NOV. 21/05 - SEARCHING FOR SUN

After being socked in by fog for the last few days, I was suffering from claustrophobia and the early symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The solution was simple - drive a few miles inland which is exactly what we did to sunny Lake Cowichan and Mesachie Lake.

The sunshine worked its therapeutic wonder and we enjoyed a pleasant day of exploring. Tiny and placid Bear Lake was one of the little gems we discovered near Mesachie Lake

We were greeted at Bear Lake by a chattering Belted Kingfisher and an itchy Great Blue Heron. When you itch, you have to scratch.

NOV. 26/05 - A DUCKY DAY

Finally, a fogless day. I didn't have to go looking for the sun today as I woke up to clear blue skies. After a couple of chores, I decided it would be a good day for duck hunting - with the camera, of course. There were ducks a-plenty at San Malo, but it was low tide and the ducks were way out. My next stop was Parksville Park where I checked out the goose flock and noticed 5 Cacklers. At French Creek, a couple of female Common Mergansers were sunning in the grass.

I drove slowly to the side of the creek and poked my camera through the window for a couple of shots. It's always fun to find a duck out of water. It's like going to a strip show - you get to see more of the subject ...

As I entered Qualicum, I stopped at the gull roost to check the gull flock. In between all the gulls I was surprised to see a male Bufflehead preening in the sun. It was my lucky day, another duck out of water.

The sunlight just right, reflecting the beautiful irridescent colours on the Bufflehead's head.

The terminus of my journey was Deep Bay. I wasn't surprised - in fact, I expected to see Ralph there. I found him at the end of the spit with his mega-lens focussed on a male Long-tailed Duck.

The calm blue waters provided a perfect background for the elegant and attractive duck. There were 3 ducks fairly close in until a boat scared them away.

On my return south, I stopped at the Big Qualicum River. The ducks didn't mind the rumble of the traffic, but they sure scooted out of range when I peeked over the bridge. However, there were a few ducks working their way down from the upstream side. The male Common Merganser was first to float from under the bridge.

It was busy with some prey that it caught. I'm not sure what it was, but it looked pretty juicy.

The next duck coming down was a female Red-breasted Merganser. It was still looking for lunch.

A couple of juvenile Common Goldeneyes and Buffleheads were downstream trying to decide if it was safe to come upstream. They decided to head downstream so I left.

I timed my return to Qualicum for high tide to catch the scoters in close. Scoters were scarce, but I did find a pair of juvenile White-winged Scoters diving for clams or some kind of shellfish.

The only other scoters around were a small bunch of Black Scoters. They cruised right by and showed no interest in diving for shellfish.

One last stop, and that was Admiral's Lagoon. Aside from the usual sandbar full of gulls, Black Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, and Black Oystercatchers, there was a pair of Mallards dozing in the sun. I was sleepy too, so I called it a day and headed home.

BOOKS AVAILABLE AT

PARKSVILLE - QUALICUM - MULBERRYBUSH BOOKSTORES

NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE)

SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB)

CHAPTERS

FALCONER BOOKS

COLE'S

PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY

COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS

SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE

COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS

BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS

DEEP BAY -

SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED

VICTORIA - BOLEN'S BOOKS

MUNRO'S

CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM

DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE

CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS

LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS (FRASER & NAYLOR)

NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA

SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE