in-flight Photography
Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR 2 Owls Review
Well, 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 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.
Review Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR Snow Storm Snowy Owls Lens Review
Review and my first day out testing my new Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR on snowy owls in flight just west of Calgary, Alberta. Perfect review conditions, 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 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 [...]
Great Horned Owl In-Flight
hree 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.
Alberta Snowy Owls
Photographing in-flight Alberta snowy owls in crappy light is still lots of fun, especially when they get good and close to the photographer!
The crappy light was due to a chinook arch, it was warm but very dull for in flight snowy owl photos.
September Wood Ducks In-Flight Alberta
This evening I found a bunch of wood ducks getting ready for their evening flight. I photographed immature male wood ducks, adult male and females taking flight. Here are just a few.
Tree Swallows In-Flight
A few photos of tree swallows in-flight on a clear day in May. Digging through some older photos and found these tree swallows in-flight taken back in May.
Eastern Kingbird Out West
These in-flight photos of the eastern kingbird are from May 23rd, we watched and photographed the kingbird catching bugs over a local pond. It was great to see these birds back from their winter migration. A few photos from that photo session are below.
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 have a bunch of wood duck photos, but still not quite enough!
Birds & Beasts
No, that beast on the left looking over the branches is not a samsquanch, a.k.a. bigfoot or sasquatch, it is the tree eating porcupine, in this case a very cute baby porcupine!
Hooded Merganser In-Flight
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!
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.
Bohemian Waxwings In-Flight Photos
Our jaws dropped as we watched 100’s if not a 1000 or more bohemian waxwings gather in a small wood lot in the south end of Calgary’s Fish Creek Park last Saturday March the 20th.
At first we thought these birds to be cedar waxwings, but a closer look proved them to be bohemian’s!
Pond Life - Beavers, Ducks & Canada Geese
A quick visit to a nearby pond was worth it as I had lots of time to photograph this beaver munching on some assorted branches. He didn’t mind me watching him at all, the evening light was perfect but it was still cold outside.
Goldeneye Ducks, Deer & Spring Beavers.
Only a few days ago it was -20c, the next day +10c and again today was well above freezing, spring is in the air! What a beautiful day to be out, and I was out this afternoon soaking up the sun and photographing some of the wildlife.
Black-Capped Chickadee
I asked myself before taking this shot, how many times have I photographed a Black-Capped Chickadee? The answer, too many times, or just the right amount? I don’t need another photo of a Black-Capped Chickadee, really I don’t, but then again I liked this photo from today and am glad I took it. 
Cold Mallard Ducks - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
I made a quick visit to Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary Alberta this afternoon, It felt cold, and it was at -20 c with the wind, and the wind showed up. The male mallard duck photographed on the left was just coming in for a landing on the main ponds small patch of open water, and looked like he might need a little de-icing. His bill noticeably had ice forming on it along with his head and chest area…
Hawk Owl Action Photos
A few action shots of an in-flight hawk owl hunting over farm fields in Alberta, the hawk owl here is photographed moving fast along a fence line on his way to dinner.
Bucks & 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.
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 for this northern hawk owl. Here is a sequence of photos of the owl hunting and capturing his dinner, in this case a mouse!
Inglewood Bald Eagles
I dropped by Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and noticed on the main pond there are 100’s of ducks, I also noticed that something has been eating them! On the ice over the pond are a few explosions of duck feathers! Now it could be coyotes, ravens or magpies eating the ducks, or maybe eagles.
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.
Eastern Kingbird Feeding
I watched and photographed this eastern kingbird catching bugs late in the afternoon. Hovering over a pond, it seemed to be attracted to the dragonflies for some reason. Either it wanted one for lunch, or knew that the dragon was eating the same thing, so food was near.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds
My second encounter with Alberta’s Yellow-headed Blackbirds. What a gourgous bird, and one I had never photographed before. These blackbirds and their amazingly bright yellow heads are new to me as they are not found in southern Ontario, so it was a real treat to see them here in Alberta.
Calgary’s Bald Eagles
Late this after noon I found a nesting pair of bald eagles. I found the adult pair, then I found the nest, I saw the two young in the nest ( I think two) with mom, then the adult male found me!
