ADVENTURES IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Spending an exhausting but exhilarating day capturing pics of the abundant local wildlife
This enthusiastic photog spent an awesome day capturing pics of wildlife in her neck of woods.
Awakened to a sun-filled autumn morning, I gather up my gear to prepare for my weekly venture out into nature. After a quick inventory of camera, lenses, spare batteries and memory cards, I’m out the door. Driving south to Whitby, Ont., specifically to the north shore of Lake Ontario, I ponder what, if anything, I may see.
As I lollygag my way along the final few kilometres to the lake, I notice a photographer standing on the edge of the road, lens raised and focused on the hay fields. Knowing how much concentration is needed to try and capture that perfect shot, I slow my car down to a dead crawl. Suddenly right in front of me, out of the bramble, pops a four-point buck. I throw the car into park and jump out with camera in hand. He hears me, his attention focuses on my graceful emergency exit and pauses for a brief moment. I know he is going to hoof it across the road so I quickly take what shots I can—relying on the auto focus to do its job. I chuckle to myself about capturing the unknown photographer in the background. He never noticed me nor the buck. In four or five quick hops the buck was across the road and out of sight. Just as I start to get back into the car, a doe wanders out onto the road. A couple more quick shots and I decide to take a closer look to see what else is hiding in the thicket. Oh be still my heart—a fawn peeking through the foliage. A couple of quick portrait shots and it, too, is gone. What an exciting start to the day!
After parking my car, I begin following the trail that leads along the shore to the marsh. I notice a lone female mallard duck playing in the waves as they crash into the shore. What a happy little camper. Never disappointed with my trip to the lake, I’m able to catch a few more shots of the shorebirds that make the Cranberry Marsh their summer home.
The sky was just as exciting. There is a seemingly endless supply of Canada geese and mallard ducks flying back and forth, to and from Lake Ontario. I also spot a juvenile bald eagle soaring along the shoreline, followed by an osprey and a juvenile broadwinged hawk clearly just learning how to fly. The broad-winged hawk would glide along and then suddenly lose his place in the wind currents and start tumbling down to ground. A few wing flaps and he was back gliding again, it was truly amazing to watch.
Several hours pass quickly and I’m feeling both exhilarated and exhausted. I head home, anxious to review my photographs, hoping I was able to get one or two great shots. n