Camellia

This Camellia is very late this spring, I usually see it in bloom by mid-February.

The blossoms don't last long, only a few days and already the petals are showing signs of rust.

Celebration of Quilts 2017

Every second year the Timberlane Quilter's have a show at Dwight Hall, and this year's dates

are April 8 & 9. It will be well worth seeing. These were some of the quilts on display at 2015's event.

Long-tailed Duck

To my eye, this is one of the best looking birds to be found on the coast. It's a male Long-tailed Duck,

in his non-breeding colours. Not seen all that often here unfortunately, though if you hop a ferry

to the other side of Georgia Strait in winter, your odds will improve dramatically. In

summer you'll find them in the Arctic. These are from the archives, March 2011.

Magnolia

With the unexpected sun yesterday I went seeking blossoms, and found this Magnolia,

not quite in full bloom, just a day or two short.

With blossoms of course, comes all the attendant insect life that enjoys a

nice flower as much as I do.

Tip Toe Thru The ...

... TULIPS!!

Though as you no doubt soon realized, these are cut flowers for sale at one of our

local grocery stores. Still, it's a good sign, warmer weather is coming.

Red-tailed Hawk

Hearing the noise of a congress of crows through my window yesterday afternoon I grabbed my

camera and had a look, as I've had luck before, paying attention to the crows. I'm relatively

sure this is a Red-tailed Hawk, though it's the smallest one I've ever seen.  Not a bad

shot for a grey day, but as you can see in pic 2 - the almost original - it needed some help.

This is not something I do in the normal course of things, but this photo is not going in the
next photobook, and sometimes it's fun to play.

What Better ...

.... than to spend some time on the waterfront, watching the boats go by, on what was a glorious first day of spring.

The tug is the Inlet Knight, working out of Campell River. Her tow, stretching out a good bit behind her, was a log boom.

That's Harwood Island, on the right, and the small one is Vivian Island; in the top photo the shore is

Texada Island, and the mountains are on Vancouver Island.

Trumpeter Swans

We see a very few Trumpeter Swans on Cranberry Lake each winter. This year I've seen 8,

3 of them youngsters, which is a good number, going by recent history. Unfortunately

the young ones weren't available for portraits.

These were taken Saturday, where Drake St meets the lake. This was my second try, the

first time I was just getting in range, and the swans were resting onshore, when some fool

let his pitbull off leash, and that put paid to photographs.

An interesting piece of trivia - the brown stains on the head and neck is rust. Their diet of

water plants is very rich in iron, which the body can't all absorb. The

excess iron is put in the feathers, where it rusts.

Belted Kingfisher

Winter temperatures are normally mild enough in Powell River that our Kingfishers don't migrate

south, and we have the pleasure of their company year-round. A few, 2 pairs I think, make

their home around the North / South Harbour complex, which includes our ferry terminal.

And that is where I caught this fellow, 2 winters ago, on a ferry-approach fence post.

The Campsite

These sites on the water side of the Willingdon campsite are rarely empty in summer,

this time of year they look rather forlorn. But summer's coming, so they say.

Croci

Getting down to Crocus level for a side shot is not in the cards these days, a view looking

down will have to suffice. These have popped up all over the place in the last week or two,

now that it's warming up a little.

The Hall of Fame

I haven't been getting out, not least the lousy weather, so it's indoor photos today. It's

difficult taking photos in a hallway, but where else would I hang my "Hall of Fame".

To get an idea of size, the Snowy Owl is a 17"x22" print. It's not a permanent

exibition, the photos get rotated out slowly, and occasionally I change themes - at

one point it was all tugboat photos, at another all floral.

Before it's asked, yes, I do my own prints. An Epson Stylus Pro 3880 does a great job,
and, over time, is less expensive than a commercial printer, and much more convenient.

Anyone with an abacus handy will have noted there are 56 photos in 4 different sizes.
These bottom five 8½ x 11's are BC Bike Race portraits.

Lund Harbour

Highway 101 ends just up the coast, at Lund, and although it isn't very far, I seldom make my way there.

That might be because there isn't very much to do there in summer, and even less this time of year. Except

sit and slurp a cup of tea and enjoy some of the goodies at Nancy's Bakery! The photo, while seasonal - i.e. wet -

is from the archives yet again.

Five Years Ago Today

Winter storms are not uncommon in Powell River, but the one that came through March 12, 2012 was memorable.

This photo, at the Beach Gardens Marina, shows the roiling driftwood on the south side of the

breakwater in winds gusting to 100kph. An experience to remember.

On Approach

I happen to live near the approach lane to runway 09 of our local airport, which gives me the opportunity

to take lots of airplane photos. This plane however, made me do a double take - a quick look, then grab the camera I keep handy,

a better look - what the .... !! No wheels. Don't know what this float plane was doing in the approach lane to the

airport, but it's a good bet it wasn't making a landing! This photo of a Champion 7GCBC "Citabria" was taken last month.

David Lam Falls

With my bum knees it's been some years since I've been able to hit the many hiking trails

in our area, particularly around Duck Lake. Blackwater Creek Trail is one of the

best, with both the David Lam Falls and Kelly Falls. These photos go back to

late winter of 2011.

A Touch of Spring

Spring isn't official till the 21st, and with daytime highs over the next 2 weeks

forecast to be around 5°C, it is definitely a cool start to March. But there

are a few hints that warmer days are coming.

Great Blue

Great Blue Herons are ubiquitous on our coast, and over the years I have taken many photos of them,

with this shot of a young Heron, taken March 2015, remaining one of my favourites of the species. It

was so concentrated on getting its next meal that it completely ignored me as I maneuvered

in for this great angle and took several shots.