The end of an era?

Well ladies and gentlemen, the time has come...I'm officially closing down the blog. If we're honest, it's basically been closed down for a while now.  With so many other ways to share photos these days, it just doesn't make much sense anymore.  Maybe someday, if I ever get my act together to do some actual writing, I'll bring it back to life in one form or another.

Never fear though, as there are still plenty of ways to find me on the interwebs.  Here are some of them:

Website: www.kylehorner.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KyleHornerNature
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KHornerNature
Instagram: www.instagram.com/khornernature/

That'll be all for now.  I leave you with this photo of a dragonfly:

Swift River Cruiser (Macromia illinoiensis)

Jonesin'

Well, it's always this time of year that I begin to get desperate for the Spring, and the return of the frogs, snakes, dragonflies, butterflies, spiders and other creatures that I love to watch and photograph. It seems to be taking an especially long time this year, which makes it even worse!

My restlessness is good for one thing at least - it gets me editing photos in my never-ending backlog! I happen to have reached Northern Water Snake on the (alphabetical) list, and it added a little insult to my injured state when I realized that the photos below were taken on April 5 last year. That date is so close, but water-snake-watching seems so far away!

Nevertheless, I spent a great afternoon with the water snakes at Royal Botanical Gardes last Spring. They are undoubtedly one of my favourite Ontario species, though not everybody feels the same way! I think these shy, peaceful snakes are solid contenders for the most misunderstood species in our province, and I can't get enough of them!

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) and Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)

Think warm thoughts!

Kyle

New year, new (old) blog?

Hello!

Well it's a full 7 months since I last posted here - in fact I let pretty much all of my social-media-type things go in the latter half of 2014.  Just needed a break I suppose, and a bit of a re-think.  But with the onset of 2015 I'm diving back into the mix, and there are many changes and updates to annouce!

First and foremost, about a month back I published a new website!  The old one was long overdue for an upgrade, and I'm excited to have something new, simple and clean.  You can see it in the same bat-place:

www.kylehorner.com

Secondly, I have taken yet a third reluctant plunge (Facebook and Twitter being long under the belt) into a social medium, and gotten an Instagram account.  Do you Instagram?  If so, you can find me here:

http://instagram.com/khornernature/

Thirdly, I'm excited to be guiding a trip to Florida for Eagle Eye Tours in about a month's time.  If you have some spare cash and nothing to do mid-Feb, you can find the details here:

http://www.eagle-eye.com/florida-birding-tour

And finally, with photography and other activities being slow in the winter, I have been working hard to process as many photos as I can, and finally get my collection up-to-date!  Here's a whole bunch of shiny new edits from the last few months:

Definite Tussock Moth (Orgyia definata)

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Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris)

Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum)

Long-tailed Salamander (Eurycea longicauda)

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)


American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)


Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)


Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus)

Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion)

Masked Treefrog (Smilisca phaeota)

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

Fingers crossed for more to come (New Years resolutions being what they will)!

Kyle

Mission: Bloodroot

Hello!

I have finally managed to get out and do some shooting, and am now sorting through a whack of photos from the last little while.  This morning I decided to go in search of a spring wildflower that I've been wanting to photograph for a while: Bloodroot.  Those who know me know that I'm not much of a plant person, but I try to get myself out there at least once per Spring to take advantage of the spectacular blooms that dapple the forest floor.  They are actually tons of fun to shoot, and move less than my usually quarry.  I'm almost always pleased with the results.

Bloodroot, somehow, has evaded me in previous Springs...I always seem to miss it.  But I knew the timing would be right today, and I had fortuitously booked the day off work, so it was the perfect opportunity!  Exposing these snow-white flowers properly is a challenge, both in-camera and in post, but I did manage to get some shots I'm pretty happy with.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

I did shoot some other wildflowers as well, and couldn't resist a few animal subjects, so hopefully more photos soon!

Kyle

More Odes!

Spring seems to finally be springing - what a gorgeous day!  Had my first Killdeer of the year, and my first stoneflies too.  There is hope for the future.

In the meantime, the dragonfly (and damselfly) editing spree continues!  Here are some more:

Cherry-faced or Ruby Meadowhawk (Sympetrum sp.)

Cherry-faced or Ruby Meadowhawk (Sympetrum sp.)

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)

Hopefully we'll be seeing some in-person soon!

Kyle

Playing catchup...as always!

Hello!

Somehow managed to get motivated to edit some photos still in the sort pile from last year today!  Here are some dragonflies and damselflies from the year that was 2013:

Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata)

Frosted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia frigida)

Hagen's Bluet (Enallagma hageni)

Lance-tipped Darner (Aeshna constricta)

Hopefully progress continues!  Won't be long (hopefully) until we're seeing dragonflies for real!

Kyle

Getting Back to Business

Hello world!

I can't believe that my last blog post was "A few fall photos...", nearly 5 months ago!  It has been a long winter in many ways, and I haven't spent much time thinking about blogs or Facebook or photos.  Although the winter is typically a slow season for me, especially from a photography standpoint (a major challenge of specializing in reptiles, amphibians and bugs), it has been punctuated by some exciting things!  I co-lead my first tour for Eagle Eye Tours (a hunt for endemic birds in Central Mexico), and had a great time delivering presentations for the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Flamborough Probus Club, the Royal Botanical Gardens Docents and Nature Guelph.  I also just recently had an image published in Ontario Nature magazine, attached to a great article about the Long Point Causeway Improvement Project (p.7)!

As the weather warms (sort of) I'm trying to get back on top of things, in preparation for the return of the migrants and the emergency of all the scaly, slimy and crawly things that I love.  I've been working on a few odds and ends, such as:

• Updating my Upcoming Presentations page.

• Refurbishing my long-dormant Flickr profile.

• Taking the plunge into the strange, new world of 500px.

Today I even edited a few photos from my giant pile!  Here are a trio from last summer that never saw the light of day:

Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea)

Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea)

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)

Now all I need is for Spring to arrive, and I'll be all set to go!  Getting a bit impatient...

Kyle