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Sunday, July 12, 2009

Turning Hot Again....Time to Head North.

The countdown has begun as the weather is getting back up into the high 20's here and even hotter in the valley below,34 is forecast for today, with this weather remaining for the rest of the week.So with that its a good time to head north as the long range forecast for the Prince George to Prince Rupert area is also for sunny/cooler weather.Probably the best time of the year especially in rainy Rupert.I will take my time and hit the Provincial Parks along highway 16.So starting Tues morning a new adventure begins,but first,tomorrow,its off for home for a day trip to check on things and get the new len's put in my glasses...renew the trailer insurance and see family.
Yesterday was camera practice day again,including a bit of a hike over to the far ridge in the pic above to take the pic below....does that make sense?Well this is the camping area taken from the far ridge.(below)2 pic's...2 different camera's...2 different years.
I mainly took the hike because there is a small reedy lake over there that usually has many Yellow Headed Blackbirds,but nary a one was found,in fact the only birds around were hiding down in the tall reeds and to add insult,I spent most of my time trying to find my missing lens cap in the tall grass.I didn't know where i dropped it but was smart enough to check back over all the places that I sat down,figuring it popped off the strap in one of those places.And I was right cuz I found it at the first rock I sat on.Lucky this time.......smarter next time.....Oh ya!A senior moment will result in another loss probably...maybe I should buy some backup lens caps.I'm starting to ramble...not good......Below is a young Mountain Bluebird that flew down onto the road just as I was setting off on my hike.

And a baby preening,this was taken the day before.In the last few days I've noticed the young Bluebirds are all over the place around my campsite and a few of the other site's around me,so am assuming the nests were close to here.


Also taken just down the road this Savannah Sparrow.



This shot(below) was taken yesterday during the hike.A little more distance and a bit of a shaky hand.The Sparrow is a little fuzzy but the grass is clear....did the bird move when I snapped the shot?What say you,you experts.




This Little Marmot(not so little,he's the size of a large house cat)lives under the outhouse up the hill from me.Sure are lots of them around.I always remember back in the 60's at Jack fish lake in Sask.that I was feeding one a wiener and he dropped a piece,so foolishly I pointed at the dropped wiener and he grabbed my finger instead.....There I go rambling again.





For those of you who have been here to Tunkwa,are you aware of the memorial to "Old Buck." It sits almost un-noticed along the side of the road by the turnoff to the spit.I remember it back in the late 70's and went looking for it the other day and found that it hadn't been destroyed by the building of the park roadway and sites.






The story(correct me if I'm wrong)was that old Buck was the much beloved dog of Alex Blake,a fellow who loved this spot and came many times years ago with his dog Buck,who I guess also loved this place,so he found it fitting when the dog died,to bury him here at this beloved spot. Touching inscription....This will probably be my last post for a few days,at least until a new location is arrived at and... that all the campgrounds aren't so full of trees that I can't set up my internet dish.....or for that matter my T.V. dish.......Oh Horrors!Now I put my expensive "Align-a-site to work so I can find that little hole in the tree's. Adios Amigo's.








2 comments:

  1. Great shots Bill! Re your fuzzy Savannah Sparrow...when you have your camera on automatic or even on 'landscape' there are a number of sensors in the camera and they focus on what they think the subject is, which isn't always what you think the subject is. Sometimes, if your camera has a portrait setting, try that as it will concentrate focus on the subject you want with the background being less focused. It helps sometimes if the bird moves a bit...sometimes then the camera refocus's itself on to the bird. It is one of the frustrations all we 'bird picture taker's' share, unless you use a completely manual setting which not all cameras have. Hope that helps.

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  2. Yep, Shantz nailed the problem right on the head alright. If you look closely at the photo you will probably find some grass that is very sharp & that is what your auto focus.....focused on:))

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