Aug 10, 2010 - Halfway Lake Provincial Park

I don’t camp as much as I once did, but it was nice to head north for a few days of peace and quiet. The chosen destination: Halfway Lake Provincial Park (park info here), located about an hour north of Sudbury Ontario.

Shortly after arrival at the park, a few of the locals could be heard making noise. These locals turned out to be a group of juvenile Merlins. A Merlin is a small member of the falcon family. They were seen flying around and chasing each other, and appeared to be having a lot of fun doing this. When I realized the source of all the noise, I had to laugh. Everywhere I go there seem to be birds of prey.

Over the days to come, the Merlins would be seen at many spots around the small lake, and in particular in a specific tree near our camp site.

In addition to bird-watching, the park was explored, in between meals of homemade wine-basted meatballs, a menu item that lasted the whole trip.

One goal of the getaway was to disconnect from work and the web. That goal was achieved. Other goals included exploring, observing, and taking a few photos along the way.

I also managed to fly-fish. In a small boulder-bottomed river, I caught a nice Bass on one of my hand-tied sinking minnow imitations.

One of the amazing things I notice when up this far north is the unique and diverse varieties of plants you can find. In even a single square foot of forest floor, there are many types of organisms to be seen.

It took a few days to wind down from the stresses of city life, but in surroundings like this you’re bound to unwind at least a little.




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May 9, 2010 - A Trip to The Owl Foundation

If you're not aware, I run a separate blog, The Peregrine Falcon Zone, where I document the ongoing activity of a Peregrine nest.

Almost a year ago, our on-site adult male was injured, leaving his family to fend for themselves. His mate, "Mom" amazed us and raised the young on her own.

Our male, upon being injured in 2009, was sent to The Owl Foundation (web site here), where we hoped he would be successfully rehabilitated. Now nearly a year later, he had recovered, and was ready for release. For a full account of his release click here.

During my visit to The Owl Foundation, the MNR had to attend a conference call, and I was able to roam the facilities with my cameras, no doubt an exciting opportunity for a bird-geek like me!

I got a brief run-down and tour of the massive facility, and was impressed to learn that they currently have well over 100 birds on site. Most are owls, but there are also some Kestrels and Peregrines among other species.

In the photography world, shooting birds in captivity is not as well viewed as those shot in the wild, but I've got to say, with what I saw at The Owl Foundation, I'll shoot birds in captivity any day!

The variety of species you see in the included photos include Snowy Owls, a pair of Great Gray Owls (a species I've never seen in the wild, nevermind two sitting together!), a family of Great Horned Owls, a few Barred Owls, a Saw-Whet Owl, and a Short-Eared Owl.

Needless to say it was an incredible day and visit! The Owl Foundation is supported by donations, corporate sponsorship, and volunteers. I plan to contribute some time and effort at their facility in the future.

In closing I'd like to say thank you to the team at the foundation, they nursed our resident Peregrine back to health, and their facility, skills and efforts are a great asset to birds across North America.



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Feb 21, 2010 - Nanticoke Part 2 - Birds of Prey Galore!

It was great to see a large number of deer grazing the Nanticoke powerplant property, but at the end of the day, it was all the hawks and other birds of prey that were the highlight of the day.

Down along the shoreline, Eagles can often be found. Today a juvenile Bald Eagle was seen and photographed from quite a distance.

Also witnessed was a Northern Harrier hovering over some grasslands, countless red-tailed hawks, rough-legged hawks, and honestly a few species I'm not even confident to try to identify.

Without question, when it comes to birds of prey, this region is shockingly productive. I'm not sure why so many seem to congregate here, but I'm not complaining!



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