This time of year the Bald Eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) are chasing one another as part of their courtship. Early this morning, I was watching a male chasing a female and they were continuously circling, climbing and diving. In this photo, I like the silhouettes of the Bald Eagles who are flying in sync and the simplicity of the background which conveys a sense of peacefulness and freedom.
When I took the photos shown below this Short-eared owl ( Asio flammeus ) was far away. At home, when I looked at the images on my computer, I could see in the first photo that it was looking right at me. This owl must have very good vision. They’re about the size of a crow and unlike most owls, they hunt during the daylight. Short-eared owls flap with stiff beats of their rounded wings, giving their flight a buoyant, mothlike quality. They use acute hearing to hunt small mammals and birds.
This evening I was taking images of wildlife, when I noticed out of the corner of my eye, that a Sunwing aircraft was going to pass in front of the moonrise, so I quickly took a photo. This is not a Photoshop composition, its straight out of my camera. Along the edge of the moon you can see details in the craters.
Even though there are only 1000 residents, Hornby Island is home to many artists. It’s located in the middle of the Salish Sea. The island has lots of wildlife and interesting sandstone rock formations. I was fortunate to spend a few days exploring the island with my camera.
This morning I spent some time photographing a Anna’s hummingbird ( Calypte anna ). They are the most common hummingbird along the Pacific coast. The males have iridescent emerald feathers and a sparkling rose-pink throat patch called a gorget. In their thrilling courtship displays, they climb to a height of 40 m and then swoop to the ground with a curious burst of noise that they produce through their tail feathers. The display dive takes about 12 seconds. I have read that the heart of an Anna’s hummingbird beats at 1260 beats per minute and they eat more insects than any other North American hummingbird.
When I first started to take pictures of wildlife I used my telephoto lens to create a closeup image of an animal. Lately, I’ve been learning to take photos of animals that shows them in their natural environment, which is often referred to as an animalscape. These images are more challenging, the composition requires more thought and work on the part of the photographer. The image below shows a juvenile bald eagle in its natural habitat which includes the wetlands, ocean and mountains.
We were treated to a spectacular total lunar eclipse this evening. The moon was at its closest point to the Earth so it was a super moon. Since it was a total lunar eclipse it was a blood moon. Because it was the year’s first full moon it was also a wolf moon. I took this photo during the total lunar eclipse with a telephoto lens.
This morning I spotted a Northern Saw-whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus ) sleeping in a conifer tree. Owls are generally nocturnal predators, with hooked bills, needle-sharp talons, large eyes and facial discs. The Northern Saw-whet Owl can be found year round in this area and they hunt rodents from perches. It’s one of the smallest owl species in North America.
I enjoyed photographing this combination of fresh snow and ice. Clutter kills pictures—a good photographer is a master of exclusion. Clean, simple, graphic compositions work best with ice photography. Keep simplicity as your mantra when shooting ice.
The province of British Columbia contains so much natural beauty. I used my drone to create this video. In the lower right hand corner is a button that allows you to view the video full screen. There is another icon in the lower right hand corner that looks like a ‘gear’. Here you can select the resolution and 720p seems to work best. There is also music which makes the video more enjoyable to watch. Comments are always welcome.