Month: April 2011

Immature & Raven Chowing Down

California Sea Lion, Immature Bald Eagle, Ravens

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I went down to Cannery Bay today to check on that Sea Lion carcass I have my trail camera set up over top of . I also wanted to confirm that the all the Sea Lions had left Cannery bay…….and they have!
The carcass is providing great food opportunity’s for everyone, and it’s also given me great opportunity for pictures!
I think thats what they call a “Win Win” scenario!
This Immature Bald Eagle and Raven were both having lunch together when I came across them.

Brinky

Cemetery, Morpheus Island

I was curious about this grave stone. It didn’t give a date of birth or death? I asked Adrienne Mason about this fellow. She is a local Historian and writes very interesting books!
She contacted a woman who knew about “Brinky”. Dr. Robertson’s daughter (no name given) said this……

“Brinck died in our house – now a vacant lot on the waterfront.
He was leaving Tofino to work in Ottawa and had packed up when he got
pneumonia. My Mother was nursing him. These were the day’s before
antibiotics. My Dad as his physician and Hilmar Wingen as the master
mechanic tried to save him by building an oxygen “mask to assist his
breathing but it did not save him. He was buried on Morpheus Island. I
believe that there is an identifiable marker there.”
Brinky was very involved into the Theater! He not only wrote and put plays on in town,but did many of the customs/backdrop etc!

UPDATE: (August 18th,2014) a friend sent me this letter from a Ron Macleod. He was a child when he met Brinky. This is what he recalled……….

“Some of my fractured remembrances of Mr. Brinkman.
He came to Tofino from Ahousat where he had been working for Mr. Gibson (senior – I forget his first name). Gibsons at the time had a store, a small sawmill and a pilchard reduction plant.
Mr. Brinkman took a job as night watchman with the Life Saving Service. He rented a house across from where the hotel now stands.*
He was loved by all in Tofino** Mr. Brinkman would write and produce skits and plays. He would organize concerts with entertainment provided by singers, dancers, actors and in 1933 it included a group of men from the Relief Camp at Long Beach. Invariably, the themes would be light-hearted, humorous – all designed to overwhelm the Depression blues. He would also produce skits for the school concerts and then serve as Director. I acted (???) in at least two of his skits. In one I had to sing “Will you come with me, my pretty maid” and it turned out to be a howler. I sang it as “Will you come wish me…)” and although there were several rehearsals he never corrected me, thinking I suppose, that it might tickle the audience’s funny bone, and so it did. I can still hear the laughter.
The marvel was his painting and sketches. He had an imagination that us boys could not grasp because his knowledge was beyond our ken. He designed, made and painted the scenery for the stage. He would make what we considered to be wild posters for the various celebrations. These brightly coloured posters were awesome to adults and children alike – the colour orange lingers in my memory as a dominant colour. The frightful, mythical gargoyles and monsters depicted left us children in a stage between disbelief and belief. What if they were real? What then? Our little minds could not come to grips with the rich flow of wonders that sprang forth from his brain. And so, we children were content to tolerate the unknown world he put before us, just happy to be in his presence. Why even my father, who had a low opinion of the English, respected and admired this chap who spoke with a strong, distinctive English accent.
Cousins Murdo, Norman and Donald, my brother Ian and I spent some happy times in his home. He was always encouraging us to work hard at school. He was especially fond of Murdo and encouraged him to borrow his books and do some serious reading. Indeed, Murdo was given first choice of Mr. Brinkman’s library and other remembrances after he died. The rest of us were allowed to pick out one remembrance token.
Mr. Brinkman started his watch at 6 PM. On a summer evening we MacLeod children would sometimes visit him at the Station and pester him with questions and beg for his stories, which were endless. He introduced us to Winnie the Pooh and many other fictional characters. For us children he was a door-opener to many fictional and real adventures and gave us a sense that there was a world beyond our cocoon called Tofino.
He had received his call to Ottawa shortly before he was stricken with a severe cold that became pneumonia and kept him bedridden and house bound for some time. I recall, in part, the day he donned warm clothing and wrapped a grey wool scarf around his neck and went up the road for a short walk. Norman, Donald and I were outside his home when he returned, guided by two young ladies (Margaret Hansen?? and her cousin Alma Hansen?? Or was it Bonnie and Gretel Arnet? – I don’t remember). Behind him was a group of children just thrilled to see him up and about. Alas! We never did see him alive again. He was too soon dead.
And bitter tears we children wept.
And today I shed tears for having forgotten so much about one who meant so much to children such as myself.

*I believe you lived there yourself for a time; also, the MacKenzies before Mr. Brinkman. And, after you the storekeeper, Ted Bell who worked for the Coop Store.
** With the exception of Major George Nicholson. I mention this because their one-on-one feud led to a boisterous Halloween night that led to Mr. Nicholson, then proprietor of the Hotel above Alex MacLeod’s home, being charged with assault for shooting at some teen age lads with a blast of bird shot from his shotgun (the only one hit was Norman Arnet whose wounds were superficial because of the range). Apparently Mr. Nicholson believed that Mr. Brinkman had encouraged the lads to pester Nicholson at Halloween with endless mischief, including tying the front doors in such a way that Mr. Nicholson could only get out through the back door. I remember it well as I was at the site when the door tying was going on but not involved in any way because I was far too young (I think I was in Donald MacLeod’s care). I forget the outcome of the Court case but I have a sense that there was an order for Nicholson to keep the peace.”

Ron Macleod 

THEIR GONE!

California Sea Lion

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I went down to Cannery Bay today to visit my furry friends and was shocked to find that they have all left! They were all gone, except for these 3 or 4 that I found lolly gagging about,
& even than we saw them a hour later heading out of the inlet by Indian Island.
Thats it……..they are all gone for another season!
I will miss them….

Sea Eagles

Miscellaneous

Went out today with a friend who is visiting me. We did something different? I have these inflatable kayak/canoe’s called “Sea Eagles”! We drove almost to Berryman’s point and than hiked down the slope to Cannery Bay with the Sea Eagles! We inflated them and paddled over to visit the Sea Lions.
It was a short paddle and all went well!
After the visit, we paddled over to the trail camera (which was just across the small bay) I had set up a few days ago. There were a few eagles hanging around. They couldn’t get at the carcass because the tide was too high.
We than paddled back and came back into Tofino for sunset!
Great day all around!

Trail Camera Set Up

Trail Camera

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I went down to Cannery Bay today with the specific purpose of setting up my trail camera over that second dead Sea Lion I found.
As with everything else…….the Devil is in the details!
The tide was too high to set the camera where I had originally wanted to set it,plus the beach was too hard to set my pole in!
So I had to shoot from the hip on this one!
I found this piece of wood down there and had some spikes with me. I nailed it to this log. Worked great but I had to nail it on a angle so that the face of the camera was facing the carcass! Kind of a weird angle,but like I said……I was shooting from the hip on this one!
I set it and got out of there,oh and I set it to take one shot this time and not three! Last time all the eagles were setting the camera off and filling up my one Gig card. I bought a 4 Gig card,so that should work……I hope?

The Last Stand

California Sea Lion

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After setting the camera,I went over to the float where the Sea Lions like to hang out. They were there but only there! There were no other Sea Lions anywhere else! A first!
Their numbers have been reduced from 1000(?) to 30 or 40 animals? It’s that time of the year when they move out of the inlet for places unknown? They will all be gone very soon and I will miss them. I don’t think they will miss me however. They’ve seen me many many times over the winter and got kind of use to my boat. They always looked alittle skittish when I was around,but I tried not to disturb them too much.

Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swans

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I’m seeing this guy every time I go down to Cannery Bay. He/She has lost it’s mate somehow? It makes sad to think that,but Nature has no sympathy!
I managed to shoot just one run and that was all she wrote.
I headed back to Tofino but the wind was up………WAY up! I could only go slowly and directly into the wind. If I went alittle off of that angle,I got a rude splash in the face!
By the time I touched land I was soaked!
& that was all she wrote today!

Lighthouse/Moon Pano

Lennard Island Lighthouse, Moon


I got up at 4:30 am this morning and went out to the beach for the moon set.
Unfortunately the moon was setting too far south (again) to line up with the Lighthouse.
To make matters worse,their was nobody home on the Frank Island nest! Both Frank and Frieda weren’t home! I was choked that they stood me up!
I basically should of stayed in bed!

Stunned Hummingbird

Hummingbird

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I found this Rufous Hummingbird on the ground! I didn’t see it initially and had been walking around there a few minutes before. Good thing I didn’t step on the poor thing!
It flew into the window I assume and just lay there stunned! I very gently picked it up and put it onto this spot(good light) and like a good photographer………. grabbed my camera!
It flew off after a few minutes but stayed still on that tree limb for awhile!

The wind was up today so I couldn’t go out!
I just hung around the Harbour and watched for things to happen?