Snowy Owls

Snowy Owls are making a rare visit to the Vancouver Lower Mainland area this winter. A group of Owls is called a parliament, and we have been lucky enough to host them "in session" this winter at Boundary Bay in Delta, British Columbia.

Snowy Owl

A local television station reported "Birdwatchers are flocking to Boundary Bay in Metro Vancouver to catch a glimpse of Snowy Owls, which migrate south only once every four or five years". In fact on the day I went to see the owls the bird watchers outnumbered the owls.

The Snowy Owl is the biggest of the North American Owls at about two feet tall and can weight from 1.5 to 3 kilograms (3.5 to 6.6 lbs). It is also known as the Arctic Owl, Great White Owl or Harfang and it is the official bird of the Canadian province of Quebec.

The adult male is virtually pure white, but females and young birds have some dark scalloping. Most of the owls I saw were probably females or younger owls.

Snowy Owls have thick white plumage and heavily feathered taloned feet, making them well suited for life north of the Arctic Circle where they usually live year round feeding on lemmings. However, every few years the lemming population declines in their usual habitat and they come south looking for other prey.  Lemmings, by the way, do not indulge in periodic mass suicides.

Since they gather here infrequently, they are attracting a lot of attention. It was cool, frosty morning so I also took a few shots of frosty plants.

The owls hunt at dawn and dusk and doze in between. My shots were taken late morning and I was behind the cameras with the long lenses, so I have cropped and resized some of the pictures.

This owl was giving its head a good scratch, so its eyes were open and below you can see its foot and talons.

These two owls were watching the photographers around them; their heads really do spin around rather like tops.

This beautiful video on the "Snowy Owl Invasion" is from the Cornell Ornithology Lab:

"Snowy Owls lead nomadic lives and travel vast distances from year to year searching for productive feeding areas. Some years, most recently in the winter of 2011/2012, conditions cause them to come south in great numbers.  Get an intimate look at these white owls from the north through video and photographs captured by the our photographer, Gerrit Vyn."

One last frosty plant shot.

One very important thing to remember when you are on a photographing expedition is to take along everything you will need including spare camera batteries; another important thing is to remember to charge the batteries! On this particular trip my spare battery wasn't charged, so the trip ended sooner than I had planned.

I am way behind on my blogging and have not been able to keep up with the blogs I usually follow because my Mother's health has taken a turn for the worse just recently and she has been admitted to hospital. Thank you to everyone that has visited my blog and especially to those that have left comments. I hope things return to normal soon, but I rather think it will be a while yet.

Here are a couple of my new works; both are watercolours. My search for colour has led me to paint these bright paintings featuring spring blooms:
  

Bright Spring Colour




First Daffodils

 More new works next week and I'll tell you more about the painting course that I have been taking.

Here's a favorite song of mine from many years ago, Cat Stevens, Moonshadow:

Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week.....

Colour starts to return

The days are starting to get longer and the colour is returning to my world. We have had several days with clear skies and beautiful sunrises recently so I decided to get up before sunrise and go for an early walk, camera in hand. I head over to a nearby park and notice these interesting wave like cloud formations which remind me of the ripples in the sand after the tide has gone out.

Soon there is a red glow on the horizon, reflecting off the clouds and giving colour to the frosty ground.

Sunrise from Trimble Park 1

As the sun breaks the horizon there is a curious blue streak in the sky.

And so the sun is up and the moon disappears in the western sky.

 

Because the sky is clear, it is quite cool, and the frost decorates the grass and fallen leaves.

Later in the day, walking along the beach there is a good view of the mountains and the harbour is full of freighters. The tide is out and the wet sand mirrors the colour of the sky.

View northwest from Jericho beach

View toward downtown Vancouver from Jericho Beach

This strutting seagull is reflected in the wet sand.

The trees seem to be reaching their bare limbs to embrace the blue skies.

The days are getting longer but the sun is still very low in the sky creating long shadows on the sand. I loved the red boots in this picture which also includes my shadow.

The day was windy and the gulls were floating in the wind over the pier.

The sun is disappearing but lights up these leaves that have been captured in the fence by the Jericho Sailing Centre.

The last light reflects images of the bare trees in a second storey window.

And finally just the silhouettes are left.

Blue Skies - Irving Berlin

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day longNever saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

Willie Nelson - Blue Skies

There will likely be a lot more cloudy, rainy and dull weather before spring brings us its first flowers, but seeing the sun shine brightly in the sky for a few days in a row has had the effect of lifting my sagging spirits for now.

Until next week, happy Whimsy Wednesday, thank you for dropping by.............

  

Starting a new page

Towhee taking a closer look

"The New Year lies before you like a spotless tract of snow. Be careful how you tread on it for every mark will show." Unknown author

This is sage advice for the start of a new year. We get the opportunity to have a fresh start, a new canvas and fresh page. So it is time to give some thought to what we will put on that page. An opportunity to take stock, make fresh plans, set a path or continue a journey already begun. Some will say that the beginning of the New Year is an artificial time for this, that a new path can be followed at any time, the start of a day, a week or a new month. Starting with a new year, though, a beautiful fresh new year, is like starting a huge new empty sketch book.

I have started my New Year with a cleaning and reorganizing frenzy in my studio, I now have a much more functional workspace (neater too). I also now have my own computer, yeah! Well, I think so most of the time, for someone who did not grow up with computers (remember the abacus and slide rule, you get the idea) so new technology can be daunting and frustrating at times as well.

Head scratching seagull

This guy seemed to be giving it some thought, wonder what he concluded. 

Have a look around and then hop to it.

 

 

Red wing blackbird

LBB (Little Brown Bird, sparrow probably)

Now its time to get back to a regular drawing and painting schedule. This year I want to experiment with some new techniques (poured colours, negative painting), and balance the detailed work (which I love) with some more spontaneous and quicker drawing. I need to finish up a couple of pieces that have been in progress for too long or abandon them entirely.

Smiling gargoyle

I need to make time to do at least one or two 15 minute paintings each week; these were recommended at the workshop I attended last September.

Watchful Crow

At the same time I have been struggling with the lack of light at this time of year, I guess I have seasonal depression. It will pass. With the short daylight hours and dull weather I think nature intends us to hibernate a bit, rest, refresh, and not push ourselves too hard. Why is it that we often are a lot more understanding and realistic about others capabilities than we are about our own?
For my part, I will try to get a bit more sleep, if the sun doesn't get up until 8 am, maybe that's when I should rise too, when I can.

But it's the beginning of a new year, a new page to start, a new path to tread, don't be so afraid that you make no mark at all, for that would be a shame; go ahead take a step, make your mark, follow your own path.

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the best" Henry Van Dyke

I am pleased to report that I have 2 pieces, one drawing and one painting in the student show at the FCA Gallery (1241 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, B.C.) from Jan 10 to Jan 22, 2012. The opening reception is on January 12 from 6 to 8 pm. The Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10-4 pm, it is closed on Mondays.

Fall Colour III - Gillian Olson watercolour

"Little Cutie" - Gillian Olson Pencil

 Starting here, starting now (Barbara Streisand):

Until next week, happy Whimsy Wednesday, thank you for dropping by.............

Colourful offering to bring in the New Year

First I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

The weather has been dreary, the days short and dark so needing some colour meant going indoors.  I chose the Blodel Conservatory which is both an indoor garden and aviary. In 1969, Prentice Bloedel, founder of Canadian timber giant MacMillan Bloedel Ltd., gave the park over $1 million toward the development of the plaza, including the covered walkways, fountains and domed Bloedel Floral Conservatory.

"... over 100 birds of various species call the Bloedel Conservatory home and free-fly within its spacious dome.  It was constructed through a very generous donation from Prentice Bloedel in 1969."

Made of an intricate framework of tubular steel elements supporting 1490 Plexiglas bubbles, the Conservatory is a triodetic dome, 140 ft in diameter and 70 ft high.

Inside, visitors enjoy tropical forest plants, flowers, cacti, and exotic birds including parrots. There are three simulated climates within the dome: tropical rain forest, sub-tropical forest and desert. At this time of year the dome not only has its usual array of tropical plants and flowers but also hundreds of poinsettias and some flowering spring bulbs.

After removing my coat, I spent an hour or more wandering slowly around and taking pictures.

One of the many types of orchids

The birds fly around or walk around on the pathways and the dome is filled with their chatter. Some oblivious to visitors others observing them closely. I saw one of the parrots (Casey I think) perched on a visitor's shoulder, both parrot and visitor seemed happy with the arrangement.

This is Monty the Princess Parrot

Casey the yellow crowned Amazon Parrot

A Chinese Golden Pheasant (above and close up below)

There were many small birds, some very colourful, some quite drab by comparison. I don't know the names of the small birds.

Nelson is a dwarf Macaw

Bamboo shoot

Art, a blue and gold Macaw

Another look at Casey

Lollipop Plant

Plantain Banana

Maria and Carmen, green winged Macaws

At the end of my visit I felt some colour and life had returned to my creative side, which had become drained by the hectic season and gloomy weather. I may have to return again before the winter is over, for another "fix" of colour, and with the modest admission charge (less than a movie) I think this very likely.

Colour My World:

I have been very busy reorganizing my studio and cleaning so have little creative to offer other than today's pictures.

Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week.....

"I cannot pretend to be impartial about the colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns." Winston Churchill