From Pumpkins to Vultures

With autumn just around the corner many farmers near my home are now selling pumpkins and squash at the side of the road. This particular set-up, beside a soybean crop ready to harvest, caught my eye the other day. I couldn’t resist stopping to take several frames. I then proceeded to pick-up my 3 year old daughter from the babysitter and as we drove home, a few Turkey Vultures had gathered on our road, to feast on a dead Raccoon, killed by a car a few days ago. We stopped to see what might transpire and eventually one vulture landed on a fence post near the car. I shot the image below from the car with my 80-400 VR lens. My daughter’s curiosity led me to explaining why the vultures were eating a dead raccoon at the side of the road.

Read Full Post »

Boreal Bones

Here is one more image from my boreal forest trip up to the Abitibi Canyon in northern Ontario. I discovered some moose bones near one of the trails I walked. I thought this intact, lower jaw bone made for an interesting image. Discoveries like this always make me wonder what happened to this animal. I am no expert, but I did notice that the molars on this jaw bone were quite worn, possibly indicating that this was an old moose. Did it succumb last winter to old age or were wolves responsible for bringing down this majestic animal of the boreal forest, already weaken from age. It makes me wonder….

Read Full Post »