July 19/05 - After I got home from Mt. Washington on Tue., I spotted 2 Hairy Woodpeckers foraging in a gnarled willow tree in my backyard. With the evening sun and plenty of room on my flashcard, I couldn't resist taking a couple of shots. I think they were a pair of juvenile males as there was a small patch of red on the tops of their heads.

July 21/05 - VICTORIA VISIT - It was supposed to be a business trip, but it was a gorgeous calm morning at Clover Point. The usual throng of tourists, walkers, and seaweed gatherers had yet to arrive. I had the birds to myself so I couldn't let the opportunity slip away, could I?

It was low tide, exposing much more area than usual. On a rock in the eastern sunrise, a group of cormorants, gulls, and Black Oystercatchers were sunning themselves. By the time I carefully worked my way over, only a Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorant remained. With the sun in my eyes, all I could get was a few silhouettes.

This was my first chance of the year to visit the Heermann's Gulls. They're a beautiful looking gull with their distinctive orange bills. They were quite obliging for our obligatory photo shoot.

A Common Murre dozed peacefully in the morning sun. I waited for it to drift in but somehow it managed to stay the same distance from shore.

Inside the breakwater at Ogden Point, a Pigeon Guillemot was looking for lunch.

A sudden noise from the Coast Guard station startled the Guillemot and away it went.

As the Guillemot was leaving, a Rhinoceros Auklet cautiously paddled its way into the harbour. The Rhino horn is typical of a breeding adult.

When it found what it was looking for, it went in a feeding frenzy diving and swimming to catch the little fish. It was fun to try to follow the ripples of the fish and guess where the Auklet would come up for a breather.

GUESS WHOOOOOOOO? Yes, this is Shakespeare, the Barred Owl, dropping by for one of its evening visits. For you photo fans, this was shot at 1600 ISO at a shutter speed too low to register. At ISO 3200, the shutter speed was 1/20th of a sec.

WEST COAST VISIT (July 22/05)- A cool gentle breeze, clear skies, the rumbling Pacific surf, and miles of hard packed sand ... It was a perfect west coast day except for the people. Don't get me wrong. I like people. Most people are fine people, but somehow the west coast beaches attract more than their share of inconsiderates. 3 times I set up my camera and waited patiently for the peeps to come close enough for pictures and 3 times peple walked right next to me, flushing the birds. With acres of beach, a 30 foot detour was all they needed, but ...

FLUSHED AGAIN - If you look at the positive, I had a lot of opportunities to practice flight shots. However, the poor peeps spent more time flying than feeding.

TRYING AGAIN - Three Western Sandpipers make another quick landing looking for food.

The small flock consisted of about 40 Westerns and 20 Semipalmated Plovers.

BOOKS AVAILABLE AT

PARKSVILLE - QUALICUM - MULBERRYBUSH BOOKSTORES

NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE)

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CHAPTERS

FALCONER BOOKS

PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY

COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS

SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE

COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS

BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS

SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED

VICTORIA - BOLEN'S BOOKS

SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE (pending)

CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM

DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE

CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS

LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS (FRASER & NAYLOR)