All My Blogs

A warbling vireo near Merritt, BC. "The warbling vireo is one of the most abundant and familiar breeding birds in deciduous stands throughout most of British Columbia" (quote from BC breeding bird atlas ).   I find this statement odd, in that I have lived in BC now for almost 40 years and this is the first one I have ever photographed.   Warbling refers to "the act of singing or producing a melodious sound with rapid changes in pitch, vibration, or tone" (from Merriam-Webster).  If you listen to the song ( click here for video ), you will notice that the bird does indeed warble. The warbling vireo has been split into two species, the western and the eastern species.  They look similar and can be difficult to tell apart.  I photographed this bird near Merritt, BC, so it is likely a western warbling vireo.  There is a great image of both birds here .  The differences are minute, and I can't be sure that it is the western variety, but it makes s...

Eric, Kathryn, and Steve in Edmonton, Alberta. People move.  Times change.  Family, work, health, and life - they get in the way of keeping in touch.  But that doesn't mean those who once were an important part of your life have to disappear.  You can renew, refresh, and reaffirm those relationships by using that rare commodity we all covet - time. The first thing is that you can't keep in touch with everyone.  You have to be selective.  I keep in touch with those who are interested in me/us.  If people appear disinterested, dismissive, or emotionally distant, that's a good sign that trying to maintain a relationship just won't work out.  That's OK, although I have to admit it hurts, especially when you thought you were an important part of their lives.  You have to move on. The next thing is to touch base once in a while.  A phone call.  Mail (remember that?).  Electronic connections.  But the best way is being as direct ...

Salsify flower "bending" to the will of an American Goldfinch near Didsbury, Alberta. Salsify is an edible plant related to sunflowers.  The one in the photo above is yellow salsify, a common weed I see everywhere.  Like dandelions, the plant is edible and has a long taproot, similar to a carrot.  The plant is originally from Eurasia, but that hasn't kept American goldfinches from enjoying it. I photographed a goldfinch a few years ago on a salsify flower that was about to go to seed.  Goldfinches relish the small seeds found in these flowers, along with thistle seeds and niger seeds at bird feeders.  The photo is below, and the link is here to my blog on the image.   American Goldfinch on salsify, 2024. The difference between the two photos is time, not only in the year but in the season.  The top image was taken a few days ago in Alberta's early summer when the bird's plumage is a little less worn, and the flower hasn't started seed production ...

Male hairy woodpecker (left), chick (center), and feeding chick (right). It has been a unique year for finding woodpecker nests.  While camping in Wabamun Provincial Park earlier this year, I found and photographed a hairy woodpecker nest ( click here  for blog).  Today, while visiting Calgary, I found and photographed another hairy woodpecker nest and chick.  I also photographed bush tit nests early this spring, although they were from the previous year ( click here for blog).   Downy woodpeckers are much smaller than their similar-looking cousins, the hairy woodpeckers.  I had the good opportunity to photograph both species a couple of years ago while hiking Telford Lake in Leduc ( click here for blog).  It can be hard to tell them apart; at first I thought it was a downy woodpecker, but the bill length tells me otherwise. The chicks of woodpeckers make a repeating high-pitched noise, almost sounding like "we-we-we-we."  Every woodpecker n...

I found this yesterday on a walk near where we are camping in Didsbury, Alberta. Wild animals can be pests.  Most of us have been annoyed or had property damaged by creatures such as raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, and prairie dogs (in the above photo).  And, as much as we would like to be unburdened by such annoyances, most of us wouldn't want to see the poor things suffer.  I have set out a few traps in my day to get rid of rats and mice.  I even caught a squirrel in a live trap that I released elsewhere. Leg-hold traps are at a different level, though.  They trap through injury and damage, but do not kill.  The creatures are left to die from dehydration, pain, or predation.  They are considered mean and inhumane.  However, leg-hold traps are themselves not illegal.  They are, however, strictly regulated and have to adhere to specific parameters.  These include no teeth, having rubberized jaws, and having jaws that are smaller than 9 inc...

Goslings photographed with different ISO and shutter speed settings.  See below for another one. Although the risk of too much noise or too slow a shutter speed will likely always haunt you, the truth is that there is usually a safe option.  In general, a high ISO may reduce an image's quality, but blur will likely ruin it altogether.  Not sure whether to shoot with an ISO of 400 or 800?  Start with 800 and see where it leads.  You can dial values down if the light improves or if you find your shutter speeds are faster than necessary.   There is noise reduction software, both in your camera and in apps like Photoshop, that can reduce noise associated with high ISOs.  Turn on your camera's noise reduction system.  It usually kicks in around ISO 800.  You may want to rethink that though, as the process is non-reversible.  To give you an idea, play with noise reduction software in Photoshop if you can and look at the difference.  ...