Subarctic Summer: Churchill (HD)

A short film chronicling the abbreviated passage of summer in the subarctic region around Churchill, MB, Canada. It is a summer whose May is still flecked with deep snow drifts, whose June air is filled with the outlandish songs of breeding shorebirds, and whose July is bustling with their young, as well as the predators who follow them. It is a season whose progression is paralleled by Churchill's resident wildlife. The ptarmigan molts its pure white plumage in favor of warm browns as the snow recedes; the shorebirds arrive en masse as the fens and bogs thaw, and begin to nest; the plants and insects alike bloom with the rising temperatures, and newly hatched chicks roam the bogs to take full advantage of the surplus. Then, as the days shorten and the Aurora intensifies, as berries ripen on ground-hugging shrubs and leaves turn to vibrant reds and yellows, the fleeting summer is gone as quickly as it came.
All footage and photographs taken with a Canon 7D and 400mm f/5.6 (w/ a Bogen 701HDV head) and a Canon SX230 HS.
flickr.com/photos/andysbirds
birdingetcetera.blogspot.com

[@LisaGreenbow]

Wow, great birds, great video. The choice of music draws one into the experience. Thank you.

[@mila659]

What a beautiful video, Andy! I imagine it was a magical summer for you :)

[@vradojc1]

That gyrfalcon is amazing! Great vid!

[@Tyrannulet92]

And all those changes are herein captured through an expressive form of ART.

[@Quasar502]

Great vid Andy. Betcha don't have your bike up there with you. ... Randy in Lansing