Feb. 26, 2010 - On the Road Again

The hardest part of self-publishing is marketing and distribution. Taking the picture, designing the book, and writing the text is fun and the the easy part. Now the work begins. So far I've made my initial distribution trip to Victoria and Sidney in the south and Comox Valley and Campbell River in the north. I've also done a book-signing and workshop at the Campbell River Bald Eagle Festival and a guest appearance at the Comox Valley Sierra Club fundraiser. Future events include a book signing at Chapters (Nanaimo) on Feb. 27 (12 - 3 pm), a presentation to the Nanimo Paddlers on Mar. 3, and a guest appearance at the Langford Wild Bird Store on Mar. 6. I've also been busy writing press releases, designing ads, and setting up direct purchase sites. What's a direct purchase site? It's a group purchase arrangement where one person from the group collects the cheques then notifies me how many books are required. The direct purchase price saves $10 from the store price. Email me if you are interested.

Unfortunately, the casualty for all this extra-curricular activity is my birding and photography. But, I really made an effort today to take advantage of a bonus day of sunshine to get enough pictures to complete this journal. I was very lucky to find a pair of very cooperative American Dippers at the Little Qualicum to make this a "Dipper Day" and provide me with a number of delightful images.

By the way, my sincerest thanks to all those who have sent their compliments regarding my new book. It is pretty well unanimous that Volume 3 has been my best effort, and I'm inclined to agree. The photography is better thanks to the camera upgrades to the D200 and then the D300; the expanded text makes it more interesting and enjoyable; and the new design is cleaner and more attractive.

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Feb. 18 - The two-headed Trumpeter Swan - Two heads and six legs. They are almost lined up to provide an enigmatic image, but not quite. Do you recognize the third pair of legs? This photo was taken at the conservation area near Cowichan Bay.

It's always fun to stop and watch the Trumpeters. Most of them were at the far end of the field, but there were a few near the road. I found a Tundra here about 4 years ago.

Here's the Shady Rest Bald Eagle again. It was on the low fir tree by the mailboxes and inviting me to stop for a shot.

I should have had some sparkling close-up shots but my camera gave me an error message. By the time I resolved my problem a beach walker flushed the ducks. All I got was a few Harlequins on a distant rock.

With no other photographic subjects available, I decided on one last visit with the Black Scoters at Qualicum. Usually when the herring spawn happens, the diet changes from clam chowder to sushi, and it's more difficult to get close to the scoters.

At first I thought the scoters would be difficult to approach, but after waiting a patient half hour, the Black Scoters came in and were happy to see me.

The shy Surf Scoter joined in with its greeting.

My objective today was to get a good image of the female Black Scoter with a clam.

I didn't have to wait long before a female popped up with an extra large clam. Unfortunately, it was too large. She juggled it for an extra long time which was good for me, but in the end, she had to throw it back.

With my goal accomplished I took a few more shots and was on my way.

Just before I left a Red Crossbill flew in. It must have known I was deperate for pictures.

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Feb. 25 - Dipper Day - Today was my last chance for sunshine and a little photography as the rains were on the horizon. I was ready to photograph anything with wings to get enough shots for this journal.

My first victim was a Raven that was too busy foraging to notice me.

You know I'm desperate when I resort to Canadian Geese. I was actually looking for the Snow Goose that Chris had reported yesterday at Rascal Pond, but all I found was a pair of Canadas.

There was a large flock of Canadas in the ponds adjacent to the drainage ponds, but there was also a stranger lurking in the background. It was a Greater White-fronted. I managed a distant shot when it flew from one part of the pond to another.

My second stop was Parksville Beach where my best sighting was Ralph Hocken who had just photographed a Peregrine that was harassing the local gulls, ducks, and shorebirds. It wasn't in sight when I got there. The usual large flock of Surf Scoters was in the bay as well as a small bunch of Brant. On to French Creek which was pretty quiet. A few American Wigeons were in the creek, but there was nothing else close enough to photograph. A quick shot of a "cream" wigeon, and it was on to Qualicum.

It must have been a wigeon day because that's what greeted me at Qualicum.

The wigeons were enjoying the sea lettuce at the salad bar near the viewing stand.

I don't mind the wigeons. It's always a challenge to get the refection off the green head markings of the male.

When I finished with the wigeons I noticed a few Black-bellied Plovers perched on the rocks.

The Black-bellied Plovers seemed to be waiting for their pictures to be taken, and I was happy to oblige.

After I delivered books to Qualicum Middle School, I decided to check out the nearby Little Qualicum River for the American Dippers. Lady luck was with me as I spotted one of the dippers as soon as I crossed the bridge.