Kildeer!

The kildeer (Charadrius vociferus) , is a shorebird that resides and nests in upland habitats, sometimes far from water.

They are well known for their "broken wing display" which they use to lure predators from their nests. being very vocal, they are hard to miss, especially during this display.

This bird is from a nest not far from where I live, and they are currently incubating as I write. The weather the last week or so here has been cold and damp...it even snowed the other day! amazing how they can survive and raise a brood in our climate.

A new threat is all terrain vehicles, and since they are ground nesting, they are especially vulnerable. the dwindling Piping plover is another bird under threat since they nest on beaches, and people, unleashed dogs and 4 wheelers are increasingly common there. there are believed to be under 50 pairs in Nova Scotia, making them a species at risk.

enjoy the images, and tread carefully.
Gary.

Artist's Profile

This profile on yours truly was in the Saturday March 24th edition of the New Glasgow Evening News by Raymond Burns. . Article and photo courtesy of the Evening News.

Gary Murray comes by his skill as an outdoor photographer naturally.A lifetime spent hiking and camping developed into the craft he works hardto perfect on a near daily basis.Skill and passion for the outdoors is evident in his work, whether it's themajesty of a grazing Caribou bull shot in the wilds of Newfoundland or thesubtle beauty of a fallen leaf captured in the ice at the Steeltown Park inTrenton.Murray is a self-taught photographer."I took every photography book out of the library I could. I memorized andthen practised. I would shoot and write down everything I could. It's a goodway to learn exposure," the Stellarton resident said in a recent interview. Over the last seven years he's received lots of exposure in Atlanticpublications (he's a regular contributor to magazines like Saltscapes andEastern Woods and Waters) as well as being published in a calendar andhaving one of his prints used by the Nature Conservancy of Canada as afundraising auction item.It's not fair label him as just a nature photographer though, outdoorphotographer is a much better term, if it happens outside he'll shoot it.His body of work covers just about anything that takes place outsideincluding sports, airshows and even the odd wedding or two."I've just always been passionate about the outdoors. It's just like bikingor skiing, it's another excuse to get outdoors."Another drawing card is the fact photography draws on the physical and themental."You get to use your body and your mind. It's physical, you've got to lug 20or 30 pounds of gear around on your back and then before you use it you'vegot to think about composition and exposure."He describes his work as more of a "documentary style" meaning that what yousee is what you get, there's no jazzing things up in Photoshop. But he willtake the occasional artistic shot by juggling with lenses, filters, shutterspeeds and exposures.Of the thousands and thousands of shots he's taken two stand out as hisfavourites: a Common Merganser photo and pic of a sunset at Abrahams'sLake, both for the simple majesty of nature in its different forms. (Thesephotos can be seen in the slideshow on ngnews.ca)As much as he has favourite shots, Murray has favourite times and places forshooting.He likes photographing the most in May, June and October."The birds are back, the leaves are out and everything's new. In October Ilike the fall coloursSthe rest of the year it depends on what's out therereally."As far as favourite places go, the Cape Breton Highlands and Gros Morne inNewfoundland top the list.His advice to budding photographers is simple."Read your camera manual, buy a tripod and use it, get a polarizing filterfor your lens and read everything you can."As far as his own future in the art, Murray wants to keep learning, keepshooting and keep getting outdoors.

Late Winter- Early Spring Photography

As shades of winter pass, and we are eagerly waiting for spring to begin in earnest, one must sometimes search a little harder when making images.

The first is a good example of that. while hiking in a park in my hometown of Trenton, I saw this leaf frozen in the ice in a ditch! it is important to capture a scene like this when one comes across it, as it was a moment in time. it surely would have been gone, or very different the next day.

The next image is of maple sugar buckets, which will be making an appearance in Nova Scotia shortly.

A Ruffed Grouse drumming on a log is another sign of spring if you can get close enough to one!

Nesting usually begins in late April, though "drumming" begins earlier than that.

After a fresh snowfall is always a great time to head outdoors as great shots await. all that is needed is a little imagination, and tramping around.

gotta run, it is beginning to snow!

cheers,

Gary.

Winter Photography.

Just because the temperature drops, does not mean we have to put the camera away till' the spring.

Winter affords many different opportunities, including winter bird photography.

In many areas, the breeding birds that migrate south are replaced by birds coming from colder northern areas, such as the Purple Sandpiper in photo 1.

Photo's 2 & 3 are of Common Mergansers, male in the 2nd photo, and female in the photo above, which are resident species.

As with all wildlife photography, patience is the key. the sandpiper was photographed in the open, and after a few hours of stalking totally ignored me.

The Mergansers images were the result of many hours over several days shooting from a blind.

Blinds are great, as one can get close images with little or no stress to the subject, as it is not even aware you are there!

hopefully, others will get out and enjoy all that winter has to offer. (it makes it go faster too!)

cheers, and happy shooting.

Gary.

Seal Island Nova Scotia

Welcome to Seal Island Nova Scotia.

It is the southernmost part of Nova Scotia, Canada.

In October I had the good fortune of going to "Seal" with a group of birding friends.
We spent 5 days on the Island with sunny skies and warm temperatures the entire time, which is uncommon, considering it is in the Atlantic Ocean 20 miles offshore.

From sunrises, to sunsets, moonrises, and great company, Seal was an amazing trip.

There are fisher folk living seasonally on the island, as well as many, many, free range sheep.
Having sheep on Islands was a common practice years ago, so the survivors of the many shipwrecks around Nova Scotia would have a readily available food source.
Going there is almost like stepping back in time, and seeing a piece of our Maritime history.

Seal is a great migrant trap during migration, and we had about 103 species, including a few good ones like Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon, Eastern Bluebirds, Indigo Bunting, and Long Eared Owl, to name a few.

All in all, a great trip, enjoy the collage of images!

Gary Murray.

Barred Owl Sleeping

Howdy!

Here are 3 images from an encounter I had with a sleeping Barred Owl in October 06'.

I went for a hike in my "usual spot", sans camera gear and encountered this owl.

I usually see one about once a year in these woods from point blank range- always when I don't have my gear!

This time I hiked out ( about a half hour), drove home 11 miles, grabbed my gear and then travelled back to the spot.

Imagine my surprise when I found that the owl had not moved an inch!

2hrs., and a few rolls of film later -yes film, the owl woke up preended, stretched checked me out then flew about 100 hundred yards away to another perch.

Not wanting to stress it, I packed up, kissed the ground, thanked the gods and continued on my merry way.

an amazing experience, not to mention a great capper after being foiled for the last several years.

cheers,

Gary.

Dunes in Winter, Pictou County Nova Scotia

late afternoon sun after a clearing storm makes for great images.

Welcome to my blog!

Hi, I am Gary Murray, an Outdoor Photographer from Nova Scotia Canada.

I have decided to create this blog to bring my work to a wider audience.
hopefully after viewing my work, and reading my postings, it will motivate others to get outdoors, and to think about how rich and diverse the natural world is.
I believe that is the first step in protecting it.

I will try to update it as often as time permits, and of course add lots of nature's eye candy!

Gary.