The Great Egret was a ways off so I had to shoot at 1600mm which causes all the dust and haze between the camera and the bird to compress onto the image. Also, rising air currents of warm air create air waves that light from the egret must travel through further degrading the image. This is why stars twinkle. To make matters even more challenging the long focal length provides almost no depth of field.

Great Egret

Great Egret 650 copy

  Great Egret 851 copy Great Egret 852 copy Great Egret 853 copy

I usually go to Cape Chignecto Provincial Park to look for the elusive Mourning Warbler. So, I was surprised to find a juvenile posing for me at Duncan's Cove. The hint of a wing bar is a problem since the adult mourning Mourning Warbler has none. The faint white edging to the primaries is not a problem. The faint split eye ring eliminates a lot of contenders as does the full under chin and body yellow. Note the dark smudge forming on the chest, a feature of the adult Mourning Warbler.

Mourning Warbler

Mourning Warbler 100 Mourning Warbler 101 Mourning Warbler 102 Mourning Warbler 103 Mourning Warbler 104 Mourning Warbler 105 Mourning Warbler 106 Mourning Warbler 107

The Common Yellowthroat, is well common, but it does photograph well when it poses.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat 850 Common Yellowthroat 851 Common Yellowthroat 852 Common Yellowthroat 853 Common Yellowthroat 854 Common Yellowthroat 855

My second shorebird venture was to the Rainbow Haven Salt Marsh. Alas early morning visits after the rising sun creates nasty back lighting but one has no choice since the best time to photograph shore birds is the last three hours before high tide. Cormorants, eiders and herons were also in attendance.

Double Crested Cormorant and Common Eider

Cormorant and Common Eider 100

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron 900 Great Blue Heron 901 Great Blue Heron 902 copy

Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher 200 Short-billed Dowitcher 201 Short-billed Dowitcher 202 Short-billed Dowitcher 203 Short-billed Dowitcher 204 Short-billed Dowitcher 205

I went to the West Chezzetcook Salt Marsh in mid July to photograph the arrival of the first shore birds. Broadly speaking the larger shore birds start to arrive in mid July and the smaller shorebirds, the peeps, arrive a couple of weeks later.

Greater Yellowlegs

These Greater Yellowlegs may have nested in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland.

Greater Yellowlegs 100 Greater Yellowlegs 101 Greater Yellowlegs 102

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs 100 Lesser Yellowlegs 101 Lesser Yellowlegs 102 Lesser Yellowlegs 103 Lesser Yellowlegs 104 Lesser Yellowlegs 105 Lesser Yellowlegs 109

Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher 100

Lesser Yellowlegs

Short-billed Dowitcher 101

Mostly Short-billed Dowitchers

Short-billed Dowitcher 102 Short-billed Dowitcher 103 Short-billed Dowitcher 104 Short-billed Dowitcher 105

There are marshes within the eastern half of the Chebucto Peninsula which are not easily accessible except by a major expedition through brush and forest. The Great Egret moves about these marshes and occasionally comes to a coastal salt marsh where it can be photographed. This is likely the same bird I photographed earlier.

Great Egret

Great Egret 414 Great Egret 415 Great Egret 416 Great Egret 417

Great Egret 400

Down the Hatch

Great Egret 401 Great Egret 402 Great Egret 403 Great Egret 404 Great Egret 405 Great Egret 406 Great Egret 407 Great Egret 408 Great Egret 409 Great Egret 410 Great Egret 411 Great Egret 412 Great Egret 413

The Common Yellowthroat is still feeding young. This is likely his/her second brood or perhaps a replacement for a failed first brood. Edibles look good, eh? I was surprised by the Eastern Wood-Pewee. I didn't expect to see it in a coastal location near Duncan's Cove Road. The Grey Catbird was near Chebucto Head Road

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat 100 Common Yellowthroat 101 Common Yellowthroat 102 Common Yellowthroat 103

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Eastern Wood-Pewee 100

Eastern Wood-Pewee 101 Eastern Wood-Pewee 103 Eastern Wood-Pewee 104

Grey Catbird

Grey Catbird 100 Grey Catbird 101 Grey Catbird 102 Grey Catbird 103 Grey Catbird 104 Grey Catbird 105 Grey Catbird 106 Grey Catbird 107 Grey Catbird 109

I found these Sandhill Cranes in an awkward location, back lit and on the top of a rise. I then went to visit a friend and when I returned they posed nicely in a much better location, and better lighting.

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes 701 Sandhill Cranes 702 Sandhill Cranes 703 Sandhill Cranes 704 Sandhill Cranes 705 Sandhill Cranes 706

Finding the right spot for sunset photos can be a tricky affair. I missed my opportunity this time as after I took these photos the sunset burst into  a bright red over the ocean. I should have been at Peggy's Cove Road. Well, next time.

Edge of Day

Edge of Day 106 Edge of Day 105 Edge of Day 104 Edge of Day 103 Edge of Day 102 Edge of Day 101 Edge of Day 100

My Perfect Tree is in full leaf now with a welcome guest.

Bald Eagle in Perfect Tree

The Perfect Tree 200

Perfect Tree with Guest

The Perfect Tree 201

This is a collection of Nova Scotia scenes gathered over the last couple of days.

Canada Geese at West Pennant Inlet

Canada Geese 100

The Magnificent Canada Lily

Canada Lily 100

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat 100

Cormorants Drying Their Wings

Cormorants Drying Their Wings 100 Cormorants Drying Their Wings 101 Cormorants Drying Their Wings 102

Sambro Harbour

Deep Sea Fisher 100

Luxury at North-west Arm

Fast and Furious 100

Feeding Time for Fawn

Feeding Time for Fawn 100 Feeding Time for Fawn 101 Feeding Time for Fawn 102

If Ever a Blue Water Fisher Needed Conversion to a Luxury Yacht

Luxury Blue Water Fisher 100

Sambro Harbour

Moored at Sambro Harbour 100

Yachts Moored at North-west Arm

Moored Sailboat 100 Moored Sailboat 101

Overindulgence 

New Home at Northwest Arm 100

Northern Parula

Northern Parula 100

Sailboats at the Entrance to the North-west Arm

Sailboats at Northwest Arm 100 Sailboats at Northwest Arm 101 Sailboats at Northwest Arm 102 Sailboats at Northwest Arm 103

The Need for Speed to the Fishing Spot

Speedboat Moored at Northwest Arm 100

Sambro Harbour

Trim Required 100

A Tasteful Home on the North-west Arm

What money will buy at Northwest Arm 100

Laura and I went to our usual viewing place below Chebucto Head Light. A winter coat would have been appropriate as the south-west wind was brutal but thankfully the Queen Mary 2 left on time at 6PM and we photographed it at 7 PM.

This elegant ship is the only ocean liner in the world. It is capable of year round trans ocean crossings at 26 knots. It's faster and stronger than the cruise ships that commonly visit Halifax.

The photographic conditions were not favourable due to haze. A bright sunset shining through the ship as it departs is preferred.

Courtesy Wikipedia

RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a British ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of the Cunard Line since April 2004,^[9] and as of 2025, is the only active, purpose-built ocean liner still in service.^[10][11] Queen Mary 2 sails regular transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York City, in addition to short cruises and an annual world voyage.^[12][13]

She was designed by a team of British naval architects led by Stephen Payne, and was constructed in Brittany by Chantiers de l'Atlantique. At the time of her construction, Queen Mary 2 was the longest, at 1,131.99 ft (345.03 m), and largest, with a gross tonnage of 148,528 GT, passenger ship ever built. She no longer holds these records after the construction of Royal Caribbean International's 154,407 GT Freedom of the Seas (a cruise ship) in April 2006, but remains the largest ocean liner ever built.

Queen Mary 2 was intended for some crossings of the Atlantic Ocean; the final construction cost was approximately $300,000 per berth. The cost was increased by the high quality of materials; having been designed as an ocean liner, 40% more steel was required for a cruise liner than for a standard cruise ship.^[14] Queen Mary 2 has a maximum speed of just over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and a cruising speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), which is faster than a contemporary cruise ship. Instead of the common diesel-electric configuration, Queen Mary 2 uses integrated electric propulsion to achieve her top speed. Diesel engines, augmented by gas turbines, are used to generate electricity for electric motors for propulsion and for on-board use.

Queen Mary 2's facilities include fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the first planetarium at sea.

Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2 100 Queen Mary 2 101 Queen Mary 2 102 Queen Mary 2 103 Queen Mary 2 104 Queen Mary 2 105 Queen Mary 2 106 Queen Mary 2 107 Queen Mary 2 108 Queen Mary 2 109 Queen Mary 2 110 Queen Mary 2 111 Queen Mary 2 112 Queen Mary 2 113 Queen Mary 2 114 Queen Mary 2 115

I usually arrived late in the day at my campsite or roadside clearing to spend the night in my motor home. This afforded little opportunity for photographing woodland or grassland birds although I could hear them. The Canada Jay was the highlight that I posted earlier. The Boreal Chickadee has taken over the role assumed by the Black-capped Chickadee in Nova Scotia although there are Black-capped Chickadees in Newfoundland.

I had to cut short my trip when I ran out of propane. Propane runs most everything in a motor home; heater, stove, oven, fridge and freezer. It gets very cold very fast without the furnace especially when one is parked by the ocean and the offshore wind is howling.

This is my last posting from my trip to Newfoundland in June of 2025.

Campsite Birds

Black-and-White Warbler

Black-and-White Warbler 100 Black-and-White Warbler 101 Black-and-White Warbler 102

Boreal Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee 100 Boreal Chickadee 101 Boreal Chickadee 102 Boreal Chickadee 103 Boreal Chickadee 104 Boreal Chickadee 105 Boreal Chickadee 106 Boreal Chickadee 107

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 100 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 101 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 102 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 103 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 104 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 105 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 106 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 107 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 108 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 109 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 110 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 111 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 112

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler 100 Yellow-rumped Warbler 101