Nature in Today's World

There are many black bears in the Lower Mainland, at the edges of the mountains. Indeed we see them from time to time in Abbotsford and have had them in our driveway and knocking over our bird feeder. On almost all of our hiking and cycling trails we see bear warning signs. So it is no surprise for us to see or encounter bears, particularly in the autumn when the bears are fattening up for winter hibernation and the salmon are spawning. This week however was exceptional in that we were able to observe a bear across a small creek from where we were, while it rested, fished, climbed and feasted on salmon. Its actions made it quite clear that it was nervous of other more “dominant” bears in the area, and in fact we encountered a sow and two cubs as we left the site and returned to our car. The following is a sampling of photographs I took while watching.

October marks the “rainy season” in the Lower Mainland, with lots of rain, occasional floods, shorter days, falling leaves, cooler temperatures and migrating salmon and birds. But it is also a time of incredible natural beauty, if you get out, explore and observe. The following photos represent some of the highlights for me of the natural beauty observed this month.

The following pictures were taken from Abbotsford (Sumas Prairie) on the night of October 10. Experts say the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are more visible right now due to the sun being at what astronomers call the “maximum” of its 11-year solar cycle.
What this means is that roughly every 11 years, at the peak of this cycle, the sun’s magnetic poles flip, and the sun transitions from sluggish to active and stormy. The variety of colours were astounding. In several photos, you can see the Big Dipper clearly. In many photos, the traffic on the Trans Canada Highway shows as a line of lights.

One of the things I appreciate about living in the Lower Mainland of BC is that you can see a good variety of birds, any month of the year, if you take the time to look. September is a good month to encounter migrating birds. I particularly enjoy spotting and trying to identify shorebirds……….a difficult challenge, particularly as many of the species are only encountered during migration. The following is a sampling of bird photos taken this month.

When we lived in Kitimat, we usually drove up to Hyder AK/ Stewart BC each summer to see the grizzly (brown) bears fishing. At the time, Hyder was notorious as a location for hard drinking and getting “Hyderized”. The Stewart / Hyder area has a long reputation for boom and bust as the economy has depended on mining. There are still significant mineral reserves in the area, mainly on the BC side of the border, and from what we saw on the trip, there is a lot of renewed mining activity. Hyder however is not doing well with most buildings derelict and only one decrepit bar still running. However, the US Department of Agriculture which oversees the Tongass National Forest has installed an exceptional bear viewing platform, and actively maintains surveillance over the platform to ensure protection of bears and people at Fish Creek, which is about five miles from Hyder, and accessible by paved road. When we were there this week, we observed two adult brown (grizzly) bear boars fishing and interacting on the creek. We missed seeing an older sow, and a black bear that had been chased out earlier. If you go there, you will need a passport: not to enter Alaska, but to return to Canada. The only road access to this location is through BC. Here are some of the photos I took.

The reason for the disturbance was the arrival of another brown bear, upstream. According to the Rangers, this bear is of a similar age and the two bears have not come to terms yet with respect pecking order. This bear, has been named “Scruffy” by the Rangers. For a while after his arrival, the two bears maintained a good distance between them and fished.

I have posted photos already of the northern gannet and the Atlantic puffin. Here are some other birds seen on our recent trip to Newfoundland.

The following phots were taken in Newfoundland in June at Cape St. Mary’s and at Saint Vincent (diving photos).

The following photos were taken in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland on June 30. There are literally tens of thousands of Atlantic puffins nesting in the reserve.

Some of the photos taken on walks and hikes over the last few weeks, in the Lower Mainland of BC.

Glaucous winged gull, dropping shell in order to crack it.

Two weeks ago, we had the opportunity to observe the osprey nest in Matsqui. The female was on the nest incubating eggs, when we heard and then saw the male approach with a fish. It then landed on a distant tree and started to eat the fish. The female on the nest called to the male, clearly wanting to be fed. After a while, the male approached, carrying half of the fish. It landed on the nest,and gave the half fish to the female. The female then left the nest and started to eat the fish in flight. The male stayed on the nest, presumably on the eggs.

Pictures taken last year and this year.

In November, bald eagles arrive on the Harrison River in great numbers (thousands) to feed on spawning salmon. They hang around until the dead and dying salmon are flushed down the river by high water levels. By January, most of the eagles have left. The following photos were taken in November and December. I was surprised to see a golden eagle amongst the large numbers of bald eagles, as they are a rarity in this region. This is a follow-up posting to one I made in December, with additional photos, not previously published.