LATEST:  WILDERNESS ADVENTURES BOOK

EDITORIAL

NEWS, EVENTS, OBSERVATIONS, OR JUST HAPPENINGS



February 6, 2022.  Beavers Are Back!




Haven't seen any signs of their presence for a while.
Assumed they were gone for good. Apparently not!



October 10, 2021.  CANADA






October 6, 2021.  Sunset Walk






May 7, 2021. Life Strives



Life does not need much to take hold: a pinch of wind-blown dirt, a blob of bird poop, a lucky seed, a few drops of rain. And voila!!



May 3, 2021. Deer Love Pretty Flowers






May 1, 2021. A Lunch with A View


Resting on top of Mount Douglas after a double-peak hike



January 18, 2021. Bubbles







December 12, 2020. Hey, Buddy! I Want My Peanuts!


Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC




October 12, 2020. An Evening at Ogden Point in Victoria BC








July 19, 2020. Milky Way








May 22, 2020. Little Mount Doug






April 15, 2020. Focus



Great Blue Heron focusing on a potential prey.




April 15, 2020. A Sunset Owl


Last night, I spotted a pair of owls (one of them in the photo). They were watching, with lots of interest, two cats fighting below. I wonder if the owls were betting the next mouse on a winner. Or maybe sizing the cats up, checking if one of them was small and distracted enough to grab for supper?



April 01, 2020. The Sign of Times:  Park Bench Back in November 2019, Now Closed due to COVID-19







March 26, 2020. If a Duck Could Take a Selfie.... 

March 26, 2020. First Mushrooms of the Season?






March 20, 2020. Beavers Been Here


While the country is on the shutdown, beavers have been busy building their new home




March 20, 2020. Snake Basking in the Late Afternoon Sun





March 20, 2020. A Contemplating Owl







March 3, 2020. A Spider at My Home: A Sign of Spring?





An uninvited but still welcome guest. I was told they come into houses looking for mates, for love. Sorry buddy...
The thumb is for size reference, not to bite. 




February 2020: Birds







January 2020: Multi-use Trail, Saanich




January 1, 2020: New Year Sky






October 2019: Swan Pub at Night





January 2019: Total Lunar Eclipse



It is somewhat unusual to have clear skies in Victoria BC in normally rainy January. This winter we have had quite a few dry days. One of them coincided with the total lunar eclipse on the night of January 20. The next one is in two years, in May 2021!




May 2018: Swiftsure Yacht Race







March 2018: Counting Herons in Beacon Hill Park




Herons are back. At least seventeen here. Waiting for foliage to cover their nesting trees?




November 2017: Salmon Run in Sooke



The Fall season is gracing Victoria area with fallen leaves



After a dry summer, the welcome autumn rains are feeding local streams, rising water levels, making them passable for salmon that are heading to the spawning grounds



The fish, dead and alive, feeds local wildlife




Bears come to add final layers of fat before denning for winter.
Catching live salmon takes time and energy: why bother when there are plenty of dead fish in the streams?



American dippers dive to retrieve salmon roe, their preferred salmon meal



Mild climate, plenty of moisture and nutrients from dead salmon all contribute to the lush forests





August 21, 2017: While Waiting for Solar Eclipse: Orcas






A pod of  orcas passing in front of Clover Point at the beginning of the solar eclipse






July 18, 2017: Fluidity of Time - Salvador Dali's Dance of Time I on Display in Downtown Vancouver








January 3, 2017: Cold Days in Victoria BC






December 20, 2016: Stormy Seas and King Tides: Drenched People on Dallas Road, Victoria BC



A combination of high water levels during the king tides and stormy seas creates waves so monstrous
that they breach over the sea wall drenching people on sidewalks





October 22, 2016: Head & Tail of The Gorge Regatta


To the Finish Line!



Go, Mounties, Go!






June 5, 2016: Oak Bay Tea Party


Bathtub Race: Engine Troubles




Skydiver Landing




Air Show




Teapot Race: Assisted Finish






June 3, 2016: Mammoths and More at Royal BC Museum


Royal BC Museum: at the opening of Mammoths! Giants of the Ice Age





And not just mammoths!





December 12, 2015:  Stormy Seas and Sun (A View from Dallas Road)






December 12, 2015:  At Tuba Christmas Concert








June 7, 2015:  Bathtub Race at Oak Bay Tea Party








November 22, 2014:  Search for the Sea Creatures of the Night


That’s in-Seine: Collections by Moonlight
Pulling the net during the search for sea creatures at Willows Beach with Royal BC Museum and Victoria Natural History Society



The Find




November 15, 2014: November Frost on Grass



A spell of cold Arctic air has brought an unusual mid-November freeze to Victoria depositing frost crystalls on grass.




December 16, 2013: Upper Harbour Sunset



Sun is setting over the Upper Harbour in Victoria BC




December 7, 2013: Snowy Road with Bear Footprints



A rare snow has covered Victoria with white dust.
A bear has walked this deserted road  in a nearby forest just hours before me.
In most of BC, bears are already in hibernation. Warmer temperatures
typical for South Vancouver Island, combined with this year's plentiful salmon run,
have encouraged this fellow to stay up a bit longer.




November 2, 2013: Entrance into the Fall



Fallen leaves form a path leading to an entrance into the Market Square in Victoria BC.



November 1, 2013: Forgotten Veterans



Lost poppy flower pin is lying forgotten among dead autumn leaves. Observed and photographed in 2008.



October 20, 2013: Downtown Fog



Victoria downtown enveloped in heavy fog on Friday night. Ferries delayed, some flights canceled,
traffic slowed down. Still, a beautiful scene.

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