On The Forest Floor

I am pleased to be able share a few more shots of fungi, here are three that I hadn't seen before and I particularly like the second one with its grey and cream cap.

The fourth shot is of moss rather than fungi and I liked the way the different varieties of moss had colonised the rotting log and formed a miniature garden.

I just love being outdoors and the autumn woodland is a perfect place to be. As winter fast approaches I am enjoying looking back over these pictures as reminders of great days out. 

Autumn Leaves

Just a couple of shots from the trail looking into the canopy of golden green leaves and the leaf litter on the ground.

I took several shots of the leaves because they were so striking. I like these because of the paths that lead the eye into the image.

Moonlight on Marie Louise Lake

The picture for today is exactly what it says in the title. While camping at the Sleeping Giant we were treated to some beautiful weather and lovely clear night skies.

I had hoped to capture some good pictures of the stars but the full moon was so bright it made that very difficult however with the calm lake and clear sky this is a lovely picture. I love the way the lake shore sparkles with the reflected light of the moon. There is one constellation which is visible to the right as we are facing south/south-west however I don't know enough about the night sky to identify it, although I am sure that someone out the will know.

Mini Wookie

Meet Dash. 

The eagle eyed among you will notice that it is not actually a wookie, not even a mini one but a West Highland Terrier or Westie.

I don't normally share pet photos, because I don't have any pets but this little chap is so cute and very photogenic so I couldn't resist putting him up for you to enjoy. Perhaps I should get into doing pet shots for family and friends...

Precious Songbirds

British songbirds are in decline and apparently Canada has a similar problem.

I spotted this little beauty when I stopped off at Silver Islet, it was hoping around in the scrub along the shore, and it had a most beautiful song. I have tried to identify what species it is and hopefully I have been successful. I thought it might be a species of warbler but it's not I wondered if it was a wood thrush but it's not. It is in fact a song sparrow. It certainly isn't the most colourful bird but it really is a cute little character.

In my search to identify it I came across a very short video from Feb 2016 which highlights the decline in songbirds and the first bird in the clip is the song sparrow and although it is only very brief you get to hear a bit of this birds' beautiful song so click on the link and take a few moments to watch.

Smarter than the average bear

Sticking with the wildlife here is a great shot of a magnificent Black Bear... enjoy

Old Yellow Legs

I am stepping back in time a little bit for today's blog. I have mostly been posting landscapes (though not exclusively) over the past two weeks and so I thought I would go back to some wildlife shots.

I have shared a similar shot of this Lesser Yellow Legs previously but its such a lovely little wader that I wanted to post another. It was nice still evening and the light was perfect. I love the way the light reflected off the water makes the birds white breast glow.

Making A Splash in Middlebrun Bay

Capturing these images wasn't easy and required the help of two willing volunteers (who shall remain nameless but they know who they are) who gathered the rocks and threw them as best as possible to the predetermined spot. Judging distance was not easy and more often than not either they, or I missed the target but when we managed to get it right I think the result was pretty good.

I think the first of these shots is a little blurred, suggesting a fast shutter speed was required but even so I like the overall composition with the splash and the reflection in the smooth surface water.

I like the second image which is more abstract and was taken from immediately above the splash zone. I like the way the water droplets are rising towards the lens and the small ripples as the droplets fall back to the lake surface.

Old Wood

I have posted pictures from Silver Islet before (and no doubt will post more in the future) but one part of the community that isn't generally noticed is the cemetery. This is because it is secluded within the forest at the end of a short trail (approx 1km) and it is overgrown and decaying; a hidden relic of the villages' past.

Some of the graves have headstones and others are marked by simple wooden markers and some of the plots are enclosed by small wooden fences like the one in this picture.

We visited on a hot and sunny day but even so there was a certain chill as we walked among the graves and it was particularly moving as we read the inscriptions on the few stones that were legible, especially when we found the grave of a ten month old child underlining how challenging conditions must have been for the settlers in Silver Islet back in the day.

I like this picture because of the rugged look of the old wood and the mossy growth which adds extra depth and texture.

Here's Looking At You

When I went to Canada getting a shot of a Bald Eagle was at the top of my wish list (alongside Bears, Otters and Hummingbirds) and I have to say I was really happy to be able to get up close enough to get this shot. 

My first attempts were unsuccessful due to the birds being spooked by my lens which was not camouflaged so I experimented by covering the lens with a t shirt and it seemed t do the trick 

Cheeky Chipmunk

This little chap was a regular visitor to our camp but always kept a respectful distance because of Sammy and Dash the two dogs who completed our camping party. He was always on the move too making it incredibly difficult to get a clear shot. On our last day however half of our party had returned to the city taking the dogs with them and so the chipmunk and the red squirrels that had previously been wary suddenly lost all fear and came to join us near the camp fire picking through the vegetation for tasty snacks.

I guess for the locals seeing a chipmunk, even up close like this can be an everyday occurrence but for a tourist like me it was completely magical.

Driftwood Sculpture

A while ago I posted a shot of a miniature stone henge made from tiny bits of driftwood created on a short stop off at Neys Provincial Park. Today's post is of another piece of driftwood art, this one was created by my daughter. I had to get right down to ground level to get the perspective right and I think that with my daughters' creative skills and my photographer's eye this makes a great shot.

Stay Positive

I am not sure what was going through the artists mind when he painted this mural, and the moose is looking extremely chilled but I like the sentiment "Stay Positive".

There is a lot happening in the world around us that gives us reason to be worried but those that know me know that I tend to see the glass half full and so I am sharing this image with the message, regardless of what is going on "Stay Positive"

Supersized Street Art

Over the last few days my blog has been of various fungi and today I have taken things out of the forest into the city for this really cool street art.

In Toronto there are some really good examples of grand scale art and over the next couple of days I will share a few different shots from around the city.

The Old Post Office

This fantastic old house used to be the post office for Silver Islet. It is in a great location with views over the lake, it has lots of character and charm and would make an excellent fixer upper. It also makes a good subject for photos.

At The Marina

This picture works for me in lots of ways. I love boats, I love water, I love reflections and this shot has all three. It also takes me back to the early morning when I got up to watch the sunrise over Thunder Bay. 

It was so peaceful and after a good while taking pictures I sat quietly and enjoyed the early morning sun. I also discovered the municipal wifi and I was able to take advantage of that and the time difference to phone home which helped to make a special moment even more special.

CN Tower

In Toronto I did some of the touristy things like going up the CN Tower, it gave some spectacular views. Walking away afterwards I looked back and saw the glow behind it almost like a halo and thought it would make a good shot. I wasn't wrong.

Abstract Sculpture

So I am home again, I have actually been home for 5 days but I have had so many things to do I haven't had time to get back to my blog.

As you can imagine my trip to Canada provided so many great photo opportunities and I have over 1600 images to review. I could so easily have taken more and on the long drive across country I saw so many things that I wanted to capture but just didn't have the time. I hope to go back in the future and I have a few ideas of photo projects that I would like to do but that is for the future and here in the present I have some great pictures to share. 

I was able to see so much wildlife and some great scenery so deciding where to start was quite tough. 

I could have begun at the beginning and worked through each day but I don't think that sort of linear approach will work since there is such variety to the pictures I have and so I will be mixing things up.

So for today's image I have chosen a shot of some abstract artwork by the marina in Thunder Bay, Ontario which was the main base for the trip. This shot was taken in the early hours, just before sunrise and you can see the lightening sky reflected in the silvery globes. If you look closely you can also see me in the top and middle sections but fortunately given the lighting that doesn't detract from the image.