Thursday, March 8, 2012

More Whimsy At The Vermilon River. A Post To SWF.


The weather here is more changeable than ever. We've gone from a storm that dropped somewhere between 16 and 25 cm of snow to low temperatures of -29C with the windchill, and back to 0C with sun and then rain. I caught these photos of the moon one very early morning when Boom and I were out walking. Don't forget these photos are all resized so read the copy and click on a photo, and watch the slide show.

The sheer brightness eclipsed that of the sun when it arose the next morning in a rather insipid way. I've included in this post more photos of the the lakes and ridges to the NW of our usual stamping grounds to give you an idea of the extent of wilderness available to us. If we were younger it would be even more, because there is no human limit to the area as you move north. 

These are the ridges of Rockcut and Mud Lake shot from the mining road we're on. Normally we would be on the other side of those ridges.

I like this shot because it's a rock outcropping on a rock outcropping which is so typical of the Canadian Shield.

I included the map again to give you some idea of the area, and the country available to us. I'm shooting the scenery along the the road marked in red, near the North symbol, and the lakes are running along side the road. I didn't include the west side, or south west side of the map which is also our area. You'll have to look closely, but the elevations are marked on the map. 
Another ridge on the other side of the lakes. To hike this area, you could canoe across  Rockcut Lake and pick up a trail that that climbs up the ridge. You don't need to worry about leaving your canoe, because the whole area is uninhabited, except by wildlife. The rest of the post is wildlife so I'll just use captions. 

Blue Jay.

A Close View of the Same Blue Jay.

Black-capped Chickadee

Two Mourning Doves With One Taking OFF.

This is a view of the Mud Lake ridges that escaped to this part of the post. The lake is frozen over in the foreground of the photo.

Mourning Dove.

Female Grosbeck Peeking At Us

Male Pine Grosbeak.


Male Pine Grosbeak.

Female Pine Grosbeak.


Male Redpoll Fluffed Up

Female Redpoll

Female Redpoll


Female Redpoll

Pine Sisken

And finally a red squirrel posing in the snow. I had mentioned in an earlier post that I'll be losing some of my winter finches when spring arrives. I was talking mainly about the redpolls who I count as my lucky winter birds. If I have them, I have all the rest. In addition to them, the pine grosbeaks will probably leave for the far north to be replaced by warblers, sparrows and all the aquatic guys. A post to SWF @ http://skyley.blogspot.com/ and Camera Critters @ http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/ and Scenic Sunday @ http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/  

43 comments:

  1. Awww... :( I will miss those beautiful Pine Grosbeaks, they add so much color to the winter white! But on the bright side, there will be so much more to see once Spring gets there.. hopefully soon.

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  2. i like the pale peach around your moon shots. and always love your redpolls, grosbeaks and squirrels.

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  3. I would so find this place delightful!
    BTW
    Have you had any issues with people stealing your photos?
    Just curious, working on a post about that.
    Cheers from Cottage Country!

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  4. A great series of shots Gary. Thanks for explaining the vastness of where you are. Don't get lost now.

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  5. I too feel sad when the winter birds head north for the summer. To my mind, winter is NOT all that bad at all. :)

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  6. Terrific moon shots and, of course, your wonderful birds and squirrels never fail to bring a smile! Have a wonderful weekend, Gary!

    Sylvia

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  7. We share the same moon :)
    Love your bird shots - now I also try birdshooting :)

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  8. Lovely moon capture--hasn't it been spectacular!? I always enjoy your bird pics; I'm never disappointed. My favorite is the blue jay's head shot.

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  9. How did you get one of those flighty little bluejays to sit and pose for you and even look at you? :)
    Great shots in your lovely post!

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  10. Wonderful shots of the moon and I also love the landscapes and wildlife. You have so many different birds and I always enjoy them.

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  11. Lovely series of shots, Gary. The birds are exquisite, as always!

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  12. The landscape and especially the frozen lake look wonderful. Sometimes I wonder how the birds survive through such cold winters.

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  13. Thank you for beautiful birds and moon.
    Best wishes from http://starbear.no/mormor

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  14. That cute squirrel seems frozen to its spot! And the moon glow is so incredibly bright it feels like staring into the sun … even through a photo!

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  15. Great shots of the moon, it has been bright and beautiful Wonderful post!

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  16. I love this beautiful dazzling moon, great shots, some really great photos. Greetings.

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  17. Hi Gary

    I also love the fluffed up Redpoll. I also really enjoy seeing the winter lakes. We have such a limited number of winter birds here I enjoy sharing yours.

    Hi to Boomer.
    Guy

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  18. love those blue jay photos...

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  19. Fabulous captures Gary - clearly the storms we experience here are nothing compared with those which occur in the northern hemisphere! Thanks for stopping by my blog - I have re-loaded my image of stormy skies; don't know why it didn't appear first time around, but thanks for your patience!

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  20. Love the squirrel in the snow-a beautiful shot.

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  21. Thanks for the walking tour. I really like the male redpolls!

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  22. Great serie of photos!

    http://blogg.birgittasplace.com/

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  23. Your bird captures are such a delight to see.

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  24. your weather soudn pretty much like ours.

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  25. The moon has been providing some fabulous views this week, thanks for sharing yours with SWF and thanks for your kind comments on my post.

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  26. These little birds look so funny to me, we don't have them here I have never seen one with a blue feather hat,lol !
    and the squirrel is so cute !

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  27. Brrr - that's cold. Wonderful shots of the moon.

    http://ladyfi.wordpress.com/

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  28. Amazing photos and blog! Now i follow you!!

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  29. Another excellent adventure- thanks for the tour! I like the blue jay- the colors just pop against the snow. Great post!

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  30. I love the moon shots...and the bird photos! I'll be back. Thanks for visiting my site.

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  31. Beautiful perfect shots. I so love the birds I missed them this winter. ^_^

    SWF

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  32. What a beautiful bird collection! They're really nice, I very like birds. Thanks for sharing and have a nice weekend.
    Greetings, Miklos

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  33. Amazing the variety of feathered characters that survive in extreme temperatures! Gorgeous photos and interesting post!

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  34. It still looks like winter to me! Love your birds and I too will miss the finches.

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  35. Wonderful photos. Looks like a winter wonderland for peeps and all kinds of critters. I have never seen so much snow up close. Bird photos are spectacular. Take care and have a wonderful weekend!

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  36. Looks like you have been doing some hiking. Love the photos.

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  37. I love the redpolls and grosbeaks. Don't see either around here so it's always fun to visit you to see the northwestern birds.

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  38. Thanks everyone for your visits and kind words!! Boom & Gary.

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