Online Access to Our Spring Excitement

2011-02-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

March 21, 2011

How very sad. Apparently Tweet, over there in Victoria has abandoned her nest. I do know that we were having some very frosty times when Tweet laid her eggs and all the eagles waited until the temperatures started to improve, at least slightly before suddenly being very productive.

On a good note we have our Douglas Squirrels back scurrying around for peanuts. As they are on the 'yellow' list before becoming endangered species, hopefully this will mean procreation is afoot with them.

All the nests except for the Hornby and Pacific Coast Terminal nests are showing signs of productivity this week.

We have checked in on the Pacific Coast Terminal nest a couple of times and while we have seen some activity in the area, none of it has been 'nest' related. I think they have a beautiful site for their new nest and of course it will likely be difficult to install a camera out on the end of a spit of land. (Photo right.)

On clear nights I love to look in on the White Rock nest with the wide angle view of the camera. That is the other side of Boundary bay, (Delta and Tsawwassen) in the background. She looks so peaceful at night - at least until the eaglets are hatched:

Delta #1 laid her first egg in a hail storm and had to quickly push the egg under her body with her foot. Hopefully there will be no damage to the egg. Poor Delta #1.

Delta #1 has company some nights, (see below)

March 8, 2011

Tweet building her nest

A little birdie told me this morning that Tweet has set up house in Victoria.

Tweet is a sweet Anna's hummingbird who supposedly doesn't migrate to warmer climates. Someone should tell her it is warmer down south in winter?

Tweet on her nest

March 5, 2011

Delta #2 Nest - first documented egg in Canada

We are in business!! AND I was half right. The first egg was deposited in a Delta nest but it was the other one I don't yet show a link to, which is here and called Delta #2 . The report was that the egg appeared on March 3, 2011, but I have yet to see it. The nest has been occupied most of the time when I check, of course but between brooding sessions I still don't see the egg. I do see activity that shows one is probably being rolled, and there is constant attention to the nest. Hopefully the report was right as we need a good start to spring about now. This morning I watched as a flock of small birds, (possibly English Sparrows? but hard to tell), were cleaning the bugs off the branches around the outer part of the nest and down underneath where there seems to be an open maze of passages for small creatures. The local webcams all have infrared lighting that allows us to watch the eagles sleep on the nests without disturbing them.

February 21, 2011

It is very frustrating to see that even the Hornby Island nest is being prepared and ours isn't. There may be some negative influence around the low Chum Salmon run this year, (see Chehalis web cam), but why in our specific area are the eagles being so tardy! I have found a site that has a spreadsheet reporting eaglet production online, put out by Judy Burrows of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. I did just find out today that apparently the PCT eagles don't like people putting cameras up to their nests and have moved to a tree out in front of the Rocky Point Boathouse Restaurant windows. We will have to drop in for tea or dinner soon.

Lily the Minnesota Bear feeling spring in the air.

Our own bear dens that I have found online only provide still shots or short videos. If you want an active black bear den that is very interesting down in Minnesota, I believe, this would be the one to check out.

February 20, 2011

Along with the yearly gathering of eagles to our river estuaries in fall and winter, there are a number of bird cams locally that are devoted to the majestic Bald Eagles. It has been interesting to note that nesting seems to be dictated by the height of the sun and no other factor as the US bird cams are all up and showing birds brooding over eggs at the moment but we are just starting to see activity this past week.

White Rock Nest and Boundary Bay View

I have been checking in daily to the activity on local nests and would place bets on the Delta O.W.L. birds laying the first eggs here. The pair of eagles are clearly a couple that are relaxed and acting like an old married couple that have been doing this for years and they work well together in the nest at the same time. I tend to think that the White Rock Bald Eagles may not have been at the nest building for as long, or possibly the fact that humans keep removing their nest has made them a bit more stressed about the nest building part of their lives. While the Delta O.W.L. nest has a good view of their immediate surroundings, including Delta Airport traffic, the White Rock pair have an extraordinary view at the seaside, with the camera looking over Boundary Bay to Ladner/Tsawwassen. The Amtrak morning run goes north at about 10:30AM or so. What the male has in view is costly, though, because his spouse is never happy with what he does to repair the nest and after pushing him out of the nest she changes everything in a slightly temperamental manner.

We have our own pair of eagles that have been riding the thermals in the past couple of days, but whether they will be returning to their nest at Pacific Coast Terminals is not yet decided. Apparently there was storm damage either to a camera, or to the nest, and they may move to a different location. So far all the cam shows is the tide coming in and out far below the tree. The LaFarge nest is also yet to be made use of to my knowledge, although there is a camera operator changing the view, possibly as a test to ensure it is operating properly. Perhaps, like our Bald Eagles, the humans have noted a nearby airshow in progress. It appears that our nests are just that much farther north than the Delta/White Rock nests to set us back a week or so? If that is the case, why is the Sidney camera not showing even more activity than the Delta/White Rock cameras as the nest is located at a lower latitude? Perhaps their is more to the scheduling of nesting than I can comprehend at this point. As of this date, no one has laid an egg!

March 14 - Sidney now has an egg!

Apparently our Eagle Cam's are the farthest north of the functioning cameras so we will be providing the last entertainment for birders in the Northern Hemisphere.

We do also have a fish cam at the mouth of the Chehalis River north of here, and the Vancouver Aquarium has a couple of cameras, one on the Beluga Whales, and one rather lonely sea otter on another camera. The sea otter is likely to have company as abandoned babies are brought in for this year.

Pacific Coast Terminals does have a second web cam that is pointing along the wharf of their terminal toward Ioco and the snow capped Seymour Mountain behind that we can see from our living room window at a better angle for snow viewing. It only refreshes every 30 seconds and I have yet to see anything of interest to the general public.

As for the rest of the lower mainland, there is one web cam that captures a photo of the Burrard Street Bridge every five minutes in non peak periods, and then also listed at the KatKam site are some cameras that are working but need to "refresh" over periods of time, and clearly some haven't done so for periods of days or months. There is the one government site there that does do regular updates for highways, if that is what interests you. The weather cameras can give you a fish eye view that may or may not be detailed in thumbnails if you click on them.

Convocation Mall SFU

I can even check out the old Alma Mater up the hill if I so wish, not that I can't see from here what they have up there. Mind you, that view brings back memories of the "debates" held by Tony Buzan and Alan Garr for our lunchtime entertainment, back when SFU was a very isolated location. Perhaps I should be digging out some of the old SFU photos I have tucked way somewhere. Now THOSE would be a bit of entertainment for some.

None of those cameras is live, so the only "live" entertainment I can find locally for those of you not near us are the bird cams at the top of this page, which I do love best.

Seymour in Winter

2008-01-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Seymour back country.

This photo was taken from Seymour Mountain car park, looking across to Grouse Mountain in the foreground, and one section of Cypress Bowl farther in the distance. Wintertime is party time if you have a pair of skis, snowshoes, snow board, or other paraphenalia, just for starters as you can see at the links here.

We all dream of having space at the parking lot. Is there a ski hill in the world these days that doesn't have parking issues? This was a lucky break shortly after the hill opened for the season, before students and sundry were prepared to sneak off up to the slopes.

At right, the ski patrol is heading off to check for the 'twits' who are so self absorbed they think it is fine to cause their fellow man to be at risk rescuing them after dark when they can't find their way back.........

Majestic trees everywhere you look!

Sunsets on Seymour Mountain

Rime formed on evergreen trees. Click on the photo for a closer look.

The Okanagan

2006-03-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

The most pleasurable childhood experience was walking through the grassy hills covered in acres of Balsamroot.

One had to walk carefully through those grasses because at about the same time the Yellowbells, (frittilaria pudica), would pop up through the grass. My gardening choices today reflect the scent that one found in those small bells that held the greatest scent of spring I have found. Specifically, I have found yellow Primroses to echo that scent for me in a world where I can't get my precious yellow bell bulbs to flower.

Lower Mainland of British Columbia

2006-02-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

The city of Port Moody is growing exponentially with the multiple towers being built in the Newport area. If we still had to pass through there to get home, it would be a nightmare as there are limited routes. That is where all the tradespeople have been when we have needed them here with our 'small' complicated job. The photo is taken through the trees off our deck, in winter.

Pacific Coast winter sunset at right

"The Chief" rock face used by local climbers. Situated on the highway to Squamish. (Sorry the photo is old)

Vancouver Island

2006-02-26T19:23:00.000-08:00

Qualicum Beach on the east side of Vancouver Island taken at the beginning of the trip as a rest stop. Note waterfowl between photographer and humans, that are quite oblivous to our presence.

Typical lake in the interior of Vancouver Island on the highway to Tofino. Refreshingly cool beach with shade on a hot day.

Tourist stop along highway to Tofino in an area where many people were climbing over rocks to find tadpole pools, sunning reptiles, and other natural fauna reminding us of a real taste of nature.

Above is the lookout outside Wikininnish Inn at Long Beach. Then the sunset after dinner at the same lookout.

North end of Long Beach looking south,

and breathing the fresh air and Kari sunning herself facing northwest.

Left is Middle Beach Lodge, taken from its private beach.

To the right is from the same location but turned the opposite direction where our group was looking at the tidepools.

Below is a closeup of the clearest tidepools I have ever encountered. Can you see the water's edge? These photos are a mild colored sample of what is available when you take tours through Gwai Hannas National Park as you travel up through the Queen Charlotte Islands. People not going on guided tours are required to have special training courses and licences to travel through there. Underwater and intertidal life is beautiful as are the sitings of wildlife in all forms, including exotic birds.

August 12, 2007

There are two Martin Mars airplanes left in the world and they operate out of Sproat Lake on the Island. At the right is a photo of one of the Martin Mars going home after the Abbotsford Airshow that finished today.

Shortly after the Mars flew past, a sub hunter headed for Comox. These planes go back and forth through the Inlet, which is great fun for us on the hill, but too fast for me to grab the camera for a good shot........maybe next year?

Travel British Columbia

Online Access to Our Spring Excitement

Seymour in Winter

The Okanagan

Lower Mainland of British Columbia

Vancouver Island