Nature’s color

Hi to all.  I’m a bit rushed by time and I’ve got a fragile humor this morning.  So here is some color in your life and mine.  Three pictures of Jose and I that reminds me that it is not always necessary to harvest to have a great day.  

 Have a good day.  Louis.    

Paternal… my eye

In less than three weeks, the first fawns will see the day.  Although in some cases, the females choose habitats close to the males, The fawns will rarely meet, for their first time, the mature males only a few weeks later in habitats containing large food sources such as agricultural fields.  Obviously, some contacts may happen, but under no circumstances shall we qualify them as paternal since there is no way for the fawns to know if it is his father or another buck.  It’s a curiosity gesture… I presume.   

Have a good day.  Louis  

Specialty : hunter

If yesterday, I presented the herring gull as a common bird, here is a common but discreet hunter : the red fox.  Everyone knows him, has seen him on some occasions or has crossed his tracks.  The fox, because of his size, is without a doubt the most widespread terrestrial predator in the world.  His finesse, speed and agility allows him to exploit almost all the different habitats.  Since he’s not very tall and he’s a general hunter, he may live on a varied diet as well as survive a few days without food.  However, in summer, his hunter quality allows him to comeback to the den with his mouth full of small rodents, such as the red squirrels and the chipmunks caught in less than one hour… 

Have a good day.  Louis

  

Specialty : fisherman

Not all the seagulls are at McDonald… We were waiting for the ferryboat to take us to the Bonaventure Island so we could photograph the gannets.  My spouse, faithful to her habit of optimizing every trip, decides to put a lens and a body together on a tripod and to have fun with the seagulls.  In photography, light and composition make up for almost everything.  A common subject such as a seagull captured at the right moment can make a picture of a very high quality.  At that time we were with 35mm films and when she received her slides a few weeks later, she had fun over me because of her seagull having caught a rock crab.   

Have a good day. Louis  

A good morning for…

When we were more active as wildlife photographers, my biologist title opened many doors to refuges almost never visited but by the Canadian Wildlife Service biologists.  They were working on the restoration of the razorbill populations in the Ste-Marie Islands of the St-Lawrence river, just in front of Harrington Arbour.  These birds, which used to be tens of thousands at the turn of the century, were almost entirely wiped out because the eggs were harvested for the surrounding villages.  The bird population of these islands came close to extinction.  Today, it’s simply a paradise for the birdwatchers and the nature lovers… but the winters are… tough.   

Have a good day.  Louis       

At the nest

The Common loon is back in our area since a few weeks.  They are actually on their nest to carry through the hatching of the single egg that was spawned.  Once the egg hatched, the male or female adult loon leaves the offspring alone on very few occasions.  The adults become very protective and even aggressive toward all the animals and surrounding birds which try to get close to the offspring.  Judging by their beak, I may understand the danger.   

Have a great day.  Louis     

Nice bedding area

Here are two completely different pictures.  The first is a common trail along an agricultural field but in the forest.  The second picture is a close-up shot of an 10 years old mixed wood forest.  When the hunters will learn to approach the second picture habitat type instead of baiting on or near trails as in the first picture, the mature male will be in danger.  

Have a good day.  Louis