My First Bobcat Pictures!

So as I mentioned in a recent post, I saw my first wolf and my first bobcat within an hour of each other last week. My husband tried to convince me that since it was the day after Valentine's, he'd arranged it all as a gift.

We were walking the dogs back to the van half an hour after seeing the wolf and I realized that the reason a big group of ravens was hanging around going kind of crazy (flying around and calling out) was because of a dead elk.

Since the wolf had been walking in the direction of the elk carcass, I figured he might be heading that way for a meal. So we took the dogs home and I returned in my van, ready for action.

I parked my van on the trail and felt safe enough because there was at least 100 feet of dense bush between me and the elk. The only problem was, I couldn't get a clear shot over the bushes so I opened my van door and stood on the chassis, propped my foot on the open door, and had a look through my lens. That's when I realized there was a bobcat there!  I've never seen one before but they're pretty recognizable.

After half an hour or so I saw the bobcat looking up into the woods nearby and lo and behold, another much bigger bobcat shows up! I later Googled for information about bobcats...I figure the second cat on the scene was the mother because they usually stay with their young until the following spring when the bobcats go their separate ways. Mom's stomach was already pretty huge from eating but she helped herself to more. I won't show you the pictures of the younger bobcat or the two of them together because a) they're kind of gross with the elk carcass there and b) both cats were behind bushes so the shots aren't at all good. I was having a hard enough time getting clear shots anyway because of my precarious position standing on the chassis and the weather was getting increasingly dismal.

Anyway, eventually the younger bobcat wandered off into the nearby forest. After eating for awhile, mom started marking her territory by pawing at the ground continually. She sent the turf flying time and time again and kept it up for about 20 minutes before disappearing into the woods. Here's a shot I got of her before she disappeared though.

Bobcat Picture

I waited around for about an hour but neither bobcat returned so I went home to grab some lunch. I drove back an hour later and found a slightly better spot to park. I had a look through my lens and didn't see anything so I walked around a bit, making sure that I wasn't missing any choice locations to shoot from. When I returned to my van I had another look and realized a bobcat was there and most likely had been there all along. They're very well-camouflaged, in case you didn't notice!

Bobcat Photo

This time the bobcat didn't seem to be interested in eating at all, only in pawing at the ground, marking her territory. Once in awhile she'd look directly at me.

Bobcat Looking at Me

Overall, though, she didn't seem the least concerned with my presence. In fact, I'd noticed as I drove up to the spot that one of my wheels was making an incredibly loud racket...I think there was a rock caught somewhere. In any case, it didn't seem to bother the bobcat in the least.

Eventually the bobcat was satisfied that she'd marked her territory. She climbed up onto a log and struck a pose.

Bobcat Striking a Pose

Then she trotted off into the woods very casually but not before gazing at me for a few seconds from behind a bush. I waited an hour or so but she never reappeared. All in all I'd had at least an hour's time in the company of bobcats.

The next day I was back, bright and early. Well, I shouldn't say "bright" because it was raining. To my complete shock, I saw that the entire elk had been devoured down to the ribs, which had been dragged about 25 feet away from where the body had been the day before. I think I can make a pretty safe assumption that a wolf pack had feasted on the elk overnight.

I immediately spotted the bobcat pacing around, pawing at the ground again. She spent about 20 minutes doing that and barely gave me any notice at all.

It was raining pretty steadily by that time. To my surprise, the bobcat climbed onto the fallen log and sat there for about five minutes in the falling rain. And I thought cats hated the rain!

Bobcat at the Edge of the Forest

Here she is apparently making sure that I was suitably impressed by her beauty. I was!

Fat and Sassy Bobcat Looking at Me

Eventually she climbed down from the log and gave me one last look before leaving.

Picture of Bobcat Watching Me

I again waited for at least an hour for her to return but she was a no-show. There was no food left, so no reason for her to come back, I suppose. But I kept hoping. Because you know what? Watching bobcats is kind of addictive!



60% off on Canvas Prints at Zazzle

If you're in the market for a canvas print, now's a good time to go shopping. Zazzle, the print-on-demand company that I use, is having a 60% off sale on canvas prints this weekend only.

There's a lot of artwork to choose from besides my photography though. There are some truly amazing artists with shops on Zazzle so why don't you have a look? Or maybe you have a photograph or artwork that you've always wanted to have made into a canvas print...if that's the case, you can upload your own work and have it printed and still get the discount.

Use the code "CANVASDEAL60" at checkout to get your 60% off on canvas prints this weekend only!

Here's a photo of a Blue-Grey Tanager posing on a palm tree that I just uploaded to Zazzle. I took the picture last year in Costa Rica. Click on the picture to be taken to the canvas print of this photo.

Blue-Grey Tanager

Of course there are all kinds of photo products at Zazzle besides canvas prints, so check it out!

My First Wild Wolf Photos

I got my first wild wolf photos last week. It happened the day after Valentine's so my husband tried to convince me that he'd arranged it all as a gift. He'd seen wolves three times before and here was me, the nature photographer with my big ol' lens, with not a single wolf sighting. I had seen their big pawprints before and I'd seen their scat (at least I'm pretty sure it was wolf scat and not from a coyote...coyotes are quite a bit smaller so need I say more?) Speaking of coyotes, I hardly ever see them anymore and I think it's because wolves have moved into the area and are pushing them out.

Anyway, here's the story...I was walking the dogs with my husband and we were coming to where he saw a wolf pack a couple of years ago. He suggested we have a look around the bend before turning back. So we rounded the bend and lo and behold there's a black wolf loping towards us! I noticed he had a slight limp. He was way down the trail and for some reason he didn't even notice us. Luckily the dogs didn't see him because the vegetation was too high. It was lucky because one of our dogs is a big barker and she would've definitely blown any chance I had at a good shot of the wolf.

I took a few quick shots. Here's the only one that wasn't blurry. He was still pretty far away...I've cropped this picture down a little, by the way.

Black Wolf

I could tell that my view of him would be blocked by that bush you can see on the lefthand side of the photo, and I also knew that my dog would start barking once she spotted him. So I tossed Osa's leash to my husband and he held onto both dogs. Then I climbed onto a little rise so that I could be ready to take his picture when he rounded the corner and got clear of the bushes.

My heart was beating pretty wildly while I waited for him to round the bend...it was probably only a few seconds but it felt like a lot longer! The second he came around the bend he spotted me. I only had time to get this shot of him standing there in surprise before he trotted across the field about 150 feet into the woods. This picture is cropped, by the way.

Black Wolf Photo

I could see that he had beautiful grey markings on the backs of his legs as well as the markings you can see on his face and chest.

Four days later, the same wolf (I'm 95% sure) ran across the highway in front of us as we were driving home from the same area.

And here's the most amazing part...I've never seen a wolf in the wild before. I've never seen a bobcat before either. But within one hour that morning, I saw a wolf and two bobcats!

I'll save the bobcat story and pictures for my next post. Stay tuned!

Published in Canadian Geographic Magazine

One of my photographs has been published in "Best Wildlife Pictures 2012", a collector's edition of Canadian Geographic magazine. This special edition has been on the shelves since October and apparently is still available. I forgot to do some bragging about it earlier!

The magazine (which is almost more like a book due to lack of advertising) shows off the impressive talent of my fellow Canadian nature photographers. I felt very honoured to be included.

Here's the picture that was published, which introduces a section about animals and water.

Deer Fawn Bobbing for Apples

Here's the story behind the photograph... I'd seen four deer (two older fawns and two adults) visit the creek a couple of days in a row. They were after the crab apples that grew by the creek. The ravens and crows were feasting on the apples but would knock part of their bounty down into the creek. 

So I waited on the boardwalk overlooking the creek and sure enough, this fawn made an appearance. He sauntered towards me, pretty much oblivious to my presence, seemingly entranced by the possibility of some fine crab apples. I had to actually back up to take the photograph. In the picture you can see a couple of huge big-leaf maple leaves, which makes this picture all the more Canadian...in case you didn't know, our flag has a maple leaf on it.

For anyone who enjoys nature photographs, or for you aspiring photographers out there, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of "Best Wildlife Pictures 2012". I guarantee you'll love it!



A Visit to Reifel Bird Sanctuary

It's funny, but I never went to the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary when I lived in Vancouver. The sanctuary is in Delta, which is about an hour's drive from the city. I got into nature photography in a big way when I moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2001 and it wasn't until I'd moved away that I started taking the ferry over to the mainland to visit Reifel. It's an amazing place and well worth a visit. Each season has something different to offer.

As I was parking my car I saw a man holding his young son in his arms with what can only be called a mob of mallard ducks at his feet. The boy was throwing bird seed to the ducks and they were in a complete feeding frenzy.

Mallard Ducks

I asked at the gate if there had been any owls reported (since winter is usually a good time to spot them) and was told that yes, a barred owl was sleeping in a birch tree nearby. I bought a bag of bird seed and went in search of the owl.

The owl was easy to find...a small group of people was gathered on the path, watching it. The owl did a little grooming but mostly it slept. I only got a few pictures of it with its eyes even halfway open.

Barred Owl

Here's a picture of a barred owl that I took during another visit to Reifel bird sanctuary.

Barred Owl

 This owl was a lot more lively but not lively enough to bother with a squirrel that approached it very closely...I'd watched, fascinated, as the squirrel got within a few feet of the owl and made what I can only describe as meowing sounds. The owl had simply looked at it. I'm assuming the owl wasn't hungry at that time.

Squirrel Tempting Fate with Owl

At the juncture of two paths closeby was a pair of Lesser Sandhill Cranes that were quite entertaining. One of the cranes would throw his head back and give a trumpeting call whenever an intruder approached.

Sandhill Crane Calling

One crane usually set the other crane off and they'd both start calling.

Sandhill Cranes Calling



Apparently there are nine resident cranes at the Reifel sanctuary these days. Sandhill cranes migrate south from Siberia in the winter. I ran into another photographer who was telling me about the huge flocks of birds (about 10,000 cranes!) that could be seen gathered at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, which is 100 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. When the flocks take flight each morning to seek food, apparently it's quite an impressive sight.



Last spring when I visited Reifel sanctuary I was delighted to discover that a sandhill crane had been born the day before, on May 8th. It was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. I got a shot of mom feeding her baby an insect or grub.

Sandhill Crane Baby and Mother



By the way, I have a portfolio of pictures that can be licensed for use through Getty Images and the sandhill crane baby and mother picture above is one of them.

During nesting season the area where the cranes gathered was blocked off for two reasons: because they didn't want the birds to be disturbed but also because cranes can be somewhat aggressive when protecting their young. A photographer told me a story of another photographer who had gotten too close...the mother crane jumped on his back and covered his eyes with her beating wings. Lucky for him she didn't use her beak!

I was curious to see the young sandhill crane and found him with his parents. He was just slightly smaller than his mother and a little darker in color. The last time I'd seen him he was barely able to walk but he seemed to be growing up nicely.

Young Sandhill Crane with Mother

Here are some more pictures of the other pair of cranes that I visited with. The first picture is of a crane giving me what I can only call a coy look. The second picture is of the crane standing on one leg, which is something they often do while resting. And the third picture is of the crane plucking long blades of grass and placing them in a pile. Perhaps this means there will be a nest in the near future?

Sandhill Crane Coy Look

Crane Standing on One Leg

Crane Building a Nest?

A flock of Canada Geese flew by while I was walking along on the path. You can usually hear them honking before you see them.

Canada Geese Flock

I happened to have a pocket full of peanuts that I usually feed to the chickadees in my yard. I came upon a woman and her daughter who were holding out some birdseed to the chickadees. The birds weren't taking too much interest so I gave them some peanuts to try instead. The chickadees landed right away.

Chickadee in Woman's Hand

I know from personal experience that chickadees can't resist peanuts!

A couple of other interesting birds that I saw along the way that day were an American Coot and the always handsome and colorful Wood Duck.

American Coot

Wood Duck

Before leaving the sanctuary I happened upon some cedar waxwings feasting on berries. Waxwings are one of my favorite birds and I've always wanted to get some pictures of them eating berries (which is mostly what they eat). I came upon the birds just at the right time because they stripped the trees of berries within about 10 minutes.

Cedar Waxwing Eating Berries

Young Cedar Waxwing Eating Berries

I was a happy camper as I headed for my car. I'd spent a few hours on a beautiful sunny day at the bird sanctuary, and I had hundreds of photographs to remember my visit by. A trip to Reifel Bird Sanctuary is definitely one of the top ways I like to spend the day!

Birds in Snow in My Backyard

We don't usually get too much snow here on the west coast of British Columbia...mostly we get rain, rain, and more rain. But every once in awhile we get a few centimeters (or a few inches, for those of you who aren't on the metric system). I miss the snow from where I grew up back east so it's always a welcome treat when it happens.

When the snow falls I make sure that my backyard birds get extra food. We already have a bird seed feeder and two suet cages; one cage is squirrel-proof and jay-proof or there'd never be any suet at all. But when the weather turns nasty I also spread extra bird seed along the wooden railing of our back deck. Then the varied thrushes come a-calling.

Thrushes are about the same size as American robins (which are from the thrush family) and their chirp is very similar. Just like robins, they usually eat from the ground or in trees and not from hanging feeders. The thrushes hang out in the surrounding trees (mostly evergreens) and seem to be waiting every morning for me to put out the seed. Then they descend and I can hear them singing happily as they peck away. They have a beautifully melodic song that never fails to make me smile. They're a fairly shy bird so can be hard to get pictures of but when it snows they get a little more bold.

Varied Thrush

The other ground-feeding bird that enjoys having extra seeds spread out on my deck is the Spotted Towhee. They can be found in our backyard year-round, often half-hidden in the surrounding oceanspray bushes.

Spotted Towhee in Snowy Oceanspray Bush

Spotted Towhee

I have quite a number of chestnut-backed chickadees that have enjoyed feasting at our place this year. This winter I started feeding them peanuts from my hand. Now I just have to step out onto the back deck, or anywhere in the yard for that matter, and the chickadees materialize. I've had a chickadee in my hand, one on my arm, and one on my head all at the same time. They're also very fond of landing on the end of my telephoto lens. They get a little crazy when it's peanut time. They're one of my favorite birds to photograph and if I ever need something to cheer me up, feeding chickadees by hand always does the trick.

I got a lot of chickadee pictures during our recent snowfall...

Chestnut-backed Chickadee with Snow Falling

Chickadee on Snowy Pine Tree Branch

Chickadee in the Snow

Chickadee on Oceanspray in Winter

I pour hot water over the birds' frozen-over water dish every morning but I still often see them eating snow.

Chickadee with Snow on Beak

Besides the chickadees, I also have one red-breasted nuthatch that will eat peanuts out of my hand. I usually hear him calling before I see him so I know he's closeby, ready for his peanut. He's unafraid of the chickadees but very cautious if there are steller's jays around. After he's grabbed a peanut he usually calls to me as he flies off with his prize. He's a little more challenging to get pictures of than chickadees, but I managed a couple of shots the other day. He follows me around the yard now too.

Nuthatch on Snowy Pine Tree Branch

Red-Breasted Nuthatch in the Snow

The steller's jays get a little crazed when I'm feeding peanuts to the chickadees and the nuthatch. They follow us around hopefully if I'm in the yard, waiting for a dropped nut here and there. I try to feed them separately so that they don't scare the smaller birds. They're always quite comical to watch but can they ever be greedy!

Steller's Jay in Snowfall

Steller's Jay Closeup

I hope you enjoyed my pictorial about birds in snow. I'm hoping for another snowfall soon, or at least at end to the constant rain!



Snowy Owls in Boundary Bay, British Columbia

I've never seen a snowy owl before so I was itching to get over to Boundary Bay in Delta, B.C. after  hearing that there was a bumper crop of  owls this winter. Snowy owls feed on lemmings on the tundra in the north however some years their food supply is scarce which forces them to fly south to Boundary Bay. They mostly hunt rodents at night however there are exceptions to their diet...for example, a snowy owl was recently spotted on somebody's roof here on the Sunshine Coast eating an American Coot in the daytime.

I finally got a chance to get over to Boundary Bay last week. It meant a ferry ride and about two hours of driving but wow, was it ever worth it! There were about 30 snowy owls sitting around on the beach, mostly perched on pieces of driftwood.

Five Snowy Owls

Most of the owls were about 50-60 feet from the gravel walkway along the dyke so they were easily photographed. I was in seventh heaven! They were often in groups of at least two owls.

Snowy Owl Couple

I found a single owl sitting on a piece of driftwood and he seemed quite unconcerned at my approach, although I kept a respectable distance away from him. He was a real snow white beauty who gazed at me steadily...

Snowy Owl on the Beach

I met several photographers that day and all of them had travelled from far and wide to see the owls that they'd heard so much about. 

The owls seemed unconcerned that they were the focus of so much attention, or perhaps they were just tired from their long migration. By the time we were leaving, a large crowd of spectators (mostly photographers) had gathered on the gravel walkway that leads along the dyke in Boundary Bay Provincial Park. The owls just sat there on their pieces of driftwood, their heads occasionally turning this way and that, ignoring the curious crowd of onlookers.

Photographers at Boundary Bay

They're forecasting snow this coming week and I'm hoping to get back over to Boundary Bay to spend more time with the snowy owls. What could be better than pictures of snowy owls in the snow?