Heading into late March it appears that winter is on its way out. The last big snowfall has almost melted away, making for soggy ground during the day but overnight lows are still giving hard freezes. Overall, it’s currently terrible conditions for tracking and many roads and trails are still treacherously ice encrusted. So let’s take a look back at a story I found in the snow one day mid-winter instead.
In my travels about, I’ve come across a few locations I thought would make interesting photographs outside my usual animals and plants shots. With static signs and architecture, weather and lighting makes the difference between ordinary and more impactful images. I try to bring the camera with me each day, in case the elements align with my plans.
In summer, the airport runway at YHZ is in an open field, hunted over by rough-legged hawks, with deer and pheasants foraging. I found the “caution blowing snow” sign near one of the popular runway overlooks quite humourous in the summer. When winter came, I wanted to get a picture of the sign with snow – but when there was truly blowing snow conditions it was obscured by the very hazard it warns of!
One day conditions were perfect, recent heavy snowfall and the sign was clear. I like the perspective added by the passing car.
Another feature by the airport is a large radar dome. I’d thought for quite some time that if there was ever a mix of grey stormy sky and bright sun the contrast would be great. This photo took two tries – the first time the sun went behind the clouds just as I uncapped the lens. I’ll note that the final shot is one of the few on the blog I edited beyond a simple crop or straighten. Increasing the contrast on the dome itself revealed the hexagonal construction.
I recently spent a weekend in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The location of an annual Mi’kmaq summer coastal community prior to European settlement, today Antigonish is known for Saint Francis Xavier (SFX) University, and the oldest continuous highland games in North America.
It was quite cold (minus 20 windchill!) and mostly snowy, so I elected to leave the car at the hotel and take my camera for a walk instead. The town is very pedestrian friendly, and has lots of interesting buildings and things to see, reflecting a vibrant arts scene. It was quite outside my usual nature-focused forays and offered a new challenge to focus through the lens.
It’s a lovely day for a hike. But the woods and fields are silent, not an animal to be found. Perhaps you slept in and didn’t make it out for that early morning as planned. Looking for animal tracks is another way to enjoy the wildlife out there.
These clear tracks were easy to identify by their unique outlines and location in a muddy marsh habitat.
For others, you need to consider size of the prints, subtle toe arrangements, and length of stride. I initially thought this was a red fox track, but when I checked my books I realized it was much too large and the stride too long.
This year I’m lucky enough to live where it snows regularly in the winter, making a great medium for recording the activities of animals. The coyote is still patrolling the same stretch of road as before.
Tracks are often more (or less) than footprints. Look for grasses bent over, dew missing or smeared on foliage. Or in this case:
I taught myself to track through many years of observation, but also sought guidance from books. I recommend a good animal field guide, e.g. Peterson Field Guide to Mammals in North America, as well as a tracking-specific reference like Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking. The author of the latter may be a real kook with his dubious “Indian mentor” backstory, but has some really good points to improve your tracking skills.
What will you find next time you are out in nature?
Porcupines are a common sight in Nova Scotia. Passing by a field, if you see a medium sized brown blob, and it moves, it could be worth checking out.
A visit to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park is one of my favourite local day outings. Now, I’m not normally a big fan of zoos, but this one is different. It’s not your typical tourist trap but is instead run by the province and largely features animals native to the area. There are no animal shows and the habitats are large and contain varied enrichment items to enhance the residents’ lives. Many of the animals were born in captivity, or were injured or orphaned in the wild and unable to be rehabilitated.
Adjoining the main park, the Wetland Centre is a partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. There is a short accessible trail around small ponds, with many native bushes and trees providing excellent bird habitat. If you feel like a longer walk, the St. Andrew’s Marsh Trail is a more rugged journey into 200 acres of wild marsh.
I was experimenting with an SLR camera this week and here are some of my better shots of the day.
A few of the more charismatic microfauna I found this summer posed for portraits.
