Category Archives: Nature

Nature, Photography

First Shots with New 150-600mm Tamron Zoom

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I took a bunch of photos today with the new Tamron 150-600mm zoom (225-900mm equivalent on my DX-sensor Nikons).

Here are a few from the Byrne Creek habitat in SE Burnaby:

byrne_creek_butterfly_2_20140718
Butterfly on leaf

butterfly on leaf byrne creek A slightly different view

Grasshopper Byrne Creek
Grasshopper in Byrne Creek habitat in SE Burnaby

And several from Piper Spit at Burnaby Lake in Burnaby:

Goslings Burnaby LakeGoslings at Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake

Wood ducks Burnaby LakeFemale wood ducks, Burnaby Lake

Female wood duck Burnaby LakeI think female wood ducks are so cute!

Male wood duck Burnaby LakeWhile male wood ducks are quite spectacular

Ducks in lilly padsDuck playing hide and seek among the lillypads

Feather on lillypad

Lillypad blossom

Sleepy duck at Burnaby LakeSnoozing afloat

Dragonfly at Burnaby LakeA common whitetail dragonfly?

All of the above shots were with the Tamron 150-600 on a Nikon D5200 camera. ISOs ranged from 400 in bright sunlight to 1,600 in shade to keep shutter speeds high. The lens was mounted on a  Manfrotto 679B monopod with a Vanguard SBH-100 ball head.

While heavy, this rig is not unmanageable. I think I would have soon tired if the rig had not been on a monopod. It was useful not only for stabilization while shooting, but also to simply stand and rest!

Business, Nature, Society, Sustainability

When Rivers Rebel

There’s been a spate of articles recently about the Fraser River, climate change, and the potential economic impacts on BC’s lower mainland.

We dam them, dike them, divert them, dredge them, suck them near dry, build on them, pollute them. . .

And then we’re aghast when rivers get pissed off and try to break their shackles now and then.

We wouldn’t need billions of dollars to shore up dikes if we didn’t build our cities on flood plains, marshes, and bogs.

But hey, are those articles perhaps looking at things backwards? By traditional measures of GDP, all the work that will need to be done to shore up those seawalls and dikes is going to be a major boost to the economy, isn’t it?

We’ll just borrow more against future generations to keep the pyramid scheme going.

Nature, Photography, Travel

Birds’ Breakfast Buffet at Birch Bay State Park

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Here’s a set of photos I took this morning at Birch Bay State Park in WA. It was a veritable breakfast buffet on the beach for various birds. Herons were chowing down on several kinds of fish, and what appeared to be lamprey. Gulls were rooting out clams, carrying them up and then dropping them to break them open. An eagle sat overlooking the breakfast scene while being harassed by a crow. Stimulating morning on the beach!

Flickr Album here.

heron in flight at birch bay

Nature, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Cute Deer at Fort Ebey State Park, WA

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There are lots of deer in state parks on Whidbey Island that are fairly accustomed to people. The ones we’ve seen have been wary, and not overly tame, but confident enough to get good photos.

I think we’ve seen the following one twice in about as many weeks at Fort Ebey State Park. Same area, same size, same behavior.

deer_1_fort_ebey_state_park_wa_20140707

Out in the open above, and nearly concealed between the tree at bottom right below.

deer fort ebey, wa

Nature, Photography

A Fave Hawk Photo from 2009

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I “shot” this hawk couple on their nest on a rural road in southern Alberta back in 2009.

Hawks on nest in southern AlbertaI

I’ve been asked several times over the years if this is a photo of a diorama in some museum. It’s definitely a live shot.

I saw the nest as I was slowly cruising down a rural road. It was likely the Red Coat Trail, or a parallel road nearby.

I spotted the nest, drove past it in an attempt to allay suspicions, and slowly wandered back toward it, hiding any equipment, as hawks are very shy of anything that looks like a “projection” or rifle.

I slowly angled into the ditch and eventually snapped several shots, but the parents were getting agitated, so I backed off.

Just in time. The male swooped me seconds later as I was backing away, but seeing that I was already retreating, he stayed 5-10 meters above me.

An exhilarating experience, but one that also respected the birds. As soon as I knew I was intruding, I backed off.

If you try this, please give them their space, too. Thanks!