First Snowy of the Season!

Pouring rain couldn't keep me from this beautiful snowy owl...tis the season!!

Quick hits from the weekend

Not much time to take photos this weekend unfortunately and the winds made wildlife scarce.  When it's windy I love photographing gulls, harriers and kestrals. 

I struck out on the harriers, no sightings at all, but the gulls and kestrals were fun.

Two kestrals were perched on a wire above my car and since I've already got about 1,850 shots of kestrals on wires and other manmade objects, I waited this one out.  Finally - a natural perch!

The gulls at the Harbour were playing in the wind and water, and these two decided to "share" some bread.

Beautiful Joe Park - A Beautiful Tribute to Dogs

When we were kids, we made several family trips to Big Head River in Meaford, Ontario.  Across the river there was a little park called Beautiful Joe.  At the time, I didn't know the story behind it, I only remembered it for having great swings and a really neat playground.

(Many, many, many) years later, I find that I am reacquainted with Meaford through volunteer work and on this last visit, I headed out to the river and Beautiful Joe Park.  The river was as beautiful as I remembered it, and what I discovered is that Beautiful Joe Park is an incredible tribute to not only a dog named Beautiful Joe (this is his final resting place), but to amazing dogs everywhere.

Beautiful Joe was a horribly abused dog who was rescued by a local Meaford family.  The park is next to the home of the family who at the time rescued and rehabilitated Joe.   An award-winning book was written about his story, and it is autobiographical (from Beautiful Joe's viewpoint):  
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/saunders/joe/joe.html. 

I can't explain the feeling when you are in the park.  You can actually feel the amazing spirit of these great animals - it is impossible to describe.  Oddly enough, the park had absolutely no wildlife at the time I went, yet somehow it seemed full of life.  There is a great blog post here that tells the story much better than I could:  http://robandtheanimals.blogspot.com/2009/09/beautiful-joe-park-meaford-ontario.html

Here are a only a few of the plaques and statues that are placed throughout the park.  Beautiful Joe, below, welcomes visitors as they enter the park.

If you are ever in Meaford, Ontario, and are a dog lover, Beautiful Joe Park is a must-visit!

Doggy fun in Meaford

There wasn't a lot of wildlife other than a flock of beautiful snow buntings, but my camera still got a workout.  I think the dogs were ready to kill me by the end of the trip!

The had an amazing time - running, swimming, and playing with their human friends.   They sure didn't act like 12 year olds this weekend!

Osgrrr taking a breather

Johnny couldn't get the smile off his face - he even went swimming!

Homeward Bound

Still smiling!

Stealth!

Playing in the field

Beautiful Meaford Sunrise

We found this beautiful kitty (with incredible heart markings)
while on a walk.  Fortunately the dogs weren't with us for this meeting!

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