Month: April 2012

ROMEO

Eagles, Tofino Wildlife

I was able to get out today but went much later than normal! It was sunny almost all day & just when I wanted to go out, a very large cloud moved in!
I saw my break coming & made a rush to get out! Once I got out, I noticed the sun was about to be swallowed by a second cloud!
I literally only had 5 minutes of great light before it was swallowed! I rushed to Deadman Island to visit with Romeo & Juliette!
Thats when & where I took this shot of Romeo.
I also was trying out a new toy! I bought a “Go Pro Hero 2” video camera! It seems to work pretty good! I’ll have some short video clips for you guys soon!

Once the light went bye bye,I just motored around the islands in waiting mode. I was hoping that the sun would come back out near the horizon? I could see a definite clearing near the horizon. Unfortunately the sun set just too far north into that cloud! Kind of snuffed the sunset!
Just several klicks south of Deadman Island the sun would of been completely exposed & thus, a great sunset I bet!
“Missed it by that much”!

On another note. We lost a local eagle today! It flew into some electric lines & was killed instantly!
I talked to a few people & I think i know what happened.
It happened in Ernie & Ethel’s Territory. They are trying hard right now to have eaglets!
Eagle’s are territorial most of the time but even more so in “nesting” season.
It sounds like a fully matured eagle, new to town had perched inside Ernie & Ethel’s territory! I’m not sure if it was Ernie or Ethel,but one of them flew straight at this other eagle & in it’s haste to avoid Ernie/Ethel’s talons,this eagle flew straight into the power lines!
The body fell unceremoniously onto the road.
A local Native came by & took the eagle away before I could get a shot to ID it.
I will be watchful to see if any of the eagles I know are missing?

“NATIVE SUNRISE” AT SUNSET

Water Taxi

The sunset was gorgeous but I couldn’t find anything for a subject in the foreground! I saw this Water taxi “Native Sunrise” moving through the harbour & rushed over to get a shot!
I think the sweet spot tonight would of been out at Lennard Lighthouse!
It’s all about being at the right place at the right time!

FOLLOW THE LEADER!

Fishing Boat

The “Princess Colleen” had the “Leslie Ellen” in tow. Obviously the “Leslie Ellen” had engine problems.
I spotted them coming into the harbour from the north. They passed straight through the harbour & continued south. They probably were going to Ukee (Ucluelet).
I followed them as far as the Lighthouse & turned back.
I normally would not of gone out on a day like today. Diffused light with poor contrast is the worst to shoot in! The only shots good for this type of light are flowers,forest & nudes.
I only chase the golden light. Having said that,I had a cabin I wanted to go to & retrieve a few things from & today was perfect. I don’t want to waste any good light because of hiking through a thick forest!
So a cloudy day was perfect actually!
I also went to visit a friend. “Earth Mother”
Earth Mother “was” the largest tree in Clayoquot Sound up until a number of years ago! A large wind storm finally brought her down after a thousand years!
It was sad to see her all broken up but I understand these things are simply the way of Nature! It will become a very large “nurse log” for the next thousand years! All the nutrients will be absorbed by many bushes,ferns & trees.
I didn’t shoot much today folks. I might be able to get out this coming week?

VISITING “EARTH MOTHER” ON EARTH DAY

Meares Island

I went to visit a old friend today. I didn’t plan for it to happen on Earth Day,but it did! Cosmic serendipity!
The trail going up to her had several freshly downed trees blocking the pathway! No doubt from last winters wind storms. We had a few good ones,but than we always do!
It was sad to see her laying there so broken! This tree was the largest tree in Clayoquot Sound! It is the 6th largest Western Red Cedar (known) in the world!
It was measured by Robert Van Pelt (Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast,page 31) to be 10,320 cubic feet in volume!
To give you some perspective,he measured the “General Sherman” (California) at 55,040 cubic feet! The largest known tree on the earth! Roughly 5 & 1/2 times larger than Earth Mother!
Earth Mother was most certainly older than a thousand years! Only she really knows her true age & thats probably the best way for it to be!
I shot the nude 5 months before she came down!
This tree was always a inspiration to me personally!
Not many people know where she lays & that’s just fine with me!

Romeo

Eagles, Tofino Wildlife

I did get out today. I went straight up into Fortune Channel for bears. Unfortunately nobody was home!
I even zipped around into Gunner Inlet…………..ditto.
They are very close to coming out. I can just feel it!
Bears technically do not “hibernate”. They go into a deep sleep. The coastal bears more or less nap for awhile & do not go into the same deep sleep as their mainland cousins.
The first thing they do when they get out & about in the Spring is eat grass. It helps their digestive system clear it’s self.
I’ll have bear shots before the month is out…..trust me!

With no one home I decided to came back into town & visit with Romeo for awhile.(Juliette stayed on the nest with the eggs)
He did one of his great greetings for me again tonight! When he saw me (over a klick away!) ,he flew straight for me,circled around behind & came in low on my right! Without even flapping his wings,he travels faster than I do in my boat!
He went over to his rock to await my arrival. I couldn’t really shoot him on his rocky perch because it was low tide. His rock is surrounded by mudflats during low tide on one side & that almost always is the good side for light!
He was active tonight.
They are the only eagles that I am aware of at the moment who are expecting. Romeo & Juliette are always early in that regard.

CAMOUFLAGE

Harbour seal, Tofino Wildlife

I managed to get out today. The weather has been poor,so getting out has been difficult to say the least!
I heard that a bear was spotted with her cub up in Fortune Channel! The low tide was in my favor too! I only go out a few hours before sunset(golden light!). So when the low tide swings around into my time window,I take advantage of it!
I went up into Fortune & unfortunately there were no Bears home! I even tried Mosquito harbour,but came up snake eyes!
Even though I may not of seen anything or come across another animal,the main thing is that I got out! I may not of seen a bear but I set myself up to “maybe” see something else! Photography is all about stumbling upon opportunity’s & more importantly…….recognizing them before they happen!

After visiting Mosquito,I headed back into town to visit with my feathered friends.
A large cloud was coming up from the SW & I knew the sun was going to take a nap. Just as well while I’m traveling. I hate traveling around trying to get to this spot or another & the light is fantastic!
I knew that the sun was going to come back out near the horizon with “golden” light! I just needed to find the best seat in the room?
Deadman island is the only place for sunsets! A sunset by it’s self is beautiful,but if you can have something of interest in the foreground,than it bumps the shot up into the excellent category!

I found this Harbour Seal all by it’s self up in Fortune. So I guess I lied when I said I didn’t get anything up in Fortune.
Notice how well the Harbour Seals markings camouflage it against the rocks!
It was good to visit with all my friends today & can’t wait to see the bears again!

IMMATURE BALDY

Immature Bald Eagle, Tofino Wildlife

I’m not sure why,but it almost appears that all the Immature eagles are coming back to hang around Mum & Dad!
I think (?) this is a 3yr old of the Daredevil & Delilah. The Daredevil wasn’t around,but Delilah was. I think he was on the nest with the eggs?
This Immature perched too close to Delilah. She wouldn’t have any of this & flew straight at it! She even raised her talons when they almost clashed!
A pair of eagles will allow it’s offspring to enter into their territory but not during nesting season! With it being just that at the moment “ALL” eagles are told to stay away!

IMMATURE BALDY

Immature Bald Eagle, Sunset, Tofino Wildlife

This Immature flew out right in front of me & perched onto a rock in the middle of the harbour. This rock is not owned by any eagle pairs,but shared.
So It could of been either Romeo & Juliette’s or the pair on Beck island? Not sure?
It seemed interested in something at the waters edge?
I went up tide & shut my motor off. I drifted silently past it & was able to get close for detail shots! I was able to do this twice!

Lighthouse Sunset

Clouds, Lennard Island Lighthouse

It was overcast with a bit of rain today. I did see a large clearing coming all day but it was tracking slowly! I went out to the beach to see if it would come screaming through at sunset? I’ve seen these conditions before & the light is absolutely gorgeous! Very rare for it to happen but if your not there……..how would you shoot it?
That clearing was very close but it did not open up & expose it’s self to me! I did get some nice God rays over the Lighthouse instead.
So I didn’t get the gold tonight but I did get the “consolation” prize!
No matter whats said or done,I take what Mother Nature hands out cheerfully!

Tofino Harbour

Kayaking, Tofino Air

This is the fourth day in a row that I have been able to get out!
I went out earlier than normal because I thought I’d take advantage of the weather & go see if I could find any glass balls?
I went out to Cox Point. Cox Point is exposed to open ocean & a dangerous place to be at any time of the year! Just south of it is a small beach that nobody can get to! I thought this spot would be good to check over for glass balls because nobody would be able to get into it!
It took me awhile to get there because it was alittle rough. I couldn’t put the boat up on a plane because of the waves being too much. So I just traveled slowly.
When I got there I realized that there was no way I was going to beach the boat! The waves were crashing in front of the beach! So all I could do is take shots of the beach from a distance. Later when I was processing the shots,I zoomed in to check the beach out & couldn’t see any glass balls:(
I returned back into town & went straight through all the way up to Fortune Channel hoping to see a few bears.
It was coming down to low tide,so I thought the bears “might” be out overturning the rocks for baby crab?
No luck. The lazy bruins must still be in bed!
I than returned back into town to visit with my finely feathered friends. Thank God their around! No glass balls or bears today,but I always have my eagle friends to fall back on!

When I first got out,I came across this group of Kayaks coming back in. The winter is over when you start to see these guys paddling about!
Another great day out even if I came up a bit empty handed folks!

Frank on Frank

Eagle Nest, Eagles, Frank Island, Tofino Wildlife

Frank or Frieda are almost always on their nest tree. The only time I do not see them on their nest is when it’s windy!
I woke up very early this morning (5am) & rode my bike out to the beach in the dark for one reason & one reason only! I wanted to shoot the moon set/sunrise!
Specifically,I wanted to get a shot of the full moon hanging directly above the Lighthouse! Unfortunately the moon’s orbit was too far south! I couldn’t line them both up! It’s a matter of geometry really.
Think of the moon as being point “A” & the Lighthouse as being point “B”. By lining up A & B I get point “C”.(in theory)
Because the moon was too far south,I couldn’t find point “C”!
I was able to get a shot of Frank silhouetted against the moon however!
This shot shows the reverse angle 8 hours later.
I’ve found out the best times to shoot the Moon is 3 days before being full & the morning after it was full.(moon rise/sunset & moon set/sunrise)
It’s all about having the moon near the horizon & having golden sunlight bathing the surrounding terrain!
If all your doing is shooting the moon by it’s self up in the sky,than that’s an Astronomical shot & there are billions of those!
I try to get the moon contrasted against a interesting background. The time window is about 20 minutes! The moon is not too faint & not too bright. It has to be in the “Goldilocks Zone”!