PATCH & THE TRIPLETS!

href=”https://tofinophotography.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/20130526-img_3432.jpg”>I was pleasantly surprised to find Patch with her triplets again this year! These cubs are yearlings.
Patch was very protective with her cubs last year & appears to of mellowed out. The angle of the shore to the sun,direction of walking & being further back on the shore line to the forest made it very hard to get a good shot of them all together!
The first shot does show “Patch” & her three cubs but the grasses are in the way & all with their heads down! I always need to see the eye’s!
I call the Sow “Patch” because of the white patch on her lower throat area.
The second shot is from last September! You can see how much the triplets have grown!

RECENTLY SMACKED!

I found this bear up in Fortune Channel & noticed immediately that it had been smacked by another bear in the head!
Each bear is fearful of other bears but if forced or challenged, will fight!

THE DAREDEVIL

I knew that a large cloud system was going to be moving in later & it did! I had excellent light with the bears but by the time I came to Tsapee Narrows,the light had been completely destroyed! The only redeeming part of the clouds was their structure.

PADDLIN ABOUT

This is a traditional dug-out native canoe. Tourists pay for the opportunity to paddle around in it. The woman “sterning” is Gisele Martin.

ERNIE

Looks like Ernie was thrown some fish scraps!
When a fisherman cuts up a fish down on the dock,they sometimes toss the scraps to Ernie or Ethel! Thats one of the benefits to owning this territory!

MOE

ABOUT FACE!

MOE COMING IN

MOE & MAGGIE’S BRAT

By the tail feathers,this is last years offspring from Moe & Maggie.
They are tolerated but not welcome! Moe escorted this immature away from the nest!

ERNIE GROUNDED

ERNIE & STRAWBERRY ISLANDS FERRY

THE DAREDEVIL

PINKY?

A friend phoned me about this guy today! I couldn’t come & take any shots at that moment unfortunatly! It sounded like a Gull was trying to steal it’s catch!
By the time I came along,the light had gotten snuffed! So this isn’t a great shot but I hardly ever see these guys! Normally it’s the River Otters I see & yes I did see one of them today as well!
Because of the nose pattern,this may be one I called “Pinky”?

LENNARD ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE

LIGHTHOUSE WATCH

SUNSET

Unfortunately some clouds moved in & snuffed a sunset but they still put on a good show!

4RTH ST.DOCK SUNSET PANO’S

I have 180 people following me on twitter for the local weather. I gaffed today with the weather! I said it would be cloudy with scattered showers today. It was for most of it but the clouds parted late in the day enough to coax me out. I didn’t go out in the boat but rode around instead looking for things of interest!
I went down to 4rth St.Dock & shot a few.

SUNSET POSING

ETHEL & ERNIE

Ethel is the one on the left. During nesting season they often times stay close to each other like two love birds!
They have started a new nest on Strawberry Island! The nest in the Eik St. tree has been abandoned. I suspect all the road construction/noise for months persuaded them to move to a quieter neighbourhood!
They seem to have problems in having offspring anyways & I guess all the noise wasn’t helping things!

TOFINO CREEK

I decided to head all the way up to Tofino creek today! It’s at the end of Tofino Inlet. It took me almost 1 1/2 hrs to get there! There is a old prospectors cabin further up the creek & I wanted to see if I could get to it from the ocean? I know how to get there by logging road,but wanted to see if I could get there by water. I actually did get up to it many years ago,but the tide was high & the creek was more like a river from the winters rains than.
I came across a small section of washboard rapids,but think I know how to get by them. Kick the motor up,tie a rope on the boat & walk up the shore line (with my chest waders & felt booty’s on) to the top & pull the boat up!
Easy to say,but I know the Devil’s always in the details!
After taking a few shots,I headed back downstream. I than went straight up into Fortune Channel. That took me the better part of a hour in it’s self!
I was getting cramped for time,so I decided only time for one bear tonight. I found one almost immediately! I also think this bear knows me! It might be Li’l Jackie? She’s grown since I last saw her last Fall! She & I spent some quality time together but I was cursing the light! Some Cirrus clouds had moved in & diffused the light tremendously! I prefer bright gold light,but that wasn’t in the cards tonight!
Left Li’l Jackie & headed to Tsapee Narrows to visit with the Daredevil & Delilah. Once again,due to low light conditions,the best I could do was take only silhouette’s!
Continued on into the harbour. I saw either Ernie or Ethel on top of Strawberry island & took a few with the diffused light in behind & than went to Deadman island to visit with Romeo & Juliette!
Juliette stayed on the nest but Romeo came over to say hi! After taking a few I decided to head on out to open water & see if I could shoot the Lighthouse with the remaining sunset?
I did make it out there but it was alittle rough! Took a few shots & headed back in.
Broke a record today! I traveled further today than I ever have! Not sure how far,but more than 50 klicks!
Another outstanding days shoot in beautiful Tofino!

WINTER MELTING AWAY

LI’L JACKIE?

THE “JU-JU-1”

THE DAREDEVIL

You can see how that high cloud diffused the light! Whenever that happens,I figure the only shots I can take are silhouette’s.

ERNIE (OR ETHEL) ON TOP OF STRAWBERRY ISLAND

SUNSET WATCH

ROMEO AT SUNSET

LIGHTHOUSE SUNSET

FORTUNE CHANNEL BEAR PANO’S

INTRODUCING………..”FRED”

FRED’S HEAD

FREDDY BOY

THE “DAREDEVIL”

DELILAH

A WIND BLOWN ROMEO!

ROMEO CHASING AWAY ONE OF HIS OWN!

MANEUVERING!

ROMEO BEING PESTERED!

ROMEO

ALL TIED UP

It was cloudy for most of the day today but was pleasantly surprised around 3pm to see a clearing sneaking up the west side of Vancouver island! I knew it would be here in about a hours time,so I got my gear together to head out.

ALICE & ALLIE SNACKIN

Little Allie has defiantly gotten use to me! She doesn’t mind me being around her anymore. It’s always a matter of time with each bear,but most don’t care about me being there in my boat! Now if I were to get out of my boat & walk on land………..that’s a different story! Most bears don’t like that!
I did just that with Alice & Allie here,but they have accepted me into their flight zone & were cool with me doing that!
I always consider it honour when they bestow this trust upon me!

ALLIE BEING UN”BEAR”ABLY CUTE

Notice the tone change in the third shot? That’s why I always try to shoot them in the golden light! The contrast flattens out & the colours are muted in the shade!
I always “chase the gold”!

WHO’S THAT!!

Alice & Allie were stopping to watch Lazyboy,just to make sure he was safe to be around! You can see Allie hiding behind mum while she checks to make sure there is no danger with Lazyboy!
There was a fourth bear past Lazyboy as well & that made Lazyboy apprehensive as well!
Bears are constantly asking themselves one question…………”Can I eat it,or can it eat me”?

IT’S GETTING CROWED HERE!

The closest two are Alice & Allie. The next over is Lazyboy & the fourth is a yet unknown bear?(maybe “Crewcut”?)

MY NEW BOAT…………& FRIENDS!

My boat is over top of a Isthmus! It was shallow there & the tide was dropping so I had to constantly keep a eye on the boat to make sure I wasn’t getting stuck!
Even If I did,all I had to do was put the wheels down anyways!
This is my new boat! It's a 10 foot Zodiac Hurricane RIB. (Ridged Inflatable Boat) A real sweet ride too!

THE DAREDEVIL

ROMEO’S CLOSEUP

HITTING SEQUENCE

MY BUDDY ROMEO

THE “TANTRAMAR” HEADING OUT AT SUNSET

In the first shot,you can see Romeo to the left of the mast.