We have Bald Eagles all across our provinces but these photos were taken in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island.  This is one of my favourite places to visit.  It is home to the Wild Pacific Trail, Broken Group Islands, whale festival in March, situated next to the Pacific Rim National Park (Tofino half an hour north) and wildlife abounds.  I would highly recommend a visit here if given the chance. When we were out whale watching we saw a “flock” of bald eagles out on the ocean diving into the water eating the same roe that the whales were feeding on. Unfortunately, we were in very rough waters at the time and  it was raining  hard as we passed by so I could not get photos of that.

We couldn’t get closer to this nesting pair because of the rough surf that day.  An enormous tree with a huge eagle nest at the top.  I wonder how they withstand all the weather and winds being so out in the open.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

** New Photos gallery has been updated . . .

Walk on the Wild Side . . . rocks, ocean, surf, spray, rainforest and the scent of the ocean is what you will experience on this trail. In the winter this area has become popular for “storm watching”.  These photos are taken from the Lighthouse Trail which is just a small part of the larger Wild Pacific Trail.  Magnificent is all I can say.  Today a few photos from the Wild Pacific Trail.

There are signs posted here calling this area the “Graveyard of the Pacific” as many ships have been lost to storms on the rocky coast.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

A sunny but windy day provided these magnificent waves in the Long Beach area.  Today, some photos from Pacific Rim National Park – truly a unique place in Canada.  Giant logs wash up with the tides and are in constant motion.

I found it curious that rocks were thrown up by the surf  in rather straight lines.

This area is very popular with the young surfer crowd and we watched this fellow heading out to catch his waves.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Here is one “spouting off” .  As you can see the ocean was a bit rough on this day but that did not prevent us from seeing many grey whales that were migrating up the coast of Vancouver Island.  The whales were feeding on herring roe according to our guide Lance Blackwell.  They were amazingly close to shore and rolling on their sides to feed in shallow waters. These are baleen whales that filter their food from the ocean water. We saw a few whale tails, many whale flukes and lots of spouts in the Broken Group Islands area. It was difficult getting really good photos due to the rough waters and weather conditions  but seeing these amazing mammals once again was an awesome experience. Below: Grey Whale tail, flukes and backs.

During this three hour outing we experienced the most fickle weather – hail, sleet, rain, sunshine, mists, winds . . . but it was still more than worthwhile to watch the whales.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Moss and more moss!  Everything in the rainforest is wrapped in blankets of beautiful moss that sways from branches, clings to tree trunks and coats the ground.  One cannot appreciate the enormity of the old growth forests until you have walked in one.  Today a few photos from Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Only mother nature can produce such exquisite colours!  I chose this photo because it shows all the beautiful colours of a male mallard duck.  These ducks were locals at a pond in Victoria, B.C. but are common throughout Canada.

A Mallard pair below and a female Mallard duck.  Much duller colours as are most females in the world of birds.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

More today from Ucluelet but moving from ocean up to the air.  We do not have Stellar Jays on the prairies so I considered myself lucky to have these beautiful birds visiting where we were staying.  They are similar in size and shape to our own Blue Jays but their colouring is exquisite.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Stellar Sea Lions were just one of the highlights of a recent trip to Ucluelet on Vancouver Island.  Ucluelet is south of Tofino on the Pacific Rim.   It was great fun watching the sea lions swimming around, chasing the fishing boats looking for handouts, sitting on the dock and floating in the water with flippers up in the air. This group was close to the cabin we were in and we could hear them “barking” throughout the night.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Enjoy!

~Sharon

While driving up the eastern coast of Vancouver Island we came across these interesting slugs.  They were large enough that we noticed them from the car. Unfortunately it is hard to visualize their size through photos .These slugs are much different from the small and slimy garden variety slugs found where I live.   From what I can tell, they are Banana Slugs. Here are a few interesting facts about them:

• These slugs are hermaphroditic organisms, meaning that they contain both male and female reproductive organs.

• The Banana Slug can have up to 27,000 teeth on its long tongue.

• World’s Second Largest Slug

• Covered by a layer of slime that is used as a protective agent by numbing other organisms that pose a threat
• Color is directly affected by nutrition and amount of humidity
• Herbivores that are often considered pests by farmers but prefer to feed on mushrooms and serve as decomposers

Literature cited:  http://www.earlham.edu/~burksje/bananaslug.htm  accessed December 22/09

Enjoy!

Sharon