Swan Report April 11, 2012

Trumpeter swan flying over the Tagish bridge

Good morning from the Yukon,
The weather continues to impress us with sun, +10 degree temps and endless blue skies.
Here is today's swan report from the Yukon Department of Environment:

Last night there were 430 Trumpeter Swans at Marsh Lake.  The Canada Geese have arrived as well.
No new info from Tagish.



Photo info:  Same as previous two posts

Welcoming the swans and spring

What a weekend it has been! 

Monday morning I counted 300+ trumpeter swans at the Tagish Bridge while at Marsh Lake the official number was 409.  The swans keep on coming...

We could not have asked for a better weekend - nothing but bright sun, brilliant blue skies and plenty of swans flying overhead.  A perfect weekend to welcome spring. 

Hard to believe that the swan population will swell to more than a 1000 by weeks end.  Let's hope the weather cooperates for us photographers.

Stay tuned -  in the coming days I'll be posting more images and share a few thoughts on capturing these graceful birds with your camera.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

Photo info:  same as previous post

2011: A Retrospect

Happy New Year, Parliament Hill (Ottawa)

January, 2011

Crystal Palace, Winterlude Celebration (Ottawa)

February, 2011

Northern Lights dance over the Yukon (Pelly Crossing)

March, 2011

Return of the Swans, Tagish (Yukon)

April, 2011

Spring colours across the Yukon

May, 2011

Onboard HMCS Whitehorse, Skagway (Alaska)

June, 2011

Happy Canada Day, Museum of Civilization (Gatineau)

July, 2011

Whale watching, Cape Cod (Mass)

August, 2011

Grizzlies of the Chilkoot (Haines, Alaska)

September, 2011

Spectacular Autumn Days (Pelly Crossing, Yukon)

October, 2011

Bald Eagle Festival (Haines, Alaska)

November, 2011

Winter scenery (Pelly Crossing, Yukon)

December, 2011

Here's to new year filled with wonderful memories and endless photo opps.

Cheers and Happy Holidays

Claus

Dreaming of Spring....already

Lesser Yellowlegs, near Pelly Crossing Yukon (Spring 2011)

Once again, my apologies for the lengthy delay in updating this blog.  Lots on my mind these days.

Most of the Yukon is finally ankle-deep in fresh snow.  Daily temperatures remain well below zero degrees with the mercury hovering near the minus 20 degree mark during the night.  The days are noticeably shorter and I'm finding it a challenge to catch even a fleeting glimpse of the sun.

As we adjust to another winter season my thoughts drift back to this past April and May when the entire Yukon landscape was basking in the glow of the midnight sun.  Regardless of where one looked, the entire Territory was alive in colour, song and endless photo opps.

I'm finally sorting through the thousands of images of shorebirds, swans, grizzly bears and scenery from that fabulous spring.  Pictured above is one of my favourites - a lesser yellow legs ruffling its feathers in a small lake near Pelly Crossing.  Oh, how I long for those endless days of spring when I can spend countless hours outdoors chasing birds and searching for that perfect shot!

I know, winter does offer the photographer some wonderful photo opportunities as well.  One just has to bundle up and make the effort to get outdoors and search for the image that captures the beauty of the land during this season of pure white snow, delicate textures and the soft pastel colours of a northern sky dominated by the silhouettes of rugged mountains, thick stands of black spruce and soaring ravens.

I promise - grizzly bear images from my trip to Haines Alaska will be posted in the next day or two.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

October Lights

Nikon D700, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ f/3.2, 14mm, 3200 and 4000ISO, 10 sec

Greetings once again from the Yukon!

My apologies for the lack of postings as of late.  In the coming day's I'm hoping to update the blog (and my website) with images from a recent trip to Haines (Alaska) where and friend of mine and I were treated to some spectacular views of mountains, pristine rivers and twelve grizzly bears feasting on spawning salmon.  I'm hoping to have those images up by mid-week.

The northern lights continue to dazzle as they signal the beginning of what promises to be an exciting few months for photographing the aurora borealis.  Last night the aurora took centre stage for an hour of so as they danced over the waters of the Pelly River.  

Thank you for your patience - new images and tales from the Yukon will be posted this week.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.  

Cheers,

Claus

And now there are four....

It's been over a week since I last checked on the nesting pair of semipalmated plovers.  To my delight there are now four eggs in the nest.  According to The Birder's Handbook the incubation period is between 23-25 days.

I spent a few minutes observing and photographing the nest as both parents took turns at incubating their clutch.  Every so often they would switch while one flew to the marsh in search of food. 

I've also included an image of the plover ruffling its feathers as it was about to preen itself.