Month: March 2013

COMMON MERGANSERS

Common Merganser, Tofino Wildlife

20130331-IMG_887320130331-IMG_8881Our weather was fantastic today,so I got out while I could!
It was high tide so I thought I’d go down into Grice bay to check things out? With the Lions & the Trumpeters gone,I was hoping to find a bear out & about? At high tide the only place I would be able to find them would be down in Grice. Even at high tide there are grassy areas still available for dining.
As I suspected,……….nobody home. I only found these Common Mergansers.
I left Grice & went up into Fortune Channel to check once again for any bears,but with no shore line available because of the tide I wasn’t surprised when I found zero Bruins!
Returned & stopped off at Tsapee Narrows to visit with both the Daredevil & Delilah. He caught me off guard & came out out of nowhere! He seems to do that from time to time. Said goodnight & went to Morpheus Island to visit with Moe & Maggie. The sun was falling behind Nelson Island to the west & snuffed the contrast considerably! Had to move on,if I don’t have the light……. I don’t have a picture!
Moved on to Deadman Island with Romeo & Juliette. Romeo came to greet me at his rock! He hasn’t done that in a few months. I have no idea why he does or doesn’t? The light was on the verge of decreasing,so I went to the nest to see if I could get a shot of Juliette in the nest while I had golden light but was surprised not to find her there! 10 minutes later after the light was gone,she poked her head up! She had been sleeping! Guess she couldn’t of done that a tad sooner! I had a nice visit with Romeo anyways!
Said goodnight & thanked them both.
Glad to see they have another egg. I assume it’s just one because they never seem to have two. There “could” be two?
We will know soon enough!

DEAD HUMPBACK WHALE

Tofino Wildlife, Whales

20130330-IMG_865620130330-IMG_864520130330-WHALE PANO #2,MARCH 30TH,201320130330-WHALE PANO,MARCH 30TH,2013This is the whale that got tangled in a fish farms pred nets & died. It was towed over to the ramp at Whitepine up in Hubert Inlet.

UPDATE: April 12th/13 – Three days after I shot this, a company specializing in retrieving skeletons moved in & took the bones! They will be cleaned (by Nature) & reassembled for public viewing in the large museum in Victoria!
They found it was a 2 yr old female Humpback.

DEAD HUMPBACK WHALE

Tofino Wildlife

20130327--Rod Palm (2)This is a dead adolescent Humpback whale.
Nobody is exactly sure what happened yet?

The Humpy’s are migrating right now from Hawaii to Alaska. They normally stay further out & rarely come into shore.
It appears this whale died else where & simply floated inside this fish farms pen! Normally when something dies,it sinks but with all the blubber,whales float!

This happened up in Hubert Inlet near Whitepine.
I did not take this photography. It was taken by Rod Palm of Strawberry Island Research.

DAREDEVIL DRIVE (FLY) BY

Eagles, Tofino Wildlife

20130328-IMG_846220130328-IMG_8463I went up into Fortune Channel today looking for bears? Nobody home! RATS!
Still too early I guess but one of the fish farmers mentioned he had seen one last week! So we are right on the verge of them coming back out! Can’t wait! I’ve missed my furry friends & am dieing to find out how many new cubs there are?

IMMATURE BALDIE

Immature Bald Eagle, Tofino Wildlife

20130322-IMG_806420130322-IMG_8059It’s nesting season for the Baldies & I’ve noticed something curious that always seems to happen at the same time!
Immature eagles come around & visit Mum & Dad! Now,normally if a strange eagle came into another eagles territory,all hell would be let loose! But Mum & Dad tolerate their former offspring to a great degree! When Mum & Dad have a egg or eggs,they do become very upset if one of their own from previous years comes around! They won’t attack it but instead try to escort it out of their territory all the while protesting loudly!
I haven’t read anything about this behavior but have a theory?
They return to their “old stomping grounds” to check & see if Mum & Dad are still kicking? If they are not there,this eagle now has now inherited the nest/territory!
Nests are passed down & can grow to be huge! I think the largest I ever heard of was 20 feet across & several feet deep! When nests become this large & heavy,It’s only a matter of time until a wind storm will bring it all down!
Rebuilding in a different location begins!