Barry Elkind Nature Photography

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Barry Elkind Nature Photography

I am a Toronto-based wildlife photographer and I love documenting the natural world around me.
© 2025 Barry Elkind, All rights reserved. Use with permission.

03/26/2026

Today I spent some time with 's visiting rare male King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), a celebrity bird that has been hanging around in Lake Ontario for many weeks. I have had the opportunity to watch it grow into a more mature plumage where green colouring can now be seen in its cheeks. The light today was horrible - I am trying here to make lemonade....

😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

03/22/2026

Burchell's Coucal (Centropus burchellii) observed in Kruger National Park. This cuckoo is near-endemic to South Africa. This summer was marked by historically nasty floods that caused closures of much of the park (bridges washed away). Despite being limited to where we could travel, we were very lucky with the diverse species encountered.

Cool fact: across Southern Africa, this bird is widely known as the Rainbird. Local folklore—and many experienced rangers—suggest that its distinctive call (a series of deep, bubbling notes that sound like water being poured out of a bottle) is a reliable predictor of rain. Because they often call when the barometric pressure drops, they frequently signal an approaching storm.

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03/18/2026

Does it ever get old shooting White-breasted Nuthatchs (Sitta carolinensis)?

NO, I say!

Do they care that spring came and subsequently was pushed out by winter?

Likely not!

Cool fact: In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice, perhaps partly because it makes food easier to find and partly because more birds can keep an eye out for predators. One study found that when titmice were removed from a flock, nuthatches were more wary and less willing to visit exposed bird feeders (www.allaboutbirds.org).

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03/15/2026

I was introduced to this Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) during this winter. On this particularly cold day, the owl was warming itself in the sun, as expected. I believe this is an "intermediate" brownish morph, as it is mostly gray with rufous colouring throughout. I welcome comments on morph status.

A note on morphs: red and gray individuals occur across the range (swipe to see range), with about one-third of all individuals being red. Rufous owls are more common in the East, with fewer than 15% red at the western edge of the range. Intermediate brownish individuals also occur in most populations (www.allaboutbirds.org).

🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉

03/12/2026

The Relentless Hunter 🦅❄️

It's not every day that I see a Merlin (Falco columbarius), and when I do, I typically don't get enough time to swing my camera in its direction. To photograph one mid-meal is a real treat.

Unlike the high-diving Peregrine, Merlins are masters of the low-altitude chase, using sheer horizontal speed and agility to intercept their prey.

Cool fact: Merlin pairs have been seen teaming up to hunt large flocks of waxwings: one Merlin flushes the flock by attacking from below; the other comes in moments later to take advantage of the confusion.

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03/10/2026

Dressed for a gala but built for the ocean. 🐧🌊

The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is the only penguin species found on the African continent.

But behind the tuxedo and the endearing waddle is a sobering reality. In late 2024 and throughout 2025, these birds were officially reclassified from Endangered to Critically Endangered. With fewer than 9,000 breeding pairs left in South Africa, they are facing a "perfect storm" of overfishing, climate change, and habitat loss.

Cool Fact: The African Penguin’s chest spots are as unique as a human fingerprint. No two penguins have the same pattern! Researchers actually use these distinct spot maps to identify and track individual birds in a colony without ever having to touch them.

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03/08/2026

Sunday doesn't mean you have to be blue 🐒

Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) male keeping watch while his family members play on the ground beneath. As promised, the "Blue" Badge: bright turquoise-blue scrota and red pen*ses. The more intense the blue, the more dominant the male.

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03/06/2026

Hang in there, it’s almost the weekend! 🐒

Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) infant "monkeying" around.

Cool fact: The "Blue" Badge: Adult males are famous for their startlingly bright turquoise-blue scrota and red pen*ses. This "red, white, and blue" display is a status symbol—the more intense the blue, the more dominant the male. Photo to come!

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03/03/2026

Very cute Snow Chicken alert:

Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) survives the frigid winters of northern Ontario by eating the buds, twigs, and catkins (the fuzzy, flowering spikes) of willow and dwarf birch shrubs. We saw a bunch of these about 10 hours north of Toronto, which is very south for these birds (irruption year).

Cool fact: Willow Ptarmigan is the only species of grouse in the world where the male regularly helps raise the chicks.

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03/01/2026

Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) having a snack on a sunny, frigid morning (circa -30 C) in northern Ontario. These cutties are the primary food supply for Canada Lynx, which appear to be abundant up north this year.

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