Nature in the City – spring has arrived to Saskatoon
After a few days of unseasonably warm weather, signs of spring are everywhere: robins are busy looking for earthworms in my backyard and the elm trees in front of my house are slowly releasing new leaves. I went for a walk along the South Saskatchewan River and managed to photograph prairie crocuses at Petturson’s Ravine. It is so strange to be able to still see them in May. A very late season this year. Here are a few images from the project to photograph elements of Urban Nature for a series of lectures that I will be presenting during the NatureCity Festival (May 25 – 31,...
Read MoreNature in the City – birds along the edge of ice
I can not believe that we have had winter conditions in Saskatoon for over 6 months. This is the longest period of continuous snow cover that I can remember. Finally, we experienced a day or two of warm weather last week and the ice cover on South Saskatchewan River started to rapidly melt away. I decided to walk along the river bank and try to photograph birds that started to congregate along the ice edge. My goal was to capture interesting patterns including birds at the edge of flowing river and ice. This is not my usual photography taken at the edge of daylight – sunrise &...
Read MoreNature in the City – a photo journey to explore the Urban Nature
In May of this year I will be giving a public presentation on the topic of “Nature in the City”. This talk is part of the week-long festival Wild About Saskatoon, to celebrate nature and culture in the City of Saskatoon. Here are the first few images from a photographic journey to uncover and, hopefully, better understand how we as urban dwellers connect with elements of nature in the city. Urban Nature is more than just remnants of wild nature that is surviving within the city limits after humans took over and modified the original environment to suit our needs. Urban Nature is...
Read MoreMigrating geese signal that spring has arrived on the prairies
A sure sign that spring has arrived on the prairies is the sight and sound of hundreds of thousands of geese that are gathering on the fields and slews across the province. Saskatchewan provides major habitat for breeding birds and migrants that stop to feed and rest during their long trip to breeding grounds further north. Migratory birds follow numerous routes, guided by natural features such as mountain ranges and major river systems. There are four loosely defined major North American migratory flyways (broad areas in which migration routes are associated with a definite geographic...
Read MoreMistaya Canyon in winter, Banff National Park
At the end of the winter photography trip to Kootenay Plains, I made a short stop in Banff National Park to photograph Mistaya Canyon covered in fresh powdery snow. Mistaya Canyon is a little brother to the better known Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park. It is a twenty-metre deep slot canyon carved out by ice scraping and water erosion in the underlying limestone rock. The Mistaya Canyon does not receive as many visitors as the Maligne Canyon. However, deep pothole depressions, underground water outlets, and swirling water provide endless opportunities to a photographer who is willing...
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