Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Day 70: Woke up this mornin'...

...and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up to watch sunrise. And a pretty one it was too :-)

Sunrise sky over Mt Seymour
Sunrise, 31 May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

Day 69: Bike to work week

This week is Bike to Work Week in Vancouver, and of course it's raining. Fortunately it's very light and my lack of mudguards wasn't an issue. Somehow I managed to overcome the inertia of unlocking my bike and getting it rolling and enjoyed - yes, enjoyed - a relaxing ride into work. I was dreading it as I've been feeling out of shape, but maybe my mad weekend of hiking helped. Sure, my legs were a bit tired but not so much that I felt ready to quit on the hills as I have felt before. I'll have to wait and see how I feel tomorrow :-)

Riding home I kept my eyes peeled for anything interesting to photograph, but I didn't feel too inspired, especially after taking so many photos at the weekend. It was a hazy, low contrast evening with not much going for it. Once I got home I took the camera out onto the balcony just to see what might catch my eye. A crow flew towards me, then another and more. I snapped a few as they flew over, but none really worked. A noise behind me caught my attention and I saw a huge gang of crows flying towards a line of trees a block or two away. At first I thought it was just the usual pre-roost gathering, but then I heard a seagull sounding agitated and noticed the crows dive-bombing one of the trees. A few moments later a large bird left the tree and flew off, with 50 or so crows in hot pursuit. Looking at the photos I took I could see it was an eagle (I thought it was a raven at first).

The crows peeled off from the group in twos and threes, some flying back in my direction. I saw two flying close together and sized up a shot as they flew by, their wings almost touching. They flew so close to me that the shot below is almost the full height of the original photo. Another moment of good timing, I like the way their wings are opposed; it looks like a mirror image, as if it were a single crow flying close to a still pond.

Flying in mirror formation
Crows, 30 May 2011

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Day 68: Water falls

It's been a bit of a waterfall weekend. In addition to hiking around Brohm Lake yesterday I drove further north on the Sea-to-Sky highway to re-visit Brandywine Falls. Today I met up with Andrew and Merewyn to hike High Falls Creek on a gorgeous sunny day. The last time I did this trail was as wet dreary day in April 2006 and I had always vowed to only repeat this trail on a good day. It lived up to every expectation and surprised me with just how steep it is, and how scary a few stretches are.

I'd seen other photos of a rainbow in the spray and we timed it just right as the sun came round onto the falls. The rainbow was faint but I was really pleased to capture it. What I couldn't capture were the smells of the day: the intoxicating, intense fragrance of the cottonwoods and the gentler scent of the sun-warmed pines. Breathe...

We stopped off at a roaring Shannon Falls on the way home to finish the day in style.

Faint rainbow in the spray
High Falls Creek, 29 May 2011

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Day 67: Solo serenity

Maria's down in Seattle at Folklife so I got up (stupid) early for a gentle solo hike in the Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest, just north of Squamish. A quiet drive, and an empty car park: I met no one on the hike. Just me and the trees, and rocks, and flowers. I was unpleasantly surprised by just how out of shape I am, puffing up the hills like I'd never hiked before. That was a bit of a wake-up call...

I followed the route suggested in "109 Walks" and I must admit I really enjoyed the trail. It took me a leisurely 3 hours to complete the 7 or so km circuit. The two highlights are the viewpoints with fantastic views towards the Tantalus Range, one of which was high above the Cheakamus River. They were good enough today: they'd be spectacular on a clear day.

In the end I've opted for the very first photo I took this morning, a perfect reflection of the trees in Brohm Lake.

More photos from today are on Flickr (plus an evening snowshoe on Hollyburn).

Perfect reflection
Brohm Lake, 28 May 2011

Friday, May 27, 2011

Day 66: All hail

Another day of all work and no photos until I got home. After watching the Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to face the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals I picked up the camera and took the bus down to Kits Beach. There were some grey clouds around, and enough blue sky to have me believe that there might be some interesting colour around sunset.

I got off the bus and promptly ran for the bus shelter: it was hammering it down with hail and I needed a moment to think about where I should head in order to not soak the camera. I ran over towards the pool and ended up huddled with half-a-dozen other folks under an overhanging roof near the open-air amphitheatre. As the rain eased off I walked round to the western end of the pool where I could get a view of the city skyline across it. The pool glowed bright blue against the dull grey clouds and, yes, the swimmers kept on swimming through the storm. The sun never did reappear...

Storm clouds over Kits Pool
Kits Pool, 27 May 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Day 65: Pining for the fjords

No Norwegian blues here, but I have to admit I'm missing the peace and quiet of our weekend at Desolation Resort. It's beautiful coast up there, islands and inlets galore. The ferry journey from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay gave us a taste of it on the way back, with hints of views up the Hotham Sound and into Prince of Wales Reach on Jervis Inlet, flanked by massive steep-sided mountains. We could see a double waterfall dropping over 100 m...

I've been watching the new growth on the pines on campus, and now the pollen cones are sprouting I wanted to get a picture. But today's photo nearly didn't happen as once again I picked up the camera without checking the state of the batteries. I got three photos before they died on me. I took them out and spent the day warming them on top of my computer to get the very last power out of them, and on the way home I was lucky enough to get three more photos, one of which is below. Phew! I suppose I could criticize the old camera here as it doesn't have a battery level indicator, only warning you when the batteries are literally about to run out, but I won't.

Scots pine pollen cones
UBC, 27 May 2011

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Day 64: Liquid fireworks

First day back at work after our weekend away... and it's raining. "Liquid sunshine" they call it. Work kept me inside pretty much all day and it was only on my way back to the bus that I even thought about taking a photo for the day. I took a few but the low light and the rain made it hard to get anything good. I was scratching my head by the time I got home, just in time for the rain to begin pouring down.

I stood at the window watching the raindrops bounce off the table on the balcony and I had an idea. I've wanted to try photographing water drops to catch the splash. I know it needs bright lighting and a fast shutter speed, but I thought I'd try my hand at it just to see if it would work. Lo and behold I did capture one of the splashes. Looking at it on the computer I was struck by how much the photo looked like fireworks, which gave me the idea for today's title.

Liquid fireworks
Rainy day, 26 May 2011

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Day 63: Homeward bound

Checking out time at Desolation Resort, and we're sad to be leaving it behind. It's been a wonderfully relaxing few days chilling out on the deck of the cabin, or sitting on the sofa facing the view out of the window. A book in one hand, and either a glass of wine or a cup of coffee in the other.

One of the things that really struck us about this place is all the little touches that make it welcoming. Someone has thought really hard about what it takes to create a comfortable, relaxing environment: the cabins are really well-appointed, with quality furnishings, full kitchen (including a dishwasher and washer-dryer), gas barbecue on the deck and a shower stall big enough to actually turn round in. The wood panelling is finished off perfectly with no rough edges anywhere. And not forgetting the enormous picture windows to gaze out of. We were so comfortable we self-catered every night.

We arrived by road, but you could equally arrive by boat. Pulling up at their dock, you're greeted by a number of wonderful wood carvings - cormorants and pelicans on the gangway posts, a fisherman at the bottom of the steps and then part way up, a guide with a light to welcome you safely to shore.

We're agreed: we would definitely come back and stay again.

Leaving our welcome behind
Desolation Resort, 24 May 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

Day 62: Pinnipeds to you too!

Before we left home, we'd booked a day tour with Terracentric Coastal Adventures to visit Mitlenatch Island which is about half-way between the mainland and Vancouver Island. It's a small remote island, home to the largest sea-bird nesting colony in the Strait of Georgia (or the Salish Sea as it is now known). As well as nesting season, May is also peak time for flowers on the island. Our trip was an all-day affair and included lunch on the island itself.

We did a floating circumnavigation of the island, the perfect way to admire the nesting gulls, pelagic cormorants and cute little red-footed pigeon guillemots on such a calm sunny day. But the highlight was awaiting us. We soon heard the sound of distant barking, which could mean only one thing: sea lions! We've seen only one since we moved to Vancouver, a fleeting glimpse of a large male off a beach on Vancouver Island. We even went on a wild-goose chase in search of sea lions when we were hiking the Juan de Fuca trail. The sound grew louder and we could now see a rocky shelf covered in 20 or so sea lions. (Then the aroma reached us...)

That was a real treat in itself, but around the headland we struck gold: a lone rock jutting out of the water was a siesta spot to at least 50 sea lions, a mixture of barking Californias and gutteral-growling Stellers. Our zodiac floated past, close enough for us to get some fantastic views. The shot of the rock plastered with pinnipeds (new word for me) won out as today's photo.

Once ashore we were treated to the amazing flower display first hand. On the return journey we saw a pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins, and back in Lund we were mesmerized by the hummingbirds at the feeders. What an amazing day!

A pile of pinnipeds
Mitlenatch Island, 23 May 2011

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Day 61: Lazing around

Having reached the end of the road, we now had a day to explore. We drove back down to Powell River to visit a few of the places we'd identified in our pre-trip research. First stop was Mowat Bay and our reaction was one of indifference. On a sunny day I'm sure it would be a lovely view up Powell Lake. Next was Haywire Bay, with a nice-looking campground nestled among the trees. We ate lunch in the rain under a picnic shelter, and were visited briefly by a local hummingbird. The rain eased off and we went for a short walk to a sandy beach and a little islet where we stumbled across a couple of basking garter snakes. One took off into the grass, but the other stayed put and gave us time to change lenses and get a nice close-up.

We left the snakes in peace and wandered back to the car, via a woodland path where we stumbled (literally) into a patch of emerging western coralroot and even a few fairyslipper orchids. Next stop was Inland Lake provincial park, where we encountered another four garter snakes sunning themselves on a couple of mossy logs. I even found a snail, my very first BC land snail. It's only taken nearly 7 years... Then it was back to the cabin to spend a couple of hours paddling the calm waters of Okeover Arm in a canoe.

This snake pretty much summed up how we felt too :-)

Basking garter snake
Haywire Bay, 22 May 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Day 60: In search of sunshine

Today we're off somewhere new - the northernmost tip of the so-called Sunshine Coast. It's not clear to me that it really is any sunnier than other parts of the coast, but it sounds appealing. We rose early and left just before 6 am, hoping to learn from our casual approach to the ferries at Easter :-). Our ferry karma was good and we enjoyed a pleasant drive in improving weather, eventually leaving the drizzle behind. The road got twistier on the last few km towards Lund and I was feeling a bit woozy by the time we pulled in by Nancy's Bakery for much-needed afternoon coffee.

After re-caffeinating, we stopped at Okeover Arm provincial park, where the was low, to go beach-combing and found ourselves on a beach like no other we'd ever been to. First surprise was all the inch-long conical shells, most of which were inhabited by hermit crabs. The second and biggest surprise was that beyond a certain point there was no beach - just oysters as far as you could see. And big ones too, with shells often more than eight inches long. We were the only people exploring the beach: the other half-dozen or so were picking their own oysters (or clams), adding to the dozens of discarded empty shells from oysters shucked on site. You simply had no choice but to walk over the bed of shells, although the beach beneath was soft so it didn't feel quite so bad walking over the backs of hundreds of shellfish.

Oysters, oysters everywhere
Okeover Arm, 21 May 2011

Friday, May 20, 2011

Day 59: Seal of approval

Today was a glorious sunny spring day. And I spent it indoors. I had plans to get up and go for a hike or snowshoe somewhere but that never got off the ground (or off the sofa depending on your point of view). It wasn't until the evening that I got outside, just as the high clouds ahead of the next weather system were moving in. Maria and I headed for the beach, parking up by Spanish Banks creek and walking east towards Jericho.

It was a fine evening and we found a way to make it even finer: savouring a pint on the balcony of Jericho Sailing Club with the best views in town. People were crab-fishing off the pier as usual, and the tide was high, right up under the pier. Keeping them company were three harbour seals, one of which regularly swam in close to the pier. An eagle flew overhead, no doubt off in search of food for its young.

We finished our drinks and walked down to the pier, where I stood waiting for the seal to pop its head up again. I didn't have to wait long before it appeared barely 10 m away. It swam slowly towards me and stopped a few metres out, looking me directly in the (camera) eye several times. That's undoubtedly one of the things that makes seals appealing (apart from looking like friendly big-eyed dogs), their willingness to make eye contact. It disappeared briefly before returning for a second look. I happily took another dozen photos, and even managed to take some steady video (for once).

In the meantime the sun had set. The light on the water turned golden and we took a steady walk back to the car. Tomorrow we're off somewhere new :-)

Inquisitive harbour seal
Locarno Beach, 20 May 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Day 58: It's still sunny

Remarkably we've had two days of sunshine in a row. That has been a very rare occurrence over the last six months. Err, make that 9 months. Wow - it has been a pretty poor year so far, even by Vancouver standards. Today it even felt warm, though there was still a cool breeze out on the coast at UBC. I had plans to go down to the beach this afternoon as the tide was low, but work got in the way as usual.

In the evening we walked down the street to return a DVD to Blockbuster and as we passed Carnarvon St I saw the trees lit up nicely by the evening sun. The street has a clear line of sight for about 4 blocks and is flanked by towering trees, forming an arboreal tunnel over the parked cars. The shots I took didn't work thanks to passing cars (and I had to stand in the road to get the shot I wanted, much to the consternation of the drivers ;-) so I tried again on our return journey, now from the north side of Broadway. My first photo caught a cyclist, a blur in the centre of the frame, then a bus, then a car and finally a gap. And fortunately Carnarvon St remained car-free, looking like a peaceful, sleepy and soon-to-be-leafy residential street.

A tunnel of sunlight
Kitsilano, 19 May 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Day 57: Another day, another orb

I was on call for software support at the telescope last night, and I slept quite lightly as a result, waiting for the phone to ring, hoping I'd get to it in time before it woke Maria. In the end my bug-fix from yesterday worked flawlessly (yay) and I wasn't needed. That didn't stop me waking in the early hours and getting up to watch the dawn. A layer of high cloud hung over the North Shore mountains, extending west towards the Sunshine Coast. The easternmost clouds were tinged with pink, and I waited to see how much colour the sunrise would bring.

To the south-west was the setting just-past-full moon, and I turned my attention to that. As sunrise approached, the surrounding sky turned purple then pink, and I took a series of photos to capture the moon. I settled on this photo, the moon and its purple haze. It's a little bit noisy (I had to underexpose it to stop the moon from getting washed out), but I really like the effect of the purple sky and the thin veil of cloud over the lower part of the lunar disc. Never have I had my photo in the bag so soon in the day :-)

Purple moonset
Moonset, 18 May 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Day 56: This strange orb...

...appeared in the sky this morning. OK so maybe it's not that extreme but Vancouver hasn't seen much sun over the last few months, and the temperatures are way below seasonal. Despite all the spring flowers and new growth, it hasn't really felt like spring. But a little bit of sunshine, and the promise of more to come, seems to have people smiling, myself included, despite banging my head off my keyboard trying to fix an annoying bug.

Well that bug kept me indoors for most of the day and it wasn't until I was heading home that I ventured out to look for a subject. Despite the bright sunshine, most of what I was interested in was in shade making it hard to get the kind of lighting and contrast to make a good photo. I tried a few but generally wasn't happy with them. I walked around to find a sunny spot and after watching a noisy flicker in the top of one of the tall leafless trees I just started taking photos of anything in sunshine: some trillium, false Solomon's seal, a squirrel with an apple core in its teeth. And a patch of nice little pinky-white flowers.

I didn't think much of the flowers at the time, being more interested in the false Solomon's seal but when I got home I found I didn't really like any of those photos despite all the fresh green and white blooms. With some head-scratching (and trying not to feel desperate - how could I fail to take a decent photo on a sunny day?!) I went back and forth until I unexpectedly settled on the flower below, one of those pinky-white ones. It was only when I cropped it square and fiddled a bit with the levels I found that I was losing myself in the detail in the petals and the pollen-tipped stamens. I'd found my photo after all.

Flower macro
UBC, 17 May 2011

Monday, May 16, 2011

Day 55: New greenery

Another dull, sometime rainy day. Mid-afternoon, I took the camera out on a small wander to find a target, actually as a result of hearing some agitated seagulls fly by. I ended up at my usual spot, and soon found myself taking shelter under a tree as it started to rain. I heard and then saw the resident female hummingbird darting from flower to flower on a nearby bush. I tried to capture her but she was just too fast. I returned to stalking the local flora instead and found a few of the Oregon grape plants with new green growth. Having photographed the cheery yellow flowers a few weeks ago I thought it would be appropriate to get the leaves unfurling too. I like the way they form a little tunnel.

Next up for Oregon grape will be the berries in a month or so.

Unfurling Oregon grape leaves
UBC, 16 May 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Day 54: Mizzle

Mist + drizzle = mizzle. Actually the forecast for today was rain, but we escaped that and endured/enjoyed (depending on your point of view) a dull and occasionally drizzly day. We were walking home from Granville Island and reached Kits Beach as the tide was beginning to recede, exposing a few weed-covered rocks. A seal was slapping its tail on the water, sounding like something clapping two planks of wood together. It took us a few minutes before we realized what it even was, eventually catching it in the act. We'd heard seals doing this when on a moonlit kayak on Galiano Island back in 2005, but not since.

A heron flew by and landed on one of the weedy rocks. I moved down onto the sandy beach, hoping to get close enough for a good photo and to my surprise I was able to get to the water's edge without spooking the heron. As usual, English Bay was filled with bulk carriers at anchor and they made a nice distant, misty backdrop for the heron. A small sailboat added a nice touch to the scene.

Patient heron
Kits Beach, 15 May 2011

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Day 53: Bells of blue

Another rainy day, or at least that was the forecast and yet somehow we managed to get out at a time when the sun made the car feel like midsummer. After a run-in with some desperate sale shoppers we headed off somewhere quieter. Our plan was to head to the nature reserver at Burns Bog and wander the trails there, but after a quick Tim Hortons refreshment stop we changed plans and ended up at a real dump of a place. Or rather, an ex-dump: Everett Crowley park is the former site of the Vancouver landfill, and is in the lengthy process of being returned to its former natural state. Currently it's a small network of well-graded gravel paths, with a few more adventurous trails leading off through the recovering (most deciduous) forest.

The scent of the cottonwood trees was overpowering, filling our nostrils and saturating our sense of smell. Personally I quite like it, but I've heard that it's misery for others. Other trees in leaf included oaks, big-leaf maples and alder. I was expecting more flowers, given the disturbed nature of the land, but the only competitor to the dandelions were isolated clumps of (non-native) bluebells. Now normally I go off on a rant about introduced species but I have a soft spot for bluebells, and not just because they're Maria's favourite flower. Plus they don't seem to be taking over, unlike many other invasive species, being mostly restricted to manicured (or in this case, somewhat unmanicured) parks and gardens.

It wasn't the bluebell-filled woods of my childhood, the classic English spring time woodland scene, but bluebells are bluebells and they're simply irresistible.

Bluebells
Everett Crowley Park, 14 May 2011

Friday, May 13, 2011

Day 52: Thirteens all the way

What a coincidence: today is Friday 13th May, day 52. Of course 52 is divisible by 13 (like a pack of cards). And there are 52 weeks in a year - plus a day and a quarter ;-) On my computer screen just now, it's telling me that the temperature is 13 C. A little while ago I checked the time and it was 13:13. The album I was listening to this morning on the way in to work had 13 songs....

What's this got to do with today's photo? Nothing. I went out for a short wander around my usual patch looking for photographable things. The bright yellow bird I'd seen a day or two earlier was flitting around and to my surprise I managed to get a half-decent (if distant) photo of it. I later identified it as a Wilson's warbler. There was a halo around the sun, which I discovered is almost exactly the same field of view as the 18-55 mm lens at its widest setting. My photos of it didn't turn out, so I'll save that for another day.

The maple trees reminded me of another photo to try, capturing the silhouette of the leaves against blue sky. It was the ones with the brilliant red leaves that caught my eye and took a few shots with the leaves backlit by the sun to enhance the colour. I suppose really I should have hoped for a white cloud behind the leaves... :-)

In Canada
UBC, 13 May 2011

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Day 51: Just beachy

A sunny afternoon, and a long overdue chance to get down to the beach. Despite being only 15 minutes away, and despite my repeated attempts to convince myself that I should go down there at least once a week, today's the first time I've walked down to the beach in probably six months. The fact that it was a nice afternoon (after a few brief hail showers in the morning) helped entice me out of my chair.

I headed down Trail 3 onto Tower Beach right next to one of the old WW2 lookout towers. The tide was high, but low enough for me to walk out onto the smooth rocks. I remembered our backpacking trip to Nootka Island and the time spent walking on such beaches. I looked back and saw Crown Mountain gleaming in the sun. I liked the lineup of the beach, the tower, the water and the jagged snow-plastered features of the mountain and grabbed a quick couple of pictures.

I continued along the beach, stalked a warbler and some bleeding heart before the climb back up behind the Museum of Anthropology. Four hundred steps and each one told me how out of shape I am. I guess I should do this more often...

Crown Mountain towers over Tower Beach
Tower Beach, 12 May 2011

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Day 50: Hey man, it's raining

That's a line from Jimi Hendrix's song Rainy Day, Dream Away. And it has been a very rainy day today. Hard to get outside to take photos on days like this. I spent most of it listening to the patter and looking out at the rising puddles. Eventually I risked drenching the camera (it was the good one, too) and found myself stalking a small flock of golden-crowned sparrows foraging in the grass. Always on the move and just out of reach of my lens, getting a decent shot was not helped by the dull conditions. But I got lucky: a lone sparrow in head-high grass, alternately head-down foraging and head-up eating, stayed still long enough for me to get one and only photo before it flew off. I got luckier: it was good enough to be my photo of the day.

Foraging golden-crowned sparrow
UBC, 11 May 2011

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Day 49: Tulip Tuesday

Tulips again! I can't believe that I'm posting another tulip photo, but this was too good to pass up. That person must be about my height because I stand eye-to-eye with those tulips when I walk past.

The tulips are in full bloom across the campus, and I'm amazed at how tall they are growing. I don't remember tulips being such tall flowers, knee-high at best. I guess these are a particular variety bred to grow to menacing heights. I have an urge to cut them all down...

Tulips are taking over
UBC, 10 May 2011

Monday, May 9, 2011

Day 48: Another Monday

It's Monday again and I completely forgot to take the camera in to work with me. Fortunately it was a nice end to the day, and after watching the Canucks win their way into the Western final in the Stanley Cup, I took the car down to the beach. I opted to get a slightly different view and parked up at Hastings Mill Park next to the yacht club. I like this vantage point for a couple of reasons: it's a nice angle on the city and it's where we watched fireworks the weekend after we first moved to Vancouver back in 2004.

I started off taking a few tree photos, trying to get a good shot of the blossoms of a big-leaf maple. Looking up, I saw a bird of prey in the upper branches, which turned out to be an osprey. It spent most of its time looking up, perhaps wary of crows or eagles, but definitely not fishing. The sun was reflecting off a couple of downtown high-rises, casting nice long bright stripes on the water.

A thought occurred to me as I wondered about alternative photos, and I was reminded of a set of steps which led down to what is a minimal beach at high tide. I walked over and went down the steps. The tide was out though heading back in, and a heron was down at the tide line. I startled the bird as I approached and as it flew I panned and snapped a photo, not expecting it work. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that it did. But I was losing light and the best reflections off the buildings had faded. I tried a few shots but wasn't happy with any as the sun sank behind a cloud. I'll save those for another day.

Reflecting on Vancouver
Hastings Mill Park, 9 May 2011

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Day 47: A day of green

Andrew suggested a photo walk. From what I've read, these are often tame affairs, usually in town or in parks, a gaggle of camera-wielders stalking unsuspecting flowers or street sights, trying to out-cool each other with their gear lists. Or so I've heard. But photo walks for hikers are a different kind of thing. In this case it was to spend some time near a trail but not necessarily on it, thrashing our way through the undergrowth and hopping over fast-running creeks in search of the ultimate moss or mini-waterfall photo.

We cycled up the Seymour Valley trailway, a paved road leading to the fish hatchery below the Seymour dam, to the half-way point at Hydraulic Creek. We locked the bikes to a (small) tree and set off into the green gloom armed with our cameras and tripods. Except it wasn't really gloomy. Darkened, perhaps, but not gloomy. The green draped trees, whether fallen or standing, shone brightly in the dark. After a short time our eyes became well adjusted to the light level and we had no problem navigating.

Navigation was easy in this second-growth forest: we had clear lines of sight in most directions, even though the terrain was complex. Travel was another matter and we soon redefined the concept of solid ground, picking our way over centuries-old fallen and decaying timber. We first followed the creek, pausing at a handful of waterfalls and cascades, then struck into the forest to capture trees and moss. The highlight of the forest was a huge Douglas fir that had recently fallen and raced down the mountainside, ultimately embedding itself in an earthy bank 100 m from the shattered stump; recently as in less than a week ago. Then it was back to the creek for more waterfalls and cascades, though the prize 50-metre-plus waterfall was just a little out of safe reach.

All too soon (or so it seemed) five hours had elapsed and it was time to head home. To top it all off, we startled a large owl into flight as we cycled back to the car. A worthy experiment, and one to be repeated I'm sure.

Creeping moss
Hydraulic Creek, 8 May 2011

Looking over the photos again I have learned (at least) two things when it comes to this kind of photography. The first is not to skimp on using the tripod. It's a pain to lug around, and annoying to get the framing right, but it really makes a difference when the exposure time is greater than 1/50 of a second. The second is to use a polarizer near water: the bright reflections off wet rocks and/or foliage detract from otherwise pleasing photos of the lush rain forest.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Day 46: Spring storms

Today's forecast was kinda rainy, but the sun broke through and we set out for a bit of Saturday shopping. The mountains were still deeply enveloped by grey cloud, but we had patches of blue sky over us. It didn't last: the next band of showers caught up with us at MEC and by the time we reached the grocery store, the rain was bouncing off the road. We dashed across the road as the lights turned in our favour, dodging oncoming pedestrians in the crossing and happy to get under the shelter of the next building. I was wishing I had the camera with me as the rain was torrential, a cold tropical downpour.

Well that wasn't the last of it: as we returned to the car the rain was still bouncing off the road, harder than before if that was at all possible. Running through the rain was also more painful than I expected, and once under shelter again I turned to Maria and noticed she had hail in her hair :-) Not little pellets but big pea-sized lumps of ice. No wonder it hurt bouncing off my head.

We headed home and watched the showers come and go for the rest of the day, eventually clearing to leave us with a pleasant evening. The clouds lifted and we caught a glimpse of the whitened mountain tops, Crown looking especially festive with its coat of fresh snow. Festive - in May...!

Spring snow on Crown Mountain
Crown Mountain, 7 May 2011

Friday, May 6, 2011

Day 45: And now for something completely different

After yesterday's excitement over a handful of little white flowers it was back to business as usual today, keeping my eyes open for photo-ops as I walked across campus. A couple of days ago, the maintenance crews at UBC started the process of re-seeding the grassy area west of the Student Union building. Under today's bright overcast (rainy) skies, the remaining patches of grass and moss at the base of each tree glowed bright green against the dark soil. I've always liked the perspective of looking along rows of things, and I've taken a few test photos of these trees in the past.

I took a few photos, and I was quite happy with them, perfectly content to make one of them my photo for today, when I remembered something we tried a long time ago in the forests of Shenandoah National Park. The exposure time of the photos I'd taken was quite long, 1/30 of a second. I reduced the aperture to make the exposure time even longer (1/6 s), sized up the shot, pressed the button and quickly rotated the camera through 90 degrees, leading to the swirly, vortex tunnel effect in the photo below :-) Cool, eh?

Oooh, swirly...
UBC, 6 May 2011

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Day 44: Yes!

I started this project with a day spent looking for white fawn lilies (also known as trout lilies) in Lighthouse Park. I saw none there and I'd given up on the chance of seeing any this year. But then work took me over to Vancouver Island for a couple of days, and as I was driving down the hill at the end of the day, a white flower at the roadside caught my eye. Then another, and another. I had another car behind me, and the road was quite narrow, so I had to keep going and leave them behind but there was no doubt in my mind: I had seen white fawn lilies.

Today I drove in with a little bit of time to spare and stopped at the bottom of the hill to photograph a gorgeous patch of pretty shooting stars (quite appropriate for the Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics :-) As I drove up to the observatory, I saw that there were in fact dozens of lilies, some of which were barely a minute's walk from the parking lot. I picked up the camera and walked down the road until I found my spot. Several cars passed me on the way up, perhaps wondering what I was doing. I didn't care: I had found my lilies, and I was ecstatic.

More photos from this trip are on Flickr.

Raindrops on a white fawn lily
HIA, 5 May 2011

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Day 43: Photo of a ferry, from a ferry

Early start this morning. I was going for the 7 am ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and made it by inches: our car was the last one on. I didn't expect it to be so busy at that time in the morning, but then I saw the line up of trucks. On board, I relaxed for a bit but of course as soon as we approached Active Pass I was out on deck, braving the chill wind. I walked from port to starboard and back again multiple times, eyeing up the view. It was a perfectly calm and still morning.

Part way through the pass, the other ferry came into view, accompanied by a small boat speeding across its bows. I was amazed to see this boat head into the pass at the same time as two large ferries; it struck me as a bit foolish. The ferry turned into the pass and was almost head-on, pushing only a tiny bow-wave ahead of it in the calm water. I've taken plenty of ferry photos before and usually don't find them particularly exciting, but today the light was mostly right and the flat calm water looked irresistible. Besides, what else to do you take pictures of when on the ferry?

Exiting the pass, I took a photo of the swirling waters around the warning light (which is on a small shoal). The tide was low enough for the seagulls to keep their feet dry and though I didn't see them at the time, looking at the photo later I could see half a dozen seals hauled out as well. Makes it worth being out on deck.

More photos from this trip are on Flickr.

Spirit of Vancouver Island
Active Pass, 4 May 2011

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Day 42: Scratching that itch

Some days it's hard to find something interesting to photograph, other days are an embarrassment of riches. I had already taken enough photos for several days' worth of flower pictures, but the good weather tempted me out for the evening too. On my way out of downtown I saw both parent birds perched near the huge eagle nest in Vanier Park, and got off the bus to go take a look: I simply could not resist the prospect of getting some eagle photos. Even the chance to see them up close is enough to make me want to go there. The sun had emerged below a cloud bank, bathing everything in golden evening light. The new cottonwood leaves shone against the blue sky.

As I reached the tree, one of the birds took flight, returning a few minutes later with the carcass of what looked like a crow in its talons. I could hear the seagulls over near Granville Island making a racket - the eagle had clearly ruffled a few feathers (groan). It landed on the nest and appeared to be feeding a youngster, though the size of the nest made it impossible to see directly.

I managed to get a good line of sight to the other eagle and was sizing up my shot when it started scratching its head. I fired off several in a row and was pleased to find one of them was just perfect, catching the eagle with its eyes closed and talons poised. In scratching its itch, so was my own, thankfully not with those talons :-)

Scratching that itch
Vanier Park, 3 May 2011

Monday, May 2, 2011

Day 41: At the end of a day of rain

Well yesterday was fantastic, but today it was business as usual with cool temperatures and rain, rain and, later in the day, light rain. I spent all day in my office looking out glumly at the weather wondering what on earth to try and photograph. I was hoping I'd have enough light to get some flower macros when I walked out towards the end of the day, the rain easing off to a light sprinkle.

I made my way over to my recent haunt, searching for some good periwinkle flowers to capture. I wasn't feeling too hopeful about getting a good photo, but as I was crouched down I was distracted by the sound of a nearby bird. It's hard to describe the sound, but it was a bit squeaky, almost like someone blowing kisses. It got louder, and I looked up to see a female hummingbird hovering a little over a metre from my nose. She hung there for a moment before darting off into the tree, but she returned a couple of times before flying up to perch in another tree. To my surprise she stayed close by, much closer than the male I've watched several times before, and I was able to fire off a couple of photos, and she even stayed put long enough for me to grab a short video clip.

Maybe she was scolding me for being in her back garden. Maybe she was really blowing me kisses
:-)

Rain drops on periwinkle flowers
UBC, 2 May 2011

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Day 40: May Day

It's the First of May; May Day, one of the cross-quarter days, also known as Beltane, the beginning of the Celtic summer season. For the last few years (ever since Maria joined them) we've got up to see the sun danced up with the Tiddley Cove women's Morris dancers and the Vancouver Morris Men. The weather forecast was perfect and even though Tiddley Cove (TCM for short) weren't dancing until noon, we still went to watch the men's team dance. This year there was even a television camera with a reporter for Global TV BC. For all his filming and interviewing, the slot on the evening news was a scant two-and-a-half minutes of edited snippets. I made sure I wasn't in a position to have a furry microphone thrust under my nose, keeping myself mobile and busy taking photos of my own :-)

Come lunchtime, it was the ladies' turn and I joined Maria and the rest of TCM in Yaletown to dance to the largely disinterested young and fashionably upwardly mobile audience. But the light was perfect for getting good photos, and the colourful red and white dresses look wonderful against a blue sky. The last stop on the tour was a park with a children's play area, complete with shock-absorbing ground cover. There was one point where I could get a view of the dance with a clear view down an alley through to the Harbour Centre tower and beyond to Mt Seymour. Vancouver, Morris dancing and mountains, all in one shot. Seemed to sum up living here...

May Day Morris dancing
May Day, 1 May 2011