Blue-footed Booby

 

The Blue-footy Booby is probably the most well known of the many species on the Galapagos Islands. It is easily recognizable by it’s distinctive blue feet.

Charles Darwin visited the islands in the 1830’s on his 5 year voyage on the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. He published The Origin of Species in 1859. Darwin was the first to put forth the theory of sexual selection.

The males display their feet in an elaborate mating ritual by lifting them up and down while strutting before a female.

This fellow was putting on quite the display to attract a mate.

An immature Blue-footed Booby.

Giant Tortoise

 

The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles west from the coast of Ecuador, directly on the equator. The group consists of 15 main islands, 3 smaller islands and 107 rocks and islets. The archipelago is located on the Nazca Plate which is moving southeast diving under the South American Plate at a rate of 2.5” per year.

The islands are geographically young and famed for their endemic species and were formed only 5 million years ago. They are spread over a distance of 137 miles and cover 3,000 sq mi of land spread over 17,000 sq mi of ocean. Fernandina is the youngest and best preserved island in the world. The most recent volcanic eruption was in April 2009.

In 2011 we spent two weeks on a small, chartered boat with twenty other photographers cruising the Galapagos Islands. It was a terrific trip moving from island to island exploring the vast and unbelievable wildlife.

The Galapagos Islands first appeared on maps around 1570. The islands were named “Insulae de los Galapegos” (Islands of the Tortoises). The first English captain to visit the islands was Richard Hawkins in 1593 and until the early 19th century was used as a hideout by English pirates who pilfered Spanish galleons carrying silver and gold from South America to Spain. The first crude navigation chart of the islands was done by buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684.

The 1800’s brought an influx of whalers and fur seal hunters who would also capture the tortoises to extract their fat. The tortoises were kept on board as a means of providing fresh protein, as these animals could survive on board for months without food or water.

We observed the Giant Tortoises in the highlands on the island of Santa Cruz.

Pickerel Frog

 

The Pickerel Frog is similar to the Leopard Frog. However the Leopard Frog can be either green or brown. The spots on the Leopard Frog are more round or oval and the Pickerel Frog has a parallel row of dark squarish spots down the back.

Pickerel Frogs take two to three years to reach maturity and feed on snails, small crayfish and insects.

I found this Pickerel Frog last week at a local pond.

Polar Bear

 

Because it lies within the natural habitat of a healthy population of Polar Bears Churchill Manitoba is one of the few places where Polar Bears can be observed in the wild.

The bears gather in the fall waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can hunt seals.

The first thing they tell you upon arrival is that if you encounter a bear around town don’t hesitate to jump in a vehicle or enter someone’s house.

I was there over Halloween and it was interesting to see children being escorted around town by rifle toting parents.

Arches National Park

 

A trip to the Colorado Plateau would not be complete without a stop at Arches National Park in Utah. Arches has the densest concentration of natural arches in the world. There are over 2,000 arches in the park. We’ve been fortunate to camp and hike in Arches four times over the years. Usually in early springtime.

Wind, moisture, and freezing/thawing have worn holes in the sandstone fins creating arches.

Delicate Arch, the most famous natural arch in the world, is only a 3 mile round trip hike. It’s an arch you want to see at sunset which means you are climbing back down in the dark so bring a headlamp.

Landscape Arch is the longest natural arch in North America with a 306 foot opening. Landscape Arch is about a 3 km hike and has the sunrise on it.

The first time I tried to photograph it I left too late and met photographers coming back and although they didn’t say a word, I knew I missed the opportunity. The next morning, I was on the trail before sunrise hiking with a photographer from Tennessee. About half way in I said I didn’t think we were going to make the sunrise and we both took off running with all our gear across the barren rock passing wild mules and scattering jack rabbits.

We made it in time and smiled all the way back to the trailhead, passing rookie photographers heading the other way.

Devils Garden, a 12 km hike through a multitude of arches is our favourite hike.

The Spectacles

Double Arch

The Courthouse

Bee Hummingbird

 

On a recent trip to Cuba, our guide Ernesto Reyes Mourino, and his driver Adonis, provided us with an excellent day of birding. Ernesto is an accomplished and well known Cuban birder.

They picked us up at 5:30 am for the two hour drive across Cuba from Varadero to Zapata Swamp where we spent the day birding. We seen 62 species that day, 29 new lifers for us, 17 which are endemic to Cuba. The Cuban Pygmy Owl and the Bare-legged Owl were certainly highlights, and future blog topics, however the Bee Hummingbird stole the show.

The Bee Hummingbird is found only in Cuba and is the world’s smallest bird.

It is a mere two and a quarter inches long and weighs less than two grams, less than a dime. They are often mistaken for bees. The female builds nests that are barely an inch across.

According to Audubon their wing beats an incredible 80 times per second and during courtship an incredible 200 times per second!

Marilyn got this terrific shot while we were birding roadside.

I can highly recommend Ernesto as a great birding guide. His email is here.

 ernesto2.reyes@nauta.cu

Milksnake

 

By far our most impressive wildlife observation of 2020 was this Milksnake.

We have seen some impressive snakes on our travels through the years, including Anaconda, Boa, Cottonmouth, a variety of Rattlesnakes, and most of our native Ontario snakes. All will be future blog topics. However, this Milksnake right here in Lambton was a lifer for us and truly a cool experience.

The name of the species is derived from the false belief that it takes milk from cows in barns. They are attracted to barns, but for the abundance of mice, it’s primary prey.

Although usually much smaller they can grow to a metre in length.

The Milksnake hibernates underground, in rotting logs or in foundations of old buildings.

Limpkin

 

Limpkin are a gangly, brown and white bird that although it resembles a heron is considered to be more closely related to rails and cranes.

The long, bent bill is adapt at removing snails from shells. Apple snails are their main diet.

This image is from T.M. Goodwin Wildlife Area, Florida

Zion National Park

 

We have now visited Zion National Park, Utah five times and done many of the hikes, including the boys and I doing The Narrows together back on our seven week trip through the American Southwest in 97, but it’s Angel’s Landing that draws hikers to the park.

Angel’s Landing is one of the world’s most renowned hikes.

Thirteen hikers have fallen and died from Angel’s Landing since 2000.

The trailhead is way down in Zion Canyon. The first part of the trail follows the river and is broad and well maintained. Switchbacks along the canyon wall lead up to the Refrigerator Canyon. The trail then follows a series of short steep switchbacks called Walter’s Wiggles where the elevation gain is rapid. This leads to Scout Lookout. 

From here the last half mile of the trail follows the ridge across The Saddle and up the Hogsback. The Hogsback is a ridiculously steep and narrow climb using chains that are bolted into the stone to keep you from falling over the edge of the cliff.

I've done the hike three times now. However on our third trip up with River we got caught in bad weather which made a trip to the top too dangerous so we stopped at the chains. 

Angel’s Landing Trailhead with Angels’ Landing in the background.

                  At Scouts Lookout looking across The Saddle and up the Hogsback.

                                      

                                            Marilyn is not giving up the chain.

                                        River & I taking a break at Scout Lookout.

Reddish Egret

 

After being awaken very early one morning while camping in Everglades National Park by a pair of Barred Owls calling back and forth across Eco Pond I scrambled out of bed in a hurry and headed over to the pond. I still had another hour or so till sunrise but the pond was already crowded with a vast assortment of birds.

I spent the next four hours pond side and came back to camp with a memory card full of images.

I have always thought of the Reddish Egret as a very elegant bird and love its shaggy appearance.

Eco Pond, Everglades National Park, Florida.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

 

For years I got my skates sharpened at Precision Skate Sharpening in Point Edward. A trip to see Harold was never just about getting your skates sharpened. He loved talking hockey. Whether it was the Sarnia Sting or minor hockey.

We also talked about our vacation trips. Harold loved talking Alaska and I seen many of his vacation photos. His wife, Doris, also did a lot of Christmas baking and I always seemed to need my skates sharpened the week before Christmas.

Harold was also a very celebrated wood carver. One of his last projects was a Northern Saw-whet Owl. He knew I was big into photographing owls and asked if I had any photos of a Northern Saw-whet. I had been photographing Saw-whets for over a decade so had lots of cool images and printed off about a dozen of my favourite images and took them over. He picked the one he liked the best and I made an enlargement for him.

Harold passed just after completing the owl carving and I was extremely grateful when Doris asked if I was interested in keeping the carved owl. Needless to say, it is prominently displayed in our owl room.

Redhead

 

Redhead are a medium sized diving duck. They have a rounded head and a fairly large bill.

The males have a cinnamon head, black breast and gray body.

In winter migration Redheads form huge rafts that can be seen on Lake Huron and Lake Chipican in Canatara.

Red Fox

 

Back in 2009 I stumbled across a fox den in Killbear Provincial Park while out photographing Pileated Woodpeckers. I was sitting quietly on a rock watching the woodpeckers when I heard a noise behind and turned to find two Red Fox pups joyfully wrestling behind me. Like twenty feet away.

For the next week I rose early, covered as much skin as possible, soaked my face and the back of my hands in bug juice, hiked the 3 km to my spot on the Canadian Shield, sat quietly, and fox watched.

Another one of our more memorable fox encounters happened in Algonquin Provincial Park on a canoe trip with the kids. We were up on Big Trout Lake and Marilyn had just made this amazing bacon/veggie rice stir fry for supper and we were all sitting on the rocks looking out over the lake when we noticed a Red Fox had snuck into our camp and was licking out the frypan fireside.

Sandhill Crane

 

We have been fortunate to witness the spectacle of tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes covering the fields of Nebraska on our drives out to Utah in the early springtime. The first time we seen it was a truly overwhelming experience. For miles there are cranes in every field and White Pelicans in all the ponds.

Sandhill Cranes can be seen right here in Ontario with some even nesting locally.

The Sandhill Crane is a large species of North American crane.

They are slate gray and often have a beautiful rusty colour on the upper parts. Adult birds have a pale cheek and red skin on the crown.

Grains and invertebrates in marshes, grasslands and prairies form their diet.