At themoment this photo was taken, heaven received a great man!  God Bless you Jack.... 

   With one day left in August and a cooler , dampness now in the air, I once again took to the backyard where these images were made!
The little nuthatch posed sweetly as I played with exposures in the shadowed light.  The opening photo reminds me of a 17th century hunting portrait in its colour , detail and shadows.
   The Brown Creeper has been a quest of mine for a long time and this afternoon I managed to be within 15 feet sitting in a blind and again trying to make the best of a very low light situation. I'll keep working on this one as the little BC's intrique me.
   Momma Pileated struck a pose after peanuts and I'm always happy to see them as well outback! The adult female is of all the Pileateds, the most shy and least often seen. You will note the dark feathering along the jawline as opposed to the red feathering on the males.
   And finally, the Steller's Jays come and go frequently now, but rarely stay more than a few seconds.... They do slide in often  and skulk around looking for any peanut pieces that may have been chipped away by the woodpeckers.
I'm having good thoughts today for family in SASKATCHEWAN today .... Bless you all ...

Terry...

WOW... After weeks , maybe months of dry weather, we finally got a decent amount of rain last nite,  The crunchy dry grass almost looked green this morning .
Plenty of bird life this afternoon ... mainly the usual suspects. 
 I set up a blind in the back yard to  try and approach the Brown Creeper and get a decent photo.   The little creature presented in this 1st  image waited patiently for me as I set up my blind about 20 feet from him.... hauled over my camera and seat , but I got nervous and fired off 1/2 doz clicks freehand because I though it was too good to be true.(him sitting in that 1 spot)   Sure enough as soon as I brought in the tripod .. gone.   I did soon afterward  have a close encounter with a Pileated male ... At  one point so close I could only get about 1/2 of him in the frame @ 420 mm  (see bottom.. feet photo) 
Then the Stellers Jays came along .. and I clicked a couple photos.. then they moved almost on top of my blind ... so close I couldn't get a photo!!!  Thats where a second camera with a shorter lens would have helped!!!  Ohh well next time!   Tomorrow promises more rain!!!   fingers crossed for it..... Have a great weekend.... Terry :)

Fall is definitely in the air, but despite that fall aroma and a bit cooler temperatures it was a gorgeous day  and  the Stellers Jays were back... 
Today I observed 5 of the rascals, all pushing each other about... trying to find the best food source.  They sure have BIG character... Even the red squirrels give them a wide berth.... And thats something, because the Pileated Woodpeckers stay well away from the little squirrels (aka  tree sharks) 
A few images of the little brown creeper (a bit far off and heavily cropped...( One day I'll get a good photo)
At the end of the day Mizz Bunny hopped along for her apple treat and posed so nicely for her portrait.
Friday means the weekend is nearly here.... Cheers and ALL THE BEST  ...  3's to you in Regina....  Terry  

I'm honoured to have been given Photo of the Day today on my favourite weather channel.  "The Weather Network" ... The G B Heron doing his version of the Lumberjack Song.  Thanks Laurie for a fun fishing excursion and a chance to take an unusual photograph!  ...  Terry :)

My pal Laurie invited me out for a bit of local fishing this morning.  We headed out at a leisurely time, around 9 AM  and fished for a while at Fairfax Point , saw a couple salmon boated , but no luck so we motored over to South Pender Bluffs!  Thats where I photographed the heron balancing on the kelp and where the spring was caught... (around 16 - 18 pounds?)  The other photos were taken in South Pender Harbour , where we stopped for lunch.Those iPhones take reasonable photos!  
Mmmm .. fresh Chinook salmon on the grille tonight!  :)  A great day... Terry 

As so often happens, work got in the way of photos today,,, but I did manage to catch a few regulars out back queuing up for peanuts!   
I never get tired of taking photos of the Pileated Woodpecker family ,,,,  I hope you like them too! (also a flower from a new garden plant... Passion Flower)  and a Hairy Woodpecker!   
Have a great weekend........ Terry

Greetings to everyone!
Last evening I had to good fortune to be invited out for a salmon fishing excursion off Sidney.   We were aboard my friends 17' double eagle , and headed for South Pender Island.   We hit quite a few pinks, boated 3 and lost several others ... oops! 
What a beauty of an evening on the water!   cheers and all the best..............   Terry...

What a DAY to remember!   How often do we have Canada's own ... THE SNOWBIRDS  ... coming to Victoria and giving the entire city an unforgettable summer treat! Its too late tonight to write all the hilights, but I've edited a handfull of the more than 500 images I gathered today ... More over the next couple days as I have time.
Cheers to everyone .... Terry :)

Todays storyline is about some different birds... These BIRDS  flew in today from Abbotsford BC to attend some functions dedicated to  fundraising for "C.H.I.L.D. Foundation  (see link)  and also to continue their public relations  with Canadians.  
I have been fortunate to be an Honorary Snowbird for many years now and try to attand as many functions as possible with this terrific group of Canadians! 
Here are a few highlights of this afternoon's gathering @ the BC Aviation Museum ... Sidney BC!
What a treat to meet with the Team and watch them visit with fans , young and old!!

More tomorrow  after  their 2015 show over Clover Point in Victoria!  Can't wait!!!    Terry :)   

2015 Snowbird's posing with Bob  Dyck beside his 1943 vintage  Catalina  "flying boat"    This is 1 of only 2 that exist in flying condition.   

Cormorants and Terriers!  :)

One of the young Pileated Woodpeckers made a B-line for the old bird bath back in the corner of the yard.  I changed settings, but it was quite dark.. The images aren't of much quality, but I enjoyed watching him splash!!!

I have always enjoyed these giant woodpeckers... and even more so when the adults bring in the kids for lunch.  The peanut feeders in my yard bring hundreds if not 1000's of visits per day.  Each time I peer out the kitchen window I am blessed with Chickadees, Nuthatches, Downey and Pileated woodpeckers, Brown Creepers , red squirrels...    All treasures to the eye , and gifts of the natural world.    As most anyone who knows me realizes, I am obcessed with nature and observing nature....    Terry... :)  (yeah, and  capturing images)  :))

The internet has provided us with an amazing luxury of finding such worlds at the click of a mouse. 
 Along with todays images I am going to add  links to 2 cam-sites that are so worth clicking .... 
*****Brown Bears (Coastal Grizzly's in Katmai Alaska 
***** Beluga Whales @ Churchill Maitoba.  

To commemorate this event I want to share with you this mornings images.   Boy meets Girl.. He's a handsome rogue ..She's a delicate lily ( from the prairies:) ...  they share food together and .... a family.  Of the four kids that were seen  4 weeks ago....... today two remain!    
The universe gives us many gifts ........... The photos I post here are my offering ..... Terry  :)

This afternoon, this little Anna's Hummingbird was  hunkered down out of the wind that came up suddenly and sat right in front of my window.
I had no choice but to immediately stop working.. :) ...  and try to capture his portrait.  Fresh summer/fall feathers  and a glint of sunlight  create a  dynamic, diminutive display!    Happy Aug 5/2015 ... terry 

Greetings ... nature fans!

I hope you aren't getting bored with my Pileated woodpecker family???  I grab my camera gear every time I see them and feel there is sufficient light to crate a decent image.
Today as almost every day for some time, I observed several feedings of the 2 "kids"  but always in the dark shadows, so those images are not the best.  The ones I am posting tonight are the best of the day ... The first one is Papa Pileated and was shot @ around 6PM  with lots of sun, but lower angle so fairly clean.  
The youngsters are still being frequently fed by the parents, but especially Dad.... however they are becoming slightly more independent and now searching a bit on their own for food.  Their colouration  is becoming more defined as well... That four. pink hairdo is giving way to a more traditional scarlet.
Thanks so much for stopping in ... Please say hello at the bottom of this page if you feel like doing so!

All the best

Terry.... :) 

Today was another blue ribbon summer day and it went by rather quickly.   Sorry no photos today from the Butterfly place, but next visit for sure.
I did enjoy taking some candid shots of a few  thirsty Chestnut Backed Chickadee's  and several evening images of Mount "Victoria"  AKA  Baker from a nice vantage point in Sidney.
Spending the day with some very energetic souls from the Next province over was a great deal of fun!  :))
cheers from N Saanich... Terry

Since seeing the first one of these giant woodpeckers, the Pileateds have always fascinated me. A large bird, the size of a crow with a powerful Jack Hammer of a beak to chip away bark, wood, debris, etc in search of food , and also of course used to excavate nest openings in trees and as a weapon. I hope you enjoy these Pileated female images that I clicked today.  
The forst one shows an almost hidden bird far up in a tree ... with a shower of wood chips falling in the sunlight.

Days, weeks, months are flying past like leaves in an October windstorm ... And soon October will be here and gone.
Another very  beautiful summer day today with temperatures around 27C and this evening I returned to my same spot as yesterday for another try at shooting the almost fiull moon.
A  yacht had moored right in front of my position, so I decided to try and use it as a prop.  Only a couple images... but an interesting evening.  Next time , though, I'll bring a flashlight so I can see the buttons on my camera in the dark!  :)  All the best.... Terry