Great Grey Owls – Summer Owls Alberta
June 30th I photographed this great grey owl in flight in southern Alberta Canada as it flew out of the darkness of the forest into a small beam of light. I usually see them in the winter, I had no idea that these birds of prey stayed in this area year round to raise there young.
Out of the dark woods into the light, a great grey owl night flight in southern Alberta Canada
Hovering Great Grey Owl Inflight in southern Alberta Canada
Alberta Prairie Landscapes – Old Abandoned Farms
A quick outing from tonight, great skies, amazing clouds, 1000’s of mosquitos, all biting me. This old abandoned farmhouse just east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada..
Click to expand photo.
Old abandoned Alberta farm photo by Rob McKay
Birds Of Prey – Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
More hawk photos from the field, some fast flying birds of prey captured in flight at just the righ moment and in just the right light conditions, rain clouds in the background. All photographed using the Nikon D300 with grip, nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR lens hand held at ISO 400.
Click to expand images…..
fast flying - hawks in motion wind ripping through his wings
Swainson's hawks talons - Inflight action
Northern Harrier Adult Male In-Flight
A tip from a friend on the location of a mating pair of northern harriers (A.K.A. Marsh Hawks) led to these photos. I have been by the location a few times since, and only once have seen them. Either the young harriers have fledged, or the coyotes got to them. Northern harriers are ground nesters so raising young is a tough job, especially here in southern Alberta where predators seem to be everywhere, in the air and on the ground. Click the images to expand…..
Head on flight photo of an adult male northern harrier
In flight northern harrier,...
Action In Flight Yellow-headed Black Birds Feeding
This is a large series of photos showing the immature yellow-headed blackbirds photographed in-flight eating what looks like emerging mosquitoes, or maybe some type of mayfly emerger? Whatever it is, these young birds had the know how to pick them off the waters surface! They would zoom in and scoop these insects off the surface of the pond by the mouthful.
This black bird is just about to make the catch!
immature yellow-headed black bird inflight-feeding on insects
Close-up, a yellow-headed black bird with dinner in his yap
Yellow-headed black...
Low Light Great Gray Owls Alberta Canada
The great gray owls seem to be everywhere this year, we can hear and sometimes see the fledgling great gray owls deep in the woods. Photographing them is tough in these low light conditions (no light), as the evening went on I had to keep pushing my ISO up and up, until the final photo was shot at 3200 ISO. See more great gray ow photos here!
The first three gray owls below are photographed at 400 ISO and slow shutter speeds from 1/160th to to 1/500th of a second. All photos are handheld using the nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR.
One large great gray owl...
Male Mountain Bluebirds
The blue colour is almost unbelievable, shinny electric blue of the male mountain bluebird is something to see first hand! These iridescent birds are amazing to watch this time of year as they hunt for insects along a fence line. This adult male mountain bluebird in full breeding colors has caught what looks like a grub/larva or some sort of caterpillar and will no doubt be feeding it to his young once its softened up a bit
See the female mountain bluebird here..
Click here for more mountain bluebird photos…
Colorful Male Mountain Blue Birds...
Female Mountain BlueBirds
Not as brightly colored as the male mountain blue bird, the female blue bird usually gets less attention from photographers, but not me! I love the subtle colors of the female birds, less iridescent than the male birds also means that they are also a bit easier to photograph.
female mountain bluebirds, on a barbed wire fence
Less shine on the female = less blown highlights in the photo….
female mountain bluebird photographed in a tree, close-up!
A colorful female mountain bluebirds poses for a portrait shot
female bluebird giving me the...
Swainson’s Hawk Photos – InFlight Alberta
The Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is about the size of the red-tailed hawk and this wild male bird photographed here is a light morph or light phase. In September, these birds of prey migrate all the way down to Argentina, after wintering in Argentina they head back to southern Albert in the spring, as this is the breeding range of the The Swainson’s Hawk.
Photo of male swainson's hawk inflight
These photos show the light phase adult male swainsosn’s hawks colour and feather detial.
Back feather detail of an adult male...
Male Gadwall Duck In-Flight
Flying low over a slough in western Canada, this adult male gadwall duck was photographed in-flight. The subtle colours of the male gadwall duck make it an instant favorite to photograph, hope you like this one…
male gadwall duck inflight over an southern Alberta slough
Redhead Duck In-Flight Photo
Just one of many in-flight photos of the gorgeous male redhead duck, this time caught in-flight of a slough here in southern Alberta, Canada. Spring is in the air and the birds are showing brilliant mating colours. This photo is available in canvas prints.
A male redheaded duck inflight photo with cat tails in the background
Yellow-Headed Blackbird Flight
Being from the east, I never saw these colorful birds until I moved to Calgary a few years ago. They make the most amazing sound, almost like a spring about to pop! Nothing like the red-winged blackbirds I am used to.
I photographed a bunch of these amazing yellow-headed blackbirds today, great fun trying to capture them in flight.
A few samples below,
Photo of a yellow-headed blackbird inflight
yellow-headed-black-bird-inflight
Great Gray Owls In-Flight
Recent in-flight photos of one of my favorite owls, the great gray owl, photographed north west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada! These birds of prey are amazing looking owls, and can be seen year year round as they are residence in this location. The evening I photographed this great gay, we found a total of six.
great gray owls, living in Alberta, Canada
All are available in hi-res prints, canvas, matt or high gloss.
Photos of a wild great grey owl inflight
Showing the wing detail of a great gray owl in-flight
Northern Shovelers Photographed In-Flight
The male northern shoveler, I love these ducks! Amazing colours, and that long, shovel like beak makes these quackers fun to photograph! Right now they seem to be everywhere here in southern Alberta, but these ducks are still skittish and somewhat hard to get close to.
A male northern-shoveler photographed inflight, Alberta, Canada
American Coot Up Close Photos
Found in both large and small sloughs (or ponds) here in southern Alberta, the american coot is an interesting bird, especially there specialty developed feet! A few photos of a very cool bird.
An american coot close-up
Cruising a slough on a calm evening in Alberta, this male coot is staking out his territory.
American coot pictured on a calm back country slough.
Posing for the camera, as I lay in wait dressed in my duck suit….
American coot photographed in a shallow pond, Alberta.
Just look at the toes of the american coot in the below photo,...
The Swainsons Hawk Captured In-Flight
When I first saw the Swainsons hawk, these amazing birds of prey two years ago I was amazed at the colors of the adult male birds. Being originally from the east, the Toronto area I had never seen a Swainson’s hawk before so for me, a raptor fanatic photog, I was in heaven and had to get a photographs of them, lots and lots of photos!
Here are a few photos from a week or so ago of an adult male swainson’s hawk in flight on his home range over the southern Alberta prairie looking for prairie dogs.
swainsons hawk wings open flying over...
Low Light Wood Duck In-Flight
Photographed this male (drake) wood duck in flight last week under overcast skies using the 300mm 2.8 VR. I liked the way it turned out, great colors in nice even light.
Photographed in low light, a drake (male) wood duck
Spring Coyote Shedding Fur Coat
From a quick evening outing, about 30 min. into my walk I came across this shedding female coyote crossing a pond. She looks a bit chubby, maybe coyote pups are on the way this spring?
A Calgary coyote stalking over the rocks photo
Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Mating Arena Alberta
Some photos from this springs grouse lek outing in southern Alberta, we had perfect conditions, great light and co-operative grouse strutting their stuff on the lek.
sharp-tailed grouse inflight over lek
We crawled on out bellies before sunrise and waited for the grouse to arrive on the lek, and they did about 50 in total. We watched and photographed this amazing dance/display for about two hours!
Male grouse display on lek
The mating dance is unreal to see, but the sounds coming off the lek is also amazing.
Bird Photography Colourful Wood Ducks In-flight
Definitely one of my favorite bird/ducks to photograph, the male wood duck is SO colourful, its scary! Especially this time of year when its showing full mating colours. These photos are from a few evenings ago, the light was getting low and only patches of light came through the trees.
woodduckphoto
Colorful male wood duck flying past a great background
Gray Wolf or Timber Wolves
A large female gray wolf, also known as timber wolves. I was lucky to get a chance to photograph this girl about a week go..
On the trail, a backlit gray wolf photo
The stare of a gray timber wolf
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
I photographed this wild great horned owl was photographed in flight just southwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada using the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens and the Nikkor 1.4 TC (tele-converter).
great-horned-owl-flight-alberta
inflight great horned owl, Alberta Canada
It was a great day, myself and fellow photographer and friend Mark Williams headed out early (5:30 am!) to photograph the…..
Northern Red-Shafted Flicker Alberta
I photographed this northern red-shafted flicker this evening, in low light as it was very overcast here in Calgary. I was on the ground, getting as low as possible so I had a nice blurred out background. This photo was taken with the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens and the 1.4 Nikon tele-converter, ISO 400, handheld with VR on, and a some fill flash.
More flicker photos here!
Winter Northern Hawk Owls Canada
A few photos of two different northern hawk owls photographed in flight, from this winter, 2010 Alberta, Canada.
Wanted to post these photos earlier, but totally forgot to! Anyway, lots more photos of these amazing hawk owls to come, but for now here are a few more from this winter.
A northern hawk owl inflight, winter 2010, Alberta, Canada
Winter hawk owl flying in low over the snow for a kill
Great Horned Owl Fledglings
Great horned owl fledglings at this time of year, wow, this is very early to see these little owls out and about, flying already too! While most great horned owls are still sitting on eggs, this family has three fully fledged youngsters.
On the left is a photo of the adult great horned owl in flight taken today in crappy light conditions.
Below one of the fledglings owls.
great horned owl inflight
great horned owl fledgling
Crow harassing adult great horned owl
Snowy Owl Prints Photos – Winter Photos 2010 Canada
Winter 2010 Snowy Owls Photos Canada – Prints – Posters
A few months worth of snowy owl photos/prints in all kinds of weather and light conditions, sunny and warm, to sunny and a cold -35, overcast, snow, it was an fantastic winter for owls in Alberta and here are just a few photos of over 2000 images taken from this winter of snow owls in flight!
Snowy Owl Photos Hi-Res Wide Format Prints – Canvas or Glossy Full Color Signed Prints
These are full sensor snowy owl photos/images, signed by me , re-sized (for the web) images of...
Jumping Hunting Male Coyote
Into our fourth week of great weather here in Calgary, these warn temps have made for an early spring here and the ground squirrels have awaken from their winter hibernation. Predators gather and arrive from southern parts of the world to feed on these small ground squirrels, including this male coyote. Crappy light, and what light I had was backlight. This photo shows a male coyote jumping/leaping for his next meal! Shot with the 300mm 2.8 VR and Nikon 1.4 TC at 1/500th, 400 ISO, handheld and VR set to stun
Hunting Jumping Male Coyote
Snowy Owls In-Flight Alberta Raptors
More Owls – Snowy Owl incoming photo captures the snowy owl at lift off in the prairies of Alberta, Canada in golden late afternoon light.
Below is a tight crop of the same photo showing those snowy owl eyes up-close. Wow, what an amazing bird of prey. photographed on the Alberta prairies.
Snowy Owls In-Flight Photos Alberta Canada
Close-up crop of the same photo showing those amazing snowy owl eyes!
Northern Hawk Owl Photos In Flight – Alberta
A few recent photos of two different northern hawk owls in flight. Both shot on very dull overcast days, hopefully the next hawk owls will be in good light!
The photo at left was shot at ISO 400, Aperture f/2.8, Shutter Speed 1/2000th, both hawk owl photos are shot using the nikon 300mm 2.8 VR, handheld.
northern-hawk-owl
hawk owl inflight
Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR 2 Owls Review
This new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens of mine is amazing, the detail, tracking and super fast focusing is a dream come true! My first review, or test/play with the 300mm VR was in total overcast, very dull light and a fast moving object. These photos are in good light, and still a fast moving object. The VR works great, especially when panning a bird in flight. For this review, the images are handheld, of course The photo below is a heavy crop.
snowy owl nikon 300mm vr birds in flight review
snowy owls birds in flight nikon 300mm vr
Review Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR Snow Storm Snowy Owls Lens Review
My Review – My first day out testing my new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR (vibration reduction) on snowy owls in flight just west of Calgary, Alberta. It was dark, total overcast, snowing like crazy and high winds that made matters worse, did I mention cold! But the nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR tracked perfectly, locked on target even when the owl was just a blur behind blowing snow!
Snowy Owls Flight Photos
Ok, this will be the last set of the snowy owls in flight ( for now anyway ). Moving on to other birds and beasts but I hope you enjoyed this series of the snowy owl in flight from Alberta Canada
For images of snowy owls, see my gallery.
Snowy Owl Diving
Snowy Owls In A Snow Storm
Totally overcast and snowing like crazy when we found this snowy owl just east of Calgary.
My oldest son Tyler is in town and unlike his younger brother, has never seen a snowy owl before so we hit the road late this afternoon. Just 15 min. east of Calgary, we found out first snowy owl. In the 1.5 hour outing we saw four snowy owls all just north of the city….
Crappy light, very overcast and blowing snow, not the best light for photography but fun as heck!
Here are two photos from todays outing.
Snowy Owl In Flight in a snow storm in Alberta...
Gyrfalcon Photos, Alberta Canada
A few In-flight photos of a male white gyrfalcon attacking a ringed-neck pheasant in near white-out conditions, snowing like crazy and cold, very cold!
Dull overcast day when this unfolded…
gyrfalcon attacks pheasant, makes a passing flight
The impact photo showing how the gyrfalcon takes down its prey.
in-flight gyrfalcon attacks pheasant
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
Three frames of a surprised great horned owl in-flight, only three frames because thats all I got as he passed by very quickly on a cold day.
Great light for photography, we also saw two snowy owls and one merlin falcon. My latest in-flight photos of the great horned owls, click here.
great horned owl inflight
great horned owl wings spread
Fall Dragonflies – Macro Photography
Over the last few days I have been getting out to shoot some macro, soon the bugs will be gone, or frozen solid anyway!
The photo of a dragonfly on the left is from tonight, the dragonfly below was from yesterday. No tripods for these two macr photos as both are handheld.
Macro Photography, Bugs & Extension Tubes
I love macro photography and use extension tubes almost exclusively. I have dedicated macro lenses, but I like the distance I gain from the subject using a 300mm f/4 nikkor lens and extension tubes. The bug photo on the left is an example. I also use the 80-200mm f/2,8 and 35-70mm f/2.8 for closer macro work. its nice to be a few feet away from the subject, undisturbed bugs are a lot easier to photograph than trying to press a lens up against them!
macro photography extension tube bugs
ladybug & flower using 35-70mm f/2.8 lens and extension...
Alberta Swainson’s Hawk – Dark Phase – Again!
I went looking for that dark phase or dark “morph” swainsons hawk tonight, and found him! I I love these birds of prey, especially the the dark phase birds. Soon they will be gone, on their way to the fall migration to South America. A few photos from tonight, setting sun and this dark swainsons hawk.
dark phase swainsons hawk inflight
dark morph swainsons hawk flying high in the sky
American White Pelican Calgary Bow River Weir
Made a quick visit to the bow river weir in Calgary last evening to see how the american white pelicans are doing. They seem to be fine, I photographed about 30 of them flying around the weir looking for fish.
Rear view of a pelican over the bow river weir in Calgary
I took a total of 150 photos of these huge birds, in flight they seem to hang in the air. The weir construction project does not seem to bother the pelicans and they could care less about the large excavator working the shore line.
Summer Bucks Velvet
From a quick outing tonight, some good light and a summer buck deer with velvet antlers at sunset.
Other beasts seen include a male oriole feeding two female fledglings, kingbirds, a mule deer mom looking after her two fawns, an american goldfinch and a kestrel hoisting a young starling off…
A summer buck with velvet antlers
Babe in the Woods, Great Horned Owlet
I can’t help myself, taking photos of raptors, in this case owls is my favorite thing to photograph and tonight I finally had some light!
Because great horned owls are located in woods, finding light is always an issue, and if light is available, its usually blocked by trees or foliage. But tonight the rays of the setting sun sprinkled on this young great horned owl, oh joy!
Young fledgling great horned owl
Alberta Prairie Falcons In-Flight
Spent Saturday with a good friend looking for and photographing prairie falcons southwest of Calgary, Alberta. In total we found two adult males, and one adult female prairie falcon and started taking pictures of these awesome falcons in flight.
the larger female prairie falcon
Male prairie falcon with wings spread
Not easy tracking these birds of prey as they are moving very fast, trying to track them flying by was fun, well more than just fun!
Young Red Foxes (kits, puppies)
A tip from a fellow photog about a nearby fox den sent me flying down the road, and hopefully a chance to photograph these baby red foxes.
Not one, but 7 red fox kits live here, wow! Mom and dad fox must be busy keeping these little ones fed..
Baby red fox kit
Red Fox Puppy
Looking out of his den
A pair of red foxes near there den opening
I saw three of the little kit red foxes this time, but here there are more, possible even seven of the little pups.
Fledgling Great Horned Owlet Drying Off
More photos the great horned owl baby, this time I found the owlet drying off from a freak June snow, hail & rain storm that passed through last weekend.
Baby great horned owl sunning his feathers
Baby Great Horned Owl (Owlet – Fledgling)
It photographed this baby owl on May 24th, the owlet is the great horned variety and this little fledgling owl gave me quite a show hamming it up on an old log. What a treat it was getting full sensor/framed shots of this owlet at eye level.
The photo on the left of this baby owl is a crop from the image below.
Baby owl giving me a serous stare
Mom and dad kept a close eye on me in nearby trees…
In Flight Drake Wood Ducks
I know what you are thinking,
more wood ducks and again with the flying wood ducks!
I can’t help myself, I did it again and now have a bunch of wood duck photos to add to my collection, but still not quite enough! The wood duck on the left along with the 3rd photo below was taken on May the 18th. The other two on images taken on April the 29th.
Flying In, A drake wood duck takes to the air
Sorry again, but I cant help myself, I have to photograph these stunning wood ducks
Birds & Beasts
No, that beast on the left looking over the branches and clinging to the bark of the tree is not a samsquanch, a.k.a. bigfoot or sasquatch, it is a tree eating porcupine, in this case a very cute baby porcupine with a serious hairdo!
I also ran into mom (ouch), or it could have been dad porcupine eating some buds off a tree close by.
All these photos are from an quick evening outing on May the 2nd, wow do I have to catch up and start updating more often (wood duck series coming soon!).
Adult male coopers flying by, fast!
Alberta Sharp-Tailed Grouse Lek Dance
I spent Monday morning watching and photographing the sharp-tailed grouse strut their stuff on the lek is something you have to see to appreciate. I was invited by a good friend and fellow photographer Mark Williams to watch the sharp-tailed grouse do their thing on a Alberta prairie lek.
male sharp tailed grouse on lek close up
Two sharp tailed grouse fighting on lek
The Lek is an elevated patch of native prairie grassland and the lek we visited was about 75 feet square but sizes can vary.
Swainson’s Hawk’s Return
The Swainson’s hawk’s are back from there long migration and can be seen not only in the prairies but also within the city limits of Calgary Alberta. The last few days have been exciting for me as I love to find and photograph raptors! Over the last few days I have photographed short-eared owls in great numbers, coopers hawks, red-tailed hawks, merlin falcons, northern harriers, a.k.a. marsh hawks, nesting kestrels and a peregrine falcon in-flight.
Swainson's hawk on a fence post in the prairie
Solitary Sandpiper – Shorebirds
Interesting little shorebird, I photographed this Solitary Sandpiper while it was wading the banks of a pond in Calgary. These birds are small, about 7 inches including the long beak and can be seen cruising the shores of lakes, rivers and ponds looking for food.
The solitary sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper wading the shore of a pond
Coyote Up Close Encounter
I noticed a shadow off the path right beside me, there looking at me was this adult male coyote no more than ten feet away. The coyote was on a lower elevation than I was so I kept walking, maybe another ten feet or so until I was out of site. I then stopped, turned and crouched waiting for him to return, and return he did!
Coyote Stare
He popped back up onto the path right in front of me and was as surprised as I was. He stared at me, then lay down on the path, scratched himself, sunned himself then got up for a few more poses all within 30 feet...
Canada Goose Portrait
On the left, a close up portrait photo of a male Canadian Goose, the blue background is water in very low light. Right now his mate is on eggs trying to keep them warm, not an easy task after last nights dump of snow (yes, I said snow, about 5″ of the white stuff ).
Male Canada Goose Portrait
Male Hooded Merganser In-Flight
Hooded merganser and another evening with crappy light, total cloud cover but I went out (again) anyway but this time I got lucky, was at the right location at the right time when a male hooded merganser decided to take flight! I decided to keep the ISO down as I wanted a clean file of this merganser, a bit of a gamble because shutter speeds this slow might make for soft out of focus images.
Male Hooded Merganser Flying Over Pond
Male Hooded Merganser In-Flight In Dull Light
Female Coyote Run
A surprised female coyote ran out in front of me tonight on my way into one of my favorite haunts. The light was crap for fast moving beasties, total cloud cover = high ISO, but I did grab a few photos of this good looking urban Calgary coyote in low light conditions.
Running female coyote alberta
Western Meadowlark
I photographed this western meadowlark a few weeks ago on April 4/09 when we still had lots of snow on the ground. The meadowlarks bright yellow chest is a welcome sight this time of year when everything else is dressed in dull winter browns, this fellow is a sure sign of spring.
The bright yellow of the Western Meadowlark out in the prairie
Western Meadowlark posing on a fence post
He sat for a few minutes singing that amazing meadowlark song, then flew off across the prairie..
Male & Female Goldeneye Ducks
Lots of these goldeneye ducks around this spring and right now they are partnering up. Here are few very recent photos of both the male and female goldeneye in flight.
Colorful male goldeneye duck in flight photo
Female goldeneye duck in flight
Spring Time Canada Geese
The difference between a spring time Canada goose and the more relaxed summer version is large. These spring geese are very territorial and protective of their mate and the surroundings.
Canada Goose Flying Though Forest Trees
Wood Ducks In-Flight
Was lucky to capture a few male wood ducks flying this morning, always fun photographing birds in-flight, especially wood ducks! Here are a few from the wood ducks in flight series, or from this mornings duck shoot.
Male Wood Duck Flying Over Water
Male Wood Duck Flying Over Water
Bohemian Waxwing Eating Berries
Lucky me, what a treat, eye level bohemian waxwings posing for my camera eating red berries and in total I have around 80 photographs from this session! These are stunning birds, the colours are unreal and right now they are just passing through Calgary on there way to there boreal forests nesting grounds.
Bohemian Waxwing & Berries Photo
Photo Showing Waxwing Eating Red Berries
Mountain Bluebird at Fish Creek Provincial Park
I was stumped on the I.D., I knew it was a bluebird but what species of bluebird, a Mountain Bluebird or a Western Bluebird? It turns this little bluebird is a first year male Mountain Bluebird, thanks Gus for straightening that out for me and a few other photogs!
It was a dull overcast morning, or even light morning with 6″ of fresh snow on the ground, with this much snow it can only mean one thing, spring! I found this guy in Fish Creek Provincial Park, Calgary.
First year male Mountain Bluebird profile
Overcast Day Bluebirds
Winter Deer Photographed
Since winter is officially over (hard to tell with all the snow on the ground), it is spring here in Alberta right? I decided to post a few of the deer I photographed over the past winter including a few good size bucks. I have about 150+ images of deer from this winter, here are just a few.
Backlit Deer in the forest
Big Buck
Birds In-Flight Photography Workshops Calgary Lessons
In this Calgary photography workshop learn what it takes to photograph birds in flight, things you never thought of, tips, tricks and my personal tactics for fast moving objets that WILL make you a better photographer in capturing avian in-flight photos.
Birds in fligh workshops
A course to help you learn how to photograph birds in flight first hand.
Out in the field, hands on photography lessons in Calgary.
Capturing the moment is what it’s all about and if you can photograph a bird in-flight, then everything else becomes an easy target!
These...
Red-Shafted Flicker
These male northern red-shafted flickers have been busy trying to impress the females and I caught two males jousting in the snow. Either a territorial thing, or some kind of spring mating ritual, not real sure.
Male Red-Shafted Flicker
Red-Shafted Flicker In-Flight
Crusty Tail The Coyote – Coyote Winter Scenes
Just about to head home and we saw two coyotes, it was getting dark and the sun was going down but we decided to try and get a little closer. As we approached the coyotes started to yip and call, two turned into three. As we turned the corner and all three spotted Ken Bell and I started shooting!
Crusty Tail The Coyote
Light Morph/Phase Rough-legged Hawk Flight
We spotted 4 or 5 rough-legged hawks today, the in-flight hawk pictured on the left was a light morph (or light phase) rough legged hawk. With cameras in hand fellow photog David Lilly & I scouted around south west of Calgary looking for anything interesting and hoping to see an early mountain blue bird. Still a little early for blue birds, but we found a few wintering rough legged hawks including a light (pictured) and dark morph bird as well as few others hunting a stretch of dirt road south west of Calgary.
Light Morph Rough-Legged Hawk In-Flight
Old Places – Interiors Of Old Buildings
Adding a new category to my blog, old interiors & exteriors, ruins, rundown places that are dirty, rusty but interesting leaning architecture to photograph. This is the first set of images for the category and I hope you like these high contrast images.
On the left is an old abandoned farm house found in the Alberta prairies, looking in through the door you will notice a few bed springs rolling around the floor and lots of pealing paint and what looks like wall paper?
old farm house interior
Foggy Prairie Landscapes Winter Scene Alberta
Headed south east of Calgary this foggy wintery morning into the prairies to see the town of Mossleigh Alberta and some old buildings in and around the area. The fog was very thick so my landscape photos are limited to a few old abandoned farm buildings and one of the 3 Mossleigh silos (below) was photographed. Click to enlarge photos.
Abandoned prairie homestead
Mossleigh Alberta Silo
Thanks to photographer Ken Bell for directions, we found lots of great things to see and do, thanks again Ken!
Northern Hawk Owl Portrait Photo
These are full frame photos of the northern hawk owl, to the left shows the hawk owl sitting on a fence post in a snow storm, photo taken last week.
Large Buck Deer & Ducks in Morning Light
Perfect morning for photography in Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, clear skies and a few good looks at a large buck deer. In this kind of light you just have to photograph EVERYTHING including a few ducks spotted on the main pond.
Male Deer - Buck
Goldeneye Duck In-Flight
Lots of mallard ducks, a few Canada geese and a dozen or so goldeneye ducks kept us busy for a good 15 minutes.
Northern Hawk Owls Alberta
I say owls, because I was lucky to spot two northern hawks within 100 yards of each other thanks to a tip on its location from a friend.
To watch this fast flying hawk owl hunting was a thrill and only 40 min. from downtown Calgary made it even better
The portrait of the owl on the left shows close-up what these owls look like. I lucked out and also got a few flight shots.. Click here to see more Northern Hawk Owl Photos
Alberta’s Great Gray Owls
Yes, more photos of the wild great gray owls that roam the forests of Alberta Canada! These are not fresh photos, but are a few weeks old from other owl outings, some posted here on the site.
A friend of mine, and fellow photog David Lilly went looking for the owls again today, second time in a row and we got skunked, again! Nothing, not even a glimpse of the gray ghost. Oh well, better luck next time.
Northern Hawk Owl In-Flight
I photographed this Northern Hawk Owl in-flight last winter and met a few new friends while at it, in fact, they pointed me in the right direction of this northern hawk owl. Here is a sequence of photos of the owl hunting and capturing his dinner, in this case a mouse! I figured I should post the events, hope you like!
Great Horned Owl
I saw a total of three great horned owls the other day, here is a photo of one found along the banks of the Bow River in Calgary. I also viewed plenty of eagles roosting in trees, at one point there must have been 20 or so in one tree, but too far off for a photo.
Great Gray Owls, Alberta
Finally, I got a chance to see and photograph the great gray owl! Today I went looking for the great gray and found two of these owls hunting along a fence line north west of Calgary, what a thrill!.Here are a few photos of the great grey owl from today. For the detailed location report, click here!
If you are interested in buying this great grey owl print, click here.
Another Great Horned Owl
This great horned owl was photographed last Sunday just south of Calgary Alberta. I was actually looking for rough-legged hawks and came across this owl hiding in a tree. Well, he thought he was hidden but with the leaves on the trees, he stood out like a sore thumb! This was a first year great horned owl.
Oh yeah, I also did find a rough-legged hawk about 50 yards from the owl.
Another full frame shot,
Calgary Photography Workshops, Lessons & Field Trips
Wildlife & Nature Photography lessons & field trips with Calgary photographer Rob McKay are available year round!
Year round photography courses (outdoor workshops) are available spring, summer, fall and winter outings offer the wildlife, nature & landscape photographer plenty of options.
fast flying - hawks in motion wind ripping through his wings
Courses are held throughout the week and weekends, the location really depends on your interests. We shoot in the field and the outings can last 2 to 3 hours. We can cover landscapes, beasties...
Wood Ducks In-Flight
Late September wood ducks photographed in flight in evening light, the fall colours are in full swing now making the backgrounds rich and full of colour!
The male wood duck pictured above was just taking flight from his favorite pond. I noticed about 6 pairs of wood ducks this evening including this female wood duck taking to wing.
I love photographing ducks in-flight and wood ducks are number one on my list of ducks to photograph. The male ducks are unbelievable colorful.
One last wood duck picture from this evenings,
Swainson’s Hawks In Flight Alberta
The Alberta Swainson’s Hawks will start there migration soon, but last week I photographed an adult Swainson’s hawk in-flight hunting the prairie for anything that moved! I did notice one Swainson’s hawk dive at what looked like a quail. The hawk dropped out of the sky like a rock, but the prey was too fast and flew off.
Here are a few photos of the Swainson’s hawk in flight, both adult and juvenile (immature) birds are included.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk Profile,
An adult Swainson’s doing a fly-by!
The next few...
Sunday Macro Photography
Headed out this morning for some macro photography fun using the 300mm Nikkor, extension tubs, tripod, an old Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens and my old D1H body.
Overcast morning with nice even light and a bit cool for August, perfect for playing with bugs and close-up lenses. The cool air kept the insects slow and easily approachable. The 300mm f/4 and extension tubes helped keep me at a distance with plenty of reach! Here a few photos from this morning quick outing.
This damselfly was found resting near a pond,
Ladybug on a leaf,
An interesting...
Rural Alberta
Some recent photos of rural Alberta taken east of Calgary in the badlands around Dorothy and Rowley Alberta Canada.
Lots to explore and see here in Alberta and I am just touching the surface. The badlands, old ghost towns, prairies, mountains and foothills are all awe inspiring!
These are just a few recent photos of rural Alberta over the past few weeks, more to come as I have taken over five thousand photos since arriving in this beautiful province of Alberta.
Rowely Alberta
Dorothy Alberta Canola fields east of Calgary Grain elevators Rowley...
Alberta’s Kananaskis Valley Coyote
Another trip through Alberta’s Kananaskis Valley today, this time we took the dirt road from Canmore all the way down hwy 40. Around every corner was another amazing vista, I just cant get enough of the Kananaskis Valley!
The wildlife is everywhere and our first encounter was with this coyote.
We saw a total of three coyotes today, but we got good and close to this one as he didnt seem to mind us at all.
But that not all we photographed, this moose was happily feeding in about a foot of water, this was our second moose of the day.
We...
Alberta Badlands
These Alberta Badlands photographs are taken just outside the town of Drumheller and are from an earlier excursion to the ghost town of Dorothy located in Alberta’s Badlands. A desolate landscape, the Alberta Badlands are a photographers dream come true! From the old coal mines and rugged lonely hills, the Badlands are as impressive as the Rocky Mountains and a must see location if you are ever in the area.
These photos are from an earlier trip to the Alberta Badlands town of Dorothy posted here.
The drive into the Badlands is amazing,...
Dragonflies & Damselflies Macro
A few recent macro photos of dragonflies and damselflies, most photographed with the Nikon 300mm AFS f/4 lens handheld. I took over 200 mosquito bites taking these pictures, I hope you like them!
Another type of dragonfly at rest.
Dragonfly photographed in-flight. Took the camera to th pond tonight and tried my luck at shooting these guys flying.
Damselfly eating a mayfly,
One last damselfly from tonight, this time resting on a blade of grass.
Alberta Badlands Ghost Town Dorothy
Last weekend I visited the Alberta Badlands, toured through Drumheller, an old coal mine and ended up in Dorothy, EST 1895.
The Badlands of Alberta are impressive and in my opinion, a MUST see location. The landscape is surreal, rugged and desolate.
A few photos from the ghost town of Dorothy Alberta.
Old Chrch in Dorothy Alberta
Dorothy Grain Elevator
Great Grey Owls – Summer Owls Alberta
June 30th I photographed this great grey owl in flight in southern Alberta Canada as it flew out of the darkness of the forest into a small beam of light. I usually see them in the winter, I had no idea that these birds of prey stayed in this area year round to raise there young.
Out of the dark woods into the light, a great grey owl night flight in southern Alberta Canada
Hovering Great Grey Owl Inflight in southern Alberta Canada
Birds Of Prey – Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
More hawk photos from the field, some fast flying birds of prey captured in flight at just the righ moment and in just the right light conditions, rain clouds in the background. All photographed using the Nikon D300 with grip, nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR lens hand held at ISO 400.
Click to expand images…..
fast flying - hawks in motion wind ripping through his wings
Swainson's hawks talons - Inflight action
Northern Harrier Adult Male In-Flight
A tip from a friend on the location of a mating pair of northern harriers (A.K.A. Marsh Hawks) led to these photos. I have been by the location a few times since, and only once have seen them. Either the young harriers have fledged, or the coyotes got to them. Northern harriers are ground nesters so raising young is a tough job, especially here in southern Alberta where predators seem to be everywhere, in the air and on the ground. Click the images to expand…..
Head on flight photo of an adult male northern harrier
In flight northern harrier,...
Action In Flight Yellow-headed Black Birds Feeding
This is a large series of photos showing the immature yellow-headed blackbirds photographed in-flight eating what looks like emerging mosquitoes, or maybe some type of mayfly emerger? Whatever it is, these young birds had the know how to pick them off the waters surface! They would zoom in and scoop these insects off the surface of the pond by the mouthful.
This black bird is just about to make the catch!
immature yellow-headed black bird inflight-feeding on insects
Close-up, a yellow-headed black bird with dinner in his yap
Yellow-headed black...
Low Light Great Gray Owls Alberta Canada
The great gray owls seem to be everywhere this year, we can hear and sometimes see the fledgling great gray owls deep in the woods. Photographing them is tough in these low light conditions (no light), as the evening went on I had to keep pushing my ISO up and up, until the final photo was shot at 3200 ISO. See more great gray ow photos here!
The first three gray owls below are photographed at 400 ISO and slow shutter speeds from 1/160th to to 1/500th of a second. All photos are handheld using the nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR.
One large great gray owl...
Male Mountain Bluebirds
The blue colour is almost unbelievable, shinny electric blue of the male mountain bluebird is something to see first hand! These iridescent birds are amazing to watch this time of year as they hunt for insects along a fence line. This adult male mountain bluebird in full breeding colors has caught what looks like a grub/larva or some sort of caterpillar and will no doubt be feeding it to his young once its softened up a bit
See the female mountain bluebird here..
Click here for more mountain bluebird photos…
Colorful Male Mountain Blue Birds...
Female Mountain BlueBirds
Not as brightly colored as the male mountain blue bird, the female blue bird usually gets less attention from photographers, but not me! I love the subtle colors of the female birds, less iridescent than the male birds also means that they are also a bit easier to photograph.
female mountain bluebirds, on a barbed wire fence
Less shine on the female = less blown highlights in the photo….
female mountain bluebird photographed in a tree, close-up!
A colorful female mountain bluebirds poses for a portrait shot
female bluebird giving me the...
Swainson’s Hawk Photos – InFlight Alberta
The Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is about the size of the red-tailed hawk and this wild male bird photographed here is a light morph or light phase. In September, these birds of prey migrate all the way down to Argentina, after wintering in Argentina they head back to southern Albert in the spring, as this is the breeding range of the The Swainson’s Hawk.
Photo of male swainson's hawk inflight
These photos show the light phase adult male swainsosn’s hawks colour and feather detial.
Back feather detail of an adult male...
Male Gadwall Duck In-Flight
Flying low over a slough in western Canada, this adult male gadwall duck was photographed in-flight. The subtle colours of the male gadwall duck make it an instant favorite to photograph, hope you like this one…
male gadwall duck inflight over an southern Alberta slough
Redhead Duck In-Flight Photo
Just one of many in-flight photos of the gorgeous male redhead duck, this time caught in-flight of a slough here in southern Alberta, Canada. Spring is in the air and the birds are showing brilliant mating colours. This photo is available in canvas prints.
A male redheaded duck inflight photo with cat tails in the background
Yellow-Headed Blackbird Flight
Being from the east, I never saw these colorful birds until I moved to Calgary a few years ago. They make the most amazing sound, almost like a spring about to pop! Nothing like the red-winged blackbirds I am used to.
I photographed a bunch of these amazing yellow-headed blackbirds today, great fun trying to capture them in flight.
A few samples below,
Photo of a yellow-headed blackbird inflight
yellow-headed-black-bird-inflight
Great Gray Owls In-Flight
Recent in-flight photos of one of my favorite owls, the great gray owl, photographed north west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada! These birds of prey are amazing looking owls, and can be seen year year round as they are residence in this location. The evening I photographed this great gay, we found a total of six.
great gray owls, living in Alberta, Canada
All are available in hi-res prints, canvas, matt or high gloss.
Photos of a wild great grey owl inflight
Showing the wing detail of a great gray owl in-flight
Northern Shovelers Photographed In-Flight
The male northern shoveler, I love these ducks! Amazing colours, and that long, shovel like beak makes these quackers fun to photograph! Right now they seem to be everywhere here in southern Alberta, but these ducks are still skittish and somewhat hard to get close to.
A male northern-shoveler photographed inflight, Alberta, Canada
American Coot Up Close Photos
Found in both large and small sloughs (or ponds) here in southern Alberta, the american coot is an interesting bird, especially there specialty developed feet! A few photos of a very cool bird.
An american coot close-up
Cruising a slough on a calm evening in Alberta, this male coot is staking out his territory.
American coot pictured on a calm back country slough.
Posing for the camera, as I lay in wait dressed in my duck suit….
American coot photographed in a shallow pond, Alberta.
Just look at the toes of the american coot in the below photo,...
The Swainsons Hawk Captured In-Flight
When I first saw the Swainsons hawk, these amazing birds of prey two years ago I was amazed at the colors of the adult male birds. Being originally from the east, the Toronto area I had never seen a Swainson’s hawk before so for me, a raptor fanatic photog, I was in heaven and had to get a photographs of them, lots and lots of photos!
Here are a few photos from a week or so ago of an adult male swainson’s hawk in flight on his home range over the southern Alberta prairie looking for prairie dogs.
swainsons hawk wings open flying over...
Low Light Wood Duck In-Flight
Photographed this male (drake) wood duck in flight last week under overcast skies using the 300mm 2.8 VR. I liked the way it turned out, great colors in nice even light.
Photographed in low light, a drake (male) wood duck
Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Mating Arena Alberta
Some photos from this springs grouse lek outing in southern Alberta, we had perfect conditions, great light and co-operative grouse strutting their stuff on the lek.
sharp-tailed grouse inflight over lek
We crawled on out bellies before sunrise and waited for the grouse to arrive on the lek, and they did about 50 in total. We watched and photographed this amazing dance/display for about two hours!
Male grouse display on lek
The mating dance is unreal to see, but the sounds coming off the lek is also amazing.
Bird Photography Colourful Wood Ducks In-flight
Definitely one of my favorite bird/ducks to photograph, the male wood duck is SO colourful, its scary! Especially this time of year when its showing full mating colours. These photos are from a few evenings ago, the light was getting low and only patches of light came through the trees.
woodduckphoto
Colorful male wood duck flying past a great background
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
I photographed this wild great horned owl was photographed in flight just southwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada using the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens and the Nikkor 1.4 TC (tele-converter).
great-horned-owl-flight-alberta
inflight great horned owl, Alberta Canada
It was a great day, myself and fellow photographer and friend Mark Williams headed out early (5:30 am!) to photograph the…..
Northern Red-Shafted Flicker Alberta
I photographed this northern red-shafted flicker this evening, in low light as it was very overcast here in Calgary. I was on the ground, getting as low as possible so I had a nice blurred out background. This photo was taken with the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens and the 1.4 Nikon tele-converter, ISO 400, handheld with VR on, and a some fill flash.
More flicker photos here!
Winter Northern Hawk Owls Canada
A few photos of two different northern hawk owls photographed in flight, from this winter, 2010 Alberta, Canada.
Wanted to post these photos earlier, but totally forgot to! Anyway, lots more photos of these amazing hawk owls to come, but for now here are a few more from this winter.
A northern hawk owl inflight, winter 2010, Alberta, Canada
Winter hawk owl flying in low over the snow for a kill
Great Horned Owl Fledglings
Great horned owl fledglings at this time of year, wow, this is very early to see these little owls out and about, flying already too! While most great horned owls are still sitting on eggs, this family has three fully fledged youngsters.
On the left is a photo of the adult great horned owl in flight taken today in crappy light conditions.
Below one of the fledglings owls.
great horned owl inflight
great horned owl fledgling
Crow harassing adult great horned owl
Snowy Owl Prints Photos – Winter Photos 2010 Canada
Winter 2010 Snowy Owls Photos Canada – Prints – Posters
A few months worth of snowy owl photos/prints in all kinds of weather and light conditions, sunny and warm, to sunny and a cold -35, overcast, snow, it was an fantastic winter for owls in Alberta and here are just a few photos of over 2000 images taken from this winter of snow owls in flight!
Snowy Owl Photos Hi-Res Wide Format Prints – Canvas or Glossy Full Color Signed Prints
These are full sensor snowy owl photos/images, signed by me , re-sized (for the web) images of...
Snowy Owls In-Flight Alberta Raptors
More Owls – Snowy Owl incoming photo captures the snowy owl at lift off in the prairies of Alberta, Canada in golden late afternoon light.
Below is a tight crop of the same photo showing those snowy owl eyes up-close. Wow, what an amazing bird of prey. photographed on the Alberta prairies.
Snowy Owls In-Flight Photos Alberta Canada
Close-up crop of the same photo showing those amazing snowy owl eyes!
Northern Hawk Owl Photos In Flight – Alberta
A few recent photos of two different northern hawk owls in flight. Both shot on very dull overcast days, hopefully the next hawk owls will be in good light!
The photo at left was shot at ISO 400, Aperture f/2.8, Shutter Speed 1/2000th, both hawk owl photos are shot using the nikon 300mm 2.8 VR, handheld.
northern-hawk-owl
hawk owl inflight
Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR 2 Owls Review
This new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens of mine is amazing, the detail, tracking and super fast focusing is a dream come true! My first review, or test/play with the 300mm VR was in total overcast, very dull light and a fast moving object. These photos are in good light, and still a fast moving object. The VR works great, especially when panning a bird in flight. For this review, the images are handheld, of course The photo below is a heavy crop.
snowy owl nikon 300mm vr birds in flight review
snowy owls birds in flight nikon 300mm vr
Review Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR Snow Storm Snowy Owls Lens Review
My Review – My first day out testing my new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR (vibration reduction) on snowy owls in flight just west of Calgary, Alberta. It was dark, total overcast, snowing like crazy and high winds that made matters worse, did I mention cold! But the nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR tracked perfectly, locked on target even when the owl was just a blur behind blowing snow!
Snowy Owls Flight Photos
Ok, this will be the last set of the snowy owls in flight ( for now anyway ). Moving on to other birds and beasts but I hope you enjoyed this series of the snowy owl in flight from Alberta Canada
For images of snowy owls, see my gallery.
Snowy Owl Diving
Snowy Owls In A Snow Storm
Totally overcast and snowing like crazy when we found this snowy owl just east of Calgary.
My oldest son Tyler is in town and unlike his younger brother, has never seen a snowy owl before so we hit the road late this afternoon. Just 15 min. east of Calgary, we found out first snowy owl. In the 1.5 hour outing we saw four snowy owls all just north of the city….
Crappy light, very overcast and blowing snow, not the best light for photography but fun as heck!
Here are two photos from todays outing.
Snowy Owl In Flight in a snow storm in Alberta...
Gyrfalcon Photos, Alberta Canada
A few In-flight photos of a male white gyrfalcon attacking a ringed-neck pheasant in near white-out conditions, snowing like crazy and cold, very cold!
Dull overcast day when this unfolded…
gyrfalcon attacks pheasant, makes a passing flight
The impact photo showing how the gyrfalcon takes down its prey.
in-flight gyrfalcon attacks pheasant
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
Three frames of a surprised great horned owl in-flight, only three frames because thats all I got as he passed by very quickly on a cold day.
Great light for photography, we also saw two snowy owls and one merlin falcon. My latest in-flight photos of the great horned owls, click here.
great horned owl inflight
great horned owl wings spread
Alberta Swainson’s Hawk – Dark Phase – Again!
I went looking for that dark phase or dark “morph” swainsons hawk tonight, and found him! I I love these birds of prey, especially the the dark phase birds. Soon they will be gone, on their way to the fall migration to South America. A few photos from tonight, setting sun and this dark swainsons hawk.
dark phase swainsons hawk inflight
dark morph swainsons hawk flying high in the sky
American White Pelican Calgary Bow River Weir
Made a quick visit to the bow river weir in Calgary last evening to see how the american white pelicans are doing. They seem to be fine, I photographed about 30 of them flying around the weir looking for fish.
Rear view of a pelican over the bow river weir in Calgary
I took a total of 150 photos of these huge birds, in flight they seem to hang in the air. The weir construction project does not seem to bother the pelicans and they could care less about the large excavator working the shore line.
Babe in the Woods, Great Horned Owlet
I can’t help myself, taking photos of raptors, in this case owls is my favorite thing to photograph and tonight I finally had some light!
Because great horned owls are located in woods, finding light is always an issue, and if light is available, its usually blocked by trees or foliage. But tonight the rays of the setting sun sprinkled on this young great horned owl, oh joy!
Young fledgling great horned owl
Alberta Prairie Falcons In-Flight
Spent Saturday with a good friend looking for and photographing prairie falcons southwest of Calgary, Alberta. In total we found two adult males, and one adult female prairie falcon and started taking pictures of these awesome falcons in flight.
the larger female prairie falcon
Male prairie falcon with wings spread
Not easy tracking these birds of prey as they are moving very fast, trying to track them flying by was fun, well more than just fun!
Fledgling Great Horned Owlet Drying Off
More photos the great horned owl baby, this time I found the owlet drying off from a freak June snow, hail & rain storm that passed through last weekend.
Baby great horned owl sunning his feathers
Baby Great Horned Owl (Owlet – Fledgling)
It photographed this baby owl on May 24th, the owlet is the great horned variety and this little fledgling owl gave me quite a show hamming it up on an old log. What a treat it was getting full sensor/framed shots of this owlet at eye level.
The photo on the left of this baby owl is a crop from the image below.
Baby owl giving me a serous stare
Mom and dad kept a close eye on me in nearby trees…
In Flight Drake Wood Ducks
I know what you are thinking,
more wood ducks and again with the flying wood ducks!
I can’t help myself, I did it again and now have a bunch of wood duck photos to add to my collection, but still not quite enough! The wood duck on the left along with the 3rd photo below was taken on May the 18th. The other two on images taken on April the 29th.
Flying In, A drake wood duck takes to the air
Sorry again, but I cant help myself, I have to photograph these stunning wood ducks
Birds & Beasts
No, that beast on the left looking over the branches and clinging to the bark of the tree is not a samsquanch, a.k.a. bigfoot or sasquatch, it is a tree eating porcupine, in this case a very cute baby porcupine with a serious hairdo!
I also ran into mom (ouch), or it could have been dad porcupine eating some buds off a tree close by.
All these photos are from an quick evening outing on May the 2nd, wow do I have to catch up and start updating more often (wood duck series coming soon!).
Adult male coopers flying by, fast!
Alberta Sharp-Tailed Grouse Lek Dance
I spent Monday morning watching and photographing the sharp-tailed grouse strut their stuff on the lek is something you have to see to appreciate. I was invited by a good friend and fellow photographer Mark Williams to watch the sharp-tailed grouse do their thing on a Alberta prairie lek.
male sharp tailed grouse on lek close up
Two sharp tailed grouse fighting on lek
The Lek is an elevated patch of native prairie grassland and the lek we visited was about 75 feet square but sizes can vary.
Swainson’s Hawk’s Return
The Swainson’s hawk’s are back from there long migration and can be seen not only in the prairies but also within the city limits of Calgary Alberta. The last few days have been exciting for me as I love to find and photograph raptors! Over the last few days I have photographed short-eared owls in great numbers, coopers hawks, red-tailed hawks, merlin falcons, northern harriers, a.k.a. marsh hawks, nesting kestrels and a peregrine falcon in-flight.
Swainson's hawk on a fence post in the prairie
Solitary Sandpiper – Shorebirds
Interesting little shorebird, I photographed this Solitary Sandpiper while it was wading the banks of a pond in Calgary. These birds are small, about 7 inches including the long beak and can be seen cruising the shores of lakes, rivers and ponds looking for food.
The solitary sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper wading the shore of a pond
Canada Goose Portrait
On the left, a close up portrait photo of a male Canadian Goose, the blue background is water in very low light. Right now his mate is on eggs trying to keep them warm, not an easy task after last nights dump of snow (yes, I said snow, about 5″ of the white stuff ).
Male Canada Goose Portrait
Male Hooded Merganser In-Flight
Hooded merganser and another evening with crappy light, total cloud cover but I went out (again) anyway but this time I got lucky, was at the right location at the right time when a male hooded merganser decided to take flight! I decided to keep the ISO down as I wanted a clean file of this merganser, a bit of a gamble because shutter speeds this slow might make for soft out of focus images.
Male Hooded Merganser Flying Over Pond
Male Hooded Merganser In-Flight In Dull Light
Western Meadowlark
I photographed this western meadowlark a few weeks ago on April 4/09 when we still had lots of snow on the ground. The meadowlarks bright yellow chest is a welcome sight this time of year when everything else is dressed in dull winter browns, this fellow is a sure sign of spring.
The bright yellow of the Western Meadowlark out in the prairie
Western Meadowlark posing on a fence post
He sat for a few minutes singing that amazing meadowlark song, then flew off across the prairie..
Male & Female Goldeneye Ducks
Lots of these goldeneye ducks around this spring and right now they are partnering up. Here are few very recent photos of both the male and female goldeneye in flight.
Colorful male goldeneye duck in flight photo
Female goldeneye duck in flight
Spring Time Canada Geese
The difference between a spring time Canada goose and the more relaxed summer version is large. These spring geese are very territorial and protective of their mate and the surroundings.
Canada Goose Flying Though Forest Trees
Wood Ducks In-Flight
Was lucky to capture a few male wood ducks flying this morning, always fun photographing birds in-flight, especially wood ducks! Here are a few from the wood ducks in flight series, or from this mornings duck shoot.
Male Wood Duck Flying Over Water
Male Wood Duck Flying Over Water
Male & Female Wood Ducks Photographed
They don’t look real, the colours of a male wood duck is nothing short of amazing and this wood duck almost looks sculpted it so beautiful.
Spring birds are starting to arrive in numbers from there winter migration here in Calgary, Alberta, including this pair or wood ducks I photographed tonight.
Male wood duck photo
Lone male wood duck
Bohemian Waxwing Eating Berries
Lucky me, what a treat, eye level bohemian waxwings posing for my camera eating red berries and in total I have around 80 photographs from this session! These are stunning birds, the colours are unreal and right now they are just passing through Calgary on there way to there boreal forests nesting grounds.
Bohemian Waxwing & Berries Photo
Photo Showing Waxwing Eating Red Berries
Mountain Bluebird at Fish Creek Provincial Park
I was stumped on the I.D., I knew it was a bluebird but what species of bluebird, a Mountain Bluebird or a Western Bluebird? It turns this little bluebird is a first year male Mountain Bluebird, thanks Gus for straightening that out for me and a few other photogs!
It was a dull overcast morning, or even light morning with 6″ of fresh snow on the ground, with this much snow it can only mean one thing, spring! I found this guy in Fish Creek Provincial Park, Calgary.
First year male Mountain Bluebird profile
Overcast Day Bluebirds
Birds In-Flight Photography Workshops Calgary Lessons
In this Calgary photography workshop learn what it takes to photograph birds in flight, things you never thought of, tips, tricks and my personal tactics for fast moving objets that WILL make you a better photographer in capturing avian in-flight photos.
Birds in fligh workshops
A course to help you learn how to photograph birds in flight first hand.
Out in the field, hands on photography lessons in Calgary.
Capturing the moment is what it’s all about and if you can photograph a bird in-flight, then everything else becomes an easy target!
These...
Red-Shafted Flicker
These male northern red-shafted flickers have been busy trying to impress the females and I caught two males jousting in the snow. Either a territorial thing, or some kind of spring mating ritual, not real sure.
Male Red-Shafted Flicker
Red-Shafted Flicker In-Flight
Light Morph/Phase Rough-legged Hawk Flight
We spotted 4 or 5 rough-legged hawks today, the in-flight hawk pictured on the left was a light morph (or light phase) rough legged hawk. With cameras in hand fellow photog David Lilly & I scouted around south west of Calgary looking for anything interesting and hoping to see an early mountain blue bird. Still a little early for blue birds, but we found a few wintering rough legged hawks including a light (pictured) and dark morph bird as well as few others hunting a stretch of dirt road south west of Calgary.
Light Morph Rough-Legged Hawk In-Flight
Birds In-Flight Action Photography Tips
I love action photography and birds in-flight (BIF) are one of my favorite forms of this, especially birds of prey (hawks, eagles, owls & falcons).
Seconds count in this type of fast action photography, grab the moment if you can, and you can if you practice.
I shoot hand-held and like to hike, for me this is the ultimate form of photography. I have no patience (ok, maybe a bit), I can not sit in one spot for more than 20 minutes as I feel I might be missing something around the next bend.
From early on I practiced on anything that would move/fly,...
Northern Hawk Owl Portrait Photo
These are full frame photos of the northern hawk owl, to the left shows the hawk owl sitting on a fence post in a snow storm, photo taken last week.
Large Buck Deer & Ducks in Morning Light
Perfect morning for photography in Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, clear skies and a few good looks at a large buck deer. In this kind of light you just have to photograph EVERYTHING including a few ducks spotted on the main pond.
Male Deer - Buck
Goldeneye Duck In-Flight
Lots of mallard ducks, a few Canada geese and a dozen or so goldeneye ducks kept us busy for a good 15 minutes.
Northern Hawk Owls Alberta
I say owls, because I was lucky to spot two northern hawks within 100 yards of each other thanks to a tip on its location from a friend.
To watch this fast flying hawk owl hunting was a thrill and only 40 min. from downtown Calgary made it even better
The portrait of the owl on the left shows close-up what these owls look like. I lucked out and also got a few flight shots.. Click here to see more Northern Hawk Owl Photos
Alberta’s Great Gray Owls
Yes, more photos of the wild great gray owls that roam the forests of Alberta Canada! These are not fresh photos, but are a few weeks old from other owl outings, some posted here on the site.
A friend of mine, and fellow photog David Lilly went looking for the owls again today, second time in a row and we got skunked, again! Nothing, not even a glimpse of the gray ghost. Oh well, better luck next time.
Northern Hawk Owl In-Flight
I photographed this Northern Hawk Owl in-flight last winter and met a few new friends while at it, in fact, they pointed me in the right direction of this northern hawk owl. Here is a sequence of photos of the owl hunting and capturing his dinner, in this case a mouse! I figured I should post the events, hope you like!
Great Horned Owl
I saw a total of three great horned owls the other day, here is a photo of one found along the banks of the Bow River in Calgary. I also viewed plenty of eagles roosting in trees, at one point there must have been 20 or so in one tree, but too far off for a photo.
Great Gray Owls, Alberta
Finally, I got a chance to see and photograph the great gray owl! Today I went looking for the great gray and found two of these owls hunting along a fence line north west of Calgary, what a thrill!.Here are a few photos of the great grey owl from today. For the detailed location report, click here!
If you are interested in buying this great grey owl print, click here.
Another Great Horned Owl
This great horned owl was photographed last Sunday just south of Calgary Alberta. I was actually looking for rough-legged hawks and came across this owl hiding in a tree. Well, he thought he was hidden but with the leaves on the trees, he stood out like a sore thumb! This was a first year great horned owl.
Oh yeah, I also did find a rough-legged hawk about 50 yards from the owl.
Another full frame shot,
Wood Ducks In-Flight
Late September wood ducks photographed in flight in evening light, the fall colours are in full swing now making the backgrounds rich and full of colour!
The male wood duck pictured above was just taking flight from his favorite pond. I noticed about 6 pairs of wood ducks this evening including this female wood duck taking to wing.
I love photographing ducks in-flight and wood ducks are number one on my list of ducks to photograph. The male ducks are unbelievable colorful.
One last wood duck picture from this evenings,
Swainson’s Hawks In Flight Alberta
The Alberta Swainson’s Hawks will start there migration soon, but last week I photographed an adult Swainson’s hawk in-flight hunting the prairie for anything that moved! I did notice one Swainson’s hawk dive at what looked like a quail. The hawk dropped out of the sky like a rock, but the prey was too fast and flew off.
Here are a few photos of the Swainson’s hawk in flight, both adult and juvenile (immature) birds are included.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk Profile,
An adult Swainson’s doing a fly-by!
The next few...
Northern Red Shafted Flicker
I photographed this northern red shafted flicker in one of the many Calgary parks. This norhtern red shafted flicker was at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.
Northern Red Shafted Flicker
I was luck as this guy let me get good and close!
Great Grey Owls – Summer Owls Alberta
June 30th I photographed this great grey owl in flight in southern Alberta Canada as it flew out of the darkness of the forest into a small beam of light. I usually see them in the winter, I had no idea that these birds of prey stayed in this area year round to raise there young.
Out of the dark woods into the light, a great grey owl night flight in southern Alberta Canada
Hovering Great Grey Owl Inflight in southern Alberta Canada
Birds Of Prey – Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
More hawk photos from the field, some fast flying birds of prey captured in flight at just the righ moment and in just the right light conditions, rain clouds in the background. All photographed using the Nikon D300 with grip, nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR lens hand held at ISO 400.
Click to expand images…..
fast flying - hawks in motion wind ripping through his wings
Swainson's hawks talons - Inflight action
Northern Harrier Adult Male In-Flight
A tip from a friend on the location of a mating pair of northern harriers (A.K.A. Marsh Hawks) led to these photos. I have been by the location a few times since, and only once have seen them. Either the young harriers have fledged, or the coyotes got to them. Northern harriers are ground nesters so raising young is a tough job, especially here in southern Alberta where predators seem to be everywhere, in the air and on the ground. Click the images to expand…..
Head on flight photo of an adult male northern harrier
In flight northern harrier,...
Low Light Great Gray Owls Alberta Canada
The great gray owls seem to be everywhere this year, we can hear and sometimes see the fledgling great gray owls deep in the woods. Photographing them is tough in these low light conditions (no light), as the evening went on I had to keep pushing my ISO up and up, until the final photo was shot at 3200 ISO. See more great gray ow photos here!
The first three gray owls below are photographed at 400 ISO and slow shutter speeds from 1/160th to to 1/500th of a second. All photos are handheld using the nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR.
One large great gray owl...
Swainson’s Hawk Photos – InFlight Alberta
The Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is about the size of the red-tailed hawk and this wild male bird photographed here is a light morph or light phase. In September, these birds of prey migrate all the way down to Argentina, after wintering in Argentina they head back to southern Albert in the spring, as this is the breeding range of the The Swainson’s Hawk.
Photo of male swainson's hawk inflight
These photos show the light phase adult male swainsosn’s hawks colour and feather detial.
Back feather detail of an adult male...
Great Gray Owls In-Flight
Recent in-flight photos of one of my favorite owls, the great gray owl, photographed north west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada! These birds of prey are amazing looking owls, and can be seen year year round as they are residence in this location. The evening I photographed this great gay, we found a total of six.
great gray owls, living in Alberta, Canada
All are available in hi-res prints, canvas, matt or high gloss.
Photos of a wild great grey owl inflight
Showing the wing detail of a great gray owl in-flight
The Swainsons Hawk Captured In-Flight
When I first saw the Swainsons hawk, these amazing birds of prey two years ago I was amazed at the colors of the adult male birds. Being originally from the east, the Toronto area I had never seen a Swainson’s hawk before so for me, a raptor fanatic photog, I was in heaven and had to get a photographs of them, lots and lots of photos!
Here are a few photos from a week or so ago of an adult male swainson’s hawk in flight on his home range over the southern Alberta prairie looking for prairie dogs.
swainsons hawk wings open flying over...
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
I photographed this wild great horned owl was photographed in flight just southwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada using the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens and the Nikkor 1.4 TC (tele-converter).
great-horned-owl-flight-alberta
inflight great horned owl, Alberta Canada
It was a great day, myself and fellow photographer and friend Mark Williams headed out early (5:30 am!) to photograph the…..
Winter Northern Hawk Owls Canada
A few photos of two different northern hawk owls photographed in flight, from this winter, 2010 Alberta, Canada.
Wanted to post these photos earlier, but totally forgot to! Anyway, lots more photos of these amazing hawk owls to come, but for now here are a few more from this winter.
A northern hawk owl inflight, winter 2010, Alberta, Canada
Winter hawk owl flying in low over the snow for a kill
Great Horned Owl Fledglings
Great horned owl fledglings at this time of year, wow, this is very early to see these little owls out and about, flying already too! While most great horned owls are still sitting on eggs, this family has three fully fledged youngsters.
On the left is a photo of the adult great horned owl in flight taken today in crappy light conditions.
Below one of the fledglings owls.
great horned owl inflight
great horned owl fledgling
Crow harassing adult great horned owl
Snowy Owl Prints Photos – Winter Photos 2010 Canada
Winter 2010 Snowy Owls Photos Canada – Prints – Posters
A few months worth of snowy owl photos/prints in all kinds of weather and light conditions, sunny and warm, to sunny and a cold -35, overcast, snow, it was an fantastic winter for owls in Alberta and here are just a few photos of over 2000 images taken from this winter of snow owls in flight!
Snowy Owl Photos Hi-Res Wide Format Prints – Canvas or Glossy Full Color Signed Prints
These are full sensor snowy owl photos/images, signed by me , re-sized (for the web) images of...
Snowy Owls In-Flight Alberta Raptors
More Owls – Snowy Owl incoming photo captures the snowy owl at lift off in the prairies of Alberta, Canada in golden late afternoon light.
Below is a tight crop of the same photo showing those snowy owl eyes up-close. Wow, what an amazing bird of prey. photographed on the Alberta prairies.
Snowy Owls In-Flight Photos Alberta Canada
Close-up crop of the same photo showing those amazing snowy owl eyes!
Northern Hawk Owl Photos In Flight – Alberta
A few recent photos of two different northern hawk owls in flight. Both shot on very dull overcast days, hopefully the next hawk owls will be in good light!
The photo at left was shot at ISO 400, Aperture f/2.8, Shutter Speed 1/2000th, both hawk owl photos are shot using the nikon 300mm 2.8 VR, handheld.
northern-hawk-owl
hawk owl inflight
Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR 2 Owls Review
This new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR lens of mine is amazing, the detail, tracking and super fast focusing is a dream come true! My first review, or test/play with the 300mm VR was in total overcast, very dull light and a fast moving object. These photos are in good light, and still a fast moving object. The VR works great, especially when panning a bird in flight. For this review, the images are handheld, of course The photo below is a heavy crop.
snowy owl nikon 300mm vr birds in flight review
snowy owls birds in flight nikon 300mm vr
Review Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR Snow Storm Snowy Owls Lens Review
My Review – My first day out testing my new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR (vibration reduction) on snowy owls in flight just west of Calgary, Alberta. It was dark, total overcast, snowing like crazy and high winds that made matters worse, did I mention cold! But the nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR tracked perfectly, locked on target even when the owl was just a blur behind blowing snow!
Snowy Owls Flight Photos
Ok, this will be the last set of the snowy owls in flight ( for now anyway ). Moving on to other birds and beasts but I hope you enjoyed this series of the snowy owl in flight from Alberta Canada
For images of snowy owls, see my gallery.
Snowy Owl Diving
Snowy Owls In A Snow Storm
Totally overcast and snowing like crazy when we found this snowy owl just east of Calgary.
My oldest son Tyler is in town and unlike his younger brother, has never seen a snowy owl before so we hit the road late this afternoon. Just 15 min. east of Calgary, we found out first snowy owl. In the 1.5 hour outing we saw four snowy owls all just north of the city….
Crappy light, very overcast and blowing snow, not the best light for photography but fun as heck!
Here are two photos from todays outing.
Snowy Owl In Flight in a snow storm in Alberta...
Gyrfalcon Photos, Alberta Canada
A few In-flight photos of a male white gyrfalcon attacking a ringed-neck pheasant in near white-out conditions, snowing like crazy and cold, very cold!
Dull overcast day when this unfolded…
gyrfalcon attacks pheasant, makes a passing flight
The impact photo showing how the gyrfalcon takes down its prey.
in-flight gyrfalcon attacks pheasant
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
Three frames of a surprised great horned owl in-flight, only three frames because thats all I got as he passed by very quickly on a cold day.
Great light for photography, we also saw two snowy owls and one merlin falcon. My latest in-flight photos of the great horned owls, click here.
great horned owl inflight
great horned owl wings spread
Alberta Swainson’s Hawk – Dark Phase – Again!
I went looking for that dark phase or dark “morph” swainsons hawk tonight, and found him! I I love these birds of prey, especially the the dark phase birds. Soon they will be gone, on their way to the fall migration to South America. A few photos from tonight, setting sun and this dark swainsons hawk.
dark phase swainsons hawk inflight
dark morph swainsons hawk flying high in the sky
Babe in the Woods, Great Horned Owlet
I can’t help myself, taking photos of raptors, in this case owls is my favorite thing to photograph and tonight I finally had some light!
Because great horned owls are located in woods, finding light is always an issue, and if light is available, its usually blocked by trees or foliage. But tonight the rays of the setting sun sprinkled on this young great horned owl, oh joy!
Young fledgling great horned owl
Alberta Prairie Falcons In-Flight
Spent Saturday with a good friend looking for and photographing prairie falcons southwest of Calgary, Alberta. In total we found two adult males, and one adult female prairie falcon and started taking pictures of these awesome falcons in flight.
the larger female prairie falcon
Male prairie falcon with wings spread
Not easy tracking these birds of prey as they are moving very fast, trying to track them flying by was fun, well more than just fun!
Fledgling Great Horned Owlet Drying Off
More photos the great horned owl baby, this time I found the owlet drying off from a freak June snow, hail & rain storm that passed through last weekend.
Baby great horned owl sunning his feathers
Baby Great Horned Owl (Owlet – Fledgling)
It photographed this baby owl on May 24th, the owlet is the great horned variety and this little fledgling owl gave me quite a show hamming it up on an old log. What a treat it was getting full sensor/framed shots of this owlet at eye level.
The photo on the left of this baby owl is a crop from the image below.
Baby owl giving me a serous stare
Mom and dad kept a close eye on me in nearby trees…
Birds & Beasts
No, that beast on the left looking over the branches and clinging to the bark of the tree is not a samsquanch, a.k.a. bigfoot or sasquatch, it is a tree eating porcupine, in this case a very cute baby porcupine with a serious hairdo!
I also ran into mom (ouch), or it could have been dad porcupine eating some buds off a tree close by.
All these photos are from an quick evening outing on May the 2nd, wow do I have to catch up and start updating more often (wood duck series coming soon!).
Adult male coopers flying by, fast!
Swainson’s Hawk’s Return
The Swainson’s hawk’s are back from there long migration and can be seen not only in the prairies but also within the city limits of Calgary Alberta. The last few days have been exciting for me as I love to find and photograph raptors! Over the last few days I have photographed short-eared owls in great numbers, coopers hawks, red-tailed hawks, merlin falcons, northern harriers, a.k.a. marsh hawks, nesting kestrels and a peregrine falcon in-flight.
Swainson's hawk on a fence post in the prairie
Light Morph/Phase Rough-legged Hawk Flight
We spotted 4 or 5 rough-legged hawks today, the in-flight hawk pictured on the left was a light morph (or light phase) rough legged hawk. With cameras in hand fellow photog David Lilly & I scouted around south west of Calgary looking for anything interesting and hoping to see an early mountain blue bird. Still a little early for blue birds, but we found a few wintering rough legged hawks including a light (pictured) and dark morph bird as well as few others hunting a stretch of dirt road south west of Calgary.
Light Morph Rough-Legged Hawk In-Flight
Northern Hawk Owl Portrait Photo
These are full frame photos of the northern hawk owl, to the left shows the hawk owl sitting on a fence post in a snow storm, photo taken last week.
Northern Hawk Owls Alberta
I say owls, because I was lucky to spot two northern hawks within 100 yards of each other thanks to a tip on its location from a friend.
To watch this fast flying hawk owl hunting was a thrill and only 40 min. from downtown Calgary made it even better
The portrait of the owl on the left shows close-up what these owls look like. I lucked out and also got a few flight shots.. Click here to see more Northern Hawk Owl Photos
Alberta’s Great Gray Owls
Yes, more photos of the wild great gray owls that roam the forests of Alberta Canada! These are not fresh photos, but are a few weeks old from other owl outings, some posted here on the site.
A friend of mine, and fellow photog David Lilly went looking for the owls again today, second time in a row and we got skunked, again! Nothing, not even a glimpse of the gray ghost. Oh well, better luck next time.
Northern Hawk Owl In-Flight
I photographed this Northern Hawk Owl in-flight last winter and met a few new friends while at it, in fact, they pointed me in the right direction of this northern hawk owl. Here is a sequence of photos of the owl hunting and capturing his dinner, in this case a mouse! I figured I should post the events, hope you like!
Great Horned Owl
I saw a total of three great horned owls the other day, here is a photo of one found along the banks of the Bow River in Calgary. I also viewed plenty of eagles roosting in trees, at one point there must have been 20 or so in one tree, but too far off for a photo.
Great Gray Owls, Alberta
Finally, I got a chance to see and photograph the great gray owl! Today I went looking for the great gray and found two of these owls hunting along a fence line north west of Calgary, what a thrill!.Here are a few photos of the great grey owl from today. For the detailed location report, click here!
If you are interested in buying this great grey owl print, click here.
Another Great Horned Owl
This great horned owl was photographed last Sunday just south of Calgary Alberta. I was actually looking for rough-legged hawks and came across this owl hiding in a tree. Well, he thought he was hidden but with the leaves on the trees, he stood out like a sore thumb! This was a first year great horned owl.
Oh yeah, I also did find a rough-legged hawk about 50 yards from the owl.
Another full frame shot,
Swainson’s Hawks In Flight Alberta
The Alberta Swainson’s Hawks will start there migration soon, but last week I photographed an adult Swainson’s hawk in-flight hunting the prairie for anything that moved! I did notice one Swainson’s hawk dive at what looked like a quail. The hawk dropped out of the sky like a rock, but the prey was too fast and flew off.
Here are a few photos of the Swainson’s hawk in flight, both adult and juvenile (immature) birds are included.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk Profile,
An adult Swainson’s doing a fly-by!
The next few...
Spring Coyote Shedding Fur Coat
From a quick evening outing, about 30 min. into my walk I came across this shedding female coyote crossing a pond. She looks a bit chubby, maybe coyote pups are on the way this spring?
A Calgary coyote stalking over the rocks photo
Gray Wolf or Timber Wolves
A large female gray wolf, also known as timber wolves. I was lucky to get a chance to photograph this girl about a week go..
On the trail, a backlit gray wolf photo
The stare of a gray timber wolf
Jumping Hunting Male Coyote
Into our fourth week of great weather here in Calgary, these warn temps have made for an early spring here and the ground squirrels have awaken from their winter hibernation. Predators gather and arrive from southern parts of the world to feed on these small ground squirrels, including this male coyote. Crappy light, and what light I had was backlight. This photo shows a male coyote jumping/leaping for his next meal! Shot with the 300mm 2.8 VR and Nikon 1.4 TC at 1/500th, 400 ISO, handheld and VR set to stun
Hunting Jumping Male Coyote
Fall Dragonflies – Macro Photography
Over the last few days I have been getting out to shoot some macro, soon the bugs will be gone, or frozen solid anyway!
The photo of a dragonfly on the left is from tonight, the dragonfly below was from yesterday. No tripods for these two macr photos as both are handheld.
Macro Photography, Bugs & Extension Tubes
I love macro photography and use extension tubes almost exclusively. I have dedicated macro lenses, but I like the distance I gain from the subject using a 300mm f/4 nikkor lens and extension tubes. The bug photo on the left is an example. I also use the 80-200mm f/2,8 and 35-70mm f/2.8 for closer macro work. its nice to be a few feet away from the subject, undisturbed bugs are a lot easier to photograph than trying to press a lens up against them!
macro photography extension tube bugs
ladybug & flower using 35-70mm f/2.8 lens and extension...
Summer Bucks Velvet
From a quick outing tonight, some good light and a summer buck deer with velvet antlers at sunset.
Other beasts seen include a male oriole feeding two female fledglings, kingbirds, a mule deer mom looking after her two fawns, an american goldfinch and a kestrel hoisting a young starling off…
A summer buck with velvet antlers
Young Red Foxes (kits, puppies)
A tip from a fellow photog about a nearby fox den sent me flying down the road, and hopefully a chance to photograph these baby red foxes.
Not one, but 7 red fox kits live here, wow! Mom and dad fox must be busy keeping these little ones fed..
Baby red fox kit
Red Fox Puppy
Looking out of his den
A pair of red foxes near there den opening
I saw three of the little kit red foxes this time, but here there are more, possible even seven of the little pups.
Birds & Beasts
No, that beast on the left looking over the branches and clinging to the bark of the tree is not a samsquanch, a.k.a. bigfoot or sasquatch, it is a tree eating porcupine, in this case a very cute baby porcupine with a serious hairdo!
I also ran into mom (ouch), or it could have been dad porcupine eating some buds off a tree close by.
All these photos are from an quick evening outing on May the 2nd, wow do I have to catch up and start updating more often (wood duck series coming soon!).
Adult male coopers flying by, fast!
Coyote Up Close Encounter
I noticed a shadow off the path right beside me, there looking at me was this adult male coyote no more than ten feet away. The coyote was on a lower elevation than I was so I kept walking, maybe another ten feet or so until I was out of site. I then stopped, turned and crouched waiting for him to return, and return he did!
Coyote Stare
He popped back up onto the path right in front of me and was as surprised as I was. He stared at me, then lay down on the path, scratched himself, sunned himself then got up for a few more poses all within 30 feet...
Female Coyote Run
A surprised female coyote ran out in front of me tonight on my way into one of my favorite haunts. The light was crap for fast moving beasties, total cloud cover = high ISO, but I did grab a few photos of this good looking urban Calgary coyote in low light conditions.
Running female coyote alberta
Male & Female Wood Ducks Photographed
They don’t look real, the colours of a male wood duck is nothing short of amazing and this wood duck almost looks sculpted it so beautiful.
Spring birds are starting to arrive in numbers from there winter migration here in Calgary, Alberta, including this pair or wood ducks I photographed tonight.
Male wood duck photo
Lone male wood duck
Winter Deer Photographed
Since winter is officially over (hard to tell with all the snow on the ground), it is spring here in Alberta r