All My Blogs

I found a pair of mated eastern bluebirds nesting in a birdhouse situated in the backyard of someone's home in southern Texas.  I met the lady that owned the property and we had a good conversation about the birds.  They eagerly awaited her appearance each day as she brought an offering of mealworm grubs.  This bird, a male, is holding one destined for his brood. I found the colouring of this particular individual somewhat paler than expected.  It turns out that nutrients play a role in how colourful a bluebird is.  Poor nutrition results in less intense blue colours.  I can only surmise that the bird's dependence on being fed a steady diet of mealworms has something to do with that.  Although mealworms contain generous amounts of essential amino acids and fats, they do not have all the necessary ingredients representing a balanced diet.   I am all for feeding birds, but it is important to provide good food for them that will either help sust...

Of the three species of grackle in North America, only one is found in Canada.  The boat-tailed grackle is native to Florida and the great-tailed variety is found in the westcentral and eastern states.  Common grackles are found only in the far northeast corner of BC but are present throughout all other provinces and throughout the states east of the Rockies.  They are a type of blackbird. It is interesting to note there are at least eight subspecies of common grackle.  There is a particularly good visual guide to them on this website .  The one photographed above was shot in Central Alberta and represents the major subspecies throughout the continent.  Similar to the colours in hummingbird displays, the colour scheme of grackles is not actually colour based.  That is to say, the vibrant purple colour you see is not because of feather pigments but because of microscopic feather structure.   You can see the colour-play based on lighting and an...

A female black widow spider photographed from above. The moment I saw it, I knew it was a black widow spider, and a female with eggs to boot.  She was suspended upside down between two concrete blocks on her web of death, the ample bodies of her victims strewn beneath her.  I uncovered this deadly arachnid as I was tidying up an area; as I removed some overburden she was exposed.  The red hourglass mark (see inset) on her abdomen gave her identity away. Although lethal in a larger dose, black widows are not normally able to kill a human.  Their venom is about 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake's, but the amount they can inject in a single bite is relatively minute.  The poison is alpha-latrotoxin and acts by altering the permeability of neurons to cations causing extreme pain.  In large doses it causes lysis of cell membranes and will result in death; fortunately, that rarely happens.  Of the 1015 people bitten by black widows in 2018, none died f...

With Christmas now less than a month away, Santa has been pulling out all the stops to get his reindeer in shape for the big day.  Flying over remote areas of Canada, this rare photo was just recently taken.  It was indeed fortunate that the photographer managed to capture the image.  When asked how he managed to get the picture, he quipped, "I was just lucky, I guess.  Christmas must be coming." The science behind Santa's apparent powers of flight and ability to visit households in the millions in just a few hours has been debated for years.  However, a recent breakthrough has been made by an anonymous theoretical physicist.  Apparently, gravity, mass, and time have a remarkable relationship whereby any mass produces a gravity well that influences time.  Santa is able to negate the effect of mass; this explains his ability to fly, carry so many presents, and move so quickly.  How does he manage to get so much on his sleigh?  Just watch an ep...

Driving the mountains in winter is far from a preferred activity, but the beauty of majestic peaks and snow-covered trees made it a worthwhile adventure.  I am thankful that the weather held and my trip had no significant issues, although there were two semi-trucks that had slid off the road earlier in the day.  I have very few photos of these highway vistas at this time of year mainly due to the risk associated with driving in icy conditions.   I came upon a majestic scene which happened to have a roadside turnout.  The view before me was enormous in both breadth and splendour and I felt the only way to do it honour was to shoot a panorama.  Some cameras and cell phones will allow you to complete the process automatically with little effort on the user's behalf.  I have never done it that way; rather, I shot nine separate images and stitched them together at home using Photoshop. It is important to shoot the sequence in manual exposure mode.  You...

It was fortunate that I was travelling home from Alberta yesterday as the roads were good and the skies were open.  As I was not pressed for time, I stopped several times in order to capture the splendour I was witnessing.  The Kootenays have always captured my imagination and it is relatively easy to get a nice photograph when fog, clouds, or some form of precipitation gets in the way. When shooting a vista I like to follow a few simple rules of thumb.  Wide angle lenses (35mm relative in this case) are usually a given and I like to use small apertures to increase depth of field.  The roadside turnout proved to be an excellent spot to see the mountain range and the sun further cooperated by being south while my camera was pointed in a northerly direction.  This had the benefits of both boosting colour and reducing shadows.   I like to use the Rule of Thirds; the heavily laden black spruce tree follows one of those meridians.  I also like to find ...

HDR means "High Dynamic Range."  The term range refers to the capture of light within certain levels of brightness.  You can increase the range by taking several photos of the same image but shooting them over a wide selection of exposures.  This can be done manually, with an ABE (auto bracketing exposure) feature, or using an automatic mode and altering exposure compensation.  I find that 5 photos ranging from +2 to -2 stops are enough; in this case I used 3 exposures, one at 0 stops, one at -2 stops, and the third at -3 stops.   The lens I used was Nikon's 24-70mm f/4s built for the Z series cameras.  I often find that including the sun in a shot results in severe flares, also called ghosts.  There are none in this image.  That is a testament to the quality of the lens and the coatings present on the internal elements.  Ghosting results from light refracting and reflecting inside the lens body and its various components.  Overall,...

Gleniffer Lake shoreline, Dickson dam, Alberta As we approach the winter solstice I find the sun makes its presence known less and less every day.  It wasn't even 3:00 in the afternoon and its angle relative to the horizon was already low.  It was the perfect time to shoot landscape photos. The advantage of a low inclination is that shadows are long and areas embraced by them have enough waning light that details are easy to see.  When the sun's elevation is higher the harsh shadows produced reveal few details; the only way to bring them out is to use an editor like Photoshop to lighten the darker areas.  In the above photo, no such alterations were made.  The photo is essentially as the camera saw it.  When the sun is at greater angles shadows can also be filled with flash.  This works for nearby subjects but quickly loses the effect as distance increases.  The technique is especially desirable when photographing people as harsh shadows are rende...

It's wintertime and most bodies of water are frozen over.  Large bodies of water are still in the process of releasing heat built up from the summer.  This can have a large impact on the surrounding landmasses, which is why places near ocean coasts, the Okanagan, and the Great Lakes have temperatures above normal.  There is something else going on though that explains much of what is happening here. Water is at its densest at 4°C.  Water cooler than this is less dense and actually rises above it where, given the right conditions, will freeze providing an icy shield for the lake surface.  Underneath the ice it is just a bit warmer, enough to allow the water to be in liquid form and sustain life.  Dams, such as the Dickson Dam near Innisfail, Alberta, often have gates and a spillway that are used to control water levels and possibly produce hydroelectricity.  That water comes from underneath the lake's surface below any ice.  This water may allow pa...

Visual difference between a crow (left) and a raven (right). In North America, there is a large number of birds entirely black in colour.  They can be found in three different sizes.  Smaller individuals are blackbirds, aptly named, and are usually Brewer's or Rusty blackbirds.  Then there are crows and ravens.  They are medium or large birds that often get confused with each other.  Enormous large black birds are likely one of two species of vulture. There are approximately 31 million crows present in North America.  They can be found throughout all of Canada (south of the territories) and north of Mexico.  Ravens boast a larger range and inhabit the artic all the way into Central America but are not found in much of the central and east US and Mexico.  I could not find any information on population numbers, however, I believe that there are far more crows than ravens.  A look into the sky at dusk will often provide shocking evidence of this...

A male ruddy duck in breeding display. There are not a lot of birds with blue bills.  Of them, the ruddy duck (also sometimes called the blue-billed duck) has one of the bluest.  The red-footed boobie has one comparable to it, although its range is limited to pelagic Central America.  Ruddy ducks are found south of the artic circle down into Central America, although the majority of that is only during summers. I find them to be fascinating ducks; they have a wonderful courtship display that involves a vigorous shaking of the head in a front to back motion.  They use it both for attracting makes and establishing territory.  They are somewhat aggressive and will chase any other birds out of their area. Interestingly enough, the bird is not native to Europe.  In England, 1952, capive members escaped and began breeding.  They established a population of 3500 some 40 years later and have since been expanding their range into Eruope from Belgium to Spain. T...

Tricoloured heron searching for prey. While visiting Texas in June this year I came across a fascinating little bird.  It was wading just inside the edge of the shoreline.  The long legs allowed it to keep its body clear of the water while its long neck (see inset) and dagger-like beak made the workings of a perfect spear.  The combination ensured the predator's reward; food would soon be served. Tricoloured herons are primarily piscivores.  Their diet is composed mostly of fish, although they will take invertebrates and even small vertebrates such as frogs and salamanders. They don't seem to compete with their larger cousins in that these birds take smaller prey closer to shore.  They also have an interesting habit; while standing on one leg their other leg stirs the bottom sediment in the hopes of uncovering something tasty. There are a remarkable number of herons, egrets, and ibis along the Gulf Coast.  While visiting there I found great-blue heron, litt...

A devastating attack left Jessie with permanent life-long injuries. I have worked with students with cognitive and physical disabilities, some the result of trauma.  While doing my practicum at the hospital-school facilities of GF Strong in Vancouver, I witnessed young people recently diagnosed with head trauma who received temporary education there.  Over the years I have found the brain to be both incredibly sensitive to trauma and remarkably resilient to it.  The fact is, though, that healing does not always mean full recovery. Such is the case for Jessie Simpson.  In June of 2016, he was a high school graduate with his whole life ahead of him.  A young man with promise and potential, he was out celebrating his accomplishments when he was viciously attacked with a metal baseball bat.  A blow to the head left him in a coma.  You can see a news report about him here . His recovery after the trauma has been slow and he has no short-term memory.  H...

My friend, Charles, kayaking on Johnston Lake in Banff. Happiness is an elusive quality that can only be found by not looking for it.  Although ironic, it is completely true.  It is never inside a bottle, of any kind, and such a lifestyle gleans just the opposite outcome.  It is not found through bodily pleasures, the acquisition of material goods, or stimulation of the senses.  Although these things can provide moments of joy, even ecstasy, they often lead the pursuer with a sense of emptiness. How is it that wealth alone is not the root of happiness?  There are many poor people that are much more content than those with money to burn.  Prostitution involves frequent sexual acts by an individual for money, yet there are few prostitutes that are really happy. Power is another coveted construct that, in its own right, will not foster prolonged joy.  The simple fact is that having money, chemistry, sex, and/or power will not guarantee a happy life. So th...

Bees collect pollen first on their body hair, then comb it back onto their hind legs. Why do bees have hairy bodies?  After all, wasps are not at all hairy, yet their Hymenopteran cousins are covered with bristles.  The difference has to do with collecting pollen. Wasps are carnivores and use their substantial jaws and stingers to despatch prey.  They visit flowers only as a means of finding visiting insects.  Bees, on the other hand, collect honey and pollen in the process of acquiring food.  Both are used for feeding the brood and queen back at the nest. Pollen itself is not sticky; it is the flower pistol that has a sticky end that allows the pollen to become attached.  Pollen grains stick to the bee's fur because of an electrostatic attraction.  As a bee flies, the vibrating wings produce a positive charge on the body.  Flowers often carry a negative charge; the loose pollen grains will attach themselves to the bee's hairs with little effort o...

  An American bumblebee extracting nectar and pollen. There are over 250 bumblebee species worldwide, 16 in Canada and 49 in the US.  The American bumblebee can be found in both countries, although their numbers are declining.  It is estimated that they no longer inhabit 90% of their former range.  So, why is this once continental staple becoming rarer with each passing day? As with many other organisms, their decline has been dominated by the loss of habitat and the introduction of non-native species.  Bumblebees favour open land, much of which is becoming increasingly unavailable.  The overuse of pesticides has helped decimate their populations.  Bees imported from Europe to facilitate greenhouse-grown plant pollination have brought ectoparasites and diseases with them that have found their way onto native species.  Let's not forget the effect that global warming is having on all populations.  This perfect storm of assault has left the Amer...

An invasive species; a brown anole lizard, Texas. The anole is a kind of lizard in the same way that a duck is a type of bird.  There are 250 species of anole worldwide; most of them can be found in the Caribbean and southern North America.  The green anole lizard is native to the US while the brown variety, photographed above, is not. Brown anoles are native to Cuba and a number of islands of the Lesser Antilles.  They were initially introduced in Houston in the early 70s and, in less than 50 years, have spread to much of Florida and a wide ring around the Caribbean Sea.  This includes the coastline of eastern Mexico.  They are closely tied to urban areas. This is an invasive species, meaning that it is not native to the area and causes significant disruption to the ecosystem.  The greatest threat is to the native green anole; the browns compete with their cousins for food and living space.  Wherever brown anoles are found, a noticeable reduction in g...

A black-necked stilt. I can understand why this bird is called a stilt.  The long legs make it a "tall and lanky" figure worthy of a comic book.  Considering their overall size, these shorebirds have the longest leg-to-body ratio, surpassed only by flamingos.  They even beat out ostriches and emus, ratio-wise. Black-necked stilts were an uncommon site in Canada.  It wasn't until 1977 that they were first observed nesting north of the border.  I have seen them in Arizona and Texas, but until this year I have never seen them here.  The one above I photographed just outside the city limits of Red Deer, Alberta.  Is the expansion of their range because of habitat loss or global warming?  I would venture to say both are valid explanations. Recently, I wrote a blog on the American Avocet .  It turns out that stilts and avocets are closely related and can interbreed with each other.  Although rare, the chicks are viable and will mature to adult...

Black-bellied whistling duck, photographed in Texas. Imagine if we named our children the way ornithologists named birds.  It wouldn't be so bad with simple names like Robin, Jay, or Raven; these are common enough and wouldn't raise much of an eyebrow in response to their utterance.  However, in the bid to make specific monikers such as Yellow-bellied sapsucker and, as above, Black-bellied whistling duck, such a name would be somewhat ostentatious in nature.   The general idea is to pick some distinguishing feature of the subject and use it as part of the title.  You'll notice that there are often two features named.  A child presenting with red hair and dimples might go by Ginger-haired-dimpleman.  Someone sporting conjoined 2nd and 3rd digit toes with a heart-shaped birthmark could be called Web-toed-cardiomark.  You get the idea. The black-bellied whistling duck is found in the southern reaches of Texas, Arizona, and Florida.  Their number...

Nine-banded armadillo (inset:  one recently deceased). While visiting Texas I came across an animal I was unacquainted with.  Armadillos are a staple in the southern states; amongst some, there is the practice of creating road fodder.  We often see skunks and raccoons victimized by the automobile here in Canada; it seems the armadillo often meets a similar fate. It seems that these thickly-skinned mammals are considered pests in many places.  Although they are docile creatures, they have the habit of tearing up lawns and gardens in their bid for preferred foods.  They are omnivores and consume large amounts of invertebrates along with choice fruits and plant matter.  Many a yard has been laid waste by their nocturnal foraging. There are twenty species of armadillo; the nine-banded variety is the only one found in the United States.  Its range has been increasing over the years and they have been found as far north as Washington.  Armadillos are fo...

American Avocet in breeding plumage I have always liked birds but had never really begun seriously watching and photographing them until my late 20s.  That was partly due to the lack of equipment and a certain awareness regarding the class.  It was during the summer of 1987 that my curiosity was piqued.   I lived in Bonnyville, Alberta, at that time and spent my free time jogging and hiking in the area.  An early summer morning found me walking along the local lake shoreline when I came across a stunning bird.  It had an unusually long, upturned beak and sported a graceful rusty coloured neck.  It turns out it was my first encounter with the American Avocet.  That moment may have been the impetus that launched me into avian photography. In Canada, avocets can be found in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan during the breeding season.  They prefer shallow marshy areas where they can find aquatic invertebrates; their long bills are perfect tools ...