It was as I was walking back following my visit to the waterfront in Thunder Bay that I spotted this skater practicing a few tricks in the small skate park. I took a moment to capture a few action shots and I am fairly pleased with the results.
The pose of the skater in each trick reminds me of some graffiti I saw in Paris over 30 years ago and which for some time I had copied onto the back of a jacket I wore. I was never much of a skater myself (I never really had the balance or skill) but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the skill that we see in these shots.
I would have liked to spend a little more time watching and photographing this guy in action but that wasn't possible so I will have to make do with these for now, and that means so will you.
I had been watching this Shoveler feeding along the edges of the mere. It swims low in the water dipping its characteristic broad beak under the surface to scoop up a tasty meal.
Then after a while it just stopped moving and I could tell it was shaping up to do something, I thought it was going to take flight so I was ready to try a shot of it taking to the air but instead it just had a good old shake to limber up those wings. It makes a nice series of pictures and I love the way he holds his head perfectly still, always alert for predators and the way he uses his tail feathers to maintain balance. I am sure that under the surface his feet are working away too but you can't tell from these shots.
Well you wouldn't play cards with a cheetah...
Sorry I know it is a dreadful joke.
I love cats, even though I won't have a pet one (so nobody ask) and I love big cats even more. My favourite is a close tie between a Jaguar and a Snow Leopard but not far behind is the cheetah, It is so beautiful, it has such poise and bearing. It is so powerful and ready to leap into action to chase down its prey. At the zoo the cheetahs enclosure is being refurbished and improved so they have been moved to a smaller temporary enclosure which meant I could get really close, it was amazing. It was always on the move so I was thrilled to get such a good clear shot, even through the wire.
