Nature – Page 10 – Ripple Effects

Saturday Snapshot October 18: Unknown Subjects

As a birder who has just barely passed the novice level, my code of operation when I go on nature hikes is to shoot first, ask questions later. Especially for birds, I must point and shoot in the nick of time. When I get home, I’ll have lots of time to find out what it is that I’ve captured.

The resulting effect is… I’ve accumulated many unknown subjects.

Ignorance is no bliss when it comes to appreciating nature. Could you help me then in identifying some of them… You who are living in the warmer south among flowers and trees, birds and bees, fruits and fungi.

First off, what happened to this tree trunk and what are these growing out of it?

And for fruits, I can only identify them by their colours. But I’m sure they all have a name. Here are the red berries:

white berries:

purple berries:

and these orange ones like strings of Christmas lights hanging on the branches,

Here’s a close-up of these succulent orange berries:

What is this creature? A centipede? Name? I can’t make head or tail out of it, which side is which:

Or this unknown bird that I’d stalked but could not get closer before it flew away. It walked most of the time…

Here’s another unidentified flying subject taking off:

Or a name for these fungi:

… knowledge is bliss when it comes to appreciating nature.

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

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All Photos Taken by Arti of Ripple Effects

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Saturday Snapshot Oct. 11: Shades of Yellow

In last week’s Saturday Snapshot I mentioned that yellow was our fall default colour. Sure I’d like to see more spectacular red, but yellow is by no means a uniform colour. Recently I’ve been savouring the various shades of yellow, a sumptuous visual feast.

A lighter shade of yellow:

Rusty yellow against solid blue:

Wabi-sabi yellow, see the half-fallen tree on top, aftermath of the snow storm:

Faraway yellow in the morning mist:

Close-up yellow back lit:

Yellow against dark green coniferous:

Luminous deciduous delight:

Everywhere I turn, I’m seeing yellow… even kayaks and canoes rise to the occasion:

As a birder, I was delighted to spot a yellow rump amidst yellow leaves:

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

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS

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Saturday Snapshot Oct. 4: Autumn

Living in the Prairies, I don’t get to see the kaleidoscope of Autumn colours as the East or the West coast. The fall plethora of fiery red foliage remains only a longing. Indeed, an Autumn road trip through the New England states has yet to be realized.

The default colour here is golden yellow with a dash of rusty orange. While less dramatic, I do feel a personal connection. I’ve learned to appreciate our Autumn… simple, crisp and clear, minimal glamour, not ostentatious. Above all else, we always have the big blue sky.

After attending TIFF in Toronto, I came home to the aftermath of a debilitating snowstorm. Power down, trails closed, thousands of trees destroyed. That was only the first week of September.

Broken…

and bent. A Wabi-sabi moment:

Autumn eventually shows its beautiful side… golden leaves spread like wild fire:

Blue and yellow go well together:

Canada Geese take their leave:

This young buck feels right at home:

But a most delightful find for me is spotting a host of Yellow-rumped Warblers still lingering at the pond, albeit the next day when I went back there, they were gone:

Here’s one munching on a bug:

This one a little camera shy:

How do I know they are Yellow-rumped Warbler? Here it is… the yellow rump:

With this my first sighting of the Yellow-rumped Warblers—albeit hard to capture in photos—I’ve had a fruitful harvest.

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

ALL PHOTOS on this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects.

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The Yellow Warbler

The Mountain Blue Bird

The Western Tanager

Saturday Snapshot September 20: Ward’s Island

My ten-day trip to Toronto was not only about films. I brought along my camera and my ‘birding lens’, hoping to catch some birds in migration. Before I left, I read about the hotspots for birding on Ward’s Island, and printed some pages off the Internet.

Ward’s Island is just a 15-minute ferry ride south from the Toronto Harbourfront. As soon as I got off the boat, I realized I’d forgotten to bring along the birding pages. Why was I not surprised? No matter, without the guide sheets, I was in for a fresh exploration and a mental exercise in information retrieval. So much the better.

It turned out that the first week of September happened to be a little too early for bird migration. Temperature is also a factor. The day I visited the island, it was 30C (86F). But instead of birds, I did take some photos on that piece of tranquility a stone throw from the busy metropolis.

The Toronto skyline viewed from Ward’s Island:

The Boardwalk along the periphery of Lake Ontario:

House boat or was it boat house on the canal… serene and reclusive:

I’ve never been to Monet’s flower gardens at Giverny, but I can imagine it looking at the canal. Just like to name these photos the Monet Effects:

Ok, don’t rub it in. I appreciate the irony. But here’s the interesting thing: Look carefully and you’ll see the reflection is sharper than the subject, use ‘Chaos’ as the guiding light.

When I was just about given up on photographing birds, I sat down at the outdoor garden of The Island Café near the pier and had my breakfast. And what did I see? My very first sighting of Monarch Butterflies!

The Monarch 3

The Monarch, more than enough to compensate for my lack of bird sightings. A new burst of enthusiasm led me to retrace my steps along the canal to look more carefully for birds, but thanks to some overzealous fire ants successfully targeting my feet, I had to retreat after spending a fruitful four hours on Ward’s Island. A half day of total serenity.

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

Photos in this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, September, 2014.
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Saturday Snapshot August 16: Serendipitous Supermoon

Again, it was pure serendipity. I was driving by a natural area on my way home last Sunday, August 10, when I just casually looked out my side window. The moon was mesmerizing. I did not have my camera with me, but I knew I needed to stop and capture the moment.

I parked my car along the road, got out and took these photos using my iPhone. I’m posting them just as they are, with no editing.

At 9:20 p.m.

9:21 p.m.

9:23 p.m.

Interesting, isn’t it? The sky seemed to have brightened as time passed.

Here’s the view as I turned around, the ‘opposite side’ of the evening sky:

Only after I got home and watched the news did I realize that was the Supermoon, the brightest celestial beauty we could see this summer. That night, the moon was up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than a regular full moon.

And with this, I suddenly realized something … Serendipity is more likely to come to those who are uninformed. No wonder they say ignorance is bliss.

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

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS.

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Saturday Snapshot August 9: Small is Beautiful

In my last Saturday Snapshot, I posted my serendipitous sighting of a Pelican. One of the largest flying birds, the Pelican has a wingspan of 9 feet, and some weigh close to 30 pounds. The Pelican can fly, amazing at 30 pounds; a butterfly can fly too, equally amazing at 0.5 gram, wingspan averaging 5 cm. I’d love to see the Monarch butterfly. They don’t come by here. Maybe I’ll be able to see some one day when I travel to the east coast. Aren’t they just as mind-boggling? Flying as many as 2,000 miles in migration with such a minuscule body? Where do they put their GPS? Something even smaller… What caught my attention are the two seeds like stars. How small and delicate they look compared to the dragonfly: Here’s another kind of small. Succulent, plump and colourful. Real food for the birds, imaginary treats for me. Don’t they look like round scoops of ice cream? And the small songbirds in the woods are my favourites. This House Wren is not adorned with bright colours, but a closer look at the different layers of down and feathers you can see the various shades of colours and pattern. And this juvenile looks charming to me: Yes, the Pelican is majestic, mesmerizing when it flies. But a tiny Yellow Warbler can make my day too. Looks like the feeling is mutual:

I don’t get to see a Pelican everyday, but these tiny creatures can tide me over till the next serendipity.

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

ALL PHOTOS iN THIS POST TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS.

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Saturday Snapshot July 26: Serendipity

It has always been one of my favourite words, serendipity. But now, I love it even more.

While birding in the woods a few days ago, I saw in the not too distant sky a huge bird slowly gliding. I remember two words conjured up in my mind: mythical, and mystical. I was trying to decide which one was more apt to describe my sighting. It looked like a crane or maybe a swan; my imagination at that instant had just gone haywire with excitement.

She (or he) glided gracefully, lowering and finally landing somewhere, disappearing from my view. With my stalking instinct automatically kicked into overdrive, I made a 400 m. dash and lo and behold, found a little stormwater pond behind a grassy berm, a pond I was not aware of before.

What I saw was magical. Swimming slowly on the serene water was this calm and solitary Pelican, a huge contrast to the exuberant paparazzo nearby, huffing and puffing behind the bushes:

I watched her quietly … preening:

Gulping down her lunch. She dipped her beak into the water and came up with her prey. I could see the shape of a fish in her large pouch; the next second it was gone, swallowed up whole:

After some time, she suddenly decided to take off. The following sequence was probably the most rewarding for any nature paparazzo:

I later found out that the American White Pelican is one of the largest birds in North America. Averaging about 16 pounds, but some grow to as large as 30 pounds. They are among the heaviest flying birds in the world. Their 9-foot wing span, snowy white body and contrasting black wing tip give them their majestic look and graceful flight in the sky. They are gregarious, hanging out in groups.

That’s why I love my serendipitous find even more, a solitary Pelican, quiet and serene, and not along the ocean shore, but right in my neck of the woods at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted. In addition, this is also a Weekend Reflections post. CLICK HERE to see other reflections.

All Photos on this post are taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, July, 2014.

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Saturday Snapshot July 12: Love Is In The Air

At first I thought, “how interesting, two dragonflies piggybacking.” Not until I got home and loaded my photos did I realize what sort of sequence I’d shot:

Definitely more affective than just practising for the Cirque du Soleil:

Love is in the air, can it be more obvious?

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

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Photos on this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, July 2014.
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Saturday Snapshot July 5: Mountain Bluebird

Six summers ago, I stayed in an isolated log home for a few weeks in Cochrane, Alberta. That was before I’d acquired my iPhone, Nikon, and birding interest. A few days ago I drove back there and revisited the place.

Funny how I was seeing everything from a birder’s POV this time. I brought my camera with me and purposely look for any flying objects, identified or not. I saw this flash of blue fly by, too fast for a focused picture:

Later the blue landed on a tree top. Here’s a slightly clearer view:

Not until I got home and uploaded the photos did I have the chance to find out what bird it was. With a snack in his beak, here’s looking at you, kid. The Mountain Bluebird:

Another view, astounding colour:

Alas, Nature has not endowed the female with as much colour, yet in my eyes, she is an equal beauty (a commenter explained this is a juvenile… an equal cutie):

A flash of blue, a place to land, a bug for snack, a good day.

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

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ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS, JUNE 30, 2014.
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If you had not visited Ripple Effects six years ago, here are some older posts on my log home experience:

Summer Indulgence (2008)

Nature Photography

From A Country Garden

Music In My iPod

Saturday Snapshot May 31: After the Rain

Ever since I first read Annie Dillard, I’d wanted to see Puget Sound. But after all these years, I’ve been firmly rooted in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. My neck of the woods is a boreal forest. So, I’m more at home with spruce trees than sandy beaches. Puget Sound will have to remain on my bucket list.

All through winter, spruce and pines are sustenance, the bulwark and shelter for birds and small creatures that stay behind, and me.

After two days of spring rain, I ventured out just when it broke clear slightly, and was mesmerized by the greens. From among the hardy spruce, the aspens burst out to embrace spring.

The tall, slender trunks, each a natural canvas

Colours and textures wrapped around

and moss as paints.

Nature’s artwork

Moss or fungus? No matter. Here’s life

Monet in Nature

And I couldn’t resist the capture, even though just a common sparrow, obscure, blocked by a branch:

Nature’s Artist at work in Annie Dillard’s Puget Sound as well as my Boreal Forest. Her descriptions are strikingly close to what I had experienced.

“I see a hundred insects moving across the air, rising and falling. Chipped notes of birdsong descend from the trees, tuneful and broken; the notes pile about me like leaves.”

Despite geographical distances and variance in environs, her words resonate:

“Time and space are in touch with the Absolute at base.”

– Annie Dillard, Holy The Firm

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

Photos in this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects

Do Not Copy or Reblog

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Saturday Snapshot May 24: Yellow Bird

Here’s another encounter of the ‘ordinary’ yet not so ordinary. A yellow bird is very common for those living in warmer climates. But for me, it’s a rare sighting. I was so excited to see something bright yellow moving among the branches. Can you spot it? A better view as I quietly got closer: but just for a short few seconds, and then it was gone, fleeing from a lone paparazzo: I followed the yellow bird from tree to tree for well over a half hour. I did not know what kind of bird it was; I did not much care. That would come later when I got home. At that moment, I was too preoccupied with fixing my eyes on it, to whatever perils may come. I was stalking high and low among last year’s flood debris of fallen trees along a damaged landscape, trying not to trip without looking down at my feet.

Finally, a clearing: Yellow, black and red contrasting fresh green leaves and a pale blue sky in the backdrop, a colourful picture.

Eventually, he seemed to appreciate my tenacity, and rewarded me with a couple of poses: Only after I’d uploaded my photos later and checked the features did I identify what bird it was: The Western Tanager. This one is a male in breeding season. “These birds live in open woods all over the West…” so says the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They may be common, but this one is unique because it’s the only one I’ve seen. That makes it special for me.

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

Photos in this post taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, 2014. Please DO NOT COPY or Reblog.

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Saturday Snapshot May 17: Franklin’s Gulls

I discovered a flock of Franklin’s Gulls a few weeks ago. Seeing the limited breeding area shown on the map, I consider myself privileged to be living right in this zone to welcome them.

Franklin's Gulls Map 1 — Source: South Dakota Birds and Birding

I heard the calls of gulls from afar, even before i saw them. I admit I wasn’t too excited. My initial thought was, ‘just another bunch of ordinary seagulls’. When I got closer, I saw a huge flock, close to a hundred of them.

Only after I’d uploaded my photos to my laptop did I realize these were not ‘ordinary gulls’ (for us I suppose are the more common Ring-billed Gulls). At first, I could not tell what they were. I had to look up the detailed descriptions to identify them.

They were Franklin’s Gulls, breeding adults. Their black head and white crescent eyes make them look like they’re hooded. They look almost cartoonish, comical, everyone full of character.

Franklin's Gulls
Below their dark hood is a white neck, their wings dark gray. The trailing edge of the wing is white, wing tip black with white spots. Slender and handsome: