Category Archives: West Coast

River Otters

Posted on January 29, 2023 by Jens

In British Columbia there are two species of Otters. They are commonly confused, but Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) live at sea and swim on their back. The River Otter (Lontra canadensis) is semi-aquatic and swims on its belly. The River Otter has a pointed head and a thick tail which is 2/3 of its total body length. The Sea Otter has a blunt head and a flattened tail which is 1/3 of its total body length. I spent some time photographing three River Otters. When they catch prey like fish, shellfish, birds, and small animals, they bring it ashore to eat. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Science, West Coast, Wildlife, Winter | Leave a comment

The Last Light of the Day

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Jens

There was a break in the rainy weather and I was able to get out and take some images. In the Northern Hemisphere in the winter sunrise and sunset appear farther south along the horizon. I find it creates this beautiful golden light at the start and end of each day. Click on a photo to see a larger size.

Posted in British Columbia, Mountains, West Coast, Wildlife, Winter | Leave a comment

Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Jens

Embrace the New Year with an open heart and a fierce spirit. Cheers to new horizons. Click on a photo to see a larger version.

Posted in Birds, British Columbia, Holidays, Inspiring, West Coast, Wildlife, Winter | Leave a comment

Red-tailed Hawk

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Jens

This is probably the most common hawk in North America. The Red-tailed hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis ) eats small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and voles. You’ll most likely see Red-tailed Hawks soaring in wide circles high over a field. When I was taking this photo the sun was low on the horizon and the sunlight was coming from directly behind me, which beautifully lit this bird of prey. You can see the catchlight or specular highlight in its eye. Click on either one of the images to see a larger size.

Posted in Birds, British Columbia, West Coast, Wildlife, Winter | Leave a comment

Powder

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Jens

The lower mainland received about 30 centimeters of snow this week. This created chaos for drivers on the streets and travellers at the airport. I took advantage of the opportunity to get outside and explore with my camera. Click on any photo in the gallery to see a larger image size.

Posted in British Columbia, Holidays, Night Photography, West Coast, Winter | Leave a comment

Fall Foliage

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Jens

The Autumn colours usually take centre stage this time of year. The unseasonably hot conditions led to more muted colours. I like taking photos early in the morning because there is little wind and you get nice reflections in mountain lakes. When the sun rises, the wind picks up, and the opportunity to take images of reflections disappears. Click on a photo to see a larger version.

Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Mountains, West Coast | Leave a comment

A Rare Encounter

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Jens

The middle of October is a time when I start to think about taking images of Fall colours in British Columbia. After driving in the dark for a few hours I arrived at my location and started taking photos of the Autumn foliage. While I was adjusting my camera settings and tripod I started to feel like I was being watched. That’s when I saw the large pointy ears with distinctive tufts of black hair. It was a Bobcat ( Lynx rufus ) that was sitting quietly behind me. I quickly changed to a telephoto lens and was able to capture a couple of good images before it disappeared into the forest. Unfortunately, the background consists of pavement and cement. The photos would’ve been perfect if I had photographed this beautiful wildcat in its natural environment. Click on a photo to see a larger version.

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Orange

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Jens

This photo was taken with a telephoto lens. The image shows downtown Vancouver and in the distance mountains on Vancouver Island. Click on the image to see a larger size.

Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Mountains, Night Photography, West Coast | Leave a comment

Raw and Unfiltered

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Jens

I just returned from a twelve day trip to northern Vancouver Island. The nickname ‘Fogust’ is appropriate because there was a lot of fog each morning, which would usually burn off by the middle of the day. There was an abundance of wildlife and I spent time observing and photographing Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, a Minke Whale, Dall’s Porpoises, Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Steller Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Sea Otters, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Pelagic Cormorants, Black Turnstones, Red-necked Phalaropes, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Surf Scoters, Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, and of course, the bird in the picture below, which is a male Belted Kingfisher ( click on the image to see a larger version ). This area is the traditional lands of the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw, Kwakiutl, and Tlatlasikwala First Nations. To see some of my photos from my trip you can click on the ‘News‘ tab or the ‘Galleries’ tab and then the gallery titled ‘The Great Bear Sea‘.

Posted in Birds, British Columbia, Holidays, Inspiring, Summer, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Jens

The Snowbirds or 431 Air Demonstration Squadron performed over English Bay last night. The light was very harsh and the sky wasn’t very interesting, but I still had fun taking images of this Canadian icon. Usually the Snowbirds use nine CT-114 tutor jets to perform their formations, but last night Snowbird # 6 was missing. I know in the past they have sometimes performed a ‘missing man’ formation, but I can only speculate that one plane had some mechanical issues and was unable to perform. Click on any photo to see a larger version and then scroll through the gallery.