The World Through Our Lens
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The objective of our drive to Comox from Bowser, British Columbia, was to find and photograph Bald Eagles. As we observed a pair of those magnificent birds of prey just offshore, we became aware of a considerable flock of American Wigeon Ducks scooting along the shore of the Salish Sea right in front of Bob and me. Read more
When visiting relatives in Bowser, British Columbia, in early January, we were fortunate to have clear sunny weather for a couple of days in a row. It was one misty morning, however, when we took a drive to nearby Comox in the hopes of seeing some Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). We were not disappointed. Read more
After arriving in Bowser the previous evening, Bob and I were eager to greet the first day of our stay on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We were thrilled that Bob’s sister Claire, and husband Martin planned to take us snowshoeing on Mount Washington, which required a drive along the coast through Fanny Bay. That is where Martin urged us to pull over so we could see the huge colony of California Sea Lions that had congregated there. Read more
Morning walks are the ritual for my sister-in-law, Claire, and her husband, Martin, and from their home in Bowser, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, they have a variety of options open to them, but no matter which direction they choose to go, they almost always spot one or two Bald Eagles in the treetops. Read more
As Bob and I were coming near the end of our visit to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, we thought we had seen the best of what the protected area had to offer that day, a variety of ducks, Lesser Snow Geese, Spotted Towhees and scores of Great Blue Herons, to name a few, but the best was yet to come. As we rounded a bend in the trail, our eyes fell on several Sandhill Cranes foraging for bits of food in the brilliant sunshine. Read more
Bob and I could not overlook the cacophonous racket overhead when a large flock of Lesser Snow Geese flew by. As we took the circuitous route around the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, one section of the trail seemed to parallel the flight path of the Geese across Westham Island. Read more
Before Bob and I barely got underway at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, we were shocked to see so much bird life populating the surface and banks of the first water channel along the walking trail. Numerous pairs of Hooded Merganser ducks plied the calm waters adjacent to the East Dyke. Read more
Coming from the subzero temperatures at home in Ontario to the warmer climes of coastal British Columbia, Bob and I expected to see an assortment of duck species when birdwatching at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, but the unexpected sighting of numerous Spotted Towhees caught us totally off guard. Eastern Towhees are seen in Ontario during spring, summer and fall. As we soon learned, Spotted Towhees winter on Vancouver Island and temperate areas along B.C.’s western coast. Read more
On a winter morning, Bob and I left our house to scope out Colonel Samuel Smith Park at the edge of Lake Ontario. We were on the hunt for some Snowy Owls that had been seen there a couple of days earlier. We had no idea that, later that same day, surging waves driven by gale-force winds would be battering the Toronto waterfront. Read more