Frostbite

After three hours of tramping about along the banks of the Bow river in minus 22 Celsius temperatures, I suspect that I also had the appearance of this great horned owl layered in frost. Of course I may not have had the same haggard look of this owl, as he was being harassed by a gang of magpies when I happened along. I believe he was pleased when I worked in closer for a capture, as the magpies took their leave at that point. He had actually been in a different tree but the magpies had got the best of him and he had taken refuge in this tree temporarily as when I passed by later, he had moved on.



You have to feel for wildlife with the temperatures that we have been experiencing in the area for the past week. If you are near any open water you will notice that the ice flows are covered in huge flocks of geese and ducks hunkered down with their feet tucked in and their feathers puffed out for maximum insulation purposes. I also noticed a pair of bald eagles doing passes of the river looking for their next meal. I shot several photos as they flew past at a distance, but nothing to write home about. I am still mad at myself as I missed a superb capture of a eagle yesterday, who almost took my head off he seemed that close after he took a duck out of the air and with the duck in his talons, disappeared behind heavy tree cover along the bow. Here I was looking stunned with way to long a lens in place on my camera and my other camera body with my zoom mounted-in my pack, oh well that's what makes shooting photos fun-the thought of images yet to be captured.


I am kept busy charging batteries for my cameras lately as this cold raises hell with the staying power of the batteries. My main camera has a additional grip mounted on it that allows for a pair of lithium ion batteries in place to power the camera as well as supplying power for my image stabilization lens. So anytime I am in the truck, I plug in my inverter and power up my battery charger for charging batteries for both my cameras as well as my electronic flash. While out in the cold I carry my spare batteries inside my jacket out of the cold. If the temperature is really cold, I will keep them in a pocket with a chemical hand warmer. If you have not used these hand warmers, you should try them as they work great for a multitude of things other than warming your hands. I also keep them in my emergency pack that I carry in my truck as well. Well enough rambling as its time to head in for a coffee at my favorite coffee stop. Catch ya next time.