Reifel Bird Sanctuary With Point & Shoot
November 30, 2009 By 3 Comments
Last week I picked up a lightweight point and shoot with good zoom and macro capabilities to use as my everyday camera. The DSLR that I have been using has a superb Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens but its quality glass is incredibly heavy and therefore it’s difficult for me to carry for even a short length of time. After some research I settled on the Canon Powershot SX10IS. The initial tests at the dog park and in the house were disappointing but I was gifted one beautiful sunny day so I took it out to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, BC to see the migratory snow geese and the winter ducks.
The test went just as I expected: the 20x zoom function and video capabilities were fun to use, but the picture quality was grainy and inconsistent. The digital viewfinder was slow and shaky, making it difficult to compose the shots and the focus speed was so slow that I missed much of what I was hoping to take. The macro setting was successful in bright light but required you to position the camera mere centimeters from of the subject for a decent shot. Here is a selection of the photos I took, mostly in zoom mode which was very handy to have at a bird sanctuary.
-
- The Reifel Bird Santuary from up on the blind. The Snow Geese are the white band at land’s end.
-
- The band of white zoomed in shows a few of the Snow Geese that migrate here from the Arctic for the winter.
-
- The Sandhill Cranes landing was taken from the blind at almost full zoom.
-
- This photo was taken of Sandhill Crane was wading in the pond from the blind at almost full zoom.
-
- A showy male Bufflehead duck that was only 10 feet away in great light, but still the photo is grainy when zoomed in.
-
- A V of Snow Geese flying overhead taken at nornal range.
-
- This flying Sandhill Crane was taken at normal range. The same photo taken with the DSLR was far superior in sharpness and colour.
-
- The Sandhill Cranes are some of the most interesting birds at the island.
I thought it would be nice to have a lighter weight everyday use camera but I miss the speed, flexibility and by far the quality of the DSLR I’ve been using. The solution could be to buy a lighter multipurpose lens for travel and everyday yet I also really liked the Ultra Zoom function and the digital video. It’s back to the drawing board I guess.
Stale Bread: Not Just for the Birds
November 24, 2009 By 2 Comments
As part of my current series of experiments with sourdough I’ve committed to making a few loaves every weekend. Hubby and I can only consume about a small loaf in my house so into the freezer and over to neighbours houses go the extra buns and loaves. By the end of the week a third loaf remains and its pretty firm on the outside. It usually gets tossed in the bin or if I think of it I’ll head out to the park and give some to the ducks. I love the ducks and geese. The Mallards always sound like they are laughing at you. The bossy geese push all the little ones out of the way. They all run to greet you when you arrive at the pond. So when I chose to feed them my stale bread, I certainly didn’t take it lightly. I used to buy Goose and Duck Food from a local pet store but since I chock the bread so full of whole grains I think it’s much healthier then the pressed food pellets that I’m sure are more filler than grain.
Ducks & Canadian Geese in the Winter
Back to the sourdough. I’ve been surprised to find no fuzzy sweater, or even t-shirts, growing on the bread after long stints in the cupboard. The loaves stay soft a whole lot longer than the store bought ones; I doubt I’ve ever had a fresh bakery loaf last more than a day or two. So when I pulled out the loaf I made 10-days ago I expected it to be revolting. It wasn’t. It was firm on the outside but after filleting it like a fish and a very close eyeball and nose inspection I decided all it needed was some re-hydrating. French toast! I soaked that bad boy in a mixture of 2 organic eggs and a 1/4 cup of cream while I heated up a pan with a small knob of butter. The end result made me feel for a few moments that I was back in France. The whole grains in the bread produced a denser texture and nuttier flavour; the staleness of the bread re-hydrating with the eggs and cream making an almost custard / bread pudding-like decadent French toast. Topped with a bit of my Fallen Applesauce and some Vermont maple syrup, I gobbled up my breakfast before even leaving the kitchen and found myself with the overwhelming urge to lick the plate. Who knew I would be left with such a satisfied belly, sugar high, and the French CBC on the radio? All this from a 10-day old sourdough remnant. I suppose I will have to continue on with my weekly bread making adventure for a while longer. Winter is coming and stale bread in my house is no longer only for the birds.
