Back to Birds

I haven't done a personal bog post in awhile now. I guess I have to feel I've got something new or exciting to share before I make the effort of putting a new post up. Well today isn't much different than my usual photos of nature. What make this one different is that I REALLY like this portrait of a femail cardinal. It is one of many I took on the RBG's Grindstone Marsh Trail.

What makes this portrait work? To my eye it's the unity of colour and tone with just the highlights of red and black making the cardinal stand out from the background. I also like the way the twigs frame her as she perches patiently. I also noticed that the exposure was set to +1 EV, making it twice as bright as a normal setting. This was an accident due to shooting birds against a bright sky earlier. In subsequent shots I dialed back to 0 EV but in later comparison, I didn't like them as much. This exposure has a lighter, airier feel with no dark tones other than on her face. I shot a few video clips of the birds on Grindstone Marsh Trail as well.

Photo Safaris

I wanted to compliment the Focus on Nature Online Lessons with something similar to the photo walks we take students with their cameras on at our school workshops. So I practiced making 'selfie' videos on some early morning hikes. I talked about some of the practical things young photographers need to learn. And I also tried to capture some of the flora and fauna that I encountered.


The video clips and stills were all captured on my iPhone X and then edited together with music using the iMovie app on my iPhone.



It's quite amazing that what took a team of professionals to do can now be done by one person on a device that fits in their hand!

Henry the Great Blue Heron

When  Focus on Nature conducts nature photography workshops at schools in Elora, we often see Henry the Great Blue Heron standing below the waterfall on the Grand River. 

He usually flies away when he sees so many excited children pointing cameras at him. But this week, with no schools open due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Henry seemed quite relaxed and okay with me sitting on the other side of the river recording his comings and goings.

I made up the story to entertain kids stuck at home. I kept it under a minute so it could be posted to our Instagram account @focusonnaturecanada. Feel free to share it if you find it entertaining too!

Henry the Great Blue Heron

May Days

Online Lessons

It looks like students will be out of school for the rest of the school year. So, in some haste, we here at Focus on Nature have created an online program of nature photography lessons for students now learning from home.

During the first week we had over 350 teachers and parents register for the free weekly lessons! They will then engage thousands of young people in some creative activities that they can do around their home or garden with a camera or phone.

Live on CBC NEWS

I was amazed by how far an expression of gratitude can take you! Perhaps the timing was perfect too.

A week earlier I'd sent a letter of appreciation to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, thanking him and his team for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy that would allow me and my staff at Focus on Nature to keep working and developing new online lessons for teachers to use in their virtual classrooms.

The interview has made millions of Canadians aware of Focus on Nature for the first time. Donations and expressions of interest in our program soon followed. As a Registered Charity, we rely on contributions from government, corporations and donors like you to keep building kids' connections to nature through photography.

With no revenue coming in from workshops and camps, the pandemic has hit us hard. Pease support us with a donation now if you can. Thank you.

Bajan Isolation

Once I'd canceled March Break camps, due to the need for social distancing, I bought a return flight to Barbados to self-isolate with Gail for two weeks.

There was no reported Covid-19 on the island and I was glad to let them take a temperature reading from my forehead when I arrived. But within days coronavirus cases started to appear. I guess it was inevitable at such an international tourist destination.

We did enjoy the sea and sun but we kept our distance from everyone, including friends. But it gradually dawned on us that a small island wasn't the best place to be isolated in a time of plague.

We drove to the wild north shore and we visited Hunte's Gardens on the last day it was open. But soon everything on the island was shutting down. We booked a flight home.

Our time in Barbados was cut short by a week but I did get the chance to go snorkelling. At the Folkstone Marine Reserve I was very pleased to see new coral growth, something I've been concerned about for awhile.

 

Argentina 2020

Argentine Arthropods

Easier to photograph than birds and often more plentiful, the butterflies, damselflies, moths and spiders (arthropods) that I encountered were astonishing in their variety and beauty. 

And so, as I finish my last photo-blog entry from my 2020 journey in South America, I'd like to share some of the intricate details I found in these tiny creatures.

Enjoy!

Argentine Birds

I was fortunate to see some 75 different bird species while travelling for the month of February in northern Argentina.

Not having a field guide, I relied on the help of my birding friends at Eco-portal de Piedra and also Alex Earnshaw, a relative by marriage.

Not all the birds were easy to photography but below are some of the better ones I managed to capture.

Aurora trogon

Black vulture

Black-throated mango hummingbird (same as top photo)

Buff-browed foliage gleaner

Crested caracara

Great pampa-finch

Monk parakeet

Plush-crested jay

Ruffous hornero

Spot-winged pigeon

Whistling heron

Guira cuckoo

Toco toucan

Southern lapwing (photo by Peter Jaspers-Fayer)

La California

After our family reunion, we spent a delightful day at Estancia La California, the original family ranch in Santa Fe province, hosted by our cousins Veronica and Josephine Benitz and their families. While the original building (above) is gone, it is still a working farm with dairy, soybean, corn and grains being produced.

After a traditional asado under an enormous oak tree, and a swim in the family pool, we took flowers to the family cemetary to pay our respects. 

Here are buried my father James Frank Macdonald Bell; my grandfather and grandmother; their parents and grandparents; and many other relatives as well. We had a few moments silence around my Dad's grave and I was moved to say the following: 

Dad, we lost you too soon. We’re here today to honour you and to thank you and mum. You gave us life, good health and a very good upbringing. You live on in our hearts. We will never forget you. Thank you. 

Benitz Family Reunion 2020

Every five years the descendants of William & Josephine Benitz, my grandmother's grandparents, gather for a family celebration. Five years ago we celebrated at Fort Ross, an earlier Benitz home in California.

This year, the four day reunion was held in the town of La Cumbre, in the province of Cordoba, where many Anglo-Argentine families had summer homes to escape the blistering heat of the pampas.

We had our first asado at El Rincon, a beautiful home tucked into the hills of La Cumbre. Built by Great-great Uncle Alfred in the early 20th century, it has an irrigation system cut into the surrounding rock that keeps the swimming pool fresh and sparkling, and the extensive gardens lush and green.

It's encouraging to see the younger generation taking an interest in their family history and connections that stretch to 5th cousins. 


I hope they and their children to come will join us at Fort Ross in 2025!

Colonia del Sacramento

Uruguay is just a short ferry ride away from Buenos Aires and the closest town, Colonia del Sacramento is well worth a visit.

Established as a Portuguese colony in 1680, its historic buildings, cobblestone streets and great restaurants make it worthy of a longer visit than my day-trip provided.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires (aka BA) is a big, bustling city with a metro population of over 15 million. It's a capital city with much to admire: Beaux-Arts buildings, broad avenues and leafy green parks; it's the Paris of South America.

The old port area of La Boca is where tango dancing started in the 1880s. Its colourful building and narrow streets make it a mecca for tourists today - including me!

The night we arrived in BA there was a huge protest outside the Congress building near our hotel. Tens of thousands of young porteñas were waving their green scarves and demanding the legalization of abortion.

Our hotel was low budget but very funky (in a positive sense). Set in an old historic building with no sign on the door, the long creaking wooden staircase led to an open common area that can only be described as classic Steampunk. Fortunately we had a private, clean room with plenty of hot water for about $35 USD a night!