Snow Geese in Fall Migration – Réservoir Beaudet, Victoriaville

Lunar Eclipse of the Goose - by Jocelyne Feizo http://www.pbase.com/jofe

Upwards of 100,000 Snow Geese during Fall Migration in VictoriavilleAlmost everyone within driving distance of Victoriaville, Quebec that’s into birding and Wildlife photography is heading out to Réservoir Beaudet for the fall migration of Snow Geese. Upwards of a hundred thousand Snow Geese can congregate in this quaint little reservoir across the road from the Lactantia Dairy Plant. From passionate birders to the mere curious, all assemble to admire these birds. They’re just about everywhere you look. On the lawn in the water and up in the sky. The Snow Geese feed mostly in neighboring fields devouring the post harvest left overs. Later in the day the Snow Geese return to the reservoir (Réservoir Beaudet) in clouds of hundreds if not over a thousand Geese at a time. They fly in into the late evening hours joining the already large community. This is not to say that the number of geese during the day is at Continue reading

Argiope aurantia Spider – Your Common Black and Yellow Garden Spider

Female Argiope aurantia - your Common Black and Yellow Garden Spider - Photo by Steve Troletti

Last Friday I received almost 400 visits from searches regarding yellow and black spiders with Zig Zag patterns in their web. With that in mind Ive updated this article and put it back at the front of the line as  little educational F.Y.I. Enjoy! If you live in North America chances are you’ve come across a female Argiope aurantia spider in your back yard, garden or in a field. They’re commonly known as the Common Garden Spider, Black and Yellow Garden Spider, Writing Spider, or Corn Spider. They span from Central America into Canada and various species of them are found across the planet. You will usually see the females as in this particular picture and they can be quite big and impressive. They weave a large transparent Orb Web with a vertical Z pattern in the middle. They’ll spend much of their day in their web waiting for prey. Continue reading

Killdeer Photos added to the Gallery

Killdeer in the water keepin on eye up on the sky!

This week I had the pleasure to come across a whole bevy of Killdeer and a few different Sanderling on the outskirts of Bolsa Chica Nature Preserve right here in Socal! Although the mid-day light was harsh and less favorable I had an absolute blast photographing these birds for a couple of hours. Like all good things the opportunity came to an end when one of the Killdeers took panic and the whole lot evacuated. Keep an eye on my Plover Photo Gallery: http://www.trolettiphoto.com/wildlife_photography_birds_plover_pluvier_charadriidae_limicoles as I’ll be posting a few more photos in the coming week. Don’t forget you can keep track of all the posted images by following my TWITTER, FACEBOOK and GOOGLE+

Spotted Sandpiper – Added to the Photo Gallery

Lesser Yellowlegs on the run

Just added to the Photo Gallery: A Spotted Sandpiper on the run along the river jumping from rock to rock… More Bird Photography: http://www.trolettiphoto.com/birds-oiseaux-photo-galleries  

One Month After Earth Day Montreal is Still an Environmental Tragedy

Snapping Turtle in Trash along Montreal River

A few years back I was appalled by Montrealers who carelessly threw their trash all over the city streets. Even more appalling was how they brought that same behavior into the surrounding Nature Parks. Coming from California this was a total culture shock. At the Time I decided to document the over abundant accumulation of trash on the banks of Montreal’s Back River (Rivières des Prairies) along the Île-de-la-Visitation Nature Park. With a bit of pressure from my videos and pictures it appeared that the overall problem was at least being addressed by park and city officials. Time Warp to 2012, 12 days after Earth Day 2012 (Aprill 22) and what I witnessed was even more shocking. On Friday May 4, 2012 I found myself in Montreal. It was a cloudy day that didn’t inspire me much as far as photography was concerned. I decided to go for walk and Continue reading

The Call of the American Bittern (VIDEO)

Male American Bittern Calling Out

What’s that deep bellowing sound in the marsh?The American Bittern is an elusive and timid bird that is rarely seen in proximity of humans. They are also experts at camouflage in marshes and wetlands regardless of their larger size. The only thing that will give away the presence of this medium sized member of the Heron family is its distinctive bellowing call. Almost everyone who visits marshes as part of a nature walk during the mating season is sure to hear this low billowy sound engulf the marsh. At first not everyone identifies the sound but once you know it you won’t forget it! Yesterday I took the time to visit a Marsh encompassed in a large natural preserve, a Nature Park! I hadn’t been to this particular Marsh in nearly a year and wanted to investigate the early spring arrivals. To my surprise both the female and male American Continue reading

The sky is falling!

Canada Goose - The Sky is Falling

“O Turkey Lurkey!” says Goose Loose ” the sky is falling”Photographing a Canada Goose can get very mundane for a wildlife photographer. By the end of Spring the abundant numbers of these large and vocal birds make photography less than challenging. We can however not resist the temptation as we get excited to see them arrive early Spring year after year. Although I try hard not to publish too many photos of Canada Geese, I found this one way too amusing to keep for myself. MORE CANADA GOOSE PHOTOS ON WWW.TROLETTIPHOTO.COM I observed her on her nest staring into the heavens with what seemed to be a look of worry. The Chicken Little story, claiming the Sky is falling, immediately came to mind. When I proofed my photos the result was better than I had expected. I quickly searched for the phrase “The Sky is Falling” and found plenty of Continue reading

Butterflies and Moths Go Free 2012

Butterflies Go Free 2012

like Day and Night! February 16 to April 29, 2012From February 16 to April 29, 2012, the Main Exhibition Greenhouse and the Ferns Greenhouse of the Montreal Botanical Garden host the 15th edition of Butterflies Go Free. That’s right the 2012 edition of Butterflies go free will be featured in two separate greenhouses this year. Visitors to this special edition of Butterflies Go Free will discover species of butterflies with day or night behavior. Come admire over 2,000 butterflies and moths flying about in the two Botanical Garden greenhouses (the Main Exhibition Greenhouse and the Fern Greenhouse).   Pictures from our Gallery Featuring Butterflies from 2011 BROWSE AND BUY PRINTS ONLINE ON OUR PHOTO GALLERY: HTTP://PHOTOS.TROLETTIPHOTO.COM   Bug Bites Butterflies Go Free* In a greenhouse filled with tropical butterflies… a short presentation arrives just in time to answer the most frequent questions that pop to mind when observing these amazing insects. Continue reading

3 New Red Fox Pictures added to the Photo Gallery

Red Fox Profile View by Steve Troletti

The Mammals photo gallery has recently been updated with three new pictures of a Male Red Fox. One photo is of a chase scene as the Red Fox hunts a Grey Squirrel. This male Red Fox is a newcomer to the area. He’s got a stare that’s like no other, kind of grumpy serious looking. He’s an outstanding hunter who’s currently sharing this territory with a Female Red Fox. If we’re lucky we might see some kits this year! You can visit the Mammals Photo Gallery on trolettiphoto.com by following this link: http://photos.trolettiphoto.com/mammals-mammiferes     Related articles Sierra Nevada Red Fox to be Considered for Endangered Species Act Protection (yubanet.com) Mount Rainier Park: Don’t feed the Cascade foxes (thenewstribune.com) Biodiversity: Sierra red fox considered for endangered list (summitcountyvoice.com) Is a red fox’s habitat threatened (wiki.answers.com) Sierra Red Fox May Get Endangered Protection (naturalhistorywanderings.com)

Stop Harassing Exhausted Snowy Owls

Rescued Male Snowy Owl in Captivity

Photographers Chasing Down Fatigued Owls Near Death(VERSION FRANÇAISE) I’m dedicating this blog post in Memory of the Snowy Owl found alongside Highway 30 and rescued by Sylvain Lamoureux, member the Birding Club, COL (Club d’ornithologie de Longueuil) on the 16th of December. Sylvain promptly brought the Owl to the Saint-Hyacinthe Veterinary Hospital, The Bird of Prey Clinic. The Snowy Owl was diagnosed with hypothermia and exhaustion. On Sunday the 18th of December 2011 the Snowy Owl passed away despite all of the effort and excellent care it received.  Late November usually marks the beginning of the Snowy Owl’s arrival in Southern Quebec. These Owls migrate from the far North regions of Quebec and arrive fatigued. Sometimes even too fatigued to hunt and feed themselves. They just need to rest peacefully in agricultural fields and regain their strength. Last year the Snowy Owls didn’t come. Favorable weather, hunting conditions and I’m guessing other factors kept them Continue reading