Return of the Woodpecker

Today was a special day - I had the privilege of helping out with a woodpecker release.

A few weeks ago a homeowner named Sharon found an injured woodpecker in her backyard.  It had suffered some sort of trauma, possibly it was stunned by a window strike and then was further injured by a cat, who by no coincidence was standing close to the bird when it was found.

Sharon picked up the bird, who was in pretty bad shape, and took it to Toronto Wildlife Centre, where they took it in and gave it their usual dose of TLC.  Today was release day!

The woodpecker had been finishing off its recovery in a comfortable outdoor enclosure complete with a great woodpecker house - a log had been hollowed out, then reassembled to simulate a tree hole.  When I caught up the woodpecker and we put it into it's "tree hole" the bird began to rat-a-tat from the inside of the log while I was holding the log in my arms!  I was amazed at the force it used to peck.

When we got to the release site, TWC rescue staff member Andrew climbed a ladder to fasten the house to a tree so that the woodpecker could come out in his own time. 

It had been quiet for most of the morning but it seemed to sense our excitement and decided to try to release itself!  The rat-a-tatting went on for quite some time.

When the cover was lifted off the entrance, the woodpecker stood in the doorway for a moment and took it all in.  

Excuse the awful pics - lighting was terrible!

When he was done assessing, he left his temporary home and flew into a nearby tree.  He began to peck the moment he landed, and for several minutes he explored the tree.  It was like he never left.

Amazing to see how an animal that badly injured could make such a great recovery - another TWC success story!  It is also great to know that there are people who will take the time to care for an injured animal and drive it to where it can get help.   For more information:  http://www.torontowildlifecentre.com

Fall in Algonquin

Despite almost 3 days of high wind, torrential downpours and totally unpredictable weather, we had a great time in Algonquin this past weekend.  When the rain got too heavy it put a damper on my photography capers but I had my camera's raincoat so we set off to see what we could see.

The highlight of the trip were two bull moose on Opeongo Road. One was sleeping quite close to us, but unfortunately behind several layers of foliage.  Manual focus finally kicked in for a few shots and I was able to get an outline of the antlers.  What you see here is only a fraction of the size of his headgear. 

Once in a while he would lift up his head and we onlookers could only gasp.  Beautiful, powerful and magestic beasts!

I love shooting in the fall and throughout the winter, more than any other time of year.  Although we missed prime time for Algonquin's fall colours, we still had lots to enjoy.  Fall really highlights what earth tones are all about.

On both Sunday and Monday I found this heron on Opeongo Road, in different areas.  Hopefully he will migrate soon - it was already starting to get chilly!

The rain and dark skies presented Algonquin in a different light.

This was the cottage we would have stayed in if we'd spent more money on accomodations.  Instead we chose to stay in the cute cabin on the same property.

This is the real owner of the cottage.  He has homes in every nook and cranny outside the property (and I suspect inside the walls too!).

A couple of tired pooches (who are still exhausted today!) had a great time.

Bye to Algonquin for another season.  Hope to see you in the winter!

Juvenile Night Heron

When you're having a bad flight shot day, these guys are good for the ego - they don't move to fast and seem to hang in the air.

My Photography Fettish

Most photographers I know gravitate to a certain type of subject.  One friend stops to take photos of old shoes left on the shoulders of highways (seriously!).  Another photographer is a magician with water droplets.   I didn't think I had a leaning toward any one subject (excluding wildlife of course!) but having recently sifted through some old photos I've figured it out...feathers!  

I love the randomness and think they are so beautiful, whether attached to a bird or randomly discarded. 

Today there were plenty to choose from on the marsh.

I also love how feather patterns vary from one species of bird to the next.  It is so artistic.  Black and white seems to illustrate this well.

Common Tern

Great Egret

Rough-Legged Hawk

Great Egrets

I love this time of year in part because of the abundance of Great Egrets.  I lucked out today when I found this semi-friendly Egret.  He chose to preen quite close to me and didn't seem the least bit concerned.

My...what big feet you have!

Keep Cats Indoors

Another reason why cats should be kept indoors.  I love cats but I hate to see a creature suffer at the paws of a domestic animal.

http://www.keepanimalssafe.ca/learn_more_about_the_issue.php

Bald Eagle!

An unexpected surprise as I toured Durham's backroads this weekend!  Someone who knows much more about Eagle IDing said this was a one year old bird.

Golden Hour

Although I tend to prefer the golden hour at the crack of dawn, the pre-dusk golden hour is also a great time to shoot.

There are still five remaining Great Egrets at Rouge Park Beach.  I found these birds very hard to shoot even in good conditions (so easy to get blown highlights) but I was happy to get a few interesting shots.

Last update on the 5 orphaned turkeys

I'm happy to say that the five orphaned turkeys have twelve new siblings and three moms :)   Early last week I found the nursery flock, the one that had initally had three moms and twelve young at the time of release.  They now added five more to their family.

The two larger ones from TWC are very evident in the flock - they are growing so fast.  A very very happy ending!