Hocking Hills: Photo ops galore!

The gorgeous upper falls at Old Man's Cave in the picturesque Hocking Hills of Hocking County, Ohio. This image was created on February 20, 2018. I shot it with my landscape workhorse, the tripod-mounted Canon 5DSR, at f/16 and ISO 100. The image is a High Dynamic Range (HDR) blend of five image, with only the shutter speed varying between shots. HDR tactics are a great way to even out radical shifts from light to dark in the same scene, and is a fabulous way to up your landscape photography game.

I made this image during one of Debbie DiCarlo's and my field-based photo workshops, and we hit the lucky jackpot on this weekend. The reasonable expectation was for snow, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Instead, we got a warmish drizzly weekend. The upside of that was high water, pleasing flow in all the streams and over every falls (of which there are many). Our group was able to create scores of nice images without freezing, and as an added bonus, it scarcely rained when we were in the field, but at about all other times.

Debbie and I are repeating this workshop, this time during the weekend of January 16-18, 2019. Odds are high it will be a snowy, wintry photographer's dreamscape, but as we see with the image above, one can't really go wrong, rain or snow, warmth or cold. It'll be a good time, and a great opportunity to learn about HDR techniques, composition, lighting, and all manner of other stuff photographic. Also, there will be plenty of interesting smaller subjects, such as evergreen ferns, lichens, a great diversity of mosses, cool tree bark patterns and much more. All great macrophotography practice.

For complete workshop details, GO HERE. We are also offering a Black Friday savings of 10% between November 23-26 on this and all other multi-day workshops. Details on all of the 2019 photo workshops can be found RIGHT HERE.

30 Days of Perception: 11 - 20

Day 11 : Ditch the story

Enjoying the shapes, colour, textures and patterns

before I try to work out and analyse what I'm looking at.

Day 11: Ditch the story

Something so small, yet still worthy of my attention as I passed this rusty fence.

I paused in my walk to see what was there

and just looked and appreciated the simplicity of it all before my mind kicked in

to invent a story.

Day 12: Overlooked

From above I could see tiny raindrops glistening on one of the fir tree branches,

I bent down to see them better and was glad that I took the trouble to do this.

There are many things we may overlook when we do not take the time.

Day 12: Overlooked

Walking up the hill to go shopping.

I slowed my step to see how the fallen leaves were giving my shadow

an autumn design.

Day 13: Ground

I often look down when out walking as there is much to be seen.

I was particularly joyful to see the beautiful leaves catching the afternoon sunshine.

Day 13: Ground

After the sun disappeared, I returned home after my walk and saw what beautiful 

patterns had been created by the paving stones and the randomly fallen leaves.

Day 14: Space

This was a very unusual type of photo for me to take.

To give a feeling of space, it was suggested that we put our camera on manual settings

to create an intentional blur with a feeling of space.

This represents a stretch of grass in front of the building below mine.

We can just see a vague outline of the entrance.

Day 15: Periphery

We often focus on a subject which is very near to us

and yet out of the corner of our eye we take in the scene further afield.

I loved taking this photo of the beautiful autumn plantations down at the park

and could see the winding path to one side, inviting me to walk further.

Day 15: Periphery

When I go down to the park, I love to take photos of this fountain.

I particularly noticed the surrounding area in autumn colours.

Day 16: In-between

I pass the boxwood hedge every time I walk downtown

and on this particular day, a very luminous yellow leaf, caught between the branches,

popped out to say hello!

Day 16: In-between

I captured this in-between two pillars

as I watched the lights being put on the Christmas tree by a man on a special lift!

Day 17: Perspective

 The close-up of the train and the window reflections and then being pulled forward into the image by the leading line of the white foot barrier and then by the train itself. The strip of blue of the sky forms an arrow shape with the line on the platform.

Day 18: Subtle

The metallic road cover with a modern design had been decorated

delicately and subtly by fallen leaves in the late afternoon sun.

Day 18: Subtle.

The soft reflections on the window pane of the vegetation made

me slow down and stop on my walk.

Day 19:  Curious and Compassionate

When I follow the life cycle of a leaf from bud to decomposition after they fall from the trees onto the earth, or into water, where they slowly disintegrate. I feel compassion for the beautiful leaf at all stages of its life and growth and death which is a simple reminder of our own life seasons as we journey through life from the time of our own birth. There is beauty in all the stages of life, both in nature and in all of us.

This images tells me to embrace the change and all seasons!

Day 20: The field

My field of vision at this particular moment is my window in the evening.

It's getting dark outside and I have lit many small candles

to give a warm cosy atmosphere.

By focusing on the crocheted snowflake, I have created a soft blur with the candle flames.

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl Makes Quick Visit to Fredericton

Snowy Owl

On Saturday, November 17, a Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) was seen perched on the roof structure of the Brunswick Baptist Church in Fredericton.  When it was discovered by the local crows they began to harass it.  A video was taken and showed them annoying it mercilessly.  We tried to see it a short time after it was reported but it was gone.  We searched other Fredericton rooftops but unsuccessfully.  I assume the bird flew further up or down river where it could rest and feed in peace.  

Snowy Owl

Above is the Snowy Owl that appeared in the late fall in Jemseg a number of years ago.  These are quite likely young birds leaving the north in search of food.  We have had an influx of northern birds in the last 2 weeks, so it probably means that the food supplies in the north are dwindling.  I have seen reports of Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Northern Shrikes, and Snowy Owls.  That is exciting for us because it means we will have more birds around our feeders and possibly an exciting Xmas Bird Count.  

For a long time we believed the heavily spotted Snowy Owls were young birds.  That is only partly true.  Older birds can also be heavily spotted.  Some sources state that females and young birds are more heavily marked.  

Snowy Owls normally inhabit the tundra areas of North America.  They prefer lakeshores, marine habitats, and marshes.  When in town they often perch on rooftops.  They feed on lemmings and voles but here in the 'south' they will feed on whatever they can catch, usually rodents but sometimes ducks which they snatch off the surface of the water.  

Snowy Owl [Internet Photo]

Snowy Owls are well built to withstand the cold.  Note the feathers around the face in the photo above.  Their ears are similarly covered.  Their feet are heavily feathered, too.  Their thick covering of feathers holds in a thick layer of warm air, insulating them from extreme cold.  They are often perched near the ground out of the wind where they can watch for prey.  They are diurnal owls so they can hunt during the day or at night.  This gives them an advantage in the long summers of the far north. 

It is quite likely that more Snowy Owls will appear in the province.  Watch for them in your area.  Be sure to admire them from a respectful distance (at least 50 to 100 metres).  When they arrive they are often exhausted and starving.  Being harassed by humans is very stressing to them.  Stay well back and give them a chance to rest and feed normally.  

Happy Thanksgiving from Animal Friends

With the holiday season quickly approaching, the dogs, cats and rabbits at Animal Friends are getting excited for Thanksgiving! We encourage you to include your pets at home to join in the festivities, but what's most important is keeping them safe and healthy. Here are some helpful tips from the experts at the ASPCA to help your pets enjoy a safe Thanksgiving!

Talkin’ Turkey
If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don't offer them raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.

Sage Advice
Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delicous, but just like many other herbs, it can contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal problems and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.

Bread Dough-n't
Don't spoil your pet's holiday by giving them raw bread dough. According to the ASPCA, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to rise in their stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become life-threatening and require surgery.

There's Not Always Room for Cake 
If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs – they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.

Too Much of a Good Thing
A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with an upset stomach, diarrhea or even worse – pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best to keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.

A Feast Fit for a Kong
While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner – perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy – inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for a while, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.

We hope you and your pets have a very happy Thanksgiving! Take it easy on the turkey and please, be tasteful with the pilgrim costumes.
 

Nature: Well-managed Ohio Caverns strike awe in visitors

Visitors to Ohio Caverns will find stalactites, stalagmites and calcium tubes among the many natural underground wonders/Jim McCormac

Columbus Dispatch

November 18, 2018

NATURE
Jim McCormac

In 1896, prospectors struck gold in the remote Yukon Territory of Canada. Word slowly trickled out and, by the following year, fortune-seekers were pouring west. July 17, 1897 marks the beginning of the Klondike Gold Rush.

One month later,a boy named Robert Noffsinger struck a different kind of gold in Logan County, Ohio. He worked as a farmhand for a landowner named Abraham Reams, and they had been perplexed by the rapid disappearance of floodwaters from a low-lying depression.

Noffsinger dug into the drying pit, and encountered a large fissure in the underlying limestone. Boldly squeezing into the crevice, he popped into a labyrinth of subterranean passages. He became a spelunker into what would become known as Ohio Caverns, Ohio’s gold standard for caverns.

The landowner recognized an opportunity and, within a few weeks, began charging admission to tour the subterranean spectacle. For the next 25 years, numerous gawkers crawled through the passable corridors.

A watershed moment in cavern conservation occurred in 1922, when the cavern was sold to Allen and Ira Smith of Dayton. Prior to their ownership, irreversible damage had been done to the small part of the cave that was accessible. Souvenir-seekers plundered priceless stalactites and stalagmites, and defaced cavern walls with graffiti.

Possessed of an uncommon awareness of speleological preservation, especially for the times, the Smiths launched a plan to conserve the cavern and safely conduct visitors through its wonders.

A crew spent three years digging gravel and muck from previously inaccessible passages, taking pains to avoid damaging various formations. When all was done, more than 3 miles of tunnels were unearthed. In 1925, the Smith brothers rebranded the cavern as Ohio Caverns, and opened the area to the public.

Ohio Caverns remains in the Smith Family to this day, and their dedication to its conservation is admirable. Because of the family’s efforts, visitors can see a breathtaking subsurface —Shangri-La — that must be seen to be believed.

I recently traveled to the rolling hills near West Liberty to visit the caverns for the first time in many years. Led by an extremely knowledgeable guide, Karen, we entered the cave through a thick steel door, hustled down a flight of sixty steps, and entered the cave.

My senses were soon overwhelmed. Fields of ivory stalactites hung, tusklike, from expansive chambers. Delicate hollow tubes of calcite known as “Soda Straws” are interspersed among the stalactites, providing artistic punctuation. Thick stalagmites grew from the floors, as if opalescent spears had been shot up from below.

A tagline for Ohio Caverns — “America’s Most Colorful Caverns” — is very fitting. It’s as if a troglodytic artist daubed the rocks from a palette of ocher, sienna, rust and gold, creating cave art on an epic scale.

Before long, we came to the fabled “Crystal King”, a monstrous stalactite measuring 5 feet long and weighing an estimated 400 pounds. Its formation began about 200,000 years ago, and the King is near the cave’s deepest point, about 100 feet below the surface.

On we went, marveling at Fantasy Land, Crystal Sea, Palace of the Gods, and the Jewel Room. Understated LED lighting effectively illuminates the cavern and its geological oddities, and ample footpaths make traversing the cave easy enough. There is also a loop accessible to visitors with limited mobility.

For more information about Ohio Caverns, visit www.ohiocaverns.com or call 937-465-4017.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at www.jimmccormac.blogspot.com.

The 5-foot long Crystal King is one of many natural wonders at Ohio Caverns/Jim McCormac

Fox Sparrow

Fox Sparrows Visiting Feeders Now

Fox Sparrow

There are several reports this week (in mid-November) of Fox Sparrows (Passerella iliaca) visiting feeders around the province.  We have had one yesterday and today feeding on the ground with Dark-eyed Juncos and a White-throated Sparrow.

The Fox Sparrow is our largest sparrow.  It is a startling reddish-brown colour and shows a rounded head and medium-length tail.  It often shows some gray on its face.  The breast is white but heavily streaked and spotted with reddish brown, in triangles which converge and coalesce to a central breast spot.  It has a large  bill which it uses to feed on seeds.  Being a ground feeder it can be seen scratching with both feet sending a steam of turf and soil out behind.  It feeds on seeds, fruits, berries, insects, spiders, millipedes and small snails.  

Fox Sparrow

The Fox Sparrow is a complex species.  Ornithologists have described four races; the Sooty in the Pacific, the Thick-billed in California, the Slate-colored of the Interior West and the Red (Taiga) of  the east.  We see the Red (Taiga) race here.  This race summers and breeds in Newfoundland westward through northern Quebec, across the northern prairie provinces and through the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska.  It winters in the south-eastern US as far south as northern Florida.  Here we see it in migration as it passes through on its way north or south.  For some reason we seem to see more of them in the late fall.

Fox Sparrow

The Fox Sparrow builds its nest in dense willow and alder thickets or in forests along the coast.  The nest is built on or near the ground and is made of leaves, grass and moss.  In it are laid two to five greenish eggs with brownish spots.  Apparently the adults will perform a broken-wing display to lure predators away from the nest.

The only sparrow that could be confused with the Fox Sparrow here would be the Song Sparrow.  It is also very streaked with the streaks converging to a spot on the breast.  But, the Fox Sparrow is much larger, its streaks are much bolder and very reddish brown, its bill is larger and its tail is proportionately shorter.  If you are in doubt as to which species it is, it is probably a Song Sparrow.  The Fox Sparrow is so striking that when you see one, there is no doubt what it is.  Happy birding!

Black-legged kittiwake in central Ohio!

Waters cascading over Hoover Reservoir form the backdrop for a soaring juvenile kittiwake.

Conferences, speaking and other stuff had kept me from triggering a camera shutter for far too long, until a brief window this morning. So I ran up to commune with the now-famous black-legged kittiwake that has been frequenting the tailwaters below Hoover Dam, only a short drive away. These pelagic gulls are a rarity in Ohio, and there have only been a few Franklin County records. This one is a juvenile, with its ornate patterning. I think there has only been one confirmed record of an adult in Ohio, but we get a handful of wayward juveniles every fall/early winter, usually along Lake Erie.

This bird has been present since November 10, I believe, and has delighted throngs of onlookers. Black-legged kittiwakes are abundant, with a total population of nearly 3 million birds, but few of them make it to the midwestern U.S. In North America, virtually all of them winter at sea, in both the Atlantic and Pacific. The Hoover bird is quite cooperative, often winging by observers at very close range. Today was a typical late fall Ohio white sky day - what I would have given for blue skies and golden light! - but even so, it was possible to capture a bit of the beauty of this young kittiwake.