Great Egret

 Some days birding is just a little more special than others. While all birds are great and getting a decent picture of all birds is also a thrill,  there still are many beautiful and unusual birds out there that I want to photograph. This last week has been good for that. Today, in between appointments, I took a dart out to Cape Spear in the hopes of seeing the Great Egret that had been spotted along Cape Spear Road.

There it was!

When I first saw the Great Egret, it was hiding behind a lot of brush being particularly cautious. I imagine a lot of bird watchers have been parking along side the road to get a good look at him. He has not yet taken to visitors.

 With a little patience and quite a bit of waiting, he began to move out from behind his cover and expose himself and his awesome size. Note the length of the legs showing below his white body.

This bird is a "come from away." It most often resides in America's Heartland and up the East Coast to around Massachusetts. It shouldn't be here but must have gotten off course. To my knowledge, this is the third sighting of a Great Egret on the Island since Spring. This is my first opportunity to see one here. They are very common on the waterways in Arkansas.

 While watching this handsome bird, along came a very loud truck and spooked him. He burst from behind the shrubbery and lofted himself into the air. I was ready.

 Without doubt this is a healthy bird, he reacted very quickly and with a great deal of strength to lift off and fly to safety. It was magnificent.

I think the last two Great Egrets spotted this year lingered at their resting sites for several days before moving on. If you are interested in catching a glimpse of this one, head out the Cape Spear Road, just past the Blackhead turnoff. The bird is nestled low in a small body of water on the North side of the road less than a kilometer from Blackhead. Better hurry because, he seems strong enough to leave at any time.

To top it off today, I also got some fair pictures of Snow Buntings at Cape Spear.

American Goldfinch

 The American Goldfinch is a common sight in Newfoundland year around. So, why don't I have any better pictures? It's not for lack of trying. Every time I see the Goldfinch I give it a few clicks in the hopes that I will get some good shots. I haven't yet.

 These shots were taken from my kitchen door and are a bit washed out from the bright sun reflecting off this female's yellow breast. When I realized that I didn't have any American Goldfinch posted, I thought I should correct that right away. Anytime that I get better shots, I will replace these.

The male American Goldfinch is brighter yellow and has a distinct black cap. It is that black cap that makes them very difficult to photograph because the dark eye fades into the head and can not be readily seen.

I have tried to tweak my bird mix in the feeder to draw in a lot of different birds. Finch are known to like Niger seed. However, there seems to be no guarantee that the favorite seed will bring in the desired species on demand. It really is a matter of keeping an eye on the feeder and catching the visitors at the right time. I am contemplating putting a web cam on my feeder because I think I may be missing a lot of good birds.

Note: I added two new pictures to my House Sparrow posting, again.

This image of an American Goldfinch was taken in December. Over time, I should be able to build a collection of images that show different birds in all different seasons. They change quite a lot.

Whimbrel

I saw my first Whimbrel on the Cape Race road in early September. We were standing on the side of the road viewing a Willow Ptarmigan when a group of four or five Whimbrel flew over. I only knew what they were because the guide called out their name. I quickly turned my camera on them and took two quick pictures before they were gone - in a blur. My pictures and my mind's eye were a blur. I was able to add the Whimbrel to my lists but I really didn't feel that I saw them.

One week ago in Tilting, Fogo Island we went for a walk around Oliver's Cove. In the distance a silhouette appeared in the distance. Its outline was clearly a shorebird and I thought maybe it was a Wimbrel. I started shooting - one shutter click after another, as I inched closer and closer. The anatomy of my shooting of a bird is this: First I get any picture that I can, try really hard to hold my camera steady in the wind to reduce the blur. Second, I continue to move closer and shoot at every opportunity until the bird leaves or until I get the shot I want. In this second picture, I finally got a clear shot of the bird but I didn't have the light on my side, nor the eye in full focus. I kept shooting.

Just as I was getting closer and trying to fine tune my settings, this Whimbrel just lifted off. I didn't have my shutter set for the speed of flight, but I didn't know if this might be my last chance, so I kept shooting.

I was very pleased when he made a circle in front of me and decided to stay for a while longer. I made a note of how close I was to it before it flushed and made every effort to stay far enough away.

The bird landed and began to settle into its "bird behaviour," seeming more comfortable. As usual, the sun went in and my lighting was off. I now had some clear record shots and was pleased, but not satisfied.

This Whimbrel was constantly on the move. It played havoc with my settings. If I set the shutter speed too high, then the lighting was insufficient. I tried to make the most of all the elements that I had to work with.

Finally, the sun came out, the bird was positioned right and so was I. I got several shots of the eye but all have a slight blur. However, my second opportunity to view and photograph a Wimbrel turned out much better than the one on Cape Race road.

All of this maneuvering took about 20 minutes, and that is short compared to some attempts to get a shot. I now have a much better understanding of the look and the behaviour of the Whimbrel. 


 This Whimbrel was feeding on the berries and insects along the coastal barrens, likely preparing for its Fall migration. Over the weeks to come the Whimbrels will likely travel 4000 km to their wintering grounds in South America.

I was very lucky to encounter this, one of the largest shorebirds, this late in the season. Notice the movement of his feet in every shot. It seems really anxious to move on.

Fogo Island - September 2010

 When I went to Fogo Island, I had no idea what to expect. We crossed over to the island under the cover of a full moon and still waters. The ferry glided across the glass-like Atlantic without a single roll. (What a shock!) When we arrived on Fogo Island, it was getting late and was very difficult to see much of the island.

 The first morning there, the sun rose on a very scenic island that is 25km long and 14km wide for a total of about 91 square miles (for those who prefer the imperial system.) The population as reported in the 2006 census is just over 2700 people scattered throughout 11 communities. When I saw all that these few people have developed, I was certain that these were a hard-working, creative, talented and committed group.  This image shows Brimstone Head which is considered by the Flat Earth Society to be one of the four corners of the world. Brimstone Head is located in Fogo, Fogo Island.  While in Fogo we passed this grand old house that is undergoing restoration. It has a very unique architecture, as do several homes and buildings in the area. In fact, architects have studied the many unique characteristics of the structures on the Island. (For more information about the island and to view a map, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fogo_Island,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador 

 

 Later in the morning we took a drive through Joe Batt's Arm where we found these salt cod drying under the strong Autumn sunshine. I really liked the way the fish were arranged in the crab pots. With the fire wood in the background, I call this picture "Preparing for Winter." Note the white bag attached to the end of the pot. This is intentional and is meant to keep the birds away as it blows in the wind.

 I have several more pictures of salt cod drying and will post a separate listing with just fish.  This is an image that has been gone too long from Newfoundland.

In Tilting, where I stayed, there were also many special homes and landmarks. One of the most impressive is this Artist Retreat. Through volunteer work and donations from the small population of 218 people, this old home was restored to its original state and upgraded with today's modern facilities. Many layers of wallpaper were stripped to review its great original woodwork, which was sanded and varnished. The home boasts three bedrooms upstairs where artists can spend their summers while creating their art. For more information about the retreat and the artists visit: http://www.townoftilting.com/artistretreat.htm

 In the back of the house a "back kitchen" was constructed to recreate the original one that was lost over the years. While the dimensions remain the same, there were some liberties taken to create a high ceiling, spacious, well-lit work space for the artists. The artist work tables are actually cod splitting tables.  The painting on the wall is likely the work of Ying Li who spent last summer at the retreat. More about her work can be found under artists on the link provided here. http://www.townoftilting.com/artistretreat.htm

The sitting room of the retreat features the photo and the art work of an individual who inspired the development of this studio. This room provides a comfortable, warm area where artists can relax in the evening and get acquainted. The artists also provide a series of workshops during their stay.

While I still have many pictures from Fogo Island to share (including some bird pictures), I will close this posting with a picture of a sunset viewed from Joe Batt's Arm taken on my last night on the island. Many thanks to those who guided my day of sightseeing and their patience while I jumped from the car on many occasions to take pictures.