January 16th, 2013 Posted by admin Comments Off on A Pair of Overwintering Mute Swans
The following was shot using by “Bigma” lens set to about 450mm, as this pair of swan maybe 10 meters from the shoreline (and keeping a wary eye on my dog, who was along for the walk down by the beach).
A Pair of Overwintering Mute Swans
Tags: Bird, Mute Swan, Woodbine Beach
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on A Pair of Overwintering Mute Swans
January 8th, 2013 Posted by admin Comments Off on Crescent Moon Before Sunrise
Shot with my 200mm lens about an hour before the sun came up:
Crescent Moon Before Sunrise
Tags: Astrophotography, Moon
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Crescent Moon Before Sunrise
December 6th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on Junco in Our Backyard
A couple of Dark-eyed Juncos have joined a local flock of sparrows, and they sometimes venture onto our deck when I put out some birdseed for them. Today was a rare day when there was some sun, making for an opportunity for some good bird photos.
What I find interesting are the touches of brown amidst their overall dusky colour, which comes out best in the final close-up photo.
Junco on a Branch
Junco Eating a Seed
Junco Close-up
Tags: Bird, Dark-eyed Junco, Junco
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Junco in Our Backyard
October 14th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Runners 2012
I was lucky to just catch the front runners (and eventual winners) of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon as they can through the Beaches.
The light was overcast and so the images aren’t as sharp as I would like, but am happy with the following shots I managed to take, which are shown here in the order I took them:
Hillary Chenonge, 10th Place Winner
Ben Fish, 17th Place Winner
Front Runners Heading East Along Queen Street 1
Kenneth (Kiplimo) Kimutai, 2nd Place Winner
Siraj Gena, 5th Place Winner
Tags: Ben Fish, Hillary Chenonge, Kenneth (Kiplimo) Kimutai, Marathon, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Siraj Gena
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Runners 2012
October 12th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on Panoramic Pictures from The Beaches Firehall
I put in a request to the Toronto Fire Department for permission to take pictures from the top of the local Firehall’s tower adjacent to Queen and Woodbine in order to take panoramic shots of the local area. This is for a future story in the BTRA newsletter that compares the modern view against that of a panoramic set of shots taken from the Firehall tower shortly after it was built in 1905.
Here are a couple of panoramic views showing the view east from the tower looking towards downtown via Queen Street East:
East Panorama from The Beaches Firehall Tower 1
East Panorama from The Beaches Firehall Tower 2
Compare these to the view from the same vantage point from over a hundred years ago, from a panorama I stitched together taken from shots taken in the tower circa 1905 that were in the Toronto Municipal Archives. You can see the old Woodbine Racetrack, and muddier-looking Queen Street stretching off into a much smaller downtown Toronto core.
East and South Panorama from Beaches Firehall Tower circa 1905
I also took some panoramic shots directly to the south, east and north. Here’s a panoramic shot looking southward:
South Panorama from The Beaches Firehall Tower
Looking westward:
West Panorama from The Beaches Firehall Tower
And looking Northward:
North Panorama from The Beaches Firehall Tower
Unfortunately all of these shots suffer from too many darn trees in the way to properly see the houses and buildings properly. Will have to see if I can request to go up the tower again sometime after the leaves are off of the trees.
I was shown around by local Fireman Mr. Lalonde, who is also an amateur historian who has done a lot of research on the background of the Beaches Firehall. Here he is pointing out some old signatures on the old wooden box that once protected the original clock’s escapement mechanism, with signatures (primarily) of the fireman who worked at the station dating back to the 1910s:
Mr. Lalonde Pointing at Some of the Old Fireman’s Signatures
Firehall Signatures 1
Firehall Signatures 2 (from the 1910s and Later)
One of the more poignant ones was of the fireman who were here at the firehall on 9/11:
Firehall Signatures 3: Firemen Present at the Beaches Firehall on 9/11
Tags: Firehall, Graffiti, The Beaches, Toronto, Toronto Skyline
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Panoramic Pictures from The Beaches Firehall
October 12th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on Venus and Crescent Moon Just After Sunrise
Shot with my 200mm fast lens early this morning from the back deck of our house:
Venus and Moon in Morning Sky
Tags: Astrophotography, Moon, Venus
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Venus and Crescent Moon Just After Sunrise
October 5th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on Ducks on Signal Hill
While heading back down from Signal Hill to the Lower Battery in St. John’s, I ran across a small pond where a number of ducks had congregated. There were some ever-familiar Mallards, as well as some less familiar birds to me. Here are the better pics that I shot:
Northern Pintail Duck
Female Mallard Napping (But Keeping an Eye on Me)
Possible Male Tufted Duck (Without Much of a Tuft)
Male Green-winged Teal Beating a Retreat
Pair of Northern Pintail Ducks
Tags: Bird, Duck, Mallard Duck, Newfoundland, Northern Pintail Duck, Signal Hill, St. John's
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Ducks on Signal Hill
October 5th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on Climbing Up Signal Hill
Pictures taken while hiking up the North Head Trail up Signal Hill, St. John’s:
Sign on the “Fallout Shelter”, Lower Battery, St. Johns
Houses in the Lower Battery, St. John’s
Seagull Perched on Top of Chimney
The Winding North Head Trail, St. John’s
South Side of St. John’s Harbour Entrance
Taking in the Landscape
Cabot Tower, Signal Hill
Fleeing Fox, Signal Hill
The Ladies at the Top of Signal Hill
A Long Way from Home, Signpost on Signal Hill
The “Atlantic Kingfisher” Leaving St. John’s Harbour
Cabot Tower, Signal Hill 2
Old Cannons by Queen’s Battery
“Cannon 2” From 1709
Mounted Cannon Facing Our from The Queen’s Battery
Mounted Cannon Facing Our from The Queen’s Battery 2
Tags: Cabot Tower, Cannon, Fox, Hiking, Newfoundland, North Head Trail, Signal Hill, St. John's
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on Climbing Up Signal Hill
October 5th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on An Afternoon Visit to Quidi Vidi
Erika took us for a trip to several places close to St. John’s today, including Quidi Vidi, a small town with an impressive art studio and a damn good brewery. Here are some of the pics I shot of the scenery while there:
Buildings in Quidi Vidi Harbour
Beached Boat in Quidi Vidi
Two Men Discussing in Quidi Vidi
Quidi Vidi Panorama
Tags: Newfoundland, Quidi Vidi
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on An Afternoon Visit to Quidi Vidi
October 4th, 2012 Posted by admin Comments Off on A Drizzly Day in St. John’s
Our first full day in St. John’s, Newfoundland was initially rainy, then tapered off to being just drizzly.
We first went to the regional Art Gallery and Museum known as the The Rooms, where I was told I couldn’t take pictures, so nothing there.
We then went into downtown looking for a place to eat, and we ended up at The Bagel Cafe where the girls had large mugs of hot chocolate (tea for me) and chowed down on some hot and hearty breakfast food for lunch.
Here are some pics I took while walking along some of the streets in St. John’s while trying to keep out of the rain as much as possible:
Colourful Houses in St. Johns on a Rainy Day
Victoria Hall on Gower Street, St. Johns
Fred’s Records, St. John’s
Tags: Fred's Records, Newfoundland, Rain, St. John's, Victoria Hall
Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off on A Drizzly Day in St. John’s