Last week Donald Trump called Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed a “radical jihadist,” and this morning he had Homeland Security raid Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s house. Obviously, Trump and his Republican minions believe their only chance of not getting slaughtered in the upcoming midterms is to fire up their base of bigots. I still […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5189: Here’s a trio of black turnstones. These birds get their name because they often flip over stones, shells, and seaweed along rocky shorelines to find food. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5188: A humpback whale flashes its tail off the coast of Vancouver Island.
Marty’s photo of the day #5187: Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentrations of black bears in the world. That fact was made obvious by all the bear poop Deb and I came across during our hikes last month. Despite that, we only saw two bears: a small one that was about a year […]
First, Donald Trump arranged for men to violently beat each other for entertainment at the White House. Now his “War Secretary,” Pete Hegseth, is preparing to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Upon reading about the public execution, my first thought was, “Maybe this time Trump has gone too far for even […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5186: This short-billed gull carried this black thing around as if it was a toy. Initially, I assumed it was a type of lichen. Later, I did some research, and now I believe the gull was carrying a piece of kelp covered in Pacific herring eggs. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5185: Unlike Republicans in Congress, turkey vultures are valuable creatures that serve a purpose. They are better looking, too. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5184: This is an early morning shot from in front of Deb’s and my campsite last month on the Johnstone Strait. I loved watching the fog dissipate as the sun rose. Soon the tide would come in, covering every inch of the land you see in the foreground. (Photographed on […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5183: I shot quite a few sunrise and sunset photos last month on Vancouver Island. This is one of my favorites: a sunset near the northern end of the Strait of Georgia.
Today, when I checked the motion-sensing cameras on the Essen Wildlife Refuge, I viewed a large herd of female elk rushing by the camera. Bringing up the rear was this big guy. If the herd stays on the Essen Wildlife Refuge through hunting season, they’ll be safe. If not, I worry about this huge bull. […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5182: I think these are a type of ink cap mushroom, called fairy inkcaps, but mushroom ID isn’t my forte. I found them in the temperate rainforest of Vancouver Island and thought they made an interesting subject to photograph.
Marty’s photo of the day #5181: During my travels, some people have commented to me, “I don’t shoot photos because I want to live in the moment.” I understand that, and to each his/her own. For me, however, I can live in the moment and still shoot photos, as my lens also serves as my […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5180: When Deb and I returned to Port Hardy after a three-year absence, the first thing we did was look for the bald eagles. And there they were! Just where we left them. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.)
When I was six years old and shot my first roll of film, I photographed a bunch of feet. When my dad saw the photos, he threatened to take my camera away. He just didn’t understand what it meant to be creative. Now, as a wildlife photographer, I still love creating uncommon shots—sometimes even feet. […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5179: When Deb and I visited Vancouver Island three years ago, we saw lots of sea otters along the western coast, near Tofino. During our visit last month, we stayed mostly along the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island. There, sea otters are much rarer. This one, spotted on an outing […]
Sea lions on high alert! Moments before I shot this photo, a pod of orca whales passed close by, and there was a huge splash. Many of us watching from a boat thought we had witnessed an orca taking a sea lion. Our guide, however, proclaimed that the orcas were fish-eaters, not mammal-eaters. From a […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5178: A whole mess of sea lions. Well, technically, a colony. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5177: I watched this great blue heron for parts of three days. She was the only great blue heron hanging out on the gravel beach in front of Deb’s and my Johnstone Strait campsite. The heron was particularly interesting to watch when the tide came in. She ruled a spit […]
These may look like golden eagles, but they are actually immature bald eagles. Earlier today, I featured an action shot of these two squabbling over a perching spot on the intertidal zone. Here’s another shot from that sequence of photos. (Photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5176: I saw more bald eagles earlier this month on Vancouver Island than I have seen collectively in my entire life. I enjoyed shooting action photos as they interacted among themselves and other bird species. Here’s one of those shots, featuring two immature bald eagles in a spat over a […]
