 This Pileated Woodpecker is a daily backyard visitor and I haven't taken much time to photograph him and his family as of late. This shot was an experiment as I was testing my f-stops on the 300 lens. f2.8 is wide open on this fast lens and allows more light to enter the sensor and therefore a photo can be taken at a faster speed in low light conditions...The downside of a low f-stop is a shallow depth of field . (Which is not always a downside) Below of course is my always photo-irresistible Annas Hummingbird. I have taken many , many photos of this guy and each one seems very different. Every angle he presents gives another perspective and a differnt play of light on his feathers! *... All the below where shot handheld at f-7.1 and a shutter speed of 1/250th to 1/320th.  Just a few shots from my back deck today of one of my favourite little GEMS , Mr Annas!!!! (handheld using the 300mm + 2X teleconverter @ ISO 3200 )   Any fishes down there???  Classic Kingfisher pose.. watching for dinner (taken just after sundown)  This is typically what one sees of the Kingfisher...seen here moving to another fishing location!  Birdwtching canoeist & my subjects (American Wigeon & Bufflehads) @ Roberts Bay  Bewicks Wren samples some roasted peanuts in my back yard  A romantic walk in the fog along the beach off Lockside.   The forecast called for sun, and though I did see it peeking through a couple times, the fog stopped direct sunlight from illuminating my images.... So ISO 2000 with relatively slow shutter speeds ruled. My highlight today was seeing a small girl and her dad feed their anxiously waiting avian friends. I overheard her saying how they were stepping on her foot and felt heavy! Certainly one way to win over a crowd! :)   Lovely landscape this afternoon with steel blue clouds drifting across calm Pacific Ocean with hints of reds and orange staining the surface. Mr Heron was a bit less trusting this afternoon, likely because of the higher volume of dog walkers and beach explorers. The clous made the air temperature noticably warmer than yesterday,so my fingers weren't the least bit cold while clicking. The Mallard ducks are finding the bay over the past couple days and I observed a Drake paddling his feet and comically bobbing up and down .... As I watched this unusual activity, his mate, Ms Mallard searched the water under his feet for small clams which you'll see in her beak. I had no idea that Mallards enjoyed this delicacy ... Yummy, fresh Pat Bay clams ! :) Have a terrific week... Terry :)   This photo taken just before dark yesterday evening ... I met a fellow visiting here from Venice... Seen here capturing Heron Silhuetes @ 5 PM.
 Female Hooded Merganser hunts for crustations along Scoter Trail @ Pat Bay     For about an hour this afternoon I observed Mr Heron (the Scoter Trail Wizard) and enjoyed the sunfilled crisp & chilly air. While chatting with a pleasant passerby we agreed that Herons, or as I describe them, Pteradactyl's are very prehistoric creatures and very likely related in some way to dinosaurs. Depending upon what mood they are in or what creatures they are stalking, these birds can look extremely different. They move in slow motion while stalking prey, only to react with lightning speed and reflexes as they strike. It was only as the sun melted behind the Malahat hills that this Wizard moved down into the water and began to hunt for dinner. During my hour or so at this location , I kept my eyes open for the Kingfisher and sure enough I caught a glimpse of this small and mighty fisherbird , swung around and captured a few frames as it landed and left a tree about 80 meters distant. Too far for clear photos, but I love the shape of the Kingfisher and in flight photos can be tricky .... He's quite a speed demon! Hope everyone had a great New Years eve ........ Cheer's from North Saanich........ Terry :) |
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July 2025
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Summer 2023.. I just received notice that my blog has been awarded a distinction of being one of the top 10 photography blogs in Canada.
* All images and content copyright Terry Venables and NaturalImagesCanada *
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