\u00a0Thanks to Ron Marshall from Barnsley for standing in at short notice at the October meeting.\u00a0As always, \u00a0Ron gave us\u00a0a most interesting talk\u00a0illustrated with his professional grade photos of a trip he took with\u00a0his wife to Manitoba in June. He flew to Winnipeg and visited the Ridings National Park, a huge reserve covering 1148 sq. miles of unspoilt forests, lakes and streams. The park is famous for its black bears, and holds one of the\u00a0 largest concentrations in North America. Ron took some excellent shots while being careful\u00a0not to get too close, as black bears\u00a0can run extremely fast if they feel threatened. Also seen in the park, were nesting great northern divers in their beautiful summer plumage, Bonaparte’s gull, and perhaps most spectacular of all, the scarce great grey owl, a huge bird with bright yellow eyes set in large feathered facial discs.<\/p>\n
Wanting to visit Churchill near the Arctic circle, Ron had to take the two day journey on the sleeper train\u00a0as there are no roads to this remote town. Churchill\u00a0grew from a remote outpost to a bustling seaport with the construction of the Hudson Bay railroad and port in the 1920s, but its now a world renowned hotspot for bird and wildlife watching in spring and autumn. In June many of the breeding birds are in full summer plumage particularly the black throated diver and red necked phalarope both photographed with a stunning backdrop of wildflower blossom.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0Thanks to Ron Marshall from Barnsley for standing in at short notice at the October meeting.\u00a0As always, \u00a0Ron gave us\u00a0a most interesting talk\u00a0illustrated with his professional grade photos of a trip he took with\u00a0his wife to Manitoba in June. He … Continue reading