Gabriel Evans-Cook
Guelph, CA
Member since June 22, 2020
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Dusk Until Dawn
Just after sunset, the sky was filled with nighthawks. They were darting & dashing around the sky as they foraged for areal insect snacks. That in itself was a wonderful spectacle & filled me with admiration for the threatened species. The next morning, I was able to spot a multitude of nighthawks roosting nearby my campground. Hidden bellow sage & tucked behind dry grass, they were very well camouflaged. However, none seemed as comfortable as this individual upon their fencepost in the warm morning sun. It was wonderful to see these intricately beautiful birds in the daylight.
Alpine Wanderer
White-tailed ptarmigan are virtually invisible within their environment and I was incredibly lucky to nearly trip over a pair of them along an alpine trail. Taking hundreds of photos, I watched these birds slowly hobble around, preen, and vocalize. This particular composition was one that I had time to envision and plan: I hoped to capture the unique personality of this ptarmigan and draw attention to how beautifully the species fits in its environment.
Navigating a Tightrope of Pine Needles
Pine martens have been a particularly important subject to me since I first decided to pursue wildlife photography & this picture provided me with a moment of reflection and happiness. The photograph that inspired me to pick up a camera and photograph wildlife was one that a friend of mine took while we observed a pine marten together 2 years ago. Since then, I hadn't been able to see another pine marten... until this winter. Watching this critter slink from tree to tree, search for food and socialize with another marten in a nearby tree filled me with joy. This action shot showcases the agility and grace that a pine marten uses to traverse it's environment without having to touch the ground.
The Informant
I was out searching for snowy owls in the agricultural fields of Southern Ontario when I met a lone bird bander working with a flock of snow buntings. He was kind enough to let me document his work (from a social distance) and I was able to capture this image of a snow bunting being released after being banded. Bird banding involves placing a small metal band with a unique numerical code on a bird’s leg so that it’s movements can be reconstructed with data collected by multiple researchers. This banded snow bunting (along with many others) will hopefully help us better understand the species’ rather confusing migration routes from Greenland to Southern Ontario.
How You Wish You Could Be
While racoons are far from uncommon in Toronto, when I stumbled upon a young family of racoons playing with moths fluttering around a light fixture I couldn't help but pull out my camera and observe. The kits ran around chaotically as their mum kept a watchful eye. There was something really sweet about these racoons playing in the dead of night and I'm really pleased I was able to capture the tone through this panning shot of one kit running to try and catch a moth or two.