Canada – Page 4 – Ripple Effects

Finally, Spring!

The last few days have been the warmest, welcome sign that our waiting is finally over. Just a few degrees above zero, but enough for me to venture out to the woods and go on my first birding walk. I had to tread squeaky, slushy paths of melting snow and ice.

Here are some views. These photos were taken just last Friday April 4. Melting icicles dripping into the icy creek. Yes, this is spring for us. No flowers yet, not even green grass. But this is promise enough:

Last fall they dominated the sky, but I’d missed the Canada Geese through the long, silent winter. Surprised to find these two here enjoying the cool spot, weren’t bothered a bit by my intrusion:

Up close and personal… Welcome back!

The Chickadee never flew away. But I’m sure she’s glad with the warming up:

The Bohemian Waxwings stay in the winter and moves north after the cold. But the Cedar Waxwings’s arrival from the south heralds spring:

Silky fine spring look worthy of any fashion magazine cover:

More spring birding photos coming up on Saturday Snapshot.

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All Photos taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, April, 2014.
Do Not Copy or Reblog

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Saturday Snapshot February 1: Summer Breeze Makes Me Feel Fine

Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind…

I caught myself singing it. Is it just me, succumbing to these Walter Mitty moments more and more this winter? Humour me, let’s take a minute to just zone out of this persistent cold. I’m sure the warm breeze will revitalize you.

Here are some photos I took last summer. Now, imagine seeing…

A Pelican scratching its itch:

A deer playing peekaboo with you:

Mushrooms growing out of a tree:

A Chickadee take flight:

A white spider on a yellow flower:

Black butterflies on white flowers:

An angler fishing at dusk:

It’s February already, can spring be far behind?

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS.
DO NOT COPY OR REBLOG

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Saturday Snapshot Dec. 21: Life in the Snow

I don’t have to dream of a white Christmas. I’m living it. Today is the first day of winter, but we already have a few blizzards, and record snowfall.

In June we had our hundred-year flood. And now we have our hundred-year snowfall. According to records, the last time we had this much snow in just 16 days was in 1901, 112 years ago.

You might think life is arduous up here, but I tell you, it can be idyllic. Except for the traffic jams in and out of shopping malls at this time of the year, we’re a relatively happy lot. What more, being so close to Nature, I’m always delighted to see how contented our neighbours in the wild are, oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the Season.

Here are some photos I took in the last few weeks.

Snow-covered river banks:

Proof of life (and I don’t think they’re all human footprints):

Did they ever show you how to identify a Mallard’s track in scouting? No? Here it is:

Galore of duck activities:

… or inactivity:

Icy landing:

I was elated to see something else other than the common Mallard. At first I thought it was a Sandpiper, but when I checked in my bird book later at home, I learned that it was a Killdeer. Amazing, for they are supposed to be in the American south by now. Guess somebody wants to linger a while longer in the snow and ice:

Traffic jam in the sky. Not quite a perfect V? You have to cut them some slack, they are Mallards, not Canada Geese.

A solitary walk for this buck crossing the icy river. No jam here:

And deep in the snow, a few good folks had left some bird seeds. For the Woodpecker, it’s always tempting to go for fast food rather than to peck wood, especially when there’s no line-up:

What’s Christmas without a little snow?

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

All photos in this post are taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, December, 2013. DO NOT COPY OR REBLOG.

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Saturday Snapshot Nov. 16: Magical Realism

At first, what drew my attention were the birds on top of the distant trees, sillouetted against the predawn sky. What were they?

Must be the hardy European Starlings, I thought. My birding instinct prodded me to get out of the house to find out, at 7:30 am, in -13C temperature.

As I got closer, their buzzing sound reminded me that I’d heard them before, in flocks, making sounds almost like cicadas, but lighter, more metallic and electric. By then, morning had broken. Indeed, they were not Starlings but Waxwings.

The sun shed its glorious light and I was much gratified to see that all those plump bellies were not Cedar Waxwings which I’d seen in the summer. From their grey pot belly, I could tell they were Bohemian Waxwings. Of course, they will be spending their winter here. The Cedar Waxwings had all gone south.

What attracted them to our neighborhood? My stalking skill led me to find out. Ah… berries:

It was a delight watching them feast on these frozen fruits for breakfast:

Got it!

Soon, washed by the glowing sunrise, their greyish plumage began to change into a magnificent color. No CGI (computer-generated images) here:

Just pure magical realism:

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS POST TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS, NOVEMBER, 2013. PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR REBLOG.

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Saturday Snapshot Nov. 9: Fall or Winter?

This is what our neck of the woods looks like. Autumn still.

Snow or no snow, a gal’s gotta eat.

Evening meal

And at the creek…

Who’s afraid of a little snow?

This Chickadee flew right to me, ‘Welcome to my hood!’

“Fall or winter, what does it matter?”

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

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Saturday Snapshot Oct. 26: The Woods in the Fall

We don’t have the colorful foliage which many of you are privileged to behold, but Beauty dwells within our woods too:

Especially in the evening sun:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep:

But for these inhabitants, it’s time to eat:

And for some others, miles to go before they sleep:

and miles to go before they sleep:

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

All photos in this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, Fall 2013.
Please do not copy or reblog

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Munro and Movies

Thanks to the Swedish Academy, Alice Munro doesn’t need a blockbuster movie to raise awareness of her works. Described by The New York Times as ‘Master of the Intricacies of the Human Heart’, and with her story settings mostly in rural counties and small towns, the 82 year-old writer must have known how the small and intimate can have far-reaching effects.

The short story as a literary form too must have gained importance and legitimation overnight now that Munro is honored as Nobel Laureate. The novel isn’t the only peak of the mountain of literary pursuits. Readers too, can now be totally comfortable with reading ‘just a short story’.

Back to movies, with our contemporary mega, blockbuster culture, it sure looks like the general public need to see a movie before knowing about a literary work. While I don’t like the idea, I’ve to admit that could well be the case nowadays. But for Munro, can anyone name a full feature movie that’s based on her short stories?

Right. Actually there are four. Edge of Madness (2002) is relatively unknown. Another one interestingly is an Iranian film, Canaan, which won the Audience Awards–Best Film at the Fajr International Film Festival in 2008. A better known adaptation is Away From Her (2006). It remains one of my all time favorite films. The most recent completed production is Hateship Loveship which premiered at TIFF13. I regret missing it when I was there in September. A film based on her story ‘Runaway’ is currently in development.

With Munro winning the Nobel, hopefully we’ll have the chance to see a general release of Hateship Loveship. So there you go, Munro could well be helping to reverse the trend: the writer promoting the film.

To celebrate Munro’s Nobel win, I’d like to repost in the following a review of Away From Her which I wrote in 2008. The film was directed by the young and talented Canadian actor/director Sarah Polley, who was nominated for an Oscar for her adapted screenplay based on Munro’s short story ‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain’. Julie Christie received an Oscar nomination for her role as Alzheimer’s afflicted Fiona.

You can read Munro’s story ‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain’ now online, thanks to a timely reprint by The New Yorker.

AWAY FROM HER: A Short Review

How can you turn a good short story into a full length movie without compromising its quality? By turning it into a screenplay written by an equally sensitive and passionate writer, and then, through her own talented, interpretive eye, re-creates it into a visual narrative. Along the way, throw in a few veteran actors who are so passionate about what the script is trying to convey that they themselves embody the message.

Sarah Polley has made her directorial debut with a most impressive and memorable feat that I’m sure things will go even better down her career path. What she has composed on screen speaks much more poignantly than words on a page, calling forth sentiments that we didn’t even know we had. As Alzheimer’s begins to take control over Fiona, what can a loving husband do? Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent stir up thoughts in us that we’d rather bury: how much are we willing to give up for love? Or, how would we face the imminence of our loved ones’ and our own mental and physical demise?

Based on the story by Alice Munro, ‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain’, Polley brings out the theme of unconditional love not with your typical Hollywood’s hot, young, and sexy on screen, but aging actors in their 60’s and 70’s. It may not be as pleasurable to watch wrinkled faces hugging and kissing, or a man and a woman in bed, bearing age spots and all, but such scenes effectively beg the question: why feel uncomfortable?

Why does love has to be synonymous with youth, beauty, and romance? It is even more agonizing to watch how far Grant is willing to go solely for love of Fiona. Lucky for us, both writers spare us the truly painful at the end. It is through persistent, selfless giving that one ultimately receives; however meager and fleeting that reward may seem, it is permanence in the eyes of love. And it is through the lucid vision of a youthful 28-year-old writer/director that such ageless love is vividly portrayed…. Oh, the paradoxes in life.

~ ~ ~ Ripples

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Saturday Snapshot: Blue Moon Rising

… well almost, since I took these photos on August 19, one day before the actual blue moon appearing. But I was awe-struck just the same. Knowing nothing about the astronomical phases at that time except simply captivated by the beauty of the rising moon while birding, I took these photos.

Not until the next night did I learn about the Blue Moon, elated that I had caught the moonrise serendipitously the day before. Here’s a shortened sequence:

Once in a blue moon, I can get the date right. But I’m happy just the same to have hit it a day early out of the blue. Why, the next night was cloudy. So this is a blue moon for me.

All photos on this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects.

Please DO NOT COPY OR REBLOG.

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy Reads. Click here to see what others have posted.

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Saturday Snapshot July 13: Where are they now?

** You’re most welcome to browse and throw in your two pebbles, make some ripples or make a splash. But PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG OR COPY **

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A few weeks before the worst flooding in our City’s history, I saw these baby Mergansers having a great time by the Bow River with their Mom. Where were they when the flood came? And where are they now?

Here, let me get closer for you to hear what they were saying that one fine day…

“Ok, our goggles on, we’re ready.”

“Let’s get going.”

“Hey you with the camera… what are you looking at? Don’t you know she’s a tough act to follow?”

“Ok kids, do as I do. I dive, you dive.”

“I skim, you skim.”

Hope they’re still skimming and diving in some clear, calm water.

The following photo was taken just a few days ago. Somebody had the good sense to lighten up in the aftermath of the disaster. I shot this looking down from a high bridge onto the muddy bank of the Elbow River . At first I had trouble spotting exactly what we were supposed to be happy about. But later, my heart lifted as I silently thanked the anonymous rock gatherer(s). Yes, to all:

HAPPY SUMMER!

And the well wishes extend to all those Down Under as well… a safe and happy winter!

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Saturday Snapshot June 22: The Two Faces of a River

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Saturday Snapshot July 6: After the Flood

** You’re most welcome to browse and throw in your two pebbles, make some ripples or make a splash. But PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG OR COPY **

What happened to the birds during the flood, I can’t say. But after the most serious flooding had passed, these were some of the sights.

Downtown view one day after the heaviest rain:

The Glenmore Reservoir, two days after. Yes, that’s where our drinking water comes from. The heavy silts in the water made a peculiar sunset scene. You can see the muddy water in the foreground:

Due to flooding, the Weaselhead Natural Area was closed for some time. Two weeks after, I went to survey the aftermath:

From the mud on this bench, you can see how high the water came up to:

Among the rubbles of dead trees and debris, what I found amazed me. Do you see what I see? Look, right in the middle:

Not just one or two, but half a dozen Cedar Waxwings frolicking among the ruins:

Absolute serenity:

A closer look at the beautiful silky plumage:

Not just the Waxwings, hoards of Cliff Swallows joined in the natural chorus. But they were too fast for me to capture on camera. I could manage just a few shots. In most of the photos they came out too small and blurry:

Lots of Wild Roses among muddy leaves. See the bud?

Berries too, red defying brown:

And this little guy came out to greet me on the flood-swept path now dried:

As I was leaving the area, a Small Blue butterfly ensured me…

Life goes on.

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

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Saturday Snapshot June 15: West Coast Birding

Spent a few days in the Metro Vancouver area last week. Didn’t see a lot of variety of shorebirds, but just catching sight of some Great Blue Herons was gratifying enough.

About half a dozen of them, far from where I was standing. They were peaceful and enjoying themselves until a Bald Eagle headed towards them, in a not-too-friendly manner. What was he thinking? He was alone and there were half a dozen Herons. An altercation soon followed, I could only hear the battle cries from afar but couldn’t snap the photos quick enough. But I can tell you, the Bald Eagle had to fly away subdued.

Here’s the approach. Whatever happened next you’re free to imagine:

Another time I got the chance to see a solitary Great Blue Heron up close and personal. It was a mesmerizing moment:

Takes flight:

… landing:

Another day at dusk, above a pond were Swallows mingling in the evening sky. They were flying so swiftly that I could hardly capture them on camera. But after I uploaded the photos, this is what I saw… looks like another mid-air altercation. But since they are of the same species, shall I say this time, a little domestic dispute? Or perhaps just friendly frolicking…

Here’s a more serene Canada Geese family outing, a quiet evening swim before bed:

Day is done:

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

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More Herons photos here:

Sign of Spring: Nesting

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Spring Babies and Parenting Styles

I’ve been following this Great Horned Owl family for a few months now. At first I only spotted Papa, later I found Mama nesting nearby, now the two Owlets had come out too. Here’s my recent visit, the first Owlet I saw:

Here’s the second one. Took me some time to spot:

I didn’t have the chance to take a family photo, since each of them was on different branches, two adults and two young ones, but never far from each other though. Here you can see one parent (not sure if it’s Mom or Dad) keeping an eye on the owlet from a distance. Can you spot them both?

I love this… staying together, but also giving each other room.

Here’s a family photo I did manage to take, albeit from afar. Two Canada Geese with their Goslings close by:

Ah… the different parenting styles.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted on a new site now: Melinda of West Metro Mommy. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Related Posts on the Great Horned Owl Family:

Saturday Snapshot March 9: The Great Horned Owl

Sign of Spring: Nesting

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