Frank Lake - April 1st, 2011

I was chatting with a guy at the camera store and our conversation turned to birds and he mentioned Frank Lake which is just east of High River. He told me that he'd been down there and had seen a bunch of short eared owls. This piqued my interest so I did a bit of research on it and found out that it's a Ducks Unlimited Wetland project and is one of 597 important bird areas in Canada, and there are owls there. Given that it wasn't real far away I drove down on a Friday afternoon to check it out. I really didn't know what to expect.

The weather was grey and overcast, and reasonably cold. There wasn't anyone around when I got there. For the most part there were Geese and Ducks. I did see a hawk being chased by some gulls. Later while walking through a field three short eared owls (short eared owls are ground dwellers) flushed out of the grass and flew away. They were opposite the direction that I was looking when I disturbed them so by the time I noticed them they were already quite far away. I took some shots, but the owls were too small in the frame.

I did get a shot of some geese that I like.. There were lots of geese. LOTS.

Anyway, I'll have to go back out once it warms up, maybe bring the kayak.. I wonder if there are rules about not using the kayak on the lake. I'll have to investigate.

Thanks for looking
brad.

Woodpecker - March 30th, 2011

I took an excursion to the Bird Sanctuary at lunch for a short walk and to see if there were any birds.

The pathway through the sanctuary is a loop and in the summer time when the leaves are out its really quite enclosed and you can't see very much. I didn't have much luck spotting anything extraordinary there were the regulars - ducks and geese, and I saw a cedar waxwing but he was small and high up in the trees.

Towards the end of the walk I came across a woodpecker. It was cool because I could hear him knocking well before I saw him. I got a few shots but many didn't turn out because he generally kept to the shady side. After a while he had moved off and I had to get back to work.

Thanks for looking.
brad

Beaver Flats - March 29, 2911

I was out at Beaver Flats last night and had a good time walking along the ponds and taking pictures of the running water. When I was looking at the shots that I got I felt that they were missing something. Then I realized that they were lacking definition and depth that direct sunlight would help provide. So, I thought if the weather held up that I`d try to go out again tonight.

With that in mind, on the way into work driving across the Center street bridge I was struck by the nice morning light so I opened up the sunroof and stuck the camera out and was able to get this shot.

That evening at Beaver Flats I walked along the river and there was lots of beautiful light. I took a variety of shots using different tools to try and create some nice effects. On this shot, I used the tilt-shift lens to vari the focal plane. I hope you like it.

To see other shots from today, click here.

Thanks for looking.
Brad.

Grotto Canyon - March 27th, 2011

I drove out to Grotto Canyon for a day trip.

On the way there the bighorn sheep were resting on a hillside just past Exshaw. I stopped to take some shots and a guy coming from the other direction asked if I had a camera. I said yes and he said I should go ahead a little further and look back because the sheep were all lying on top of the hill and I'd be able to get a good view. I like how the mountain in the background forms a nice backdrop for the sheep.

After getting to Grotto Canyon I walked along and looked for something to shoot and found this pine cone encased in the ice. A few years ago I shot a leaf on snow and used a flash to push some light across the top of it. I liked the effect so when I see opportunites I try to bring out the flash to add some depth. I used the macro lens here to get nice and close.

Towards the end of the main trail the ice-fall hadn't melted off yet. Exploring it I discovered there was a cavity in behind. I used the flash to help brighten up the shadows and stuck the camera in to the hole pointed straight up. I wasn't able to  look through the viewfinder to compose the shots so I would take a shot then review it on the back of the camera and try again. I had to continuously wipe water off of the lens but in the mess of shots I was able to find one that had an interesting composition.

While driving home, I saw a bald eagle flying across the landscape.. I pulled over near the weigh station and watched it for a few seconds but it was flying the other way. Further down the highway I turned off on Jumping Pound Ridge road and was driving along when I found this guy. He'd landed on the fence so I stopped the car and tried to get a few shots. After a few seconds he flew off.

I was happy to see the bald eagle up close-ish and get a couple of pics.. They`re migrating through and I don`t think will be here for long.

To see more shots from today, click here.

Thanks for looking.
brad

Frosted - March 26th, 2011

We've had a lot of foggy, frosty days here the last while. I`m surprised at how long it`s been hanging around. I was driving out past Cochrane looking for bald eagles as they've been migrating through the area. I'd seen lots and lots of opportunities to photograph the fog and the frost but it's hard to pick a spot when you're driving down the highway. Oftentimes I`ve seen a scene that moves me but I`ve already passed it and the decision to stop and turn around gnaws at me. Almost always - I don`t stop.

I have a catalog of potential shots that I missed because I didn`t stop. Next time, I think. Next time I`ll stop. Next time the light and the fog and the frosted trees look like that I`ll stop and make that photo. Until then, they`ll just be my private memories. In reality, the moments are fleeting, there most likely isn`t going to be a next time. I drive myself crazy thinking I need to capture everything I see because I`m just overwhelmed with the beauty of it all.

Here, I did stop - walked across the highway and tried to compose a shot of the frost and the fog. I like how the curves of the hills rest against the sky and the curve of the fence cuts across the frame.

Not much later, I was driving down another road in the area and came across this guy in the top of the tree. I stopped just past him and got out of the car and took a few shots before he decided that he`d had enough of me and flew off into the distance. I was able to get a couple of shots of him in flight. When he was lower to the ground I was impressed at how big he was.

Later, looking on the internet to find out if it was a juvenile bald eagle or something else, I discovered that he might have been a golden eagle because of the light brown patch on the back of his head. I don`t know about you, but I`m impressed.

Thanks for looking.
brad.

Short Eared Owl - March 20th, 2011

After finishing up with the hockey games earlier in the day I took a short detour on the way home. Actually, the hockey rink is just down the street so from a detour perspective I guess I really went on a short drive.

I was on a road just east of the city looking for birds when I came across a field where there was a fair bit of activity going on. I think there were at least two owls flying around and maybe a hawk or falcon it was hard to tell. I stopped the car and walked into the field to see if I could get close to the owls but didn't have much luck. Soon they were all flying far away from where I was so I left. I figured that I`d found an area where they might be nesting.

Later that evening I thought I'd go back and see if I could find the owls again. So I drove to the same location parked and made my way into the field. I was moving slowly, trying to be quiet. I had my camera, tripod and the remote release because it was reasonably dark and I wouldn't be able to hand hold the camera to make a shot. While I was walking an owl flew up from the ground quite a ways in front of me and landed on the ground again. I took a couple of shots and then tried to move closer. He saw me and flew to a fence post. I followed him taking a few shots then walking about 20 paces and taking a few more. When I got too close he would fly away and land on another fence post further down. This is as close as I could get.



Soon it was too dark for any more photos so I made my way back to the car. I drove down the road a little ways to see if the owl was still around and found him flying low above the fields. I watched him for a while until I lost sight of him in the darkness.

Thanks for looking,
brad.

PSA Hockey PM - March 20th, 2011

The final game of the tournament and PSA won 4-3 in a pretty exciting game. I would like to thank the team for letting me take pictures from the bench, I appreciate the opportunity.

Click on the photo below to see the gallery.



Thanks for looking
brad.