Adobe Lightroom to “develop” the images rather doing it in the camera. Most of these images have been cropped to some degree for presentation purposes.
Here are a few more images from my walkabout on Saturday (yesterday) morning. Along the way, I heard that the migratory waterfowl are on their way to the Burlington/Hamilton area. Hope they bring some warmer weather with them. Photographs were taken in RAW format with a Nikon D300 D-SLR and a Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 IF-ED with Kenko 1.4X teleconverter, handheld.
Male Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos) caught relaxing in the morning light. A beautiful bird, highly under-rated in these parts because they are so common.
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