Season In Review: Winter Photography

It's spring!! And as much as I'm looking forward to the photography opportunities that spring brings, (the flurry of activity from birds attracting their mates, building their nests & raising their chicks not to mention the insects that finally wake up & make an appearance), I thought that I would reflect on what this winter brought me.

I have to say that this winter has not been a normal Canadian winter in the Greater Toronto Area nor was it what had been predicted.  Our normal Canadian winters of past have been cold, snowy & icy. This year brought us milder temperatures and less snow. This allowed for the lake to remain relatively ice free bringing the water birds closer to shore making them easier to view and photograph.

There were many lifers for me, birds that I had never photographed nor seen in the wild before and some unexpected visitors as well as the usual and very common birds.

One of my most exciting photographic experiences this winter was my encounter with a juvenile female peregrine falcon. You can read all about it here.  Of course mallards were plenty and willing to act as models for me, check out some of my photos here.

There were long-tailed ducks, greater scaups, redheads, buffleheads, mergansers, grebes and to end the winter season, a snowy owl. Along with the many birds, I had the opportunity to photograph an American mink. It was a great season and I enjoyed photographing the various species that it brought.

Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Small songbird that will readily feed from the hand

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

An introduced species of swan in North America.  They are called mute swans because they are less vocal than other swan species.

Red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) are large diving ducks with a thin long bill with serrated edges:

Red-Breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator)

Females

Red-Breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator)

Female

Red-Breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator)

Male

Red-Breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator)

Male

Red-Breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator)

Resting Male

American Wigeon (Anas Americana) - male
A medium sized dabbling duck that is also known as baldpate due to the white patch on the male's head while in breeding plumage.

King Eiders (Somateria spectabilis) are large sea ducks.   Their feeding habits change depending on the season.  Most of the year while they are at sea, they will dive for food but during the breeding season when they spend time in freshwater lakes and ponds, they will dabble for food.  The adult male is quite stunning with it's breeding plumage.  It takes 3 years for a male to achieve it's adult plumage.  I was fortunate enough to see the king eider that has spent the last few months here in the Toronto area as they are very rare here. 

King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)

1st winter male

Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)

Medium sized diving ducks.  The male is in the front with some mussels and is being chased by the female.

This male has sustained some sort of bill injury that has healed and doesn't seem to bother him at all as he has been eating well.

Redhead (Aythya americana)

A medium sized diving duck.  Males are on the right and a female on the left.

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Small waterbird that dives for food.  Listed as a species of special concern.

Red-Necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
A medium sized waterbird that dives for food.

Buffleheads are small diving ducks:

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
Female

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
Male

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

Snowy owls are large, diurnal owls, they hunt & are active both day & night unlike most other owls who are nocturnal.

American Mink (Neovison vison)

American Mink (Neovison vison)

Photographing The Common - Mallards

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are the most abundant and widespread of the duck species. They inhabit both fresh and salt water wetlands and are very common in parks, ponds, estuaries, marshes, rivers and lakes. 

Mallard Drake
Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 250mm, 1/1000s, f/8, ISO 800

Mallards are social and prefer to congregate in flocks. They are dabbling ducks and are commonly seen with their backsides straight up out of the water as they search for food. They can dive as well but they rarely choose to do so. They are omnivorous and eat a variety of plant material, invertebrates, amphibians and fish. Mallards are often fed by humans and will readily come to people and eat right out of your hand. This makes them very easy to photograph as they are not as easily frightened away nor do they shy away easily as some of the other water birds.

Mallard Hen & Drakes
These mallards came onto shore straight for me looking for a handout.  They were not impressed when they realized I didn't have anything to give them.
Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 150mm, 1/200s, f/8, ISO 400

Being that mallards are quite common and often photographed, many may pass them up as photography subjects as they are "just mallards" and look for other, more unique or less common species to photograph. But, mallards, especially the drakes, are quite stunning birds in their breeding plumage with their iridescent green heads. The challenge lies in photographing them in unique ways to capture their beauty and personalities. I tried to do just that with these photos.

Mallard Drakes

These drakes were unimpressed with the fact that I had nothing to feed them and decided to walk away.

Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 250mm, 1/80s, f/8, ISO 400

"A Splishin And A Splashin"
Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 500mm, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 400

"Peek-A-Boo"
Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 500mm, 1/500s, f/8, ISO 800

Mallard Hen

Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 150mm, 1/320s, f/8, ISO 400

Mallard Hen

Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 190mm, 1/320s, f/8, ISO 400

Food for thought:  Please do not feed ducks bread as it has no nutritional value and can lead to a variety of issues including a very serious illness known as "angel wing".  It will fill them up and keep them from eating food that is key to their well being.  Instead of bread, please consider providing them with healthier alternatives such as duck feed, seeds and corn.  Please visit this website for reasons why bread should not be fed to ducks and for a list of safe alternatives:  http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/why-you-shouldnt-feed-ducks-bread

Species Spotlight: Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a bird of prey in the Falconidae family.  Also known as a duck hawk, it is a crow-sized falcon that can be found in every continent except Antarctica.  It is a favourite amongst falconers for its agility and hunting ability.

Peregrine Falcon (juvenile female)

Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 500mm, 1/800s, f/8, ISO 800
Shot in Aperture Priority Mode with Spot Metering

The peregrine is a very fast, strong and agile flier that has been known to reach more than 300 km/hr in its hunting stoop (high speed dive).  For this reason, it is considered to be the fastest animal in the animal kingdom.  Peregrines prey upon mostly medium sized birds but, on occasion, will also prey on small mammals, reptiles and insects.  It pursues it's prey in the open, normally diving from great heights.  The peregrine strikes its prey in mid air with clenched talons stunning or killing it.  It will then turn around to grab it and carry it off for feeding.  If the prey is too large or heavy to be carried, the peregrine will allow it to fall to the ground to kill and feed upon it.

Peregrine falcons became endangered due to the use of pesticides such as DDT.  These pesticides are stored in body fat and accumulate.  Due to the peregrine being an apex predator, sitting at the top of the food chain, the effects of these pesticides are maginifed as they eat other birds with these pesticides in their fat tissues.  These pesticides caused a reduction of calcium in eggshells resulting in very thin and fragile eggs.  They were so delicate that the weight of the parents alone was enough to break the eggs when they attempted to incubate them.  With a very high loss of eggs, the number of peregrines dwindled.  Once the pesticides were banned and protection measures were put in place by legistations such as the USA's Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Canada's Species At Risk Act (SARA), their numbers increased to the point that they were removed from the Endangered Species List.  Although they are no longer considered endangered in North America, they, along with other birds of prey, continue to be protected by the Migratory Bird Act.

Peregrine Falcon (juvenile female)

Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 500mm, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 500
Shot in Manual Mode with Spot Metering

The Peregrine falcon is an incredible bird and I was extremely excited to have come across this juvenile female at a local park and to have had the opportunity to photograph her.  While out walking on one of the trails, I noticed her bathing (looked more like playing) in the lake.  I walked over to get a better look, making sure to keep a respectable distance, and watched as she stomped and splashed at the water's edge.  To my surprise, she flew and landed right in front of me.  I was able to only get a few shots in before she flew over my head to land on a pole a few hundred meters away.  The pole she landed on was by a trail and I was able to spend some more time photographing her as she preened her feathers and dried off.  It was an incredible experience for me.

Peregrine Falcon (juvenile female)

Shooting Info:  Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS @ 500mm, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 500
Shot in Manual Mode with Spot Metering

The photos were shot in February using a Nikon D7100 and Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS.  The first photo of the peregrine was handheld but I used a tripod for the photos of her on the pole.  When I happened upon her by the water's edge, there was no time to set up my tripod so I just fired off a few frames.  While she was on the pole drying off, there was plenty of time to set up my tripod and to observe her as she dried and preened her feathers.

Introduction...

My name is Maria Melo-Almeida and I am a self-taught, hobbyist, photographer from the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.  I focus primarily on nature and wildlife photography with my favourite subjects being insects (especially dragonflies) & birds. 

I grew up in the city but spent many weekends and summers foraging through the woods or wading through the lake and marsh at our cottage in the Kawartha Lakes.  My fascination for and love of nature and wildlife led me to pursue a degree in Biology and Zoology which I believe helps me with my photography.  I enjoy watching my subjects' behavior as I photograph them.

I've always had a love of photography.  When I was a little girl I would use my parents' film camera to document my travels and anything that I found to be interesting to me, our family pets were my models on many occasions!  When I was in Grade 8, my parents gifted me my very own point and shoot camera, a Minolta, which I used for many years.  I always wanted to delve further into photography and even joined a photography club in High School but could not afford an SLR at the time and film processing costs could also add up quickly.

Like many others, when digital cameras became available, I left the film world and had a little Sony Cybershot point & shoot which we used for a few years.  Eventually, after a great deal of research, I purchased my very first DSLR in 2010, a Nikon D90 with the 18-105mm kit lens.  I was instantly hooked on the possibilities and the creativity that was now available to me.  I read, watched videos, attended seminars and took many online classes to learn as much as I possibly could on how I could better my images. 

I believe that since obtaining my very first DSLR camera, I have grown greatly as a photographer and have learned a great deal.  But, the learning never ends!  I love to learn new techniques and am constantly striving to better my skill as a photographer and capture better images.

My hope for this blog is to share my images and the stories behind their capture.  I also intend to share my experiences on various hikes & travels. On occasion, I will go into more detail on a specific species or subject.

You can check out some of my images using the below links to my various social media sites:

Instagram
Twitter
Flickr