Trick or treat, bag of sweets, ghosts are walking down the street.
Happy Halloween!
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As the days get shorter and colder, many animals looking for a warm place to spend the winter. I love helping them survive the cold season with a few simple steps.
With a few small gestures in my own backyard, I’ve seen how much of a difference it can make. My garden has become my retreat, and I love knowing it’s also a haven for many animals.
What about you? This fall, I’m working on making my yard a safe haven for animals as usually, and I’d love to hear your ideas on how you contribute to this cause. What winter bird calls or rustling leaf shelters have you noticed lately in your own garden or neighborhood? How do these sensory experiences inspire your efforts to help animals this season? Please share in the comments and inspire others.
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World Kangaroo Day takes place every year on October 24. It was created in 2020 by Kangaroos Alive and the Animal Justice Party after the 2019-2020 bushfires, which harmed billions of native animals, including many kangaroos. The day asks us to protect kangaroos and treat them with care, as they face threats such as habitat loss, hunting, and expanding cities. In 2021, Yuin Elder Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison supported the day with the Yuin Declaration for Kangaroos, which honors kangaroos as sacred and encourages us to live in harmony with the land and each other.
Worldwide Kangaroo Day shines a light on the special story of kangaroos. They evolved from small, possum-like animals about 20-30 million years ago and learned to hop to cross dry landscapes. Kangaroos can leap up to 9 meters and run as fast as 60 km/h in short bursts. There are over 50 species, from the big red kangaroo to the tiny musky-rat kangaroo. Kangaroos are more than just symbols of Australia—they help the environment by grazing and spreading seeds. Even though there are more than 50 million kangaroos in Australia (estimated), as many as 1.5 million are killed each year for meat and hides, often in ways that are not humane. This is why change is so important.
This year, the theme for October 24 is “Magic with Kangaroos.” Everyone is invited to join in by hosting workshops, going on nature walks, or starting social media campaigns using #WorldKangarooDay to share facts, photos, and videos. You can also enter the Roo Doco Competition by making a short documentary for a chance to win prizes, or support the Yuin Declaration to help protect kangaroos. Whether you watch kangaroos in the wild or celebrate at home, the aim is to appreciate these social and curious animals. Kangaroos play together, groom each other, and joeys peek out from their mothers’ pouches, showing how special they are.
What inspires your connection to kangaroos this season? Share your thoughts and help build a world where these amazing animals can thrive. Visit worldkangarooday.org for resources and events.
📸 Canon R5 & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
📍Kangaroo Island, South Australia
🦘Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Joey (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus)
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In placid hours well-pleased we dream
Of many a brave unbodied scheme.
But form to lend, pulsed life create,
What unlike things must meet and mate:
A flame to melt—a wind to freeze;
Sad patience—joyous energies;
Humility—yet pride and scorn;
Instinct and study; love and hate;
Audacity—reverence. These must mate,
And fuse with Jacob’s mystic heart,
To wrestle with the angel—Art.
Herman Melville ( 1819 – 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period.
To read more poems, click here.
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I will cut adrift—I will sit on pavements and drink coffee—I will dream; I will take my mind out of its iron cage and let it swim-this fine October.
Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th century modernist authors.
To read more quotes, click here.
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A pair of mating ruddy darters (Sympetrum sanguineum) that I photographed at the small lake near our house, the same spot where I had photographed the four-spotted chaser last month.
These darters are small dragonflies native to Europe and parts of Asia, renowned for the males’ striking red abdomen that intensifies with age, making them a vivid sight in late summer. This dragonfly is a common species in Sweden, especially in the southern part of the country.
Trying to photograph dragonflies in flight for the first time was challenging but rewarding. The thrill came from capturing those few “perfect” moments, making the effort worthwhile.
Dragonflies in flight are difficult to capture due to their speed and unpredictable movement. I discovered that holding down the shutter once in focus increases your chances of sharp, well-composed shots, even if it means taking hundreds of photos to get a few great ones.
Use the same settings as for small birds: animal tracking with a high shutter speed (at least 1/2.500 or 1/4.000 in good light). Animal tracking works incredibly well, especially on a clean background such as the sky or the water.
My gear and settings for this photo:
Steward Wood has a very good video about photographing flying dragonflies, I watched it just before I went out to the lake and it was very helpful, I recommend it if you want to try your hand at flying bugs.
A male common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) perched on an Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ flower in our garden. This is what I love about our house: a wildlife garden filled with insects, butterflies, small and not-so-small animals (deer love my flowers, too!), and numerous birds! I need only to step out to find something to photograph!
Common blue males typically have wings that are blue above, with a black-brown border and a white fringe, similar to the one in my photo. The females are usually brown above with a blue dusting and orange spots.
These butterflies drink nectar from plants like clovers and bird’s-foot trefoil. Their caterpillars eat leguminous plants and even team up with ants for protection. The adults only live about three weeks, and the males often chase each other around to defend their territory.
A ladybug perched delicately on an Echinacea purpurea var. Magnus flower – another photo from my garden.
Am I done with the safari photos? Not at all! But there’s too much of a good thing, you know. I needed a break from the hundreds of safari photos, to be honest. And the garden is so beautiful, I was aching to be out and look for butterflies, bumblebees, and ladybugs!
A young European Lynx (Lynx lynx) male from our recent trip to Northern Sweden. I just finished culling those photos, so I haven’t processed many of them yet. However, I started working on this handsome fellow right away. I loved those eyes gazing right at you and wanted to begin working on the photo immediately.
Can you believe I shot this at ISO 10,000? It was late afternoon in the forest. The light was fading, and he was in the shade. The widest aperture on my Canon RF100-500mm lens is f/7.1, so to capture more light, I often have to use high ISOs. If the animal is not moving much, I’d lower the shutter speed a lot (think 1/100 or 1/200). However, this guy was moving too much, so my shutter speed was 1/640s. A noisy photo (grainy due to high ISO) is always preferable to a blurry one.
He stood like this for only a few seconds while I took my safety shots, then vanished before I could lower the shutter speed much more. In these cases, exposing to the right (ETTR) is key. ETTR refers to intentionally making an image brighter by adjusting exposure so that the histogram leans more toward the right side (the highlights), which helps retain more image data. Noise, or visual grain from high ISO, tends to be more visible in the darker areas of a photo, and it’s much easier to remove grain from a bright image than a dark one.
I used Lightroom Classic to reduce the noise in the image, and I think it looks pretty good. For the worst cases of noise, I usually use Topaz.
A male cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) patrolling its territory in the soft morning light, together with its two brothers (not in this photo). I was lucky enough to follow the three cheetah brothers on foot for over an hour in the Lapalala Wilderness Reserve. That was no mean feat as it did require some cardio; cheetahs move fast, even when “only” walking.
Cheetah males form coalitions (usually of 2-3 littermate brothers) to establish and defend small territories (15-50 square miles/39-130 km²) within prey-rich areas. Living in coalitions rather than solitude enhances survival and mating success. In contrast, females range over much larger, nomadic territories, spanning up to 300 square miles (800 km²). Patrols by males involve daily circuits (6-11 km at 2.5-3.8 km/h) to monitor territory for intruders, prey, and potential mates.
During patrols, males mark boundaries at least once per hour using urine sprays, defecation, or cheek/chin rubbing, which conveys chemical signals about their identity and status; they revisit these sites frequently to reinforce claims. Vocalizations, such as high-pitched chirps, purrs, or growls, along with visual displays, help communicate and deter rivals. However, conflicts can escalate into fights over access to females or resources, sometimes resulting in injury or death. Coalitions rarely venture far from their core area except briefly to seek estrus females, prioritizing defense over expansion.
Young males leave their mother at 15-24 months and spend years as ‘floaters’ (roaming vast areas up to 1,600 km²) before gaining a territory, often as adults. This queuing strategy, combined with eventual coalition patrols, improves their chances against established groups. Patrols secure breeding rights and facilitate cooperative hunting, highlighting the cheetah’s distinctive, coalition-based social structure amid their decreasing wild population (~7,100).
📸 All photos were taken with Canon R5 Mark II & Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM.
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Three things there be that prosper up apace
And flourish, whilst they grow asunder far,
But on a day, they meet all in one place,
And when they meet, they one another mar;
And they be these: the wood, the weed, the wag.
The wood is that which makes the gallow tree;
The weed is that which strings the hangman’s bag;
The wag, my pretty knave, betokeneth thee.
Mark well, dear boy, whilst these assemble not,
Green springs the tree, hemp grows, the wag is wild,
But when they meet, it makes the timber rot,
It frets the halter, and it chokes the child.
Then bless thee, and beware, and let us pray
We part not with thee at this meeting day.
Sir Walter Raleigh (1553 – 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer, and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion in Ireland, helped defend England against the Spanish Armada, and held political positions under Elizabeth I. Accused of treason by Elizabeth’s successor, James I, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually put to death.
Mark McGuinness reads and discusses the poem in his podcast, A Mouthful of Air, which features classic and contemporary poetry. Podcast transcription is available.
To read more poems, click here.
I’m honored that Canon Sweden chose my squirrel photo as their Facebook cover for October. Seeing my work featured on such a respected platform makes me incredibly proud and happy. This recognition reflects the passion I put into capturing nature’s special moments, and it truly means a lot to have it celebrated by a brand I admire.
Fun fact: Canon Romania also chose this photo as their Facebook cover in October 2024.
Thank you, Canon, for this amazing chance to share my vision with a global audience!
This is what the Canon Sweden Facebook page looks like now; I’m so proud!
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