Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Wild animals aren’t always the most cooperative photography subjects, rarely willing to pose for the camera.
But catch one in its natural habitat and the results can be stunning-a skill wildlife photographer Bill Bickle has turned into an award-winning career. His captures of wildlife on Amherst Island and other remote areas across Canada is the subject of a new exhibit at the Lennox and Addington Museum and Archives titled Amherst Island Owls and Other Canadian Wildlife. On Oct. 18 he’ll be on hand for a Tuesday Night at the Museum presentation, which gets underway at 7 p.m. He’ll be showcasing some of his favourite photos and sharing some film of encounters with bears, foxes, coyotes and more.
“Amherst Island is unique,” says Bickle, who has travelled to remote pockets of Canada and beyond in search of reclusive wildlife. “I always get some photographs (when visiting the island) but many, many times I don’t gather anything that I’m really excited about. It’s hit and miss. From now until March is a better time because the raptors are coming back, owls are coming back and the grass is shorter, it’s dying off and they’ve harvested it. In the summer time the grass is high and if they’re down on the ground you can’t see (animals).”
His patience and persistence has been rewarded with stunning snaps of several species of owls in flight or perched on a tree branch.
This exhibit, which was delayed a year due to COVID, was done at the request of L&A County Museum and Archive curator JoAnne Himmelman, who sought out Bickle’s expertise to document some of the enchanting creatures that visit Amherst Island while migrating across Lake Ontario.
“Owls are notorious for coming out late in the afternoon,” said Bickle. “It’s very difficult to catch them because the lighting conditions are so dark. It’s quite a challenge. Sometimes you spend all day and you don’t see very much until the last hour of the day.”
In some instances a photographer can just get lucky, such was the case when he captured a shot of a fox in mid-air, about to pounce on a tasty rodent.
“I was on the main road, I just got off the ferry, it’s called Stella Road and it goes straight north and south,” said Bickle, noting he has driven that same road dozens of times and saw nothing. “I was almost to the end of the road when I looked off into the distance to the east and I could see this fox beside the pond. He was too far away to photograph, but I waited. I spent half an hour with him and he came up close and he was busy. What he was doing was hunting for voles.”
Bickle says in that half hour of observing he saw the fox catch four voles.
His love of nature photography has led to his work being featured in Canadian and National Geographic Magazine. He also produced a calendar of his work, with the 2023 edition now available with copies on hand at the museum.
The Oct. 18 Tuesday Night at the Museum is also a great opportunity to explore the museum’s two latest exhibits. To what Degree? Canada in a changing climate will also be open to the public to explore. Learn more about the exhibits here: https://countymuseum.ca/explore/exhibits/
There is a $3 admission fee to attend this event. No pre-registration is required. The evening includes live music with Steven Tanner and light refreshments. The Museum of Lennox & Addington is located at 97 Thomas Street East in Napanee. For more information about this event, call 613-354-3027.