  "Least Sandpipers"  "Solitary Sandpiper"  young Cowbird.. may have been raised by Sanpipers  Nite Flight @ ISO 25,600   I Am going to spare you having to look at all 600 :)) Have selected 9 Stellers Jays and 2 bunnies! All from my yard yesterday .. Shot in relatively low light and HIGH ISO, with a slow shutter speed ( they love to skulk around in the shadows) so quite a photography challenge!    A peek through the trees at BC's provincial bird, the Steller's Jay   YUP.. my yard is a pretty good spot to enjoy birds!!!  Around 10:15 AM Pacific time today, we experienced the peak of a major solar eclipse. (The entire event occurred between 9:15 AM to about 11:30AM) It was the moon crossing over the path of the sun that caused the daylight to decrease and for a few minutes become almost twilight! It was not a total eclipse here, but about 85% I haven't seen such a thing since I was a kid ... What struck me as amazing was the shadow effect projected by a crescent edge of the sun shining down to earth, resulting in corresponding light and shadow caused by a "pinhole" camera effect from the tree leaves. It was for a few minutes what some distant planet may look like on a regular basis. hmmmm :) I found it to be quite amazing! Thanks to everyone for looking.. Have a great week.... TerryV   Osprey Mom n Dad   Juvenile Goldfinches   Back yard beauties.. I just love these huge birds... This one is a female Pileated woodpecker (look along her cheek and there is no red colouration like the male has)   Another day with no LittleEagle sighting ... Ohh My :( heavy sigh... Is this how it's going to be from here on ??? At least my own local birds are getting some attention from me and the camera now, so I am, pleased to present you today's local, North Saanich wildlife!  *** Click on individual images below to enlarge ***  Greetings to everyone ... The image above was shot one evening out on the West Coast from a boating campground .. Someone arranged special effects for me that evening and the sky was vibrant with the setting sunlight illuminating the whispy clouds. A very unusual display had just occurred in the form of a "SunDog" and you can see the end of this phenomena at the top centre on the shape of a V ... Nootka Sound is a magical place for me and many others who venture there to enjoy the wild coastal scenery, fish for Salmon, Halibut, Rockfish, etc and a wonderful area for kayakers and boaters. While I was there, my mind seldom wandered from my new best pal, LittleEagle.. I thought about the impossible odds he met in surviving this situation, his drive to survive (some call him Spunky and he truly is) and I also pondered the mystical reasons of why this small bird was shown to the world and it would seem, the world loves him. I suppose we all have our own personal connection with LittleEagle and mine is a manyfold group of reasons. This small being has given me so much joy and a sense of wonder, given me countless opportunities to create images (over 20,00) and helped to connect me with so many like minded Nature enthusiasts... I am so grateful for LittleEagle How about you? Many of you know David Hancock and Christian Sasse are working on a documentary film that will come together as a collaboration of many many people's talents, including video footage, still images, discussions, interviews, etc. .. Perhaps you have a particular moment or story you want to share? I would love to hear from you and would be delighted to pass this along to David for possible inclusion in his doc film. Hoping you have a terrific day ........ TerryV 4 images above from my yard this evening !! Those baby Pileated Woodpeckers sure are cute!!!  My latest pair of canvas offerings 10X10 image size , plus wood framing  When I heard the crows, my instincts were to run outside towards the sound. It was all quiet when I reached the end of my street, but I watched a large group of crows in 2 trees. One of them looked unwell and the jet black bird beside him looked sympathetic to the friend. He appeared to be chewing on something , then lifted his head & waved a feather ... How unusual I thought.. The feather was dropped and they both watched it spiral to the ground... Then in an adjacent tree yet another Crow tossed a feather around in front of a group of crow spectators. What did this mean, I pondered? The search for LittleEagle continues... Happy thoughts to all ... TerryV    This afternoon I was contacted about a possible LittleEagle sighting ... The Hawk was seen by a good friend of mine several miles away from the Sidney nestsite, and it was observed to be calling over and over... Could this be our LittleEagle, I wondered? At a moments notice, I headed over camera in hand and quickly found the Hawk... I could tell before seeing it that this was not our boy... Definitely a raspier lower voice tone. I was happy to get the outing and think even for a few minutes that maybe LittleEagle had been seen, but no, this is a Coopers Hawk... Similar but no cigar!!! I'll keep looking, and who knows, maybe our little Guy is living somewhere close by! All the very best to everyone....... TerryV  HOLY Smokes! This afternoon was an absolute treat for all local LittleEagle watchers and also for those watching from around the planet, thanks to Christian Sasse, with his incredible cellphone podcast streaming live from the event! Many thanks to Christian for doing such an amazing job of keeping everyone informed. David Hancock was of course there sharing his Eagle knowledge, and the hosts of this event, the Spooners did an incredible job of setting up, providing snacks, refreshments, good vibes and of course their yard to host the party! All the local media including CTV, Global and CHEK news were covering the happening and good for them to be out on a holiday Sunday afternoon! This phenomena of Nature, the LittleEagle family has touched so many hearts and lives, its almost hard to believe, but being there myself for so many weeks and feeling the energy... I am not really surprised. This event was certainly a rejuvenation of souls and spirits for many of us who are feeling a serious empty nest emotion. as I certainly have been . So many good people came out and spoke about a wealth of moments spent nestside, reliving some colourful and key events. I sure want to extend my thanks to everyone involved! Since there is so much speculation about the LittleEagle family and where they may have gone, but no facts.. we will all be keeping our eyes open and certainly if there is any news... You will hear it (see it) right here on my blog. Thanks so very much to everyone who stops in here to visit! I do promise to get back into "the field" this week and bring you more Natural Images from the Saanich Peninsula! All the very best TerryV :)   *** At long last, I am printing some images matting them and ready to show..
Please check my STORE page to see these... *** All the very best, Terry Venables :)   A Pelagic Cormorant takes wing from his perch on an island rock at low tide this morning. The air and sky are coloured by sunlight filtered through heavy smoke that arrived yesterday from interior BC fires. Another quiet morning with no sign of the young Eaglets or LittleEagle. I do wonder where they have gone......  An adult Eagle perches atop a familliar spot in Roberts Bay and Harbour Seals lounge on rocks below. Is this one of "our" adult birds or one from afar staking a claim on this territory??? Well, It certainly feels odd to not have taken a single photo today, but that what happened. I have been busy catching up after weeks of adventures with LittleEagle and family, plus being away on the West Coast... so lots to do! I spoke to several folks today who have been ardent nest watchers and today no one has seen the Eaglets or LittleEagle. A pair of adult eagles were seen bringing repair branches to the nest, however this pair of Eagles may be interlopers, not the nest residents? If this theory is true, that may explain where the kids have gone.. followed the Adults... I am heading over tomorrow, so will bring you an update asap. In the mean while .. All the best to everyone , TerryV *** For your information, this coming Sunday, David Hancock will be hosting an afternoon at the nest conference being held for all those interested in participating in some story telling about your time at the nest over the past couple of months. I will be there from 1PM to 4PM on Sunday, August 6th. Please attend if you have the time and interest to contribute to this documentary...  |
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April 2025
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Summer 2023.. I just received notice that my blog has been awarded a distinction of being one of the top 10 photography blogs in Canada.
* All images and content copyright Terry Venables and NaturalImagesCanada *
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