Nature – Page 13 – Ripple Effects

Sign of Spring: Melting Snow

These are photos for Saturday Snapshot April 27.

Snow has mostly melted now, but there are still remnants of winter. Strangely, I feel a sense of loss. That’s why I treasure these photos, chronicling the fading of another season.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in our City a couple of weeks ago…

It was a pleasure to watch this pair of Mergansers enjoy themselves in the icy water. For me, I was in full winter gear… down jacket, toque and gloves:

They were beautiful to look at. Seems like you can tell right away which is male and female:

A few days later, in another part of the City I captured the last scenes of winter:

Finally this one, I just can’t resist naming it: “Doolittle Reflection”. It reminds me of Bev Doolittle’s paintings, Click Here and see what you think.

Snow… why am I missing it?

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

Sign of Spring: Nesting

Here are my photos for Saturday Snapshot April 20.

Spring is always a slow emergence for us. There’s still snow on some trails, and no green leaves or flowers for another month. But a sure sign of spring is birds nesting.

Canada Geese scouting for nesting spots and guarding them closely:

And here’s one well nestled inside a tree:

This one just wants to show off as spring spirit unfurls.

Remember the Papa Great Horned Owl I spotted a month ago? Just last week I saw Mama Owl nesting in the cavity of a dead tree, poking out just enough for me to take her picture. Other birdwatchers told me there were several young ones. Hopefully soon I’ll get to see them come out.

But nothing compares to the utter joy of seeing the Great Blue Herons yesterday. I had never thought I would see them right here in Alberta. But I found them following some directions to their nests, had to watch them from afar though as we were separated by The Bow River:

About a dozen nests high up on the trees:

My patience paid off as I waited and finally saw the Herons come out of their nests. Just to stretch their legs:

Again, from afar, they were black against the pale blue sky, too far for me to see clearly. Not until after I uploaded onto my computer and cropped them could I see a bit of their details. They look magical, albeit still blurry.

And yes, they are blue:

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. Click Here to see what others have posted.

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Saturday Snapshot April 13: Bohemian Waxwings in Flight, Defying Grey

I had the chance to see the elusive Bohemian Waxwings converge in the past weeks. Now they are gone. From afar, they may evoke images from a Hitchcock movie:

But just a closer look would change your view… Avian Cirque du Soleil, acrobats of the sky:

Or… flight aesthetics, mesmerizing to behold:

I would have wanted a clear blue sky. But the grey offers a deeper fascination. These energetic Waxwings seem to defy the overcast dreariness, exuding a spirit and an aesthetics that colour cannot bring.

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

All photos taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
I regret the obtrusive watermarks. I could well have positioned them down in a corner to enhance aesthetics. But practicality took over… hopefully they are deterrents of copying.

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Saturday Snapshot March 23: Bohemian Waxwings

I came looking for them… Bohemian Waxwings, nomadic passerines, and I wasn’t disappointed. From a distance, I could hear their calls even before seeing them, buzzing, chirping, echoing, convivial. Flocks of them, maybe even a couple hundreds.

From a distance, I could see them congregate on tree tops, the sight could not match the sound. If not with intention, one could well dismiss them from afar, those ‘blackbirds’ on the trees, common sight, right?

But no. A closer look could tell they’re not ordinary at all. Their pose is elegant. And they’re not blackbirds. Here’s just a small corner of a tree, reminiscence of images on quilts and tapestry:

And a little more up close, one could sense their gregarious and convivial nature:

Not until I went home, uploaded and cropped the photos could I see their silky plumage, fine and translucent, their pointed crest, the colourful markings on the wings, the yellow-tipped tails:

Because of their nomadic nature, they can be here today, gone tomorrow. No wonder… they’re one of the birds included in the bucket list book: 100 Birds to See Before You Die.

1 down, 99 to go…

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.