Marty’s photo of the day #5160: Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentrations of black bears in the world. The remote gravel roads have bear poop everywhere. Here’s our first bear. He’s a big boy!
Vancouver Island Black Bears
They Grow Them Large on Vancouver Island
Marty’s photo of the day #5159: Deb, Nellie, and I have reached the top of Vancouver Island (286 miles long by 62 miles wide). We just finished two nights of wilderness camping at our “secret spot” that we discovered during our previous visit (I have a hilarious story to share about our first night there […]
Harbor Seal at Sunset
Marty’s photo of the day #5158: Hello from Vancouver Island! Deb, Nellie, and I watched a spectacular sunset last night. As we stood on the shore of the Johnstone Strait, watching the water and sky turn orange, this harbor seal kept popping up. Apparently, he/she wanted to come ashore for the night exactly where we […]
Zebras in Zimbabwe
Great Blue Heron or Loch Ness Monster?
Marty’s photo of the day #5156: Today, I give you two animals-in-one. Look at the animal upright, and it’s a great blue heron. Turn your screen upside-down, and it’s the Lock Ness Monster. (Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.)
Tormentor of Dogs
Marty’s photo of the day #5155: I think squirrels are more intelligent than people give them credit for. Due to Nellie’s surgery for a second bionic leg, she has at least three more weeks of being restricted to leash walks. The devious little squirrels seem to know that and are braver than ever with their […]
Migration Stop
Marty’s photo of the day #5154: Yesterday, large flocks of migrating Clark’s nutcrackers and evening grosbeaks passed through the Essen Wildlife Refuge. The birds picked at pinecones for a while. Then, when a larger bird circled above, they vanished into the trees. This is a Clark’s nutcracker.
Giant Clam
Marty’s photo of the day #5153: This colorful beauty is a giant clam, photographed last year in the Raja Ampat of New Guinea.
Follow-the-Leader
Marty’s photo of the day #5152: Juvenile gentoo penguins playing follow-the-leader on a tiny island off the coast of Antarctica.
Bird’s-Eye View
Marty’s photo of the day #5151: Bird’s-eye view: blue-footed booby. (Photographed in the Galapagos Islands.)
Water Art
Marty’s photo of the day #5150: Water art. If you look closely, you’ll see the tip of an American coot tail, as it dives for a meal.
Isn’t She a Beauty?
Marty’s photo of the day #5149: This is an eleven-foot-long African rock python, photographed in Zimbabwe. Isn’t she a beauty?
The Magical Waterhole
Marty’s photo of the day #5148: When Deb and I explored Bonaire, we hiked to a magical little waterhole. There we sat as the birds and lizards came to us. This night heron was one of the visitors.
The Stingless Jellyfish Lake
Marty’s photo of the day #5147: I shot this photo while snorkeling in a tiny lake filled with stingless jellyfish. In the ocean, stings from this species of jellyfish pack a wallop, but in the lake, where they are cut off from predators, they’ve lost their ability to sting. Swimming with them was so much […]
Unintended Whale Shark Rides
Marty’s photo of the day #5146: Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish. They can reach sixty feet in length, and their mouths can be five feet wide. Last year, Deb and I swam with four whale sharks of various sizes in the Raja Ampat of New Guinea. We even got a few unintended whale […]
Blue-Chin Parrotfish and Friends
Marty’s photo of the day #5145: This is a blue-chin parrotfish accompanied by razor surgeonfish (left) and black striped salema (right). (Photographed in the Galapagos Islands.)
Lesponne, France
Marty’s photo of the day #5144: I haven’t posted any photos from Europe for a while, so here’s a pretty passage between an ancient church and its cemetery, in the tiny village of Lesponne, France.
Nellie’s Second Bionic Leg
I had high hopes that Nellie’s second bionic leg would be ready to engage at warp 9 as of this week. She had TPLO surgery on her right-rear leg eight weeks ago (to remove a ligament, refit the knee bone, and install a metal plate with six screws). Since this is Nellie’s second bionic leg, […]
The Rarest Penguin in the World
Marty’s photo of the day #5143: Galapagos penguins are the rarest penguins in the world (less than 2,000 exist). They are also only penguin species that lives in the tropics and north of the equator. To survive high temperatures, they have less fat/feathers, bare skin patches on their faces/feet, and they can pant like dogs. […]
New Swim Partners
Marty’s photo of the day #5142: Excited California sea lions, rushing into the water to greet their new swim partners. (Photographed in the Sea of Cortez.)