These views were taken from the top of Mount Mackay overlooking Thunder Bay in Ontario. You can see that the weather on the day was quite changeable. As Summer ended and autumn began it was quite wild as we looked out across to Pie Island and the Sleeping Giant and Lake Superior. As the heavy cloud came across and the hail fell it was time to head back down the mountain but away from the top we quickly warmed up and could enjoy the beautiful greenery of the forest trail.
So I won't make any claims about the quality of these shots, and apart from saying they were taken handheld using my large telephoto lens on a cold morning I won't make any excuses about them either.
I love the challenge of photographing wildlife and would love to spend much more time out searching for the perfect shot. The first 6 shots were taken as I was heading back to my car after standing on the edge of a lagoon photographing a family of beavers and the woodpecker shots were captured after taking a wrong turn at the start of a hike at Mount Mackay.
At the time I took these pictures I tried top identify the different birds but a few months have passed since then and I have largely forgotten.
The first two shots are of a Black-throated Green Warbler, the last two are of a beautiful Downy Woodpecker and the one before the woodpecker is a Black-capped Chickadee.
The other two species however I couldn't identify, I figure they might be varieties of sparrow or warbler but after a long time scanning through different images online I still couldn't definitively say what they are. Whatever they are along with the other shots they are a nice selection of some of Canada's wonderful wildlife.
Three more lake views today but for today I have jumped a continent and instead of a small lake in Switzerland here are three views of Lake Superior taken from the top of the Sleeping Giant.
The first two are looking across towards Thunder Bay. Having hiked up to the top my legs were a little shaky and standing on the edge of the rocky fissure but it was such a great view I got up close to the edge.
The third shot is of Tee Harbour, can you see why it has that name? On the horizon you can just make out Isle Royale National Park just across the border in the USA.
Thinking about a title for today's post my son suggested Wrong Turn after the slasher movie of the same name. I have never seen the film but at first it seemed appropriate as this might be the type of cabin deep in the woods where all your nightmares might come true.
However although it is rather tumbledown and in need of a bit of fixing up it also has a bit of character and perhaps it is not so scary at all. Especially when you spot the slightly comical face on the wall looking out over the neatly cut lawn. Just off to one side out of shot was a small group of whitetail deer quietly grazing which would also suggest that this is not so scary. But then, come back after dark and it might be very different...
I suppose there is nothing intrinsically Canadian about the Echinacea or Cone Flower but I noticed these fine examples hanging on to the last of the summer sun in the garden. They were also attracting a number of bees collecting pollen and all in all I think they make stunning images.
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 imagine that a photograph of a grain elevator might not be such an interesting image for everyone but I rather like this shot.
Thunder Bay is on the north shore of Lake Superior and has been an important trading post for centuries as trade goods are brought from the remote parts of western Canada and then shipped across the Great Lakes and exported around the world, from fur, timber, Iron and Silver and of course grain from the great prairies.
This shot was taken from the marina and shows a view of one of the remaining grain elevators and one of the grain ships being loaded. The pontoon in the foreground is a protective barrier for the expensive boats in the lagoon and a popular perch for the seagulls that live and fish along the shore.
So I haven't been posting quite as regularly over the past two weeks and that is because I have been out in Ontario along the north shore of Lake Superior. The purpose of the trip was to spend time with old friends in Thunder Bay but of course I never leave my camera behind and so I have captured loads of varied images. There is a real mix of wild Landscapes and Industrial Landscapes, a few random street photos and then an abundance of Wildlife and Nature pictures. With our trip leading into the start of autumn I got lots of shots of the autumn woodlands with the wonderful colours of the changing leaves up high and the myriad of different fungi on the forest floor. I have so much that I want to share.
I know now that my favourite pictures from the trip are of a beautiful red fox and I know that when I get round to sharing them you will be blown away by them just as I was with the experience. Then there are the beavers that were another unforgettable highlight of the trip but you will have to wait for those too, be sure to look out for them in the days ahead.
For today however I wanted to start off with some of the first photographs I took on the first full day of the trip. I went down to the water front in Thunder Bay. I have a number of good shots from my last visit but although the landscape is still the same the changing light and the different moods of the lake means that every day gives opportunities for new images of the same scenes.
I really like this wooden lighthouse at the end of the break water which protects Thunder Bay's marina. When the light catches it right in the early morning or in the evening it glows.
In these shots the small yacht is using the lighthouse as a marker to ensure it stays safe within the breakwater.
I like the sky in both images, in the first it reminds me a little of the swirl patterns that can be achieved by dropping coloured inks or dyes onto water and using a stick or other implement to create abstract patterns, but I think the sky in the second image is even better with the lines of cloud leading the eye towards the horizon. The waves of cloud in some way mirroring the surface of the lake.
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.
I was told that this store was quite something, full of character and charm and certainly from the outside it lived up to expectations here in the ghost town of Silver Islet.
Sadly on the two occasions I visited it was closed and shuttered and so I wasn't able to go inside and get the full experience.
It was a really photogenic building and I have posted a number of different views since and each one evokes memories of my visits and is a link to the history of this interesting place.
You can see from the water droplets on the grasses that this was a fairly wet day and while we were out looking for deer the deer were taking shelter under the trees and in the undergrowth. That is the ones who weren't tempted by the apples we had brought to feed them.
This fawn was snuggled down but fully alert and was too wary to come and enjoy a free meal.
When I first saw this bird I thought it was a juvenile Loon, but looking at the pictures I am pretty sure it is not a Loon but I haven't been able to accurately identify it.
I have called today's post Good Morning Grebe because it was a very good morning and I think the bird is a variety of grebe although I may be wrong. I would really appreciate it if anyone could say for sure what type of bird it is because I don't like not knowing what I post.
I do however like the way the early morning sun lights up the birds face and gives it a gleam in its eye and I like the reflection, because I always like reflections.
A variation on yesterday's theme here is another shot of the harbour at sunrise but today I have a fishing party heading out to Lake Superior, perhaps on the hunt for some nice fresh Pickerel.
The guys on the boat were aware that I was taking the shot, I am not too sure they were that pleased but I think it makes a good picture and I wished them well on their way.
I really love the warm glow in the sky above Lake Superior in this shot. It was a great day to get up early to enjoy the dawn and I hope you agree it was worth it.
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.
I spotted this beautiful wading bird at Thunder Bay's Boulevard Lake during an evening walk. I thought that it was a sandpiper at first but I wasn't completely sure so when I chose this shot for my blog tonight I realised I needed to do some research. All of my bird books show European birds and so I had to look a bit further afield since this isn't a species we would habitually see here in the UK.
So, what is it? I believe that it is a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs . This species is fairly common in the boreal forest regions of Canada and North America as you can see if you follow the link above. However it is classified as a rare bird here in the UK as can be seen from this link I was really pleased to get such a lovely shot that I can share it with you.
This lovely scene was taken on the dock at Marie Louise Lake in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. It was a dead calm evening and this was taken using a 30 second exposure. I hadn't been able to take my tripod on this trip as it is a bit too bulky. Instead I used a beanbag to keep my camera steady for such a long exposure. It was the first time I had used this set up and I am rather pleased with the result, the stars stand out really nicely and the warm glow to the left of the picture is from Thunder Bay. I had hoped to get some clear shots of the milky way however there was a full moon and so there was too much light to get a clear view.
Whenever I am out and about with my camera I look for nature's hearts and on the beach at Squaw Bay I found this heart shaped stone which when placed on a piece of driftwood looks really good.
When I wrote the title for todays post I thought of the song by Talking Heads (or the excellent cover version by Local Natives). I wasn't thinking about that when I actually took the picture though.
This shot was taken down by the sailing club at Thunder Bay marina looking out into Lake Superior with the grain silos/elevators in the background. I had spotted an otter swimming just beyond these rocks and had walked around for a closer look. The otter had gone but I thought the view was great.
Today I have spent several hours editing and updating my new website and as much as I have enjoyed sorting through folders of photos and playing around with different layouts I am ready to put my computer to one side and take a break.
This would be a great spot to take a break, particularly on a sunny day as it was when this picture was taken. This is a view of the Sleeping Giant seen from Thunder Bay. The ship is a grain carrier coming in to the massive grain silos to collect its cargo and then sail through the great lakes and then who knows where.
