Dave Waddell's Photography: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Wishflower

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:35:52 GMT

]]>I set out to look into the micro-world of one of the most common plants around us in nature and here are 33 photographs i took. This is my attempt to see for myself why people think flowers are superb in their beauty and weeds like the "Wishflower" are a blight on the landscape.
The first few shots are from the outside just as anyone would see this plant as it is encountered against the blue sky. Then i took a series of photographs shot from above against the green grass in bright sunlight and finally I continued to move deeper and deeper inside the seed-head of this delicate plant. In the last series of shots i placed a chromed steel bar on the ground by the plant and the sunlight was reflected back up through the plant and blasted my camera's sensor from light to darkness. This backlit the delicacy of the seed-head itself.
What i saw was beautiful, delicate and of superb organization ....far more than i expected to see. I realised this was a very complex plant with an integrity that dazzled my eyes. When i think of the ordinary plants scattered virtually everywhere living self-sufficient lifecycles and thinking that flowers were chosen and singled out for their "rare beauty".... I now feel that that choice was made without merit. It makes me wonder how the world became such a mad place. What drove us to say a plant that we can find no use for is of no use .... this makes no sense to me.
In a superlative irony nature embraces the things that we reject and seems to cherish this plant for its ruthless beauty, deceptive delicacy and obdurate vigor. Indeed it seems that what is outside our favor holds a unassailable place inside hers......that its beauty pleases nature is without question.

Music by Kevin MacLeod....thanks Kevin!

My Catfish Friends

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:28:20 GMT

]]>My granddaughter wanted to stop and see the little painted turtles at the bridge at Gillies Hill and when we approached they got nervous and slipped under the lillipads to her disappointment......however, shortly thereafter, while i was waiting for them to reappear Laura wandered to the other side of the bridge and exclaimed "Look at the fish Grandpa!". To my surprise she had located a school of at least 3 dozen Catfish(I think these are Flathead Catfish sometimes called Mudcats) spread out in a line eating insects at the surface....whenever a car passed over the bridge or when we spoke to each other too loudly they dived below the surface only to cautiously reappear a few moments later.

Just a note about what they eat......Catfish have a diet that includes other fish, aquatic bugs, crayfish, mollusks, fish eggs, aquatic plants, minnows, snails, decaying vegetation, carrion, worms and leeches.

Read more: What Do Catfish Eat?

Music: "Turtlerock"....by Kevin MacLeod

Double Crested Cormorant:Perched & Flight

Tue, 31 May 2011 18:25:47 GMT

]]>A very successful fisher that is almost universally despised by fishermen ...to my dismay. 30 to 33" in size.....and as well adapted to water as any bird alive.
A large black bird that can be frequently seen standing on rocks in the river, on logs and in tree tops....often with wings spread to dry. Orange throat patch and long hooked bill.

Juvenile RedTail Lockerby: Flight Shots 2

Mon, 23 May 2011 20:56:25 GMT

]]>These are 38 flight photos of the same Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk at Lockerby. They are long shots in overcast winter light.

Juvenile RedTail Lockerby: Flight Shots 1

Sun, 15 May 2011 18:10:40 GMT

]]>Here we have a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk. It is identified by the two-toned upper-wing pattern of darker brown and light brown color and also by a "V" shaped white highlight on the back.
The fence where this activity takes place is below the ridge of a long hill and consequently it is filled up with a very dramatic winter white.....i would like to say i planned that but it was a good location for me to see him and a bad one for him in which to hide....however i do recognize a good outcome when i have one.....lol......cheers .....Dave

Northern Goshawk; escape fight

Sat, 14 May 2011 18:57:57 GMT

]]>Here are 12 flight shots of a Northern Goshawk that surprised me by its sudden appearance. A large Raven at least 2 times her size was in hot pursuit and drove her to perch in a small dense pine forest.
The photos are not as clear as I might wish as I did not have my bird lens on the D300.... for at the time I was set up with my 70-200 f2.8 to shoot close up songbirds in my back yard. I am looking forward to meeting this grand raptor again.....cheers...Dave.

Great Blue Heron

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 14:37:44 GMT

]]>Here are photos of a Great Blue Heron shot at Gillies' Hill during the summer of 2010. They are hunting/fishing shots with some flight shots...i have zoomed in as best i could to show the details of the activities and it is possible to see that he is feasting on minnows and frogs.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"

Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk 2....Flight, Perched

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:07:48 GMT

]]>Here are 30 photos of a dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk shot at the Flats.... both perched and flight shots. I am delighted to find this raptor twice this winter in eastern Bruce County...........i guess he is here just to chill.....ha...lol! This is a wonderful, large and healthy bird of prey.

Again..."Music by Kevin Macleod"...thanks Kevin!
The music actually is called "Smoother Move"

Redtail Hawk at Lockerby

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:22:41 GMT

]]>Here are 3 different Redtail Hawks at Lockerby ....i think they are all adults....but what they all have in common is a very distinctive cry which i am playing as a soundtrack for the slide show. That is the principal reason i have uploaded only 5 shots just to illustrate the scream that a Redtail makes.

W.D. Kingstons' Winter Rough-legged Hawk 4

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:23:58 GMT

]]>Here are perched and flight shots of adult Rough-Legged Hawk shot on William D's Concession 12.

"Music by Kevin Macleod".....thanks Kevin!

W.D. Kingston's Winter Rough-legged Hawk 3

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:18:57 GMT

]]>Here are a few perched and flight shots of an Arctic raptor. It is very adept at flight and a formidable hunter.

"Music by Kevin Macleod"....thanks Kevin!

Winter Prairie Merlin

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:59:47 GMT

]]>Here are 16 shots of a very pleasant surprise i got on a sunny day in the dead of winter. Not only was the day a marvelous lift to the spirits but was noteworthy in my estimation as the very same adult female Prairie Merlin paid me a return visit and believe it or not....landed and perched for a second photo session in the very same 60' Cherry tree at the end of my lane.
I was delighted to see that this beautiful bird was unafraid of my approach and tolerated my standing at the base of the tree on which she perched.
All together a red letter day.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"
Thanks Kevin!

Winter Rough-Legged Hawk 2

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:34:10 GMT

]]>Here are 13 photos of a very obliging beautiful raptor that seemed to be almost posing for me.....lucky me.
Do comment if you have the time as it is my only way of knowing how i'm doing......cheers ...dave.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"
Thanks Kevin!

Great Egret....Flight

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 10:31:24 GMT

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Summer Redtail 3: Mobbed by a Red-Winged Blackbird

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:31:19 GMT

]]>Here we have ten shots of a Red-Tailed Hawk being harassed and driven out of a Red-Winged Blackbirds nesting territory. His persistence drives the Redtail from power pole to power pole until he is satisfied.
The Blackbird is very effective at intimidating many larger birds of prey and less so with smaller faster and more agile falcons and birds of prey.

Winter Redtail: Groundhog Kill

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:11:48 GMT

]]>Here is a series of photos of a Red-Tailed Hawk on a winter groundhog kill. It is interesting to see how effectively a 2 to 3 lb predator can dispatch a 4 to 5 lb prey when it is caught unawares from above.
I did however see the initial strike as the Redtail whirled in the air and plunged in its strike but i had no camera handy at the time.
I photographed what i thought was the complete kill and as i needed supplies I left and went to town to source them out. Although i had noted previously a murder of crows in a nearby hard maple tree, i thought nothing of it and left for town. To my dismay, when a turned off the county highway onto the concession road there was that murder of crows mobbing the Redtail still mounted on his kill. He endured repeated harassment and close-quartered aerial attacks.
Eventually the mobbing drove the Redtail into the air abandoning his hard won prize.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"

Summer Redtail 2

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:11:36 GMT

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Summer Redtail 1

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:16:19 GMT

]]>Here is a collection of flight shots of a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk as you can see from the 2 toned upperwing fledging. He is a handsome bird and a joy to observe here at Lockerby.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"

Adult Male Merlin

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:09:34 GMT

]]>This little fellow like his bigger brother the Peregrine flushes smaller birds and drives them into the air as high as possible to lull them into thinking they are escaping. The prey bird then gets nervous and dives for cover but before it may reach safety the Merlin who is very fast in a dive overtakes and captures his prey.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"

American Kestrel: Hunting Repast & Flight

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:37:22 GMT

]]>Here are photos of a female American Kestrel enjoying a quick snack on a very cold day in January. I came upon this scene just after the capture of the mouse and as per usual ...missed the whole thing....ah well.
I may be a bit heavy-handed in showing this many shots of this rather gruesome activity as i have but i want you to consider the fact that it is not as easy as you might think to dismember an animal even as small as a field mouse. Further, i want to show you that to eat it quickly is not easy either especially at 20 below with a 30 klm windchill. A small creature such as a mouse that has expired not only chills out but will probably freeze solid reasonably quickly and become unusable to the little falcon if it does.

"Music by: Kevin Macleod"

Male Harrier: Flight 2

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:34:40 GMT

]]>Overcast day, late November low light....not great conditions to do justice to the natural beauty and skill of this male adult Harrier on the hunt.....still it stirs the blood and raises the heart in admiration.............cheers...dave.

Music by "Kevin Macleod"

Concession 4: Snowy Owl

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:10:21 GMT

]]>Here is a collection of perched and flight shots all shot in one location and at one session lasting approximately 90 minutes on a beautiful sunny afternoon and under a wonderfully bright March blue sky 2010.
This is a younger bird who was again very tolerant and cooperative......all the best ....dave.

"Music: Kevin MacLeod"

Manery's Snowy Owl

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:23:49 GMT

]]>Here are 18 photographs of an adult Snowy Owl just up the road and down an abandoned CN railway line. If i remember correctly it was in early December 2009 that i came across this wonderful specimen and was indeed very fortunate to come across such a fine and tolerant bird. I think i felt elated for days afterwords and considered this an early and delightful Christmas gift!

"Music: Kevin MacLeod"

Snowy Owl: The Big Yawn

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:28:35 GMT

]]>Here are some shots of a young Snowy Owl sitting on a power pole right on the Grey County side of the County line between Bruce and Grey Counties....he however kept returning to Bruce County so i think he liked it here...ha!
Having spent the long night hunting, this was one tuckered out little fellow and i tried to get as close as possible on a blue/grey winter day to get some good shots with my old lens.
I don't think i have ever seen a bird yawn like this so i ripped off as many shots as i could.....if it is possible to feel affection for a bird then i definitely feel something for this guy.

"Music: Kevin MacLeod"

Belted Kingfisher: Display 2

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:09:33 GMT

]]>Just a few perched shots of one of the adult male Belted Kingfishers i photographed this past summer at Lockerby....they are rather intolerant of observation.... wary and wily enough to recognize my old red truck and just disappear if i step out of it to approach them.

And oh yes.....here is that mad rattle that he makes just before launching his swift flight and his hovering and plunge for minnows and creyfish. Marvelous sound and an easy indicator as to when to begin tracking and shooting. If you don't find this little bird fascinating when you first begin you will when the day's shoot is done.....have fun...cheers....Dave.

Belted Kingfisher: Display

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:28:09 GMT

]]>Here we have an adult male Belted Kingfisher putting on quite a display for us at Lockerby. As a matter of fact it reminds me of photos i have seen of Muscle Beach in California...ha...just kidding....body builders can't fly worth a darn...poor devils.

Belted Kingfisher Flight

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 03:27:31 GMT

]]>Here are some flight shots of an adult male Belted Kingfisher at Lockerby. His flight is mostly on the shaded bank of the river there and in changing light. It is a very wary bird and difficult to approach within closeup range.....but one day i will get this fellow in closeup action.....until then...cheers...dave.

Green Heron... Stalking/Fishing

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:17:15 GMT

]]>These photos were taken on a pond beside a country road, a pothole really, that was signed off so i was forced to shoot into the sun with the subject strongly back-lit.

Green Heron 2

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:13:49 GMT

]]>These photos were taken on a pond beside a country road, a pothole really, that was signed off so i was forced to shoot into the sun with the subject strongly back-lit.

Autumn Rough-Legged Hawk

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:14:01 GMT

]]>Here is a series of photos of 2 Rough legged Hawks warily hunting the same fields....one is a sub-adult female and one is a juvenile light morph Rough-Legged Hawk.
The day i shot these photos the sun was constantly changing and i didn't actually have time to change camera settings so i got some variations in the lighting.
The Rough-Legged Hawk is generally an Alaskan and Arctic bird that migrates to southern Canada and northern US in fall and winter.

"Music: Kevin Macleod"