A male Sooty Grouse puffing up its feathers and fanning its tail, and revealing the orange air-sacs at the side of its neck all in the effort to attract a female. I was drawn to this particular bird by the sound of its strange hooting call which I followed through the forest until I spotted it perched in a tree. On my second visit to the area the bird descended to the gravel path below in search of a mate, treating me to the pleasure of viewing his courtship display. I captured this image using a Nikon D850 at a focal length of 500 mm, an aperture of F5.6, shutter speed of 1/800 of second at an ISO of 1600.

A Tree Swallow in flight as seen in a profile view which reveals the beautiful delicate detail of the birds wings and tail feathers. Tree Swallows are fast flying, acrobatic birds typically seen chasing insects over wetlands. I captured this image at using a Nikon D7100 with a AF-S Nikkor F4 lens at a shutter speed of 1/4000 second, aperture f4, ISO 450, at a focal length of 300mm. Capturing this beauty in flight was an exercise in patience and I have yet to capture a similar image of a swallow in flight. Photographed in Spring at Burnaby Lake, Burnaby, B.C.

A collection of photographs featuring the beauty of nature during herring spawn on Vancouver Island in March 2023. The images were captured on the east coast of the island in Bowser, Qualicum, and French Creek. The milt of the male herring fertilizes the eggs released by the female. The chalky white substance turns the ocean waters into a myriad of shades of blue best described as the colour turquoise.

The herring spawn is one of nature’s greatest spectacles and attracts an abundance of birds and marine life to the delight of nature enthusiasts and photographers.  I adore the sea lions for their boisterous characters.  Once they have had their fill of fish they form large rafts at sea which are a sight to behold. During the spawn the sound of their barking can be heard from dawn to dusk near the seashore.  The herring spawn also attracts whales to the area and although there were numerous sightings in the area I was not fortunate enough to see any this year, perhaps next year!

A Juvenile Bald Eagle perched on a tree branch with its wings open to dry its waterlogged feathers. A Bald Eagles wingspan can reach up to 2.3 meters and if they get their wings wet as often occurs when they dive to catch a fish, the extra weight slows and hinders flight. Eagles also spread their wings as a means to warm up and sunbathing with their wings spread allows them to take full advantage of the warmth of the sun.

I captured this image with a Nikon D850 at a focal length of 500mm, aperture of 6.3, shutter speed of 1/640 second, and an ISO of 140.  Photographed at Little Qualicum Estuary, Vancouver Island, B.C..

A macro image featuring the vibrant and curvaceous petals of a tri-coloured rose dedicated to my late husband who brought me flowers each and every Valentines day for forty-two years. These gorgeous flowers are also referred to as rainbow and kaleidoscope roses. I captured this photograph using a Nikkor 100 mm macro lens and a Nikon D7100 in live view mode at a focal length of 100 mm, aperture of F4, shutter speed of 1/8 of second at an ISO of 100. I also used mirror up mode and a tripod to ensure a sharp image while using a low shutter speed.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays!  A close-up featuring the elegant beauty of a Mute Swan on a snowy day at Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C..  I captured this image with a Nikkor D7100 at a focal length of 300 mm, aperture f4,  shutter speed 1/800 second at an ISO of 800.

A snowy winter’s day in Parksville transforms the beach-side community park into a scene from a story book. I processed this image in black and white as it suits the stark and lonely beauty of the barren trees dressed in snow. I captured this image with a Nikon D850 at a focal length of 28mm, aperture of F 7.1, shutter speed 1/100 second, and an ISO of 800.

Available as a print on a variety of media, including fine art papers, stretched canvas, and metal, and as a greeting card.

The trees along the bank of Lost Lagoon on a foggy winter morning, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C.. Stanley Park is one of my favourite places in Vancouver, and Lost Lagoon is a gem. It is true that the beauty of nature is at your doorstep in this city.

A Brown Pelican displaying breeding colours while in flight over the ocean waters of Los Ayala beach in Nayarit, Mexico.  While Brown Pelicans are somewhat awkward and homely in appearance when seen on land; they are magnificent birds in flight. A plain and somewhat comical bird is transformed,  suddenly elegant in appearance. Their immense Pterodactyl-like wings span two and a half meters and bring to mind dinosaurs.  And indeed, birds with throat pouches such as pelicans are descendants of dinosaurs. 

For those interested in the technical details I captured this image with a Nikon D7100 at a focal length of 185 mm, an aperture of F8, shutter speed 1/1600, and an ISO of 800.

A Humpback Whale breaching in the Salish Sea, Vancouver Island, B.C..

Seeing a humpback whale breach is an extraordinary experience! The sight of an enormous whale leaping from the sea while twisting and turning before landing with an enormous crash while feeling the ocean spray and thunder of the crash is spectacular. While breaching is not an uncommon behaviour in humpback whales, witnessing the event feels very fortunate indeed.  It is thought that whales flap their flukes and tales, and breach as a means to communicate with other whales. As you can imagine breaching takes an enormous amount of energy. The larger the splash the further the sound travels.  It is also thought that whales breach to check out their surroundings and cleanse themselves of parasites. I myself like to think that whales also breach for fun and to say hello!

I captured these images while on a four hour wildlife and whale watching tour with Ocean Eco Adventures  a Vancouver Island Green Business who support local wildlife and whale researchers. They offer tours departing from French Creek, Parksville, B.C..