What's It All About, eh?

Cape Breton evokes deep memories and strong emotions for me as well as a deep appreciation for the beauty of my adopted island. My hopes are that you too might find the photos evocative - maybe a view you've not enjoyed before, or an 'Oh I've been there', or if from away that you may be encouraged to visit this fair isle so that you might come to love and breathe Cape Breton as I do. One word about place names that I use - some are completely local usage while others are from maps of Cape Breton that I've purchased over the years. I frequently post travel and other photos that are of interest to me - and hopefully you.

On the right hand side bar find my take on Single Malt whiskey - from how to best enjoy this noble drink to reviews (in a most non-professional manner) of ones that I have tried and liked - or not. Also musings, mine and others, on life in general.

Photographs are roughly 98%+ my own and copy-righted. For the occasional photo that is borrowed, credit is given where possible - recently I have started posting unusual net photographs that seem unique. Feel free to borrow any of my photos for non-commercial use, otherwise contact me. Starting late in 2013 I have tried to be consistent in identifying my photographs using ©smck on all out of camera photos I personally captured - (I often do minor computer changes such as 'crop' or 'shadow' etc but usually nothing major), and using
©norvellhimself on all photos that I have played around with in case it might not be obvious. Lately I have dropped the ©smck and have watermarked them with the blog name.

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El Día Bueno Colombia - Bienvenidos a mi blog - y la esperanza de usted volverá otra vez. ¡Sinceramente Él mismo!

Pileated Woodpecker - (Dryocopus pileatus)



03 March 2013

"Uncommon and local; a wary bird of extensive deciduous or mixed forests", A Guide to Field Identification BIRDS of North America.  

 I feel that the 'wary' is still quite descriptive but with the burgeoning housing developments on the eastern seaboard of United States I personally believe that the Pileated is adapting to living in smaller forests and around houses that have surrounding woodlands of four to five acres and more. 

The Pileated is often observed in our woods and around the house but this wary bird is hard to photograph.  These photos were taken just now through the window in our living room.  I was hoping to get clearer more defined pictures by going outside very carefully.  But he, very carefully, flew away giving that raucous startled chicken squawk that identifies him even when he isn't seen.

InseparableBuddies

6 January 2013

The One That Didn't Get Away (update)



About 1975
My father-in-law, ' Dick' Bullock, in charge of food services for Air Canada flights out of London, had flown in from Heathrow in London to visit with us in Cape Breton for a week or so. On his last day with us he was able to buy a so-called sea salmon that had been caught off shore in the Atlantic by fishing boats making hauls for other fish. I talked him in to going up to the large pond behind the house and posing with fishing equipment as if he had caught this lovely fish there. When he flew back, on Air Canada, he had the food crew put his fish on ice for the trip home to England. The crew all knew him well and he made a production of showing them these photos of how he had caught the salmon in the wild. It went over well and he kept up the charade until he also showed the London terminal crew the photos. I think he had to buy them all a round after he broke the joke to them.

The young boy in the bottom scene is my older son Shawn