Tag: wildlife
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Essex Erato #14
Epaulets Caterwauling voice.Polygamous and brash thisblack and red devil. But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.† ’Til next time, y’all… †John Muir, “Steep Trails” — Page 1343, Chapter IX Mormon Lilies from his anthology “John Muir: Ultimate Collection”.
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Essex Erato #13
Temporary Habitat Snow melts and ponds form —springtime’s home for dabbling ducks.Duckling watch begins. But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.† ’Til next time, y’all… †John Muir, “Steep Trails” — Page 1343, Chapter IX Mormon Lilies from his anthology “John Muir: Ultimate Collection”.
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Essex Erato #12
Jonathan Crasher of picnics,contriving to look, at once,hopeful and aloof. But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.† ’Til next time, y’all… †John Muir, “Steep Trails” — Page 1343, Chapter IX Mormon Lilies from his anthology “John Muir: Ultimate Collection”.
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Glorious Gooses
Canada Gooses are majestic. Barrel-chested.The envys of all ornithologys.† This post is inspired by an article in today’s papers: Ontario man fined $1,000 for ‘throwing large rocks and swatting’ at Canada geese It is the story of a cruel and ignorant resident of my beloved Essex County who, first caught a gosling, and then…
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Essex Erato #11
Flicker handsomely moustachedflitting around the forestbeauty in the sky But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.† †John Muir, “Steep Trails” — Page 1343, Chapter IX Mormon Lilies from his anthology “John Muir: Ultimate Collection”.
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Joyspotting 2026 #1
1. Look Up: 2. Look Down: 3. Keep an Eye Out For Colour: 4. Follow the Curve: 5. Go Where the Wild Things Are: 6. Seek Out Symmetry: 7. Search for Signs of Abundance: 8. Watch for Weirdness: You can trim a tree but not it’s determination to grow where it wants! 9. Zoom In:…
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Lens-Artists Challenge # 396 – Pick a Favourite Quote and Illustrate it
This week you can choose one quote accompanied with a maximum of five pictures or a maximum of five quotes illustrated with one picture each. Make us “feel”your quote(s) in pictures! Annie Dillard: “Today is one of those excellent January partly cloudies in which light chooses an unexpected part of the landscape to trick out…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #395 — On the Water: Liquid Lapse of Thought*
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #395 – Looking back to #151 On the Water Some of my favourite creatures to photograph live in shallow water habitats — ponds, creeks and, my favourite, marshes. Wearing my water shoes, I’m not averse to mucking about in those areas, but my entire world changed when I got my kayak.…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #393 — Lucky Shot
I struggled with this challenge. Come to think of it, I’ve written that same sentence with regards to a few of these challenges and I’ve not even been doing them all that long. In many respects, I think mine is an appropriate reaction — it is a challenge, after all… My first photography teacher (Dad)…
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Introduction to Joyspotting
A decade or more ago, a friend recommended a hiking and photography tool to me — Joyspotter’s Guide — which is simply twelve prompts for things to watch for whilst out walking. This thought-provoking and inspiring document was created by the oh-so-delightful Ingrid Fetell Lee, whose website is Aesthetics of Joy. Not only does she…
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Unwinding With The Critters
Lens Artists Challenge #389: Time to Relax But what relaxes you? What gets you away from the stresses of daily life. What’s your passion?† On any given day, I’m probably the most stressed-out person you’ll meet. Relaxation (without stress) doesn’t typically come easily to me but answering Anne’s questions was easy. A leisurely rural ramble through…
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Insects are Interesting
I grew up in a childhood idyll; beside my house was an enormous wild meadow. Technically, it was a Hydro Right-of-Way, but it was an unspoiled field with long grasses, wildflowers galore and — especially appealing to us kiddos, bugs galore. It was in that field that my love of wildflowers was born and too,…
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Crops and Discoveries
Lens-artists challenge #385 – unusual crop. First, here’s the assignment and the inspiration: What an Unusual Crop! No, I cannot do this; it’s too hard. No, it’s not. Give it a try, be bold, be creative. You can do it. Exceed yourself, like they say in the Olympics. Cropping stands as one of the…
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Anserine Astonishment
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #384 – What Astonishes You? This lovely challenge was created by Beth of Wandering Dawgs: “What have you seen or experienced that has astonished you? The challenge is to include photos about things that astonish you and tell us why you are astonished. I got the inspiration for this challenge from these…
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A Cold, Snowy Surprise
I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields,that it kisses them so gently?And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”† After a day navigating the countryside, making our way through unexpected deep snow drifts, and whiteouts that had endless…
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When Fate Sends You Lemons…
My lemons are syncopes. An overwhelming number of them, occurring nearly every day this year, numbering between fifteen and fifty each day. Every instance completely without warning. It is overwhelming and has clipped my wings. Rather than venturing out to the parks, conservation areas and marshes to observe and shoot wildlife, I’ve had to content…