MALE & FEMALE MALLARDS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 11/10/2024

 

NONBREEDING FEMALE SNOW BUNTING, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 11/10/2024 - NEW SPECIES TO LIFE LIST

   We can ID this bird as a nonbreeding female Snow Bunting as follows:

• Short-legged and broad-necked. 
• Very short conical bill, orange with black tip.
• Underparts are white with rufous flanks and rufous breast band.
• What we can see of the wings are a combination of black, white and rufous.
• The head is a combination of whitish, rufous and black with a large dark spot.
• The foreneck is grayish.

   The Snow Bunting is a new species to our ebird Photographic Life List.

 

NONBREEDING PURPLE SANDPIPER, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 11/10/2024 - NEW SPECIES TO LIFE LIST

   We can ID this sandpiper as a nonbreeding Purple Sandpiper as follows:

• Habitat: The Purple Sandpiper is found almost exclusively on wave-washed rocks, which is where this one was seen.
• Relatively long bill, orange at base and slightly drooped at tip (can see this best in last photo).
• Orange legs.
• Head, neck and upper breast are gray
• Rest of underparts are white with gray spots.
• Upperparts are dark gray to almost black.

   The Purple Sandpiper is a new species to our ebird Photographic Life List.

MALE GREEN-WINGED TEAL IN BREEDING PLUMAGE AND TWO FEMALES, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 11/10/2024

 

MALE HAIRY WOODPECKER, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 11/10/2024

   We can tell this a Hairy Woodpecker and not a Downy Woodpecker by the relatively long length of its bill, the all-white tail feathers (the Downy has dark bars/spots on its tail feathers) and its relatively large size when I saw it.

 

GEORGE'S CLAY PLATES, BOWLS & VASES, 2010-2016, 11/9/2024

 

GEORGE'S CLAY SCULPTURE, 2010-2016, 11/9/2024

   These sculptures of animals in clay were done from 2010 to 2016.  In 2014 I started to paint and around 2016 I switched from clay to painting in acrylic and collage. The main reason I switched, was that you had to fire clay twice in a kiln and I couldn't really have a kiln in my house.  So, I switched over to painting in acrylic and collage.  Much easier to do in a house. 

   How I switched from clay to painting is interesting.  Sharon originally suggested I could avoid the second firing of the clay after glazing by painting the pottery with acrylic paint.  The reason I never did this was I would still have to fire the pottery once and you couldn't use the acrylic paint on anything you might eat or drink from.  In the end I switched over to acrylic painting.