Black And White Birds

I have a set of pictures taken the other day when I was up at Lake Manitoba,and the surrounding area.

As I looked at these,I realized,that although they are coloured pictures,it is mostly balk and white.

The first picture is that of a Franklin Gull,and yes,it is white with a little black.If you look closely you can also see a hint of pink on the belly.I find that very interesting,and have no idea what they have that.

This is mostly a black bird,but I was surprised to see that the wings are two-toned.This is a Double-crested Cormorant and it is also one of the better pictures I have ever gotten of this bird. It does have a patch of bright yellow or orange under the bill as well.

This is one of those sights I just never get tired of seeing.The American White Pelican is a graceful flyer with a very large wingspan.This bird has a wingspan of up to 110 inches.

I was fascinated by the Common Terns and their hunting style. I love when they hover like this one is doing and then suddenly dive straight down into the water,only to surface with some morsel of food.

Last but not least is a picture that brought me great joy,even though it is not totally sharp.

The Western Grebes were pairing off and here we see a pair running on the water.This may not be new to many of my readers,but I had only seen this once before,so I was thrilled.As they run one can actually hear the feet slapping the water.In this picture you can see that this pair had an audience as well.

The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.

            

A Visit to Lake Manitoba

On May 17,my friend and co-worker,Gwen and I decided to check out a part of our province about an hour or more away from us. We left right after breakfast and headed to Portage La Prairie and then on to the lake area,stopping first at Delta and then at St. Ambroise.

This area has in the past had beaches and campgrounds,but due to recent flooding that has all but ended.The birds don't seem to mind and that gave me many great opportunities for pictures.

Here I caught a Canada Goose just touching down.In the background you can see some of the many Western Grebes that were there.

What we were not expecting was the ice not that far from the shore.Yes,folks that is ice pushed up on the water.Lake Manitoba is a fairly large inland lake,so it takes longer for the ice to melt.

At St. Ambroise we not only had ice on the water,but they actually made a cut through the snow bank so people could get to the shore of the lake.

There was not much activity at the lake and that came as no surprise.The picnic table looked somewhat deserted.

Despite the fact that there was still ice and even snow,I found beauty.The blue of the sky brightened an otherwise dull image.

In the nearby trees we could hear birds singing,it wasn't cold,even though it looks cold. 

We had a great time.Yes,we had to have our food in the vehicle but it still tasted good.

We have been anxiously waiting for spring,but of one thing we can be sure. It will come,God says so in His Word.

As long as the earth endures,seedtime and harvest,cold and heat,summer and winter,day and night will never cease.

Genesis 8:22

AN EVENING AT THE MARSH

A friend and I went for a ride to a local marsh the other day.It was in the evening so the light was fading fast.

There is still no new growth visible in the marshes,but the birds are sure busy,as are the frogs. The noise of the frog chorus was almost deafening.

As the sun was setting the marsh took on new life.I like the light in this shot.

Some of the many ducks which were on the water were these,two male Ruddy Ducks.

They were very far away,so this shot has been cropped. The added bonus are the reflections in the water.

Of course there is constant action,with ducks flying from one side of the marsh to the other.I think these are Gadwell,but I am willing to be corrected.

A male Yellow-headed Blackbird decided to pose for me.Just look at how talented he is,holding on with only one foot.

When he was done posing he took off,but not before I was able to get one quick shot.

When I saw this picture on my computer,I knew that this evening had been successful.

God,who made the world and everything in it,since He is Lord of heaven and earth,does not dwell in temples made with hands……As though He needed anything,since He gives to all life,breath and all things.

Acts 17:24-25 NKJV

Having Too Much Fun With Apps

I will begin by saying that although I take my photography seriously,sometimes,I just love to have fun and what better place to do that than on my phone.

The iPhone camera does a decent job of taking pictures,but the real fun comes in all the Apps available.

I may go a little overboard at times,but so it is.LOL

 I have mentioned before the App called Fisheye Pro,well this picture was taken with that.The App calls this a Crystal Ball lens.I do like the effect on some shots.

This picture was taken at sunset recently.

Another Crystal Ball lens photo.This one was taken at a marsh not too far from where I live.

Another Crystal Ball shot at the marsh.I have another App called Super Photo.I used that to create this unique frame effect.

Taking the same photo,I tried another effect in Super Photo.I kind of like this one.

 A petalled pillow I have on the couch has been used for some unique photo ideas.This time I used the Crystal Ball lens and like how it turned out.

While I was having fun playing with the various Apps,I took the image into yet another one,called PSExpress and turned it into a soft black and white.

Will I ever use these images for slideshows or enlargements? Most likely not,but I sure had fun making them,and just because I can,I will likely make a few more fun shots as I go along.Who knows,I might even be silly enough to share them here again.

I may be getting older,but I refuse to grow up.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to all.

In memory of my Mom,I post this picture of her. She was promoted to her Heavenly home on September 19,1982,at the age of 54.I miss her and often feel like I should pick up the phone to call her,as that is something I did daily while she was still with us.

My Mom loved her family and would go to great lengths to please us. 

Was she perfect? No,and she would have been the first one to admit that,but she loved the Lord and prayed for us and taught us so much about life and how to live it.

Today I have the privilege of being Mom and Grandma to these two people. Steve and Kai. 

Both of them mean the world to me.I am trying to follow in my Mom's footsteps,by praying for them daily and being a mentor as best I know how.

Steve is not only my son,but also my friend and one I count on for support. Kai is the cutest young lady I know of and is the sparkle in my eyes as well as THE BEST helper when it comes to baking.

I LOVE YOU YOU,STEVE AND KAI!

The Sunset That Wouldn't Quit

On April 30,I realized that we were in for a very pretty sunset,so off to the lake I went.

I took pictures with my camera,but also captured some with my iPhone.

Today I am sharing just the iPhone shots

This was the start of some amazing beauty.

This was the sunset that wouldn't quit.It just kept on getting better and better.

You can see our local lake still had some ice on it that day,but the colours of the sunset were so pretty,I hardly noticed the ice.

Here you can see in those patches of open water how the colors were reflected in the lake.

This was one of those evenings where the beauty was unbelievable.

I thought that the event was over so I headed for home,but looking in my rearview mirror,I realized that it was far from over.

I was getting back into town and even though I now had buildings in the shot,I had to capture just one more picture of that gorgeous sky.

Shortly after this the colour faded and the beauty was gone for another day.

This was one of those times when I was happy that I followed my instincts and went out to see the sunset.

The day is done,the sun has set,yet light still tints the sky;

My heart stands still in reverence,for God is passing by.

RECENT RANDOM SHOTS

The last few hours of April are here.Where did this month go to?

This means that I have two more months of work and then two months of summer holidays. YEAH!!!

For today,I picked some random pictures taken over the last week or two.

I can't say that Crows are my favourite subjects,but this one was sitting at the top of the tree on a neighbours yard,so I tried for a picture.

Ring-billed Gulls make some pretty good photo subjects. It was a very windy day and as they flew into the wind,they almost came to a complete stop as they hovered over the water.

An American Coot gave me a chance for a couple of shots before diving under water.

I was trying to catch the Blue Jays as they came for peanuts. Overall,I wasn't all that successful on this day,but I kind of like this shot,where he is just lifting off.

Our Lake Minniwasta usually is good for a picture or two. Here it is still covered with ice,but that should be gone in a few days now.

So that's what is happening in my neck of the woods.Not much of great excitement ,but then life can't always be filled with excitement.

Hope you are all enjoying the beauty around you and take the time to really notice all the details.

SPRING AND THE BIRDS ARE BACK!

Some of the first spring arrivals on my yard are the Dark-eyed Juncos. I love stepping out of the house and hearing their happy twittering all over the yard.

I find that these birds are hard to photograph,because if you don't get that catch light in the eye they look very dull. A sunny day,some fresh food put out and patience,and the rewards came. I did get some decent shots.

When all else fails,put out some peanuts and wait for the Blue Jays.I love these guys. This picture is not cropped,so he was fairly close.

Some days are good and others turn out to be great. Yesterday,April 27,I spent the afternoon with a friend,looking for birds and photos. Action at the local Hawk Watch was slow,but a resident Bald Eagle made several low passes and gave me some amazing photo opportunities.

Sometimes one just gets a lucky shot. No,I did not notice the action in this photo,until I had it on the computer.All I can say is,'I'm glad I'm not the second goose. You may want to click on this to get a better view,then on second thought,you may not want a better view. LOL

The Yellow-headed Blackbirds are back and I love them. What's not to love about that bright pop of colour among the brown reeds? I look forward to many more photo shoots with some of these guys. Here's hoping I can get some flight shots.

 All photos were made using the Canon 7D,with Canon 100-400 mm lens.

 "Remember that life's most treasured moments
         often come unannounced."

MORE BIRDS

To those who don't love birds,I say,I'm sorry,but this is what gets me excited these days.

I love birds and spring is the time for the large birds of prey and others to  show up.

I will start with something other than birds. While waiting for more low flying raptors,these old tree stumps caught my eye.Nothing exciting but to a photographer even this can be beautiful.

And we move on to the subject at hand,birds.

On Easter Sunday we had numerous Broad-winged Hawks come through. This is a magnificent bird with beautiful patterns in the tail.  The Broad-winged hawks are part of the larger family known as Buteos.The Buteos are chunkier with broader wings and a rounded tail.

Seeing a Peregrine Falcon is always cause for excitement. On Sunday we had 11 of these swift flyers pass overhead. Most of them streaked through,giving very few chances for a picture,but this one took his time and allowed me to get several shots. I have still had to crop this image,but that distinctive Peregrine shape is unmistakable.Those sharply pointed wings are a great way to identify this bird,of course if you look closely you can see those distinguishing facial markings.

Back in the Buteo family,this Swainson's Hawk is equally as lovely.I love the coloration of this Hawk. It looks like it is wearing a rufus coloured bib.

Not all birds are Raptors. This pair of American White Pelicans made for a great picture.

And not all birds are equally beautiful. The Turkey Vulture will win no prizes for facial beauty,but they are gorgeous in flight. I love those two-toned wings.The lighter part almost glows silver when the light hits it just right.

I trust that each one will take the time to enjoy the beauty of nature. It is free and most likely readily available wherever you are.
Have a beautiful weekend and don't forget to really 'see' the beauty God has created for us to enjoy.

BIRDS,BIRDS AND MORE BIRDS

Just a word of warning.If you do not like birds,now would be a good time to find something else to look at.

It finally feels like spring and the birds are showing up.I love this time of year.

At my house the Dark-eyed Juncos are busy.I was sitting probably 7 feet away from this feeder,so I was able to get some nice close shots.This picture was taken with the Canon SX50.

A stop at the Kaleida Marsh,gave me many chances at Ring-billed Gulls.In time I will be sharing more of these,but for today,here is one that actually stood on the ice for a few minutes.

This was captured with the Canon 7D and a 100-400mm Canon lens.

Closer to home at a small pond,I found these Mallards and Wood Ducks.They were much too far away for a really good picture,but I still like the natural look of this.Once again I pulled out the Canon SX50 for this image.

Easter Sunday afternoon was spent at the Pembina Valley Hawk-watch.Like I have said before,it is not just hawks that we see.On Sunday we had huge flocks of American Pelicans come over.To look up and see the sky filled with a swirling mess of white and black wings was almost enough to cause one to become dizzy.It was estimated that we saw around 300 Pelicans that day.

Camera used was the Canon 7D,with 100-400mm Canon lens.

Not all birds that pass overhead can flap their wings,nor would we want them to.

This airliner soared through the blue sky,and I had to get a shot,just because that is what Jake would have done. This picture is posted with special memories of Jake.

 I share the following verse for no special reason,except that I like it.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Easter Blessings

The Easter weekend is upon us.Yes,on Good Friday we feel a sadness as we think of Jesus suffering for us,BUT we can rejoice,Sunday is coming.
I want to start this post by sharing a video.Of course I am choosing my favourite group,Legacy Five.
The main reason I chose this video,is because of the words of this song.
Take a few minutes to watch and listen as these guys share,through song,the death resurrection,ascension and coming again of Jesus Christ.
I get chills each time I hear this song.It is powerful and encouraging.




Because this is a photo blog,I must show you some pictures.
Since it is the Easter weekend,I thought we needed to enjoy some flowers,so back into the archives I went  to pick a bouquet for you to enjoy.
I will not fill your mind with my words,but rather suggest that you let the song in the video fill your heart and your mind as you look at these flowers.

Wishing you a Blessed Easter!