Wednesday, December 7, 2011

More Favourites ( Rapids, Geese, Redpolls, Gulls, Crows, and a hunting Red Fox) From the Vermilon River. A Post to SWF.

The weather has been on again and off again with one day bright and cold and another warmer and overcast. Plagued with things I have to do at this time of year, I compiled some of my favourite things into a post.

The River itself is at the center of those favourite things. It after all makes the hikes possible and nourishes the wildlife, which fill Boomer's and my day.

Whether it's overcast and grey or bright, and sunny the Bohemian Waxwings brighten up the day and provide all sorts of entertainment, although once they've cleaned off the berries they're on their way.

I took these photos of the Geese last spring. They're first arrivals, and are likely last year's young geese looking for mates.

You can see the ice rimming the River, and these guys just deal with it, quite humorously sometimes.

After all it's not easy landing on a frozen runway.

Nor is it easy foraging for food in open water stretches. The River never completely freezes, so there are always open stretches.

You'll see plenty of Redpolls as they're back,although not in the numbers that I saw last year. But it's early yet.

Above is a Male Redpoll and opposite a Female.

Flight  always makes for an interesting photo.

These Ring-billed Gulls are master fliers, and are here all winter.

 They're on all the open stretches of the River also.
I've already mentioned that Huegy and his family follow Boomer and I home from our morning walk and actually precede us in the final piece. Ravens, Crows and Blue Jays are all of the same family, the Corvids.  

All three have a reputation for intelligence. This morning on CBC, public radio, I heard about a new study that says they actually use their beaks to indicate direction. Inuit elders interviewed pointed out that hunters always paid attention to the Ravens as they indicated where the caribou were.

These are some further shots that I took but did not publish in my post "Life and Death on the Vermilon River" last spring.

Boom and I had just stopped to rest, and the fox was virtually beside us. Boom on the command  stay, stays and he is not a barker, just a grunter. He spotted the fox first. So the fox shifted direction and crossed the ice.

He was after the geese, although I think he was dreaming as they can account for themselves quite well. A post to SWF @ http://skyley.blogspot.com/ , Camera Critters @ http://cameracritters.blogspot.com/ and Scenic Sunday @ http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

28 comments:

  1. Your fox is so lovely to see Gary.
    Great images as usual.

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  2. Fantastic pictures Gary.
    gr. Marijke

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  3. ooh, the fox is great to see! enjoyed all your pics!

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  4. Another beautiful contribution of Skywatch. You had me scared that Mr. Fox was going to capture a goose right in front of our eyes!
    Thanks for sharing the beauty.

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  5. I do love the fox!! And all your photos are terrific as always, Gary! Love the first two with the rush water! Breathtaking! And, of course, the birds/geese are always beautiful! Have a great weekend!

    Sylvia

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  6. My favourites are the Waxwing and the Fox running, they are the best.

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  7. Beautiful photos as always!
    Love all of them.
    Have a great weekend.

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  8. your site is the best spot for birdwatching. happy weekend.

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  9. Cold rushing waters, lovely goose reflection in the first shot, amazing fox images - an enjoyable post Gary!
    Great shots of your amazing world!

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  10. Wonderful shots of such lovely birds.

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  11. What a splendid looking fox - if we see them here they often have mange! Also, see a fox here always has an uncomfortable edge to it, they are not native and do huge amounts of damage.

    Cheers - Stewart M

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  12. Great collection of nature photos, always interesting to watch the changing seasons, thanks for your kind comments on my rainbow post.

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  13. Wow ! that's a challenge to take a picture of a fox hunting for geese !

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  14. Fabulous shots of the fox and of the birds landing!

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  15. Wonderful post Gary. I love all your shots but the hunting fox reminds me of a wonderful book set in Sweden when I was a child. Great captures indeed.

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  16. So many great shots, love the photos of the fox.

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  17. There's so much natural beauty in Ontario!

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  18. A great collection of photos, thanks for this, just beautiful!

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  19. Great post! I like the Geese very much, especially that with the reflection.

    Happy weekend:-)

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  20. Hmm, I thought I left a comment earlier?

    I just think your photos are always so spectacular. I heard it is going to be a warmer winter in the east this year so I'm wondering if that river you photographed will freeze or not. I'm sure we'll see more photos of it as the season progresses. Happy SWF!

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  21. Your posts just always bring great joy and a sense that all's right with the world! Thank you.

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  22. Your photos have me wanting to hug all of this wild beauty. These are wonderful photos. Thank you.

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  23. Wonderful birds and cool sighting of the fox. I especially love the waxwings and the redpolls.

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  24. wow, I really love the first shot!

    www.explorerminded.com

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  25. You always succeed at capturing the beauty and the wonder in the wilderness. I love the shots of the fox.
    Boomer must be the best hiking companion ever!

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