Blackcat Photography's photostream  

January 2012
A small pale bird of the high Arctic, the Hoary Redpoll is a rare winter visitor to southern Canada and the northern United States. During redpoll invasions, a few paler Hoary Redpolls can sometimes be spotted within flocks of Common Redpolls. ..(The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
This little fellow was among a flock of Common Redpolls that were visiting Fort Whyte on this day...
Please press "L" to see the larger lighbox version for more detail and contrast.
400mm - ISO 400 - F5.6 - 1/1250th

January 2012
One of the larger members of its family, the Pine Grosbeak is a bird of the boreal forests, found across northern Eurasia and North America, and south into the mountains of western Canada and the United States. A large, unwary finch, it makes periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States. It is the largest and rarest of the "winter finches." (from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Grosbeak/id/ac
This male Pine Grosbeak was one of many that were hanging around a couple of bird feeders in Elma...
Please press "L" to see the larger lightbox version for more detail and contrast.
400mm - ISO 400 - F5.6 - 1/2000th

December 2011
Another successful outing was rewarded with a number of shots of this Snowy Owl that I came across near Arnaud Manitoba.... after perching on a hydro pole he flew down and perched atop a stop sign... He allowed me to get quite close to get a number of good shots on this lower perch...

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology...Young male Snowy Owls are barred with dark brown and get whiter as they get older. Females keep some dark markings throughout their lives. Young males tend to have a white bib, a white back of the head, and fewer rows of bars on the tail than females. Although the darkest males and the palest females are nearly alike in color, the whitest birds are always males and the most heavily barred ones are always females. Some old males can be nearly pure white.

Please press "L" to see the larger lightbox version for more detail and contrast...
400mm - ISO 400 - F8 - 1/5000th

February 2012
(From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology)... A common feeder bird with clean black, gray, and white markings, White-breasted Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.
This little nuthatch was captured near the Witches Hut at Kildonan Park...
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400mm - ISO 400 - F5.6 - 1/640th

February 2012
This Ruffed Grouse was one of 14 that I had seen sitting in the trees along Maple Creek Road.
Most of them took off as I approached, with this one giving me a chance to get a few distant shots before he too headed for deeper woods.
Did you know... •The toes of Ruffed Grouse grow projections off their sides in winter, making them look like combs. The projections are believed to act as snowshoes to help the grouse walk across snow. (From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology).
Please press "L" to see the larger lightbox version for more detail and contrast.
400mm - ISO 400 - F5.6 - 1/2000th