Tag: ornithology

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Environment Photos of Quebec

A visit of the Léon-Provancher-Marsh.

Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024.
Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024.

Bird photography enthusiasts can explore the Léon-Provancher-Marsh   in Portneuf.

Red-winged Blackbird chasing two dragonflies.
Red-winged Blackbird chasing two dragonflies.

In the photo above, a Red-winged blackbird is stalking bugs in flight. But it’s about 100 metres from the shore. A shot at this distance and on a small, fast-moving subject poses a problem. I try my luck with a Canon 5dsr equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM lens.

The bird has just spotted its meal. It swoops down on two dragonflies, braking at the last second to adjust to the insect’s changing trajectory. The agility of the little creatures presents a colossal challenge to the predator.

Once the photo session is over, it’s time to process the Canon 5dsr’s 50.6 megapixel RAW files to correct and bring the bird as close as possible. At this stage, I note the two dragonflies that were difficult to see as I concentrated on following the bird in flight.

For this kind of scene, the photographic technique always remains the same: we prioritize shutter speed while lowering the ISO, because we’ll have to enlarge the main subject considerably during digital processing. We want to avoid enormous graininess on the final print.

The last processing phase for this photo of a small, distant and fast-moving bird is the use of artificial intelligence software. This will enable the focus to be improved slightly if the need arises.

But even with AI, there are no miracles. You can’t turn a bad initial photo into an excellent one unless you completely recompose it. That’s when you step out of the world of photography and choose digital creation.

Green heron at the Marais-Léon-Provancher 2024
Green heron at the Marais-Léon-Provancher 2024

Above, a shot of a green heron caught at the end of a photography session. But it seems to me that I’d call it more of a blue heron when the plumage is captured from this angle.

Female Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024
Female Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024

Click on the following link for more photos of the province of Quebec on my blog.

Categories
Photography

A lucky American Robin.

An American Robin and its fledgling in Sillery, Quebec City.
An American Robin and its fledgling in Sillery, Quebec City.

In Quebec City, an American Robin came to make its nest near our back door. Since it had been there brooding without giving birth to anything, we were beginning to believe that the mother was sterile.

Major construction work was to begin shortly at our home and would last a few weeks. We were almost glad that no chicks were born, as this would simplify the transportation of materials.

A day before the renovations were to begin, the first chick was born. From then on, all construction workers would have to be blocked off and asked to make a detour each time they needed to take scraps out of the house or bring in new material.

All labor groups agreed to our request without a second thought. For two weeks, electricians, plumbers, floor layers, delivery people and installers of all kinds came and went, sometimes asking for updates on the condition of the mother and her chicks.

In Quebec City, three two week old American Robins.
In Quebec City, three two week old American Robins.

The photo above shows the three chicks one day before they fledge. The lack of light due to the location of the nest, as well as the desire not to disturb the fledglings, necessitated the use of a powerful telephoto lens and a camera capable of cropping without loss of quality. A full-frame camera Canon 5DSR with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto made the job easy. The ISO was set to 200 and I severely limited the depth of field to get the best possible shutter speed to avoid motion blur.

This morning, all the birds had left the nest. The parents were flying around nervously, attacking predators while the young were quickly learning to become independent. The blue jay that regularly visits us for its “dish of the day” was denied access to the backyard by both parents.

There are now three new American Robin in the area and it is almost certain that the mother will return next year to the same location, given the success this year.

Click on the link for more pictures of Quebec City in Summer on my blog.

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in Quebec

Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in 2017. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR.
Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in 2017. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR.

The whimbrel is a bird that spends most of its life along the coasts of South America. It travels from Brazil to northern Canada when comes the time of nesting. It is possible to see it flying by the Atlantic provinces of Canada or by the Magdalen Islands in the province of Quebec.

The total number of whimbrels belonging to the hudsonicus species is estimated at around 58,000 and is in constant decline. During the last 40 years, the population has diminished by 80%. During their trip, the whimbrels stop an average of three weeks on the acadian peninsula to feed themselves. A study shows that 1200 were observed in 2014, 518 in 2015 and 344 in 2016. ( French text: Le courlis corlieu )

During our family holiday on the Magdalen Islands in 2017, we saw close to thirty of those birds while we were standing on a hill in Havre-aux-Maisons.

A flight of Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in 2017
A flight of Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in 2017

The pictures were taken with a Canon EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens mounted on a Canon 5DSR full frame camera. The focal length was set at 200 mm and I had to adjust the ISO at 1250 in order to get a shutter speed that would prevent a blurred picture as the birds were quickly flying by. Some additional cropping was needed in order to obtain a picture that was big enough.

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer