Marty’s photo of the day #5173: “Hey! Chickie, chickie! Shake a tail feather!” A short-billed gull and a greater yellowlegs, photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island.
Shake a Tail Feather
A Banana Slug Fest
Marty’s photo of the day #5172: When Deb and I walked the remote gravel roads on Vancouver Island, we frequently found banana slugs and bear poop near to each other. Since the slugs didn’t eat the poop, I reasoned that the bears must gorge themselves on the slugs. When I researched later, I learned that […]
A Wife-Approved Toilet Seat
Yesterday, I posted about a private campsite I found on the Johnstone Strait of Vancouver Island. The campsite was off to the side of the main campground and hidden by a thick wall of temperate rainforest. The only problem with the campsite was that if Deb or I wanted to use the outhouse, we’d have […]
Gulls in Flight
Marty’s photo of the day #5171: I enjoy photographing birds in flight. So many things have to go right to have a satisfactory image. When they are moving fast, like these glaucous-winged gulls, just getting them in frame is a challenge. (Photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island.)
Get Out of the Truck!
Yesterday, I wrote about Deb’s and my adventure of having to share one of our two favorite Vancouver Island campsites with a Canadian man and his stepson who blasted music and video games at 107 decibels in their tent until well after midnight. This post is about our other favorite campsite, right on the Johnstone […]
The Boss of Gulls and Ducks
Marty’s photo of the day #5170: 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 […]
The Perfect Campsite, or the Campsite from Hell?
When Deb and I explored Vancouver Island three years ago, we found two incredible campsites to pitch our tent at: one on the Johnstone Strait, and one on the Tsitika River. When we returned to Vancouver Island earlier this month, we hoped to return to both of those remote campsites as well as explore new […]
Birds at Sunset
Marty’s photo of the day #5169: It took some work to convince the birds to line up in the yellow stripe, but they eventually complied. (Photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island.)
The Greedy Billionaire Baby Lie
While passing through Seattle on our way to Vancouver Island, Deb and I sat in a traffic jam. I was fuming. I like Seattle, but what had me upset was thinking about the huge push Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and other far-right billionaires are making to convince women to have more babies. Yeah, just what […]
Orcas at Sunrise
Marty’s photo of the day #5168: Of all the many highlights of Deb’s and my Vancouver Island visit, the moments around the time I shot this photo were my favorite. We had pitched our tent at a remote campsite on the Johnstone Strait, and, like the two previous mornings, I got up before sunrise hoping […]
Waiting to Spawn
Salmon Day continues with a photo I shot last week near the mouth of a river on Vancouver Island. This is a small part of a large school that was waiting for the right moment to make the rapid, strenuous swim upstream to spawn.
Photographing a Salmon Run
Marty’s photo of the day #5167: The salmon were running in a river near one of Deb’s and my campsites on Vancouver Island. Most of the time I carried two cameras: my Canon R7 with a telephoto lens for distant shots, and my all-in-one Olympus Tough TG-7 for wide-angle and macro shots. I hadn’t planned […]
Freaky Pelagic Gooseneck Barnacles
Marty’s photo of the day #5166: Deb and I have traveled all seven continents looking for rare and interesting wildlife and have seen creatures that look like they should be from another planet. These pelagic gooseneck barnacles, which Deb found as we were walking a beach on Vancouver Island, are the strangest creatures we’ve ever […]
Humpback at Sunrise
Marty’s photo of the day #5166: Humpback at sunrise! Deb, Nellie, and I have returned to Montana after two wonderful weeks on Vancouver Island. Other than the usual unpacking ritual, today I will begin sorting through the many photos I shot on the trip. In the meantime, I grabbed this one more for the memory […]
The Most Awesome Campsite in North America
Marty’s photo of the day #5165: Deb, Nellie, and I just completed three nights at what may be the most awesome campsite in North America. We found a private, one-tent-campsite right on the Johnstone Strait in the northern region of Vancouver Island. From our private beach, we watched numerous bird species, a sea lion, a […]
The Bald Eagle Smorgasbord
Marty’s photo of the day #5164: I just love the far northern, Port Hardy, region of Vancouver Island! I’ve explored all seven continents, and this is the best area for birds I’ve seen. One reason is because the tides here are so extreme. Some bays go from ten feet deep to hundreds of acres of […]
Humpbacks Off Vancouver Island
Marty’s photo of the day #5163: Two days ago, Deb and I watched at least ten humpback whales in the Johnstone Strait (off the coast of far northern Vancouver Island). Not all humpback whales flash their tails, so when they do, it’s always exciting. For a size comparison, look closely under the tail on the […]
Spyhopping Orca Whale
Marty’s photo of the day #5162: Yesterday was a stunning day on Vancouver Island! Deb and I spent the afternoon on a boat, watching and photographing dozens of orca whales, at least ten humpback whales, plus sea lions, sea otters, eagles, and a variety of other animals. This was our first time seeing orcas in […]
Golden Eagle vs. Ravens
Marty’s photo of the day #5161: The last time Deb, Nellie, and I visited Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, the many raptors cruising the tidal plain were the highlight of our stay. This time they are even better. Yesterday, I photographed a pair of bald eagles and this golden eagle holding […]
Nellie and the Yellowjackets
Nellie is chilling after a hard day. She got attacked by a swarm of yellowjackets, twice! Today Deb, Nellie, and I scouted the gravel roads at the top of Vancouver Island, looking for possible tent camping sites. The gravel roads there become intimidating quickly, as they pass through dense temperate rainforest, branch off here and […]