The cold weather has kept us cabin bound but we ventured forth around our place at Portuguese Cove for one last look at 2017 .

Herring Cove

Herring Cove 1SONY DSC Herring Cove 2SONY DSC Herring Cove 3SONY DSC

A car carrier at the entrance to Halifax's inner harbour opposite the McNab's Island Light

Hoegeh Sydney 1SONY DSC

Portuguese Cove

Portuguese Cove 1SONY DSC

The Wood Duck which we have named Sanford after the park he frequents summer and winter, Sir Sanford Fleming Park, Halifax. He is tame and definitely the "boss bird" of the flock of mallards and black ducks that swim with him.

Wood Duck

Wood Duck 1SONY DSC Wood Duck 2SONY DSC Wood Duck 3SONY DSC Wood Duck 4SONY DSC Wood Duck 5SONY DSC Wood Duck 6SONY DSC Wood Duck 7SONY DSC Wood Duck 8SONY DSC

This Great Egret was fishing for eels successfully on the north shore of Cole Harbour just after Christmas and before the arctic low descended on us all. It was a healthy bird and should have winged its way south.

Great Egret

Great Egret 1001SONY DSC Great Egret 1002SONY DSC Great Egret 1003SONY DSC Great Egret 1004SONY DSC Great Egret 1005SONY DSC Great Egret 1006SONY DSC

The camera can often capture what the naked eye cannot. These moving water photos are an example of patterns and colours not seen otherwise known as fun with polarizing filters. Moving Water 1001SONY DSC Moving Water 1002SONY DSC Moving Water 1003SONY DSC Moving Water 1004SONY DSC Moving Water 1005SONY DSC Moving Water 1006SONY DSC Moving Water 1007SONY DSC

I joined the stampede to New Brunswick to see our continent's first confirmed record* of a Mistle Thrush. This European thrush specializes on eating mistletoe berries hence ensuring wide distribution of the plant. It's a tough bird and New Brunswick's winter will surely be a test for it.

My photographs are of poor quality thanks to shooting almost directly into the sun and obliquely through two panes of dirty glass but in this business you get what you get.

*Confirmed record means seen by several competent observers, a recorded song or call note, or photographed all with minimum possibility of error. This does not imply that the bird has not visited before numerous times but simply that it was not encountered by observers who knew what to see or hear.

Mistle Thursh

Mistle Thrush 2SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 3SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 4SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 5SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 6SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 7SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 8SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 9SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 10SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 11SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 12SONY DSC Mistle Thrush 13SONY DSC

Every year there are late migrating passerines(perching birds). I photographed Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lapland Longspur, Grey Catbird and Hermit Thrush. The Hermit Thrush travels with the robins, since it is a fellow thrush after all. One winter we had a Yellow-rumped Warbler stay and survive a winter with us. Feeding overwintering birds suet is important. Upside down suet feeders are the best as they deter corvids(jays, crows, ravens) from cleaning it out.

Expect Orange-crowned Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler and other assorted less common birds in December.

Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler 12

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat 8 Common Yellowthroat 9 Common Yellowthroat 10

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler 10

Lapland Longspur

Lapland Longspur 1001 Lapland Longspur 1000 Lapland Longspur 1002 Lapland Longspur 1003

Grey Catbird

Grey Catbird 4.

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush 1004 Hermit Thrush 1005 Hermit Thrush 1009 Hermit Thrush 1010 Hermit Thrush 1008

I watched this Yellow-crowned Night Heron as it fed. It's bill of fare consists of minnows, eels, shrimp and its mainstay, crabs. Smaller crabs are swallowed whole complete with appendages but larger crabs get special and gruesome treatment. First the claws are knocked off against a rock then the shell is crushed in the middle and then its tossed in the air and swallowed whole. If you doubt this check the photographs.

The Unlucky Crab is Nabbed

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1020 Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1021

Down the Hatch

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1022 Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1023

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1024

A Job Well Done

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1025

The Smaller Crabs are Eaten Whole

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Eating 1026

The Snowy Egret visited the Sambro Bog and perhaps stayed too long for its own good. I wish it well on its journey. I was never close to the bird so all my images are cropped.

I hope to be back in business now with two new computers and lots of photos to edit. A hard drive failure is not fun so be prepared as best you can and remember it happens to everyone eventually. Always store your precious memories on an external hard drive. Snowy Egret 1000 Snowy Egret 1001 Snowy Egret 1002 Snowy Egret 1003 Snowy Egret 1004 Snowy Egret 1005 Snowy Egret 1006 Snowy Egret 1009 Snowy Egret 1010 Snowy Egret 1011 Snowy Egret 1012

Fall colours in Nova Scotia are always a treat to see and photograph. I toured a few common spots for these images.

Fall Colours 2017 21 Fall Colours 2017 18 Fall Colours 2017 20 Fall Colours 2017 19 Fall Colours 2017 22 Fall Colours 2017 25 Fall Colours 2017 23 Fall Colours 2017 24 Fall Colours 2017 26 Fall Colours 2017 1 Fall Colours 2017 3 Fall Colours 2017 8 Fall Colours 2017 11 Fall Colours 2017 12 Fall Colours 2017 6 Fall Colours 2017 16 Fall Colours 2017 17 Fall Colours 2017 10 Fall Colours 2017 14-1 Fall Colours 2017 7-1 Fall Colours 2017 15-1 Fall Colours 2017 13-1 Fall Colours 2017 5-1 Fall Colours 2017 4-1 Fall Colours 2017 9-1

I visited Duncan Reef yesterday and met my first Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs of the year. The photos seen here are from my archive since I cannot process images due to a hard disc failure on my computer. Fortunately everything is backed up. I am currently using a lowly laptop(how can anyone type with these small keys?)

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Lapland Longspur

Lapland LongspurLapland Longspur

I photograph in RAW which is like a digital negative of 50 to 80 megabytes each. Only my desktop computer and Adobe can process these images and it needs a lot of computer horsepower. I should have a new hard drive delivered tomorrow so if everything goes well I'll input the operating system and then load my backed up C drive. All my photos are stored in a separate external hard drive.

It was a hat trick this evening; Queen Mary 2, Zuiderdam and Celebrity Summit. I always try to photograph these ships near sunset to get the best light. I cannot take credit for the Harvest Moon and the late departure of the Queen Mary 2. Most good photographs are made with luck; no planning, no skill and no fancy equipment. It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2 19 Queen Mary 2 20 Queen Mary 2 21 Queen Mary 2 22 Queen Mary 2 23 Queen Mary 2 24 Queen Mary 2 25 Queen Mary 2 26 Queen Mary 2 27 Queen Mary 2 28 Queen Mary 2 29

Celebrity Summit

Celebrity Summit 3 Celebrity Summit 4 Celebrity Summit 5 Celebrity Summit 6 Celebrity Summit 7

Zuiderdam

Zuiderdam 1 Zuiderdam 2 Zuiderdam 6 Zuiderdam 8 Zuiderdam 9 Zuiderdam 10

The Yellow Ladies'-Tresses Orchid is the latest blooming of our native orchids. It is found on partially exposed barren ground and like all ladies'-tresses orchids is difficult to photograph well mostly due to depth of field issues. I have not found any groups yet just individual stands. Look for the butterscotch colour on the lower lip. It's diagnostic. Yellow Ladies'-Tresses Orchid 1 Yellow Ladies'-Tresses Orchid 4

I found my second Yellow-crowned Night Heron of the year. This is my third one between Ketch Harbour and Indian Harbour on the Chebucto Peninsula's south coast. They favour working streams of fresh(ish) water where the stream enters the ocean. Perhaps the crabs taste better or are more abundant here. There are also small fish and eels to enjoy. Yellow-crowned Night Heron 21 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 22 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 23 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 24 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 25 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 26 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 27 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 28 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 29 ls to enjoy.