Local Waterfowl

Fall in Newfoundland is a beautiful time of the year with the leaves changing and the crisp mornings. However the birds seem to be few and far between and so we shoot what we can, like local waterfowl! Some of the species we commonly see are:

American Black Duck
Mallard
Green Wing Teal
Both Eurasian and American Wigeon
Tufted Duck
Greater & Lesser Scaup
A Wood Duck every now and then
Hooded Mergansers are not that unusual and I've herd from local hunters they are much more common then in years past
Common & Red breasted Mergansers
Common & King Eider
Scooters
Long tailed Duck

(Not all species are seen in fall, winter is the better time to see the sea ducks)

 

Over the next few weeks we are planning on doing some set ups at our feeders and also going and trying to photograph some moose!

Cape Spear

At The Edge Of The Western World There Is A Place Where Day Dawns FirstCape Spear is a location both me and Brad go to quite often. The rugged coastline and big waves never seem to get old. Cape spear being the most easterly point in Canada is also a great spot for birds. Between Brad and I we have seen numerous species at cape spear. From Purple sandpipers to Northern wheatear, cape spear always has something to offer. Right now we are anticipating photographing some purple sandpipers with in the next couple of months. Until then we constantly await rare bird sightings from that area during the fall.

Cape spear offers some great viewing of sea birds depending on what direction the wind is blowing and it can be easy to see species there such as:

Dovekie
WW Scoter
Surf Scoter
Common & King eider
Long-tailed duck
Jeagers
Sukas
Guillemonts

During the winter months it is very common to see huge rafts of eiders out feeding on muscles and other sea life. During the fall, vagrant warblers and other songbirds can easily be seen in the small community of blackhead and along the road to the cape. It takes a very skilled birder to find these vagrants amidst the tangled alders and other common species. Me and brad have seen a few different species of birds on cape spear road but every time we go its a learning experience and we always see something new and interesting.

Along the road to cape spear you can see signal hill off in the distance at a very different point of view. We have tried some landscape photography in the area but only brad has had any real success in that. We hope to try again sometime in the future as cape spear has so much potential.

              Brad trying to capture the freshly fallen snow last winter on the way to the cape



The best thing about Cape Spear is that you never know what to expect any time of the year. Many tourists visit the cape to go whale watching in summer and also people just like to be able to say that they went as far east as one can go on land. I believe that some people consider it one of the corners of the world.

Cape spear also offers some cool backgrounds and perches for birds. The rocks from what is left over from a part of the  African plate many millions of years ago has a different color then most rocks in Newfoundland and make for some interesting images.

Cape Spear also makes for some amazing sunrise images. Open seas, lighthouses and the warm tones of the rising sun what more could you ask for.

 

Shorebird Season Is Here!

Over the last few weeks Brad and I have tried more then once to get out and photograph some of Newfoundland's Pelagic seabirds but with bad weather and our horrible luck we have had no success. We will continue to try and get out on the water !

In the mean time shorebird season has begun and the birds are starting to show up everywhere. No rare or uncommon shorebirds yet but I am sure they will pop up ! A small harbour near where we both live has become our little hunny hole for shorebird photography. The tidal mud flats are what draws the birds to this cove, we have seen ruddy turnstones, greater yellowlegs, semi plovers, semi sandpipers, black bellied plovers and the list is always growing with other types of birds like king fishers, terns and gulls!

School has just started so I (Brendan) am going to be quite busy. But we have lots of ideas for different images we would like to try and create. So far as you can see shorebird photography has been a great success for us. Also we have a few ideas we are going to try in order to capture some raptors in flight.

Its that time of years again where southern vagrant warblers and other birds appear on the southern Avalon peninsula so we will be trying to get down there and capture some images of them. That is easier said then done but well will try!

The hardest thing about shorebird photography is being patient and still. For what ever reasons when you arrive before the birds or take your extreme time approaching shorebirds then they seem almost tame at times. All the photos in this post were taken by either me or brad lying down in deep stinky mud and slowly crawling towards the birds. If your not dirty by the end of a day shooting shorebirds then your doing it wrong!

I just received a phone call from brad who is looking at a flock or 50+ phalaropes!!!!! Lets just say im a tad bit jealous. He says he has video footage of them so when he arrives home im sure he will post it for everyone to see. Summer is quickly wrapping up and fall is starting to work its was to Newfoundland. Stay tuned for something different!

Photographing the Common Loon - An uncommon expericence

 About two weeks ago a friend of mine named Justin had told me about a "tame" loon he had found not far out on the highway. I knew there had to be something up as loons here on the island are not usually approached. When we arrived at the lake around 6am I found a pair of common loons nesting on and island not far from shore. The lighting was perfect and the flies where not too bad...
I slowly crawled on my chest with tripod and camera somehow attached to my back towards the low lying edge of the pond. To my surprise the birds didn't even notice me and began to feed near by and bathe. Both me and brad had a chance to get some shots of the loons. The two eggs in the nest hatched exactly one week later. It was an experience I think both of us will never forget.

St.Johns morning show interview

The st.Johns morning show did a little interview with me at one of mine and brads first conservation aeras. Just follow the link below

http://mobilevideo.cbc.ca/u/ref~s-audio~~1~1~63995818~000020623622/1

Cbc also had an online peice about our work:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2013/07/08/nl-brendan-kelly-paradise-wetlands-708.html

A little update

The blog has been a bit slow lately as Brad is away on vacation and I have just finished up school for the year! Summer has arrived across the island of Newfoundland. Birds for the most part are now waiting on eggs to hatch or feeding newly hatched young. Bird song has filled the woods and the sea birds and whales are starting to become common around the shores.

In the upcoming weeks you can expect lots of photos of things like puffins, swallows (our favourite) some landscapes and if we are lucky we may be able to get out on a boat and photograph some sea birds that you can not photograph commonly from shore like Northern Fulmar, Shearwaters, and who knows maybe a storm petrel or two!





Like I mentioned in a previous post we have some exiting news ! The town of Paradise has agreed to erect a sign in the community on our behalf. The sign is to draw more people to our natural areas and make them more aware of animals and birds alike who live in wetlands! The sign will feature some of mine and brads photos of birds etc. Keep your eyes open as you drive on topsail road by Neville's pond in paradise in the near feature. Also Newfoundland Power and the town of Paradise are working with me and brad to place some osprey nesting platforms in Paradise. With so much construction and development happening we have to try our best to keep some areas pure and natural.

Spring has arrived !

This past Saturday brad and I spent the morning at a marsh near my house. Our main objective was to capture some photos of a snipe calling from a post. However that is not as easy as you would think. Snipe are renowned for being probably the most secretive bird out there. They can throw there voice as we found out real quickly and they also are extremely good at blending into there environment. But then again that's how they survive!

The shot above I got Thursday afternoon after school. It may have been a fluke because we did not get the same opportunity to get a shot of a snipe like this on Saturday. We will be keeping our eye on this wetland by my house in hopes of getting a photo of a snipe calling from a post !
So Saturday we did not luck out on the snipe...so we did what anyone else would of, we photographed what we could. Which wasn't all that much but we make the best of our outings because we only get out on Saturdays ! Savannah sparrows were looking great amongst the cattails so we did get some shots of them. I think they are probably the best shots we have ever gotten of this very common species!

 

 

 

 

The tree swallows are slowly coming back and they have not been wasting any time. One pair has been back for only a few days and have already began nest construction !

June is only a few days away and it is by far the best month of the year for photographing birds on the island of Newfoundland. Of course brad and I are EXTREAMLY busy this up coming month. I have exams in school and brad has some traveling to do. So by the sounds of it the blog may be a bit slow. BUT I am having a member of parks Canada check some of our owl boxes in a few days and we also have a little announcement to make eventually. Stay tuned its about to get crazy