Photographers in general and landscape photographers specifically take most of their images in the early morning or late afternoon light.  These times, for an hour or two after sunrise and the same before sunset are often referred to as the “Golden Hours”.  When the sun is close to the horizon, the incident light travels farther through the atmosphere and more of it is refracted or scattered, losing some of the higher wavelengths (blues) leaving the lower wavelengths (reds) creating the typical pinkish sunrises and red/orange sunsets we enjoy so much.  Also during the golden hours, the shadows are longer, the light is more even and the lighting ratios are reduced all of which combine for the great light which makes every image better than when shot in the harsher direct light of the mid-day.

The images in this post are taken in Sedona Arizona, which is located about two hours north of Phoenix Arizona and it’s where Deb & spent the first night of our five-day photo tour of the Grand Canyon area.  Sedona is an absolutely beautiful town and the scenery is spectacular in all directions.

The five images are shown in  chronological order, the first two being snap shots taken at the side of the road (Route 179) as we entered Sedona.

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The next three sunset shots mark the transition from the golden hour to twilight.  Twilight being the time between sunset and dusk when although the sun is below the horizon the sky retains its blue colour to the eye before transitioning to the blackness of night.  ”Night” photography should always be done during twilight while the sky retains some colour which serves to preserve the distinction between the objects and the sky.  Once the sky is dark the boundary between the object and the background is lost resulting in a poor image.

The following images were taken from the top of Airport Road which climbs to a vantage point high above Sedona and is a popular place for people to gather and watch the spectacular sunsets.  There were probably a hundred people there the evening we were including a number of serious photographers jostling for the best spot to set up a tripod.  They were taken with a 16-35/2.8 zoom lens using Lee & Singh-Ray 4×6 ND gradient filters.

This next image is a favourite, taken just before sunset, and I wish you could see it full size. Our first night in Arizona was the only day we saw clouds in the sky.

The next image was taken after sunset and by using a longer exposure captured more colour (reds/pinks) than would be seen while watching the sunset.

This last image was taken long after sunset when it was almost dark as you can tell by the lights in the Sedona Streets in the foreground.  As in the previous image, an overly long exposure was used to get some light in the sky, which would have appeared almost dark when taking the photograph.

Heading southwest towards Monument Valley on Route 163 near the Utah Arizona border you are greeted by one of the most iconic open road views in the country.  Our first glimpse of this amazing vista was in the rear view mirror as we were heading North towards Moab at the time!  No doubt you have seen pictures similar to the ones posted today, however I trust you also enjoy these.  Please feel free to comment on them and let me know which perspectives you enjoy the best.

The five images to follow were all taken hand-held at focal lengths ranging from 16-105 mm, with the perception of the depth of the image being progressively compressed at the focal length increases.  One of the ‘rules’ of wide-angle landscape photography is to have something of interest in both the foreground and background , however this creates a problem for shots like these where the topography is pretty nondescript save for the incredible buttes and mittens that are at least five miles away.  To try to follow the rules of composition, I found the largest bush along the road side and positioned it in the foreground of the image, making sure to have the camera high enough that separation was maintained between the bush and the background rock formation.

This next shot was taken from the same general spot as the first image (you can see the bush used as foreground object in the last shot on the right side of this image as well).  The only differences being focal length (24mm) and lower camera height to change the perspective making the road more prominant. For this shot I was lying down so the camera was only about six inches above the road.  This image is a single frame, cropped to create the panoramic look.

The last three images attempt to find a pleasing balance of perspective and composition resulting in a great photograph, or moving the image from a snapshot to a photograph.

The next image is just a snapshot, taken with the camera at standing height from relatively close to the rock formation.  Being too close to the background stops the road from disappearing into a long thin ribbon which takes a way the feeling of great distances and also reduces the ability to sense just how big the rock formations actually are.   Both of these problems are compounded by the longer focal length chosen to take the image (105 mm).

The last two shots come the closest to working well at conveying the feeling of what it was like to actually be there.  The next image was taken from the farthest point away from the buttes which were about four or five kilometres away.  It was taken standing to reduce the relative size of the road in the foreground and including a bend in the road to change the way your eyes are led towards the buttes and mittens in the background.

The last image is my favourite of this group.  It was taken from a sitting position in the middle of the road to enlarge the presence of the road slightly as well as allowing the small berms on the roadside to provide some foreground interest.  Plus the straight road into Monument Valley takes you immediately to the object of the image.  The shot was taken at 65mm at f/16 at 1/100 sec.

The enjoyment of an image is a purely subjective thing, we either like it, don’t like it or are ambivalent towards it.  The trick with good photography is to deliver images that someone other than yourself actually likes!  To do that we need to learn to always be thinking about the pictures we are taking, and then experimenting with different variations of the same scene like I’ve tried to demonstrate with these images of Monument Valley.  The more thought one puts into the exercise before pressing the shutter really helps deliver consistently  better images.  It is so much easier to improve your skills in the digital age as CF cards are inexpensive and we can take lots of images in order to arrive at a couple of good ones.  For this series Deb & I probably spent an hour or so stopping at four or five different spots along the highway and taking about seventy-five images.

If you haven’t already been there, plan a trip to Monument Valley.  You will be glad you did!

The Horseshoe bend in the Colorado River is located just outside of Page Arizona just west of Highway 89.  It is one of the most impressive vistas along the river and has become an iconic image of the Grand Canyon area.  The Bend is reached by a rather short trail of three quarters of a mile, however the soft sand over most of the trail makes for a rather arduous trek and there is absolutely no shelter from the sun, so remember to take lots of water with you.

Taking a good picture of the bend is not done without a little fear and trepidation as the rim is over 1000 feet above the river and in order to keep the entire river in the frame the camera needs to be right on the brink.  I set my tripod up as low as possible and crawled the last few feet to the brink on all fours.  Once you peak your head over the edge its an awe-inspiring sight; Gods great handiwork right before for eyes!  The image above was taken at a focal length of 16mm and is a single image.  I have a number of panoramic images of the area which I may post later.

A couple of miles upstream from the Horseshoe bend is the Glen Canyon Dam, which is bigger than its more famous down stream cousin, the Hoover Dam, located  just outside Las Vegas, Nevada.  The Glen Canyon Dam is 710′ high and 1560′ wide and over 300′ thick at the base.  The reservoir it created is Lake Powell, the second largest artificial lake in the States.

The Glen Canyon Dam was constructed between 1956-1966 while the Hoover Dam was built from 1931-1936.

We were visiting the dam mid-morning after hiking to the Horseshoe bend for sunrise. This created strong shadows across the face of the dam which results in poor images, however here is an attempt to make an artistic shot of a hydroelectric dam.

Page AZ is also known for the Antelope Slot Canyons, which are a must see when in the area.

Recently I posted an image of a Great Gray Owl that showed up in Kingsville Ontario (on the shores of Lake Erie between Point Peele and Windsor) which is very unusual.  The Great Gray Owl is a northern bird and although common in Northern Ontario they are rarely seen south of Timmins.  This particular owl arrived in Kingsville before Christmas and was seen almost daily until a couple of weeks ago so perhaps it has started to head back north.  It was certainly a local celebrity and even made the front page of the Sunday edition of the Toronto Star

The Great Gray Owl is North America’s largest owl with a length of almost three feet and wing span of five feet.  It is a beautiful collection of gray, brown and white colours with a large and interesting head which lacks ear tuffs, has brilliant yellow eyes that are relatively small compared to the other owls and sports a white moustache.  Although the Great Gray is the largest owl, it is not the heaviest.  The Great Horned Owl enjoys that distinction.  Owls are raptors and the Great Gray Owl’s diet consists primarily of Ptarmigan in the north, however when poor food supply in the north forces the owls into more southern areas they feed primarily on voles, mice and perhaps chipmunks or squirrels.

I was fortunate to be able to take some flight shots of the Great Gray Owl.  This first image was taken when the owl launched while I was photographing with a 500mm lens from a distance too close to keep the wings in the frame.  Although clipping the wings in flight shots is a bit of a “no no” the intensity of the eyes in this shot was enough that I just couldn’t delete the image.

The next two images were taken with a 70-200 f/2.8 L IS zoom lens which is a fairly fast focussing lens needed to track birds while flying.  It’s an amazing technology that allows the camera to “lock on” to a moving object and continually keep it in focus while taking about ten frames per second.  In these images you can easily see the intensity of the eyes as they lock on to the prey.

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The face of an owl is rarely seen as we don’t often get a chance to be close enough to witness the amazing details it contains.  This close up portrait was taken with a 700mm focal length lens from about thirty feet away from the owl.

And finally a portrait showing the Owl in its more natural habitat, the snowy winter climate of the Canadian North…..I just wish the flakes were a little larger, but it only snowed for about five minutes over the course of the day I was there.

I trust you enjoyed these images of the Great Gray Owl and if ever you hear about one in your area make sure make an effort to get out and see it.  You will be glad you did!  To see more owl images please click here to visit my gallery.

Please feel free to leave comments or ask any photography questions you may have regarding the posted images.  I would be honoured to hear from you and answer your questions.

The Antelope Slot Canyons, located on Navajo lands just outside Page Arizona are arguably the most famous and picturesque slot canyons in the world.  The canyons are accessible only with a Navajo guide and a specialized 4×4 truck transports you the last couple of miles from the nearest road to the canyon entrance.  We used the services of Caroline Ekis who owns and operates Antelope Canyon Tours.  They have dedicated photography tours which limits the number of participants to eight at a time which makes it a bit easier to set up gear, however many other tour groups are also in the canyon at the same time so the biggest challenge is getting a shot without someone walking in front of the camera during the 20-30 second time exposures required in the canyon.

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There are two Antelope canyons, the upper canyon which the one we visited and the lower canyon which is close by however requires one to climb down steep stairways to enter and leave the canyon.  The slot canyons are formed when flash floods caused by rain storms during monsoon season rush through the sandstone mesas and literally carve the slots through the sandstone.  Once the slot is formed, subsequent flooding travels through the same path making the slots deepen over time. Presently the Antelope Slot Canyons range up to 120 feet deep.  The Upper Canyon is a little over 1/4 mile long and ranges in width at the bottom from less than three feet to fifteen or twenty feet in some places. If you are interested in more information on the canyons, here is a link to the Wikipedia Antelope Canyon site.

Photographically its a challenge in the canyon for a number of reasons, low available light necessities long exposures and good low light techniques (especially at the low ISO’s and small apertures required to minimize noise and maximize depth of field); the tall yet narrow slot requires a wide-angle lens (I used a 16-35mm lens 95% of the time); the EV variation between the top and bottom of the canyon makes exposure bracketing and the use of ND grad filters mandatory; avoiding people and protecting your tripod from getting bumped during exposure was a constant challenge.

Below are some images taken during the two hours we were allowed to remain in the canyon.  The first is the entrance way where there is still lots of light.

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The stick on the right of the image below would have been deposited when the last storm waters moved through the canyon.

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This next image is of the Antelope Canyon waterfall which is created by throwing a huge handful of sand on the rock wall and taking advantage of the long time exposure to create the waterfall effect.

The next few images are my attempt to be creative, which is always a challenge.  The following two images are the same except for the exposure time is much less in the first therefore bringing out the deep blues and violets in the rocks.

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This last shot is the far end of the slot canyon.  It took almost two hours to work our way from one end to the other and about ten minutes to rush back through the slot and back to the truck.

These images and a few more can be seen in the Antelope Canyon Gallery

After leaving the Antelope Canyon we travelled about ten miles to the famous Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River which will be the focus of an upcoming blog entry.

Visiting the Antelope Slot Canyons was a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend that the next time you are in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon you make it a point to visit Page.  Page Arizona is in the north central part of the state and is about a four drive from either Phoenix or Las Vegas.

Not surprisingly a Great Gray Owl created a big stir this winter when it showed up in Kingsville, Ontario (a small town on the north shore of Lake Erie between Point Peele & Windsor, Ontario) and many people have made the effort to travel great distances to see it.  From Oshawa, it was an almost five-hour drive that I was able to make this past Monday and it was a great relief to be able to find the owl after driving all that way!  As you can see many other people also wanted to see this magnificent owl.

Although the Owl was pretty much oblivious to the people around, the birders and photographers were very respectful of it and positioned themselves on the other side of the road from the owl as you can see from the above image.  This allowed the owl to hunt without distraction or obstruction.

The processing of images from Monday will be an ongoing project and I’ll post some as they get done in the next few weeks.  It was an interesting day photographing the Great Gray Owl with everything from an iPhone to 24-105, 70-200, 400, 500 & 700 focal length lenses.

It’s a pleasure for Deb & I to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2012.  It is such a busy part of the year that time allowed for photography is at a minimum and keeping up to date with posting images and writing blog entries is almost impossible.

The single image in this post is of the famous Mesa Arch which is located in the ‘Islands of the Sky’ region within the vast Canyonlands National Park in Utah, USA.  It is a ‘bucket list’ location for landscape photographers looking for that perfect sunrise shot and the effort required to be there was absolutely worth it.  This shot was taken on a Saturday morning in October and we left our hotel room in Moab Utah at 4:30 a.m. and thirty-eight degrees for the almost hour-long drive into  Canyonlands, where we parked at the trail-head in the dark and set out on the three-quarters of a mile hike under the moonlight to arrive at the arch in time to set up our gear and await the spectacular sunrise.

I will explain more about the experience and show many more images of the arch in upcoming posts, along with many other photographs from our recent trip through the American mid-west.

This image today is a Christmas one for a couple of reasons, the first is the sun breaking through the night sky reminds me of what it must have been like for the shepherds and wise men following the star that led them to Jesus over two thousand years ago.  A celebration we continue to enjoy today, remembering an event that changed the world like none other ever has or ever will.  Jesus is the only reason for the season.  The second thing is the sunrise reminds us that a new day is upon us and at this time of year we take pause to think about the New Year that awaits us.

So once again, Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you and yours.

My wife and I came across a beautiful Barred Owl while visiting Presqu’ile Provincial Park a couple of weeks ago.  Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon, long past the nice light, and to make things worse my tripod was at home so a monopod was the only means of support.  The following images were taken at ISO 1250 at shutter speeds of about 1/120 sec at f/5.6 (wide open for the 500/f4 + 1.4x TC combination).  The great thing was that the owl was perched on a small stick about eight feet off the ground and the stick was in the middle of a small meadow in the woods so there were no sight obstructing branches within about 100 feet of the owl.  Better yet, the owl allowed me to slowly but completely circumduct him which accounts for the varying background changes seen in the photographs.

These images are also the first posted since undergoing a fairly radical change to both hardware and software workflow which included saying goodbye to windows and hello to iMac.  Although we’re still getting acquainted with the new computer, it’s quickly becoming obvious why so many photographers endorse the Macs.  In the software department we upgraded to the CS5.5 creative suite (from CS4) and also purchased Nik’s suite of plug-ins for Photoshop, which are really quite amazing.

Straight on view.  The separation between the owl and the back ground created the perfect out of focus back drop for these images, which are all uncropped as the owl allowed me to ‘foot zoom’ for these frame filling shots.

Three quarter view.

Ontario’s mixed forests are great this time of year with the conifers providing rich green back grounds, while the deciduous trees, devoid of their leaves, create lots of grey tones which look equally good.

The orange & browns from dead leaves make for yet another interesting back ground.

The next time we are visiting Presqu’ile we will arrive earlier in the day and hope to catch this beautiful owl on the same perch!

Today my wife and I had the privilege to see a Snowy Owl that arrived in Whitby about a week ago.  Based on its size it appears to be a juvenile female and hopefully she will pose for us in the next day or two.  A number of Snowy owls have been reported in Southern Ontario this fall so hopefully this will be an irruption year (if it isn’t already).  Perhaps some Great Grays will also find their way further south this winter.

This past July, General Motors held a Camaro Open House weekend at the Oshawa Vehicle Assembly Facility which is the only Camaro production plant.  Yes, that means every new Camaro you’ve seen on the road was built in Oshawa, Ontario, a city of 150,000 about 40km east of Toronto.  It was a fabulous event which included full access to the new and very high-tech Flex Plant assembly facility while production was running.  It was the first time I’d seen the plant in production since working as a security guard as a summer student in 1979.

The ‘Flex Plant’ is a modern redesign of the traditional automotive assembly line that allows for the production of up to four different vehicle types on the same ‘line’ at the same time.  While we were touring the facility the flex line was producing the Chevrolet Camaro and the Buick Regal.  It was interesting to watch as two very different vehicles would roll off the line one after the other.  General Motors recently announced that they will be adding a new full-sized Cadillac to the flex line next year.

Since beginning Camaro production a couple of years ago, more that 250,000 vehicles have been produced.  Most of the Camaros have been coupes however with the introduction of the roadster last year a lot of convertibles are now being built.  I must admit to a strong bias as I’ve owned Camaros in the past, but to put the production numbers into perspective, between April 2009 and May 2010 General Motors sold 100,486 Camaros while Ford sold 87,670 Mustangs and Chrysler sold 30,521 Challengers.

It was a rare pleasure to be allowed to take pictures of the cars being assembled and I trust you enjoy the images that follow.  Most were taken with the 24-105mm f/4 EF L lens to take advantage of the image stabilization however I also used a  16-35 f/2.8 EF L lens as well.

The old and the new!

The process begins (coupe first followed by a roadster).

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Meticulously checked for surface defects before being sent to the paint shop.

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They look better painted!

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The following image shows the attention to ergonomics that is taken to reduce work related injuries and increase production efficiencies.  Note how the chassis rests on a large bellows platform that raises and lowers as it moves through the facility maintaining the optimal height for the workers to safely carry out specific tasks for that part of the assembly process. Notice the white vehicle is much lower than the black one in this shot.

Although these are V6 engines destined for the Buick Regal (the open house didn’t allow access to the Camaro engine line) it’s an example of the many production design intricacies required to efficiently assemble a car today.

While the chassis is being developed in one area the power train is being assembled in another. You’ve gotta love that dual exhaust!

Completed power trains sitting on computer guided platforms ready to be mated with their chassis.  This process is almost fully automated and it was incredible to watch as everything lined up perfectly every time!  I’ve tried to capture the process in the next few images which show the power train moving into place beneath the chassis, raising into place and then the empty platform leaving to go back and get fitted with another power train.  The entire process takes about five minutes per vehicle.

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Notice the car behind the yellow Camaro is a Buick Regal.

Tires are one of the last things to make their way onto the vehicle.

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Another Camaro comes to life!

Coming off the line.

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I couldn’t resist attempting a few artistic shots, even in a vehicle assembly plant.  I hope you enjoy them!

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Camaro Car Clubs from all across North America came to the open house.  There were over one thousand Camaro’s of every year and model at the event.  It was a treat to walk among the cars, chat with the owners and hear the many stories behind each car.  I think its time to buy another Camaro!

Here are a few more snaps taken in our hotel room before leaving for the church.  It was a very hectic hour or two with all the bridesmaids and Lindsay getting changed, doing last-minute hair and make-up modifications but also have  a truly great time with lots of laughter and excitement.  Deb & I actually had to leave and get ready in a friend’s room.

I’m not really certain where I found the time to play around with a few artsy shots, especially as there was a professional photographer there to do those kinds of things, however here are some samples.

The jewel work on the wedding dress (taken with the 100mm macro lens at f/2.8, handheld thanks to the new four stop hybrid image stabilization that Canon has developed)

It seems that a shot of the wedding shoes is becoming a standard wedding album image.  These two images are of the bridesmaids shoes using the wedding dress as the back ground.

Lindsay chose the perfect brand of shoe for her bridesmaids “Unforgettable Moments”.

And the Brides shoes, complete with band-aids

Here is proof positive that I’m blessed beyond measure….. Ellesse, Deb, Lindsay and Stacey.

A quiet moment captured through the veil.

This last shot is becoming one of my favourites; although in a messy room with awful lighting, it captures a very special moment between sisters.  It was truly a candid shot and I don’t think either one knew it was being taken.

Our oldest daughter, Lindsay, married Cameron Bechtold on July 24, 2011 in Geneva which is located on the North end of Lake Seneca in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. It was a fabulous day in every way and I’ll report more comprehensively in an upcoming blog post.  Although being Father of the Bride prevented taking many pictures, I was able to get a few shots before the wedding and at the reception.

The two images in this post were taken in our hotel room about an hour before the wedding using the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS macro lens which really performs well as a portrait lens.

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It’s been a month since the last SMP blog entry so an update is long over due. It seems we’ve been just too busy to process any files and keep the website & blog refreshed with everything else that’s been going on at our place. The CF cards have been piling up by my computer so there will be lots of fresh material coming soon.

Our daughter Lindsay married Cameron Bechtold on July 24th in Geneva, New York, so we now have a wonderful son-in-law. They will be living in Lynchburg, Virginia for the next two or three years while they finish their degrees and then start grad school at Liberty University. Although I wasn’t the wedding photographer (too busy being father of the bride) I was able to take a few portraits of Lindsay before the wedding which I’ll post as soon as they are processed. For the portraits I used the new Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 L IS macro. It’s an excellent lens and fun to use although I must admit I still have a huge soft spot for the 85mm f/1.2 L lens that it replaced in my lens kit. The versatilty of the macro is much better than the 85/1.2 and it’s equally as sharp even though a lot less expensive.

We are now looking forward to our son Jeffrey and his fiance Ellesse’s wedding in Toronto on October 1st….only eight weeks away! It’s been a busy season for weddings in the Martin family but it’s been fantastic as we have gained an incredible daughter in law and son in law.

Jeff & Ellesse were engaged in March in Florida and I was pleased to be able to take the engagement photographs. They were all taken at Disney World at the Grand Floridian Hotel. Most of the images were taken with the 24-105 f/4 L IS and the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS lenses.

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More images of Jeff & Ellesse can be seen in their gallery

This entire blog entry was done from the cottage on an iPad2 tethered to an iPhone4 for internet access. It worked very well except I couldn’t resize the images to better fit the blog layout. That will have to wait until I get home.

The Hermit Thrush is a common bird with an estimated global population of over 56,000, 000.  It’s a pretty little bird that also has one of the more unique and great sounding songs that is easily heard when wandering around in the coniferous or mixed woods environment they prefer to live in.  Although Hermit Thrushes usually nest in trees when living west of the Rocky Mountains, their preferred nesting location to the east is on the ground where they form a cup nest from leaves and twigs.  For food they forage on the ground preferring insects and berries. They are a small bird with a length of about six inches and wing span of twelve inches.

The first image is of a Hermit Thrush on the ground, but fortunately out in the open with great separation from the back ground vegetation and in good light;  two of the factors that combine for a good photograph.  With this particular image I first located the perch (an exposed tree root) and then positioned myself on the ground such that the back ground and lighting would be favourable when the bird arrived.  There were four thrushes foraging actively in the vicinity so it was just a matter of waiting for one to step up for a picture, which happened almost immediately.  Unfortunately he was only on the perch for a split second, but that’s long enough to get a couple of shots if you are “lucky”.  Luck being defined as opportunity meeting preparedness.

The next three images are of a Hermit Thrush perched on a branch about ten inches above the ground.  In this case I’d heard the bird singing from the perch and he remained on the perch for at least five minutes.  This provided lots of time to move around  and play with the back grounds, giving the images very different looks even though the bird was in the same location the whole time.

The first shot with a log in the back ground.

Followed by a completely dark back ground.

The last three images in this series were taken with a 500mm lens plus 1.4xTC for an effective 700mm focal length.  That was a little too much as the thrush was only about fifteen feet away.  The last shot is an experimentation with a square crop which is not commonly done however in this case the bird is full sensor in the vertical plane  so cropping off a little from the sides was all that could be done.  I’m not sure if I like it or not, so any comments would be appreciated.

All of these images were taken at Thicksons Woods in Whitby, Ontario.

Pardon me for the unusual title of this post however I’m at the cottage this weekend and am experimenting with an iPad 2 to make this post. So far everything is going smoothly and the iPad continues to be an impressive toy, well actually more than that, an impressive tool. The wonders of modern technology we are taking for granted today would be considered pure science fiction even two generations ago.

This past winter we were fortunate to have a pair of Barred Owls close by which were seemingly always available for a photo shoot. A couple of months ago Deb & I headed out very near sunset and found this owl sitting about eight feet off the ground and only ten feet from the path we were walking on. I took a few shots with the iPhone and then went back to the car to get my camera and 70-200mm zoom lens. We stayed with t he owl until it was too dark to take anymore pictures. It was a privilege to watch this beautiful bird as it readied itself for another evening of looking for mice & voles.

The following images are basically straight out of the camera with very little, if any, cropping. Although we took several shots the following two represent slightly different views than the usual perched owl poses.

Waking up after the afternoon nap.

Stretching the wings before supper.

For bird photographers in southern Ontario, May and June is the time to look for northward migrating warblers, resplendent in their breeding plumage. Unfortunately scheduling didn’t allow me to get out for more than about an hour or two to look for warblers and as a result I don’t have any post worthy images to share. Hopefully next year! In lieu of warblers, here is a very common but also very pretty White Throated Sparrow.

White Throated Sparrows were first described in 1789 and are found in two different, genetically determined, morphs; white-crowned and the tan-crowned. The two morphs occur in about equal numbers and the interesting thing is that the birds virtually always pair up with their opposite morph.

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