Ruby Tuesday

The end of the beginning.

Offline - The Trouble With PS Zine Issue 4

Buy film, shoot photos, print zines, sell zines, repeat! That's the motto, but sometimes the gap on the repeat is somewhat depressing and defeating. Whether it's a disturbance in the force, being side tracked with life in general or simply having the zine printing funds tied up in an entire box of left over PS Zine Issue 3.5, we just can't seem to make PS Zine Issue 4 come to the realization it was set out to be.

I had reached out to a the photographers that inspire me the most to submit photos for "The Photographers" Issue. All but one submitted photos in a timely fashion. Thank you for that. In the meantime, we kept paying our online store and web hosting fees etc... Sitting on expenses, not living in close proximity to the bigger zine and art book fairs and hiding a box of zines in the office in the closet under the stairs was not helping replenish the zine printing fund. For that we are sorry. We finally got around to taking down the online store. Maybe the money saved will help get the presses running again one day. Maybe not. We shall see.

B.F.A./M.F.A.

There was some art on display tonight. Sometimes leaving the house just isn't in the cards. Sorry Daniel Dueck. Hopefully there is a next time.

Suicidal Tendencies

Ilford Delta 400. Shot in our garage.

Ruby Tuesday

Digging in to the archives to balance out the portraits of people to posted bird photos. With soccer season wrapping up and the peak of fall migration behind us, it may be time to get back to more portraits. It's always the preference, but it takes more work and organizing etc... Regardless, it is time.

When I first took this photo in 2013, it wasn't a keeper. The lighting and shadows were bugging me. Revisiting the same photo 4 years later, I am ok with it just the way it is.

Pumping the Brakes - The Fall Migration Story

I've had a messed up ankle since a skateboard wheel-bite/loose ball bearing left on a mini-ramp at the indoor skate park incident this past winter. So despite building a skate ramp in our own backyard this spring, skateboarding has come in second place to everything else we have on the go in summer months. The one thing we dedicate most of our summer nights and weekends to is soccer.

I was out skateboarding tonight with some friends at the local skate park. They asked where I had been all summer. I explained the story about the ankle and the soccer. What I didn't get in to was what I did with what little spare time was left.

I was out looking for and learning about birds. The competition I have with my co-worker is still ongoing.

I took a trip to King's Park on Friday night. Aside from passing ponds full of geese and gulls on the way to the park, the park seemed like it was without birds. Almost... I didn't hear a single tweet, but a Broad-winged Hawk did fly right in front of me and perched up in a tree on the other side of the path I was walking on.

I had spotted and photographed a Broad-winged Hawk earlier in the summer, so I was still sitting at 139 for 2017. I knew if I wanted to get the numbers up, we'd have to make the trip out to White Water Lake. I wanted to get down there for Spring Migration, but haven't had a day with enough free time in it for a 6 hour round trip.

This Red-tailed Hawk was perched by a road side gas station on the highway waiting for breakfast to move in the grass.

We spotted 37 species in total for the day, with 7 new species bringing my total count up to 146. A very productive day with a stop off at Delta Marsh and Delta Beach, MB on the way back to Winnipeg. Oh yeah... and Mexican food for lunch in Brandon as well.

Cattle Egret on a fence.

Why "Cattle" Egret? Because... cattle, that's why.

Great Egret - White Water Lake, MB

Faith spotted this Marsh Wren hiding in... the marsh.

Common Grackle and Red-winged Blackbirds in fall migration mode.

Saw two Great Blue Heron (one on the why and one at White Water Lake) and a handful of Ibis (White-faced Ibis I believe). The Ibis were the highlight of the day. Such spectacular looking birds.

What's next? Maybe owls. In the meantime... this ankle is ready for skateboarding! With skateboarding comes connecting with more people. With people comes more portraits and photo documenting of everything. Hopefully. There's film to develop and film to shoot.

Copyrighted 1934

A friend of mine gave me the well used bird book his father used when he was in school. He attended school a long, long time ago.

Copyrighted 1934

Written by Julius King with paintings by Allan Brooks. Credit is given to the National Association of Audubon Societies, Inc. "for the use of the excellent copyrighted color plates which make these little inexpensive manuals possible".

I have added some photographs to compliment the paintings. Some of the birds names have been tweaked since 1934, but the birds appear to remain the same.

Song Sparrow - Winnipeg, MB

Gray Catbird - Winnipeg, MB

Red-winged Blackbird - Winnipeg, MB

American Crow - Winnipeg, MB

Belted Kingfisher - Winnipeg, MB

House Wren - Winnipeg, MB

Northern Flicker (yellow shafted) - Winnipeg, MB

Eastern Bluebirds (female) - Kansas City, KS

White-breasted Nuthatch - Winnipeg, MB

Barn Swallow - I-29, North Dakota

Common Grackle - Oak Hammock Marsh, MB

American Robin - Winnipeg, MB

Western Meadowlark - Winnipeg, MB

"Canada and this country have an agreement against hunting these big birds in the spring. Now they are more numerous than ever". I am not sure what "numerous" translated to in 1934, but current North American population of the Canada Goose is close to 7 million.

You'll notice there was no garbage depicted in the painting above.

There were sightings of Red-headed Woodpeckers in Manitoba this year, but I have not been fortunate enough yet to spot one to date. Something to strive for!

Hamburger Eyes

Does anyone even read or view this blog anymore? If yes... leave a comment below so we know there is a purpose in posting photos etc...

If you are there... do yourself a favour and go buy the latest copy of Hamburger Eyes.

Kansas City Day 3

It wasn't originally in the cards to plan to make the trip to Kansas to watch soccer this year, like we did last year. Plans changed when I was invited to join the traveling Academy Teams and coaches as the photo-guy for the weekend. I gladly accepted the assignment. Great group of players and coaches to spend a few days with. Also didn't hurt to witness the boys winning 1st Place in the tournament as well.

Oh yeah... also got to watch this guy play...

Thank you WSEU!

Kansas City Day 2

Down in Kansas to cover document the adventures of three awesome WSEU Soccer Academy Teams. In the meantime... birds. Above the soccer complex there were plenty Barn Swallows, European Starlings, Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks.

That's that!