Richard Lee

The Grizzly Bears of the Klyte River (BC)

Last week, I had the incredible experience of traveling to the Klyte River to watch grizzly (brown) bears feeding on spawning salmon. The trip started in Campbell River on Vancouver Island with a two hour boat trip, across to the Mainland, and up Toba Inlet. The Klyte River, is in the traditional territory of the Klahoose First Nation, and the Klahoose have organized guides, tours and viewing stands from which the magnificent grizzly bears can be observed. It was an exceptional experience and I think the photos that follow speak for themselves. On the way back to Campbell River, we were fortunate enough to see several humpback whales, which spend their summers in the Salish Sea. Soon, they will be heading south to warmer waters.

Campbell River Harbour. Departure was at 7:00AM. We returned at 5:00 PM. A full day!

There are literally hundreds of waterfalls between Campbell River and Toba Inlet!

Approaching Toba Inlet in the fog and rain.

Being welcomed to the traditional territory of the Klahoose First Nation. (This lady also served as a spotter for the bears.)

Klyte River. The weather changed constantly…from fog and rain to sun in minutes!

One of several humpback whales seen on the trip between Campbell River and Toba Inlet.

Birds in Flight

Nature

I can’t resist trying to take photographs of birds in flight. It is challenging, anticipating which way the bird will move, and simultaneously trying to ensure you have the correct focus, exposure, and shutter speed. Most pictures taken are failures, but if you take enough pictures, some are bound to turn out. Here are some of my favourites from the last few years.

The critically endangered whooping crane. Photo taken in Indiana.

Peregrine falcon attacking an eagle. I was focusing on the eagle and didn’t realize that the falcon had photo-bombed my picture. Sometimes you are just lucky. Photo taken in Florida.

Snow geese lifting off from a pond in Indiana.

Bald eagles competing for the same roost. (Photo taken in BC).

Osprey, returning to the nest. (Ontario)

Female belted kingfisher in flight. (BC)

Views of the Canadian Rockies

Nature

In July, we enjoyed our favourite drive – the Ice Fields Highway between Banff and Jasper. With the good weather we had, it was spectacular. This has prompted me to put together a few of my favourite Canadian Rocky Mountain photos, taken over the last two years.

One of many “rocky” mountains, viewed from Waterfowl Lake area of Banff National Park. July 2021.

Bow River and Castle Mountain. July 2021

The Bow River in Banff. October 2019. (This is a colour photo!)

Kenny Lake. Mount Robson Provincial Park. July 2020.

Columbia Ice Field. Athabasca Glacier. Jasper NP. July 2020.

Mount Edith Cavell. Jasper NP. July 2020.

Mount Robson. Mount Robson Provincial Park. July 2020. This year it was obscured by smoke from the forest fires.

Glacier above Bow Lake. Banff NP. July 2021.

A Few Days in Wells Grey Provincial Park

Nature

At the end of our recent Rocky Mountain vacation, we spent two days in Wells Grey Provincial Park. For good reason, Wells Grey is called the park of waterfalls, with some 38 waterfalls registered. The largest is Helmcken Falls, and with the high water runoff caused by very warm temperatures, it was impressive. It is roughly four times the height of Niagara Falls. We saw a large number of spruce grouse, the relatively obscure three-toed woodpecker, and enjoyed a hike up to the Trophy Mountain Alpine Meadows (although we should have used more mosquito repellent!). It is certainly a park we plan to return to!

Adult three-toed woodpecker feeding juvenileIt was fun to watch them climb the tree, hammering for insects. The juvenile did try, but still needed to be fed by its parent.

A Return to the Growing Barred Owl Family

Nature

On my return this week, I was able to observe two busy parents feeding their growing brood of owlets. While I suspected there were three last week, I was able to confirm that indeed there are three. The owlets are growing quickly and acquiring their flying skills. They remain totally dependent on their parents for food, and are very noisy when they are hungry!

Possibly the third owlet. While I could see them all at the same time, I could never capture more than two in a single photo. One was noticeably larger than the other two.

Father, feeding on what I think might be a small opossum. (At first I thought it was a muskrat. If anyone can tell, please let me know!)

Visiting the Barred Owl Family

Nature

This week, I returned to the “special place for owls” a couple of times. I was not surprised that I was unable to locate the great-horned owls, as the owlets had fledged. I hoped however to find that the barred owlets had fledged and would be “findable”. Indeed they had fledged, and I was able to find two owlets, although I was only able to take photos of one of them, as the other was very high up in a tree and concealed by branches and leaves. When they first fledge, the owlets climb, and are well watched over by their parents. So finding the owlets, depended on finding the parents, and that can prove to be a bit of a challenge. By the end of the week, the parents and owlets were all very high in the canopy. It is my hope that I will be able to encounter them closer to the ground as they start to practice flight, and hunting, over the next month or so. It is possible there is a third owlet, but I have not yet discovered it.

Finding the barred owl parents now, is proving to be a bit of a challenge!

I was thrilled to find this “fuzzball” looking at me, largely unobscured by branches.

Mother was very close by, as was father.

Mother spent a lot of time preening her owlet, which I think had just fledged within a day or two of this photo being taken.

I was able to watch the parents then preening each other.

The owls are very much on guard and I saw them react quickly to the presence of jays and other birds.

With growing owlets to feed, a lot of time is spent hunting.

A Special Place for Owls!

Nature

I very much like to see and photograph owls! So do a lot of other people. As a result, far too many owls are disturbed by people, and to avoid harming the owls or to ensure they are not bothered unduly, locations are not posted or communicated by those who are conscientious and wish to protect these magnificent birds. That makes it a real challenge for a newcomer to a region to find owls. I have been fortunate this year however in finding one quiet location, in which there are two owl nests about 500 metres apart. One of the nests is a great horned owl’s nest, the other is a barred owl’s nest. In this secluded area, I have been able to observe the parents (by sight and sound), see the great horned owlets fledge and now await the fledging of the barred owlets. While the great horned owl nest is wide and open (in this case, very high up in a tree), the barred owl nest is in a hollow in a tree, also very high up. I cannot actually say I have seen the nest, but by watching the owls, I know where it is. The following photos record some of my observations.

Great horned owl, on the nest. The little bit of white fuzz to the left of the owl, is the first sign I saw of the owlets. There were two.

Fledged great horned owlet. This owlet, was still on the tree where the nest was. Its sibling had moved on to another tree. They were being carefully watched by the parents.

Great horned owl watching over the fledged owlets. While watching, I saw a raven, eagle and turkey vulture come into the vicinity of the owls.

The more adventurous of the owlets, near the tree that had the nest. It is incredible how quickly these owlets grow! A day or so after this photo was taken the owls “disappeared”. Although they are undoubtedly in the area, the forest is so dense, the trees so tall, and the area is bounded by private property and a large creek, making them very difficult if not impossible to locate. Unlike the barred owl, the great horned owl is much quieter in the daytime.

Barred owl. This one I believe is the male. He was very visible in the vicinity of the nest, and I often heard him calling to his partner, who often responded with a muffled reply. I concluded that the partner was on the nest, located in a hollow. Over several days, the reply always came from a certain tall tree with lots of snags.

This owl, the male, never seemed bothered by my presence, and spent a lot of time observing me, always drifting off to sleep.

In the last couple of weeks, I have seen both the male and female owl, sometimes together, sometimes hunting. I believe that the eggs have hatched and the owls will soon fledge. Both owls are certainly spending more time out of the nest and considerable time hunting. On three occasions, we have found the owls as a result of alarm calls from robins.

The female barred owl with a bird it subsequently took to the nest. (It is very difficult to tell the female from the male, except when you see them together. The female is larger.)

It was special to see the owls groom each other, all the while aware of my presence.

Mother, on guard, watching the nest. Hopefully I will be able to watch the fledged barred owlets in the next week or two.

A Visit with a Coyote Family

Nature

Last week, while cycling, we caught a glimpse of a coyote family. I did not have my camera with me, so returned the following day. I was fortunate to see two adults with their five pups!

Mother, keeping a watchful eye on her five pups.

World Migratory Bird Day

Nature

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, a day to recognize the billions of birds that migrate seasonally. Facing ever increasing hazards due to loss of habitat, climate change and toxins, it is important to recognize that migrating species are exposed to risks in each of the many environments they must navigate as part of their life cycle. It is for this reason, that conservation must be coordinated internationally. The following photos illustrate a few of the migrating species, that add so much wonder and beauty to our world.

Scarlet tanager. Taken at Point Pelee (ON). Point Pelee is one of the most incredible locations in North America to see migrating song birds, in May

Townsend’s warbler. Taken in the rain forest of the Fraser Valley (BC).

Magnolia warbler, taken in Southern Ontario.

Bobolink. This bird migrates on a very tightly defined schedule from Paraguay and Argentina to Canada and the Northern Plains of the United States. I have seen these birds in Kentucky (they pass through in the first week of May), Ontario and in BC.

Dickcissel. Photo taken in Kentucky. An occasional visitor to southern parts of Canada.

Mountain bluebird. Taken in the Fraser Valley.

Yellow-headed blackbird. Taken in South Central BC.

Lazuli bunting. Taken in South Central BC.

Snow geese. They winter in Southern Canada and in the United States. This photo was taken near Henderson Kentucky. They spend their summers in the Arctic. The ones seen in BC in the winter migrate from Siberia, while the ones seen in Eastern Canada and Kentucky spend their breeding season in Arctic Canada.

Whooping crane. Certainly one of the most endangered of North America’s migrating species. Photo taken in Indiana.

Earth Day 2021

Nature

It is not my nature to express opinions of a political nature, but on Earth Day, I believe there are things to say that go beyond politics. So much that we take for granted, is threatened. Climate change is real and has been accelerating. We have entered a time period where biodiversity is severely threatened and species are disappearing at an alarming rate. World wildlife populations have been reduced by about 50% in the last 40 years. We are on the brink of the sixth mass extinction in the history of the planet. Are we taking notice? Political pronouncements of the last week have been encouraging. However, recent history has seen that similar announcements made in the past have not resulted in any significant change in behaviour. Will it be different this time?

Rhinoceros, in South Africa. Kruger National Park. Several sub-species have become extinct in the last few years. This is a very threatened species.

Whooping crane. Photo taken in Indiana. On the brink of extinction. In the west, populations have increased somewhat. In the east, the number of whooping cranes in the wild is less than 100. Despite being protected, the biggest loss is from shooting.

Ice melting on the Columbia Icefield. The retreat of this glacier is dramatic and is marked on a year by year basis. Even more dramatic is the retreat we witnessed at Bear Glacier on the BC / Alaska border which we first visited in the early 1980’s.

Even bees are threatened by the use of neonicotinoid fungicides, now banned in much of the world.

The woodland caribou (this photo was taken in Newfoundland), is in serious decline throughout most of its range.

Some 40 years ago, international cooperation reduced acid rain dramatically. At the time, it was seen as the most important environmental problem. This has been important for preservation of temperate hardwood forests. The photo above is of maple flowers from the broad-leaved maple.

February – a good month to be out and about!

Nature

It is far too easy in February to complain about the restrictions that the pandemic brings and to complain about cold or wet weather! The reality for me is that February has been a very good month for walks, hikes, birdwatching and enjoying nature. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty around us. Here are a few of the highlights.

Northern harrier male, with Cascade Mountains in the background.

More Snow Geese!

Nature

I have been able to see snow geese on many occasions. However this weekend, I had my first opportunity get really close to a flock of snow geese; so close in fact that they were mere feet away. That gave me a very different perspective!

In the Vancouver region, virtually all of the snow geese are “white phase”. This contrasts with Kentucky where we used to live, where about half were “blue phase”. I managed to find one “blue phase snow goose” this weekend.