Catching up

Just flicking through and adding a few more to the blog....
Tufted Puffin - a personal highlight if not the best pic in the world ! Seen in very choppy seas and did a couple of fly pasts in fairly dull conditions

 Western Song Sparrow - abundant but love the shade so this was a result seeing one out in the open

 Belted Kingfisher

 Great Northern Diver - always a pleasure

 Boarding the seaplane for our aerial extravaganza

 Pacific Slope Flycatcher

 Look out Tom's driving !

 Team Campey in Canada

Bear necessities

Friday 7 June
Went looking for Black Bears today, and found some, six in all. Totally fantastic and still in shock at being so close to such a fantastic animal - just one pic processed so far...

Another day in Tofino

Thursday 8 June
and another sunny day in Tofino which started with a trip out to look for Grey Whales, some Stellers and Calofornian Sealions, a bit of fishing and then a little more time spent with Bald Eagles. Finishing as any day round here does with a bit of surfing.

 and finally, it was time to hit the surf....

Ups and Downs

Tuesday 4 June 2013
Spent the early morning on a second Pelagic, after yesterday's high seas, today was much calmer, but there was thick fog for more than half of it. Then onto a Float Plane to a glacier and overview of Tofino coast. All in all pretty fantastic. Not enough energy to describe the best bits but, Tufted Puffin again, Bald eagles feeding by the boat and Grey Whale from the air made for an exceptional day.

 Rhinocerous Auklets - my favourite Auk

 Marbled Murrelet

Grey Whale

Tufted Puffin

Tofino

or Tuff City as it's also know. Really lovely place with a great feel to it. Views from the house stunning and after a couple of days settling in, Tom doing some surfing, it was time for Big Tom (Mr Bedford) and I to do a Pelagic in search of some Pacific seabirds. Well, we picked the worst day, overcast skies and a huge swell with gale force winds meant seeing the birds was hard enough, let alone trying to photograph them. Still some images were caught, albeit it high iso settings and a very very bouncy boat.
The main attractions were: Pacific and Common Loon, Brandt's Cormorant, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf and White-winged Scoter, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet, and a single fly by but fantastic Tufted Puffin !

Steller's Sealions, also Californian Sealions intermixed with the Stellers.

 Marbled Murrelet

 Pacific Diver

Rhinocerous Auklet

 more..

 Harlequin Ducks

 another Marbled Murrelet

 Pigeon Guillemots

and rafts of slightly wary Sea Otters doing their thing

 If only it had been better weather, calmer seas and some sunshine.....Hmm tomorrow's forecast looks good........ :)

On Pender

The week on Pender Island was fantastic, totally mind blowing accommodation and despite the somewhat continual rain, our spirits weren't dampened - difficult really as we watched Bald Eagles and Rufous Hummingbirds from the hot tub ! but prize of the week went to Sam when, while having dinner she screamed ORCAS !!!! and sure enough swimming past the base of our house were two groups of Orcas.......

These orcas are the part of the southern resident pod, the J Clan, apparently

Other bird offerings included White-crowned Sparrow

 Red-breasted Sapsucker

 Dark-eyed Junco

And then to the ferry, where there were more Eagles..... luckily the cafe owner was calling them in and throwing a few bits of meat out which allowed some extremely close views.