Category: Nature

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.

The following are from a collection of photos I have taken of owls, that I will be using for a self published book. It wasn’t that long ago, I was thrilled to take a photo of a distant owl in a tree in Southern Ontario. (At first I thought it was a plastic bag that had blown into the tree). Subsequently I was thrilled to see my first short-eared owls in Southern Indiana, when we still owned a home in Kentucky. I still get the same thrill every time I manage to see and photograph an owl, and living in British Columbia, I am finding many opportunities to see owls.

The Fraser Valley is a great location to see wintering ducks, geese and swans which have migrated south from more northerly regions.The following photos have been taken over the last couple of weeks at the Cheam Lake Wetlands, Willband Creek Park and the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

There is a very large gathering of eagles on the Harrison River near Vancouver, every November and December. At its peak, there are literally thousands of eagles along a short distance of river. They are drawn by spawning salmon, which die after they spawn. The following photos were taken over the last month.

Over the past few weeks I have had a lot of fun photographing an American bittern and a great-blue heron, fishing in nearby Willband Creek Park.