Getting a whale fix...

I had no idea when I published this morning's blog post about needing a whale fix that we would all actually GET one later that afternoon! Amazing how the stars align sometimes...
So it had been three months and counting for most of us in between our last orca sighting (which was sometime around late October). I think we all were developing a twitching eye, perhaps a little shortness of breath from not getting our daily dose. But, when you're an orcaholic, it goes with the territory. You expect and know that it will happen sometime during the winter - you WILL go into orca meltdown... UNTIL you get a report like today - J pod in San Juan Channel westbound! You heart starts fluttering, but even so, you take pause. Then as if zapped by some unknown force from above, you spring into action. Grab binoculars! Grab camera! WAIT - are the batteries charged? Do I even have a memory card in there??? And more importantly - is it EMPTY???? Ok, wait! It's winter! Need clothes...lots of clothes. Snowboard gear on - gloves, fuzzy hat, neck gator, water proofs, gum boots. The phone rings. It's a good friend. We're going on the boat?! We're going on the BOAT!!!! Ok, need REALLY warm clothes...and goggles. Where are the goggles??? Where are they??? Ah, screw the goggles! Gotta get out the door! Gotta get to the harbor! Wait...it's raining? Ah, who cares. No rain, no gain :) It's the Pacific Northwest - DEAL WITH IT!
So yeah...That's about how this afternoon went down. One big, giant, chaotic (but exuberantly happy) scene!
We all arrived at the harbor at about the same time and piled into my friend JB's very tiny, but very seaworthy open boat. We zipped through the harbor entrance, rain pelting us in the face and with no really up-to-date report, we sped through Mosquito Pass hoping we would find the orcas outside the entrance to Roche Harbor. As we exited Roche, we began to scan, but couldn't see anything but cloudy, misty gray. Just then we got an update the whales were just around the corner on the outside of Henry Island. We popped around Battleship Island then...dorsal fins!! There they are!! It's hard to describe the feeling of not seeing orcas for a very long time and then suddenly seeing them again. It's like wandering through the grocery store just doing your thing, no expectations, and then suddenly running into a dear friend that you haven't seen in a good long while.
We only had a short amount of time to spend with the whales because they were headed toward some very choppy water, but the bit of time we did have with them was overwhelming in a very good way. We watched as J19 Shachi and her daughter, J41 Eclipse played with J28 Polaris and her young baby, J46 Star. J32 Rhapsody was up to her old tricks - suddenly popping up near us without warning and giving us a good look. Always makes my heart jump into my throat. J27 Blackberry, in true orca adult male fashion, wandered around on his own just to the outside of the raucous group of moms and kids. He's too busy fishing for all that nonsense. We watched the whales head down the strait and we made our way back to the harbor. Such a wonderful way to end a weekend and I do hope the orcas come back soon. Here are some photos from today's encounter:

Two-year-old J46 Star scoots along at full speed ahead!:

J32 Rhapsody surfaces along the rock wall of Henry Island:

J19 Shachi cruising along:

J27 Blackberry does a giant lunge while chasing a salmon and flys over J32 Rhapsody in the process :)  

Needing a whale fix...

Winter can be tough for orca fans in the San Juan's. Sightings are few and far between and getting our "fix" is difficult. So I guess this morning when I picked up a paint brush, it wasn't surprising what flowed out upon the smooth paper... a familiar black and white creature...

Snowy Owls (again!)

I just couldn't help myself. I headed back to Boundary Bay, B.C. yesterday for one last visit with the owls. Most of the owls were quite spread out, but there was this one gorgeous fellow near the trail who just begged to have his picture taken. Here are a few photos from the day:

All fluffed up:

Ready for action at any moment!:

It is important to keep your feet clean...:

What was that?!:

While it was a wonderful day with the animals, I feel I have to stress again - DON'T GET TOO CLOSE TO THEM!! There were many people visiting with the birds yesterday and some of them were being downright rude! They were getting far too close and as a result, the owls would have to fly to a more secluded spot only to be bothered again by MORE people. It is absolutely ESSENTIAL these animals get plenty rest and conserve their energy for their migrations. Getting too close or making them fly can be very damaging or even fatal for these animals. As one of many nature photographers out there, I believe our motto should be the same as it is for doctors: DO NO HARM. It is never ok to bait, harass, intimidate, torment, tease, or put an animal's life at risk just so you can get a picture. It is detrimental to the animal's well-being not to mention the fact that you are cheating to get your photos. Be respectful, quiet, and patient. Wait for a perfect moment for the animal to present itself to you on its terms. This may take hours, but, hey, that's the name of the game. The photos you get will be far more rewarding if you do the right thing and put the animal's well-being first.

Alright, I will hop off my soap box now, but just for the record - I waited two and a half hours (which really, in the grand scheme of things, is not that long. Some photographers have to wait years in order to get great shots of a particular animal) in the bitter cold to get these shots and I used a 400mm lens so I was able to stay plenty far away from this fellow...and he rewarded me. Thanks, snowy guy! It was a pleasure spending the afternoon with you.

Snowy Owls

The fact that there are a couple dozen snowy owls hanging out at Boundary Bay, B.C. certainly isn't breaking news. Snowy owls have been in the news a lot this winter due to an interesting mass migration that has pushed them farther south than the range they are normally found and Boundary Bay has got to be one of the BEST places to see them. Photographers, bird enthusiasts, and curious wanderers have been flocking to this location to admire these beautiful and very charming creatures. After seeing everyone's beautiful photos and hearing amazing stories (please check out my friend, Monika's wonderful blog), I was soon gripped by snowy-owl-fever myself...so much so that I began to dream about them at night. It took me about a month, but I finally made it up to Boundary Bay yesterday. I have to say that I am so pleased that I made the journey because I would rate the adventure as being one of my best wildlife experiences...and also one of the strangest. Usually when you travel to see a somewhat rare animal, you would expect some challenges along the way - inhospitable weather, barely navigable trails through dense wilderness, and blisters on your heels (ouch!), but seeing the owls was no more difficult than crossing the border. You park your car in a gravel parking lot, wander up a bit of a hill, and there they are! And my is it ever surreal seeing them for the first time. I was a bit gobsmacked. Boundary Bay contains a huge expanse of wetlands and tidal flats - lots of areas where the owls could set up shop without having to be near people, but ironically here they were, right next to the trail (my camera measured them as being 31 meters away), hanging out on the driftwood logs along side of the trail. They also seemed to be totally chill with the dozens of adoring onlookers who came to admire them. Most of them were napping. At times they would open up their saucer-shaped vibrant yellow eyes and twist their heads around in all directions checking things out. I was stunned and I had to just stand there for a while and absorb the scene before I was able to take some images:

The Family Tree:

I'm not sure this fellow could look any LESS amused, haha:

One of the things I find most amazing about owls is the range of motion of their necks. You wouldn't ever want to put a "kick me" sign on an owl's back! They'd find it for sure!:

This last image is probably my favorite. I love this gnarly, old log. Also, the fact that it was quite a cloudy day just made this owl stand out;  a shock of white in an otherwise deep-colored expanse:

After about three hours my fingers were frozen and my arms were beginning to buckle under the weight of the large lens a good friend insisted that I borrow. I will always feel thankful and blessed that I was able to spend an afternoon with these incredible, special, and unique beings.

If you decide to go visit the owls, here are few things to keep in mind:

• Lots of people come to see them every day and disturbance to these animals could be potentially damaging. Move slowly, keep your voice low, and leave the dog in the car!
• Snowy owls migrate vast distances. It is VERY important that they rest and conserve their energy for their migrations. Don't approach them closely and stay on the foot trail. Use binoculars or a telephoto lens to see detail. You wouldn't like someone walking up to you and staring while you're trying to rest, would you? I didn't think so. Respect their space!

Happy owling... :)

A Winter Storm Portrait

Lime Kiln Lighthouse gets battered by waves and salt spray during today's windstorm.

Skagit Bald Eagle Festival

This past weekend some friends and I decided to head up the Skagit River to the little towns of Concrete, Rockport, and Marblemount. Every year during the month of January these tiny towns are wonderful places to visit if you enjoy watching bald eagles. The Skagit Eagle Festival is held during this time because of the large concentrations of these magnificent raptors that arrive in this area. According to the United States Forest Service, the Skagit River hosts the largest wintering population of bald eagles in the state of Washington. Many of these eagles spend their summers in Alaska and northern British Columbia. So why do they like the Skagit River? They know that during the winter months it is a prime feeding spot and they flock to this area by the hundreds to dine on spawned-out chum salmon and waterfowl. 

On our first day, we didn't arrive to the prime eagle watching areas until early afternoon. Usually the eagles are most active first thing in the morning. The other difficulty we were having was the weather. It was a regular winter wonderland! And while it was very beautiful to be driving around the mountains in the snow, we were having a very hard time finding any eagles. We traveled around all day looking for great eagle watching spots, but most of the time all we saw was this:

We decided that our best bet was to wake up early the next morning and go out looking for our handsome, feathery models during the time they are most active. While we slept Saturday night, a fresh blanket of snow covered the valley and we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and a white world:

We quickly hopped in the car and began scoping out all the supposably great eagle watching spots. Sadly, there was just not much to be had. According to local people in the area, there just aren't as many eagles on the river this year as there were in previous years. The chum salmon run had been less than bountiful and there just wasn't enough food to go around. We stopped at mile marker 100 on highway 20 which is one of the prime watching spots. There was a single eagle on the sandbar munching on a salmon, but he quickly flew away before we could get a good look at him. Bummed out, we walked back to the car to drive down to the next eagle watching spot. Just as we were about to hop in and drive off, a minivan stopped next to us. The driver rolled down the window, "Hey! You guys wanna see like 100 eagles?" We noticed that Pacific Northwest Float Trips was printed on the side of the van. "Sure..." we said warily. The driver said, "Come on a free float trip with us! You'll see many more eagles on the river than you will from the road. Just be in Rockport by 9:30 and we'll go!" We told the driver we'd think about it and he drove off. A free float trip? Ok, what's the catch? I guess in today's society we are so used to not really getting anything for free. There is always some sort of hoop you have to jump through. But the river trip did sound like a lot of fun and the weather wasn't too bad. Hmmm. Lets do it! But as we drove toward Rockport the sky opened and began to dump snow. By the time we arrived in Rockport it was approaching white-out conditions and we began to second-guess our decision to go out. We found the driver of the van. He explained to us that they had tarps and blankets we could cover up with and that it really would be a unique experience. He also explained that the trip really was free and that if we enjoyed ourselves to just tip our guide. Okay! Lets go! We loaded up with all our gear and the driver took us to the put-in. There we met our guide, Donovan. We plopped ourselves in the boat and began to float down stream. It was still snowing, but it did seem to be letting up some and before long, we spotted our first eagle:

And then something wonderful happened. The snow stopped, the sun came out, and we began to see dozens and dozens of eagles!:

I think my favorite image of the whole float trip was an eagle sitting on a rock in the river. The lighting was just perfect:

The float trip only lasted an hour, but it will probably be one of the most memorable hours of my life. The scenery was so incredible and the eagles were absolutely stunning. We were so pleased we had braved the weather and headed out on the water. We certainly would have been kicking ourselves if we hadn't! It was simply magical and the snow was the icing on the cake. I would highly recommend visiting the eagle festival if you are in the Skagit area in the future. It is a truly memorable experience and don't forget to take a float trip! Trust me - you will not regret it!

Happy New Year!

Wishing all a wonderful, prosperous, happy, and healthful 2012!

CHEERS!

A Big Horn Ham

You wouldn't think so, but sometimes photographing wildlife from your vehicle can be a great way to catch some incredible shots! Animals tend to be less spooked especially if they are used to seeing cars, but not so used to seeing people wandering around on foot. One of the big reasons many animals shy away from people is because we literally move like predators (which we are) and animals pick up on that and it may or may not send them packing depending on the type of animal...
Big horn sheep tend to be pretty shy depending on where you find them. When we ventured out to Escalante Canyon in Colorado today, I honestly had my doubts that we would find any and if we did, I certainly didn't think they would be anywhere near the road for photo ops. After driving about 20 minutes into the canyon we hadn't seen anything. We slowed down in a place that looked as if it might be good big horn habitat and right away I spotted a big male out in front of us. We crept forward slowly hoping he would allow for some photos but he began to move as if he was going to bolt. We sat for a long time just watching him, inching forward bit by bit until he finally decided that we weren't a threat and continued about his business. As soon as he became comfortable, he became a ham and allowed us to take some fabulous photos:

The last photo is my favorite! This very accommodating fellow turned and looked like he was actually smiling for the camera:

What a ham!

Happy Holidays!

I hope you have a blessed holiday and a wonderful new year!

Don't Forget About Morgan

Recently I wrote a blog post about Morgan the orca (you can read the post here). Morgan has recently been moved to Loro Parque in Spain to join other orcas and to be a performer. Right now her return to the wild looks bleak and her living conditions at Loro Parque are abhorrent. While she has more room to swim at Loro Parque than she did in her tiny tank in the Netherlands, she is constantly bullied and tormented by the other orcas. Orcas have very complex social structures. It is ridiculous to expect the orcas in this situation (who are from very different populations) to just magically get along. Experts warned the Dutch government, who decided against allowing Morgan her freedom, that she would be tormented at Loro Parque. The following video demonstrates the challenges Morgan must face on a daily basis. There are two orcas (Kohanna and Skyla) in this video who constantly chase her around and eventually get hold of her tail and leave a bloody wound:


I know videos like this are very difficult to watch and I certainly don't post them to bum people out. I simply don't want Morgan to be forgotten. In my opinion, that would be the worst disservice to her of all.
If you would like to help Morgan, here are several ways you can be a voice for her freedom:

• Join STAMP AROUND THE WORLD FOR MORGAN - Write a polite and factual letter to the President of the European Commission. EU law prohibits the use of orcas for commercial purposes and it is quite clear this is how Morgan is being used. Please click on this link to find out more.
• Write a letter to the Norwegian consulate in your country. Morgan is a Norwegian orca and belongs at home with her family. If Norway were to demand that Morgan be returned to her home waters, the course of her future could change and she may have a chance at freedom. To find the Norwegian embassy/consulate in your area, please click this link.
• Jean Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society is asking for signatures on a petition to demonstrate your continued support for Morgan. To sign the petition, click here.
• Spread the word! Morgan will not be forgotten if you continue to tell people about her and her plight. This day in age it is so simple to spread information via Facebook, blogs, and word-of-mouth. 

Morgan deserves her freedom. Be a voice for her!