He loves her. He really loves her.
It’s a rainy date, but you make the most of it. First, they did what the birds and the bees do, then he spent a good half-hour grooming her, in the rain. “Honey, your plumage is irresistible, I tell you…”
Tag Archives: nature
Water Creatures
Around the island, lots of water creatures swim about.
Sometimes, they hang around in groups, like the river otter clan in the header, above.
And they also live quiet single lives.
“You talking to me?”
Here is another shot of the East Point otter clan:
And during the fall and winter, sea lions also hang out – with bald eagles – on Boiling Reef, at the tip of East Point, Saturna Island.
Here they are, with Bellingham, WA, in the background.
Mushrooms on the trails
Beauty and variety. Those two terms sum up the fall mushroom crop on Saturna Island.
The Shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus) first show up along the road sides and … in my garden, in October.
Then, walks on the forest paths lead me to find a whole assortment of seasonal newcomers, like the little white ones above… Sorry, I have not a clue as to ID.
This ones looks similar, with intriguing texture. I am getting better at close-up shots.
Above, a new one starting to mature on a dead alder. Still all folded up, but promising to be a big one…
And then there are the flashy ones, bright golden yellow little tiny ones, standing in the moss…
And the Lilliputian mushrooms… really tiny, almost ghostly little ones standing in the fir needles.
Then, on twigs, little “tutu” mushrooms.
Another angle of the last little beauty, showing its underskirts. Lovely lines and texture.
And I close with the same shot as the header, a bejeweled mushroom about to open on a dead tree. Full regalia, rain diamonds.
Jewelled Web – Photo Wednesday
A friend invited me to come take a picture of the perfectly-positioned web by her dining room window (pristine windows, by the way… crystal clear, unlike mine…).
Of course, I went over to play the paparazzo (paparazza?)
Then, we got close and personal…
Wet feet!
And bonus, my friend had lovely Skimmia japonica bushes in her garden, which turned out very nicely:
And here is another take on the same plant:
Wet Monday
It was a wet holiday Monday: non stop light rain. Very quiet, too, because most of the weekend visitors had already left, or were parked in the ferry line-up, returning to their working lives.
I decided to go for a walk down to the Narvaez Bay part of the Gulf Islands National Park, on Saturna Island. The first time in 5 months, but I am recuperating well, the hobbling along is improving and a 2.6+ km walk (down and up, I might add) is a good thing to do when you have overindulged during the weekend…
First, though, I had to get through the turkey traffic near the general store…
Then drive a few kilometers on Narvaez Bay Road, a former horse cart road that doesn’t go from A to B in a straight line…
Once past the park gate, the magic starts to happen.
Above, this Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is showing its fall colour, a bright punctuation in the very dark fir and cedar forest that lines the way down to the bay.
For those who walk slowly, there are all sorts of little treasures to discover… You just have to pay attention.
Along the old road down to the bay, I stopped and practiced focusing on wet surfaces. Above: Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), in full fall regalia.
Here is a little ecosystem of lichens, arranged on a branch near the path. It reminds me of corals, in tropical oceans.
Then my game consisted of trying to focus on water drops, at the tip of cedar boughs. Without getting the camera too wet…
Above, a Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana) flashes its hips. I am still working on finding the right depth of focus, to successfully include all the bits I want to focus on, and “fuzzy up” the background. In this case, an F/4.0 aperture is obviously not going to do it… Working on it, though.
And after wandering around, it was time to go home for supper, back up the road/path to the parking area. Another couple of hours well spent. Breathing fresh air: highly recommended.