Posts Tagged ‘Canada’

Puffins – Aren’t They Just Gorgeous?

Puffins - Aren't They Just Gorgeous?

One of the great opportunities when visiting Newfoundland in Canada is to go to Elliston on the east coast and see the nesting Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) colony. We were there very early in the Season and these cute little birds were just arriving for their 3 months of the year on land to breed. […]


Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious? Frankly I am not, but when it comes to Wildlife Photography, we had been skunked a lot lately. We had a whale watching tour from Forillon National Park and saw no whales. The operator had the policy that if you don’t see any whales and you are still in the area you […]


Black Bears on the Beach

Black Bears on the Beach

We have seen Black Bears (Ursus americana) in several National Parks (Denali, Yellowstone, Glacier) and places in between. But this was the first time seeing them on the beach.  There was a Sow demonstrating the process to her cub. and the Yearling Cub demonstrating listening and watching Mother… working their way along the beach to […]


Mum and Pup Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris)

Mum and Pup Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris)

It is always great to photograph these, the smallest of marine mammals, as they just look so cute and cuddly. We had seen them on our visit to Alaska where they were “rafted up” in their hundreds.  But this Mum and Pup we spotted while on a cruise with Archipelago Cruises out of Ucluelet on […]


Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) and their Young

Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) and their Young

Earlier this year was my first encounter with Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) at Mono Lake in the Californian Eastern Sierras.  They were just arriving and the guide books said that there would be so many that you could walk on them to the other side of the lake! However, when visiting Saskatoon Lake Provincial Park […]


The non-Shorebirds that go to Churchill

The non-Shorebirds that go to Churchill

My previous blog was about the shorebirds in their gorgeous breeding plumage that make their way to Churchill, Manitoba.  But there are plenty of other types of birds and species that travel all the way to Churchill in order to breed. Many of these birds also “dress up” in order to attract a mate!  Here […]


I’ve Got Lunch Honey – Well Almost!

I've Got Lunch Honey - Well Almost!

Photographs of Arctic Terns on an iceberg in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada


From The “Frozen North” in Search Of The Bubo scandiacus

From The "Frozen North" in Search Of The Bubo scandiacus

Well, actually it is not that far North, Southern Ontario, but it is January, it has snowed, it is -16C with a 40 kph wind blowing – it certainly feels like the frozen North. I am on a workshop to shoot Snowy Owls.  This winter there is a very large over-population of Snowy Owls and […]


Why Did I Go to the Tundra to Shoot Shorebirds?

Why Did I Go to the Tundra to Shoot Shorebirds?

As you may recall from earlier posts, it was quite a journey to get to Churchill, Manitoba,  just below the Arctic Circle.  It took two days to fly there, one day to Winnipeg (Manitoba’s Capital) and another day to Churchill (the train from Winnipeg takes 2 days!) and the same to return.  When I got […]


What causes the Flush?

What causes the Flush?

A group of Stilt Sandpipers at dusk in the Tundra Marshes of Churchill, Manitoba on the Hudson Bay.  They are happily milling around, preening but not looking for food – it is the end of the day, time for bed … I am stealthily taking their photographs, because as a photographer while I am edging […]


Follow The Herd?

Follow The Herd?

An image of a group of birds all heading in the same direction – hunting for sustenance in the Far North during their breeding season.  But, can you spot the “odd man out”?  I am not sure why, but I am always thrilled when I can get a shot with more than one species together […]


A Way to Attract the Girls

A Way to Attract the Girls

The Short-billed Dowitcher (Linodromus griseus) has a way with the girls during breeding season.  He flies thousands of miles north, to the Tundra and puts on his breeding plumage.  The plumage is highlighted by a bright orange (rufous) foreneck and breast.  This is irresistible to the females – the purpose of the exercise. Then after […]


Ablutions in the Tundra Marshes

Ablutions in the Tundra Marshes

It is past 9:00 pm, there is no hint of sunset, but we are into the sweet light of the day, referred to by most as “golden hour”.  I have been out since 6:00 am, just after sunrise, as there isn’t much night this far North – just south of the Arctic Circle – in […]


The Solitary Sandpiper

The Solitary Sandpiper

At first I easily mistook this bird for another Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa malanoleuca), as there head been several around.  However, this bird was working the marsh for food by itself.  A quick consultation with Sibley’s pointed me to the Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitarius).  Apparently it is often mistaken for a Greater Yellowlegs but is described […]


Stalking the Jaegers

Stalking the Jaegers

Week 1 in Churchill, Manitoba we had seen a pair of Parasitic Jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus), on one of the areas of Tundra marsh from a distance, while driving by looking for suitable bird shoots.  Week 2 and one of the objectives I set myself, was to get some good shots of these birds.  So with […]


Migrating Shorebirds fly to the Tundra

Yes a great deal of the shorebirds that we see during our summer vacations and all winter long fly thousands of miles to the tundra in order to mate and breed.  Part of this process is the courtship of the males and females to choose their partners and then nest and mate. One of my […]


A day in the Tundra Marsh

A day in the Tundra Marsh

Yes, I am still here in Churchill, Manitoba.  Although the workshop concluded on Sunday morning I am here putting my lessons into practice. One of the pre-requisites for the workshop was a pair of “Hip-Boots”.  Something I had never heard of, but a quick search on the internet showed me what I had to get […]


Nature’s Sentry

Nature's Sentry

The change in plumage of the shorebirds and the distance they migrate in order to mate is mind-blowing.  Most of them gather here in Churchill in the very north of Manitoba, Canada which is sited on the Hudson Bay. The plumage change is most significant in the male birds as it is their way of […]


Birding in the Tundra

Birding in the Tundra

I am on a Moose Peterson workshop in Churchill, Manitoba to photograph the nesting migrating birds.  Why?  Because most of the shorebirds display dramatically different plumage when mating and these images can only be caught here!  So we are on our second day and I wanted to share with you come of the images from […]


Lindsay and “Waves and Rocks, White Point Island” Installation

Lindsay and "Waves and Rocks, White Point Island" Installation

This is a picture of Lindsay with her 35″ canvas Gallery Wrap of Atlantic waves crashing on rocky coastline of Nova Scotia.  The location of White Point Island is just off of the Cabot Trail in the north east of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.  It is a very exposed and isolated location […]