Friday, August 14, 2009

Absenteeism and Pelicans

Hi Everyone!

I am going to be absent from both this blog and my easel for a few days as we join family for a well deserved holiday.

So - for your viewing pleasure - I am showing you a few pictures from our sibling vacation in early July, in Ontario, at a lake in the Lake of the Woods area.

My husband and I took the canoe out one afternoon, and rowed quite a ways from the cottage, around the edges of the lake and around behind one of the islands. We saw turtles sunning themselves on rocks and swimming in the water, loons in the water (they are very elusive!) and a white blur in the distance. We figured out that the whiteness was actually a flock of pelicans, so we rowed as silently as we were able to the outcrop of rocks on which they stood.


Of course, they saw us coming, and were quite nervous - but strangely silent!


I had my telephoto lens on, so we were quite a distance away. Even so, they decided we were a threat, and they took off in flight.


They circled around us in the air, quite closely at first, and then higher and higher up.



One lone pelican was left behind, and as we got closer, it was very evident that this bird was really injured or sick. It eventually walked into the water and floated away from our canoe as we rounded the outcrop of rock.


When we got downwind of that rock island, BOY!!! DID IT EVER SMELL!!!! The "hardships" of being a "wildlife photographer"! LOL But it was a very special experience...

On the way back from this vacation, we stopped many times so that I could get pictures of the Canadian Shield. You would NOT believe the colors in those rocks! It was truly amazing. As well, on one of our stops, a fox trotted up to the Jeep, and around the front to sit just beyond the passenger side at the side of the road. I put down my window and snapped about 50 pictures of it. They are absolutely blow-away gorgeous photos!

I will be starting on a series of paintings of those Canadian Shield rocks when we get back. I am so excited to paint them... I cannot tell you how much! I think they will be quite spectacular - so be sure to check back in a couple of weeks. As well, Baby Giraffe should be finished and up for you to check out.

In the meantime, have a great rest of the summer, and talk to you again around the 26th of August.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful wildlife photographer, you are! ;-) Love these pelican photos. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Best,
Paz

Stratoz said...

wonderful photos, thanks for the kind message at my blog. My wife grew up in Edmonton.