HEATHROW AIRPORT LEGACY PHOTOS

On my way through Heathrow Terminal 2 for my flight home from a recent trip to London, I encountered the following historic wall art as thousands of others brushed past with complete indifference.

(As per usual, on a laptop or desk top monitor, each image is expandable to full screen by cursor clicking)

RAF Heston becomes Heathrow Airport after WWII

Converted Lancaster Bomber takes off with passengers not bombs for Buenos Aires in 1946 at the very start of intercontinental passenger aviation

This one tugs at the heart strings. Young Princess Elizabeth returns from a shooting safari in Kenya after the sudden death of her father in 1952 to be greeted by Winston Churchill as she steps on to the soil of “this Sceptred Isle” for the first time as its new sovereign.

“The King is dead! Long live the Queen!”

Given the close relationship between her father and Churchill during the war, she will rely heavily on his guidance in the early years of her reign.

He taught her well!

No Hollywood actress could pull off the role she played for several decades as successfully as she did!

Arrival of Martin Luther King

First passenger flight of the Concorde

Triumphant arrival of Sophia Loren

Concorde’s record trans Atlantic flight from London to New York in less than 3 hours.

(Apologies to the residents of Long Island for the sonic boom upon arrival!)

Confident arrival of “Satchmo” Armstrong

Her Majesty opens the new Terminal 5. I had the honour of sitting to the immediate right of a much younger queen in 1987 as the representative of Canada when she opened the new London inner city airport in the old docklands. Fond memories. We shall not see her like again!

AVE ATQUE VALE

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LORD JEFFREY ARCHER RIP

Controversial Lord Jeffrey Archer died today at the age of 86.

I snapped this photo of him in central London years ago during his encounter with Leo the Clown. At this point in his career he was one of the world’s most succesful authors.

AVE ATQUE VALE

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GREAT BLUE HERON

Managed to shoot the following sequence on a recent outing.

(As per usual, if on a lap or desk top computer, click on each image to magnify).

GREAT BLUE HERON CATCHES YOUNG MUSKRAT

FLIGHT OF NO RETURN

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GARTER SNAKE

A quiet walk through local countryside revealed the following encounters with garter snakes.

GARTER SNAKE

An unlucky frog is captured by a garter snake.

Final throes of the encounter.

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PURDON CONSERVATION AREA

The Lady Slippers are out in full bloom in the Purdon Conservation Area, Purdon, Ontario.

LADY SLIPPER ORCHID

Because they require specific soil fungi to grow, you cannot transplant them, meaning you must see them in the wild. You’re welcome!!

PURPLE PITCHER PLANT

Also known as the Northern Pitcher Plant, it is a carnivorous plant that thrives in nutrient-poor acidic bogs and wetlands like that of Purdon.

The Purple Pitcher Plant traps insects using a water-filled, tubular leaf with downward-pointing hairs that prevent escape.

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WORLD CUP FEVER

Lionel Messi

Soccer fan, professor Gad Saad, says that Lionel Messi might just be proof of the existence of God. Blasphemy you say!! Maybe yes, maybe no.

But the divine has a habit of hovering over the fate of the Argentinian teams. 40 years ago this week, Diego Maradona punched in the infamous “Hand of God Goal” in the match that saw Argentina defeat England. With God on your side, how can you lose??

I was fortunate to capture this image of the world’s best footballer way down under in Ushuaia, Argentina.

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LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

Pope Leo recently visited Barcelona to consecrate the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ in the cathedral of La Sagrada Familia. Here’s a shot of the complex I took several years ago prior to the start of the Camino de Santiago.

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EVEN MORE WARBLERS

A good flow of warblers through the Ottawa area in the past few days. (As per usual, click on each image for full screen display on laptop or desktop, then click again for even greater expansion.)

ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER TAKES FLIGHT

NORTHERN PARULA IN FLIGHT

BLACKBURNIAN TAKES FLIGHT

TENNESSE WARBLER FEEDING ON AN INCH WORM

SPRING ODDITY…….WILD TURKEY

PILEATED WOODPECKER

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MORE WARBLERS

(NB: For those using a desktop computer, click on each image for full screen display)

YELLOW WARBLER

NORTHERN PARULA

BLACK THROATED GREEN

NASHVILLE WARBLER

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SPRING MIGRATION

A slow start to the spring migration so far.

PALM WARBLER

YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER

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