The Rocky Mountains from the Air

Last Saturday there was an earthquake in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia, that measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. There were tsunami warnings along the Canadian and American coast, all the way to Hawaii. On Sunday there was an aftershock that measured 6.3.

I didn't feel a thing here on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast. However, we live very close to the ocean and with all the recent talk about tsunamis and earthquakes, it got me thinking about the immense power of the elements. Just this past week, Hurricane Sandy battered the Caribbean and the east coast of the States, then tore into Canada as well. No matter the achievements of humankind, we are all at the mercy of Mother Nature at times.

Thinking about the power of the elements got me thinking about my recent trip to Ontario. Anytime I take a trip back east I marvel at the Rocky Mountains as we fly over. The Rockies stretch out about 3,000 miles (4,830 km) from British Columbia to New Mexico. The mountain range was formed between 55 million to 80 million years ago. Since that time, water erosion and glaciers have carved out incredible peaks and valleys. They are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Here are just a few shots I took of the Rocky Mountains as we flew over in a jet.

 Rocky Mountains and River

Jet Airplane Flying Over the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains Peak and River

Rocky Mountains Snow-Capped Peaks

Canadian Rockies

Impressive, aren't they?

I've been nervously thinking about which of our nearby mountains we could drive to in case we ever needed to evacuate, as so many others were recently required to do. It's a very unsettling feeling.

Nature Photo Calendars

Lately a lot of my craft fair and farmer's market customers have been asking me if I have a new squirrel calendar out yet. Unfortunately I couldn't find a printer who would give me a decent price this year. I do, however, have a new squirrel calendar available in my Zazzle shop, with all new squirrel pictures.

Zazzle is a print on demand shop that has offices worldwide. I've ordered their calendars before and they're very high quality.

I also have some squirrel calendars from years gone by that I've updated for 2013. In fact, I have a whole bunch of nature wall calendars for 2013 so I'll show them all to you here.



You can get 25% off all calendars at Zazzle until November 27th. Just enter the code "CALENDAR TIME" at checkout.



Heron Photo on Canvas

Heron in the Mist Canvas Print

Just thought I'd let you know that Zazzle is having a 50% off sale on canvas prints and posters this weekend only. Their prints are high quality and anything you buy from Zazzle is 100% satisfaction guaranteed. This sale is a great way to get started on some early Christmas shopping. Just type in the code "SWEETSAVINGS" at checkout.

The heron photo above is still one of my all-time favourite pictures...that I've taken, that is! The canvas is a steal at half price. Or have a look through my Zazzle shop, which often has big sales going on. Happy shopping!

herons art

Happy Autumn!

Oh, I've been bad. I've let a whole summer slip away without posting anything here. So sorry! What can I say...things get hectic in the summer for a nature photographer.

I've gone on a couple of trips and of course took lots of pictures. At the beginning of September I went back east to visit my parents and to help my mom celebrate her 80th birthday. It was fun getting together with everybody...I haven't seen some of my relatives for many years.

I became entranced by a chipmunk that visited my parents' house every day. We don't seem to get chipmunks here in British Columbia, so seeing him was a special treat for me. You already know I'm squirrel crazy, but now I'm chipmunk crazy too! I named the little fellow (or girl?) Chipper. I took so many pictures of him, I ended up making a calendar.

Here are just a few of my chipmunk photos that are included in my calendar of Chipper...

Chipmunk and Bone China Teacup

Chipmunk with Full Cheeks

Chipmunk with Petunia Hat

Chipmunk and Piggy Bank

Chipmunk Party Time

Chipmunk on Coffee Mug

Today only there is a sale in my Zazzle shop for $5 off all calendars. Besides my chipmunk calendar I have lots of others including squirrels, other animals, dragonflies, a coyote calendar, and a new inspirational calendar. Please use the code FIVEOFFDEAL4 at checkout for the discount.

chipmunks art

Rare Bird Sighting ~ Costa's Hummingbird

The Costa's Hummingbird is a rare sight on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia...in fact, in 40 years of record-keeping it has never been seen before. But a lone male Costa's has made an appearance in Gibsons, B.C. in none other than the former mayor's yard. Barry Janyk has played host to this gorgeous hummingbird since mid-July.

What's the big deal, you might ask? Well, this particular hummingbird breeds in California's Sonora desert and Arizona's Mojave desert. So he's a long way from home and he's decided to spend time in a coastal rainforest. Strange. Another male Costa's hummingbird has also been spotted in a Vancouver neighbourhood. At first it was believed that these two birds were one and the same however it has since been confirmed that they are two different Costa's.

Barry Janyk graciously allowed me to spend some time on his back deck photographing this tiny (3.5" long) hummer. Although small, this particular hummingbird was incredibly feisty, constantly chasing away a female Anna's hummingbird who was competing for nectar at the same feeder. He kept a fairly constant vigil so the Anna's only got in a few sips of sweet nectar.

The hummingbird had a couple of favourite perches. Here he is on just one of them.

Costa's Hummingbird

It was a rare treat to be able to see this incredible hummingbird with the violet gorget and crown. I hope more of these beauties make their way to the Sunshine Coast!

hummingbird art

Huge Sale on Zazzle!

Zazzle is having a huge sale today for up to 60% off. Use the code BDAYALLDEALZ at checkout and you'll get deals like 25% off t-shirts, 50% off buttons, stickers, and magnets, 60% off invitations, and 50% off prints, frames, and wrapped canvas prints. I've been adding lots of new nature photos to my store on Zazzle, so check it out!

Cute Squirrel Closeup

Baby Hummingbirds

I recently had the amazing experience of being able to see two baby hummingbirds grow up. A customer of mine kindly let me know about a rufous hummingbird nest and I jumped at the chance to see it. One day she took me there, and I managed to get one shot of the mother hummingbird sitting on the nest.

Mother Hummingbird on Nest

The babies had already been born and I believe this was the last day the mother sat on the nest. (By the way, the beautiful nest is made out of lichen and moss, and lined with feathers and sometimes bullrush fluff. Often hummingbirds bind the nest with spider web, which is strong but flexible.)

The baby hummingbirds were tiny featherless creatures that reminded me of little lizards. When you looked at the nest from the side, all you could see was two beaks sticking up. (That's how hummingbirds sleep, by the way, with their beaks straight up in the air.)

Here are the baby hummingbirds a few days later.

Baby Hummingbirds in Nest

I noticed that one of the babies looked a lot smaller than the other so I did a little research. Apparently hummingbirds almost always lay two eggs, and usually the eggs are two days apart. However that doesn't explain the size difference between the two babies because hummingbird eggs usually hatch on the same day.

Knowing that it takes about three weeks for hummingbirds to leave the nest, I visited a couple of more times. Here's a shot of the two hummers when they were starting to get too big for their nest.

Baby Rufous Hummingbirds in the Nest

I returned a few days later to find that one of the hummingbirds had already left the nest. He was flying around, making peeping sounds at his mother who was also nearby.

I found the other baby hummingbird sitting on the edge of the nest.

Baby Hummingbird Sitting on Nest

The nest was in the middle of the woods but right on a trail. I had to walk past the nest to photograph the hummingbirds because the tree branches were in the way on the other side. The tiny bird calmly watched me as I passed and just seemed to be sitting there thinking things over while I photographed her. (I don't know why I think of her as a "she" but I do.)

Here's another shot of the hummingbird telling me that she'd had enough of the picture-taking...

Baby Hummingbird Sticking Out Tongue

She stuck her tongue out a few times...I'm not sure why hummingbirds do this, but they do it fairly often.

When I walked past the nest to leave I heard the unmistakable buzz of a hummingbird in flight. The baby hummingbird had left the nest! She flew to one of the cedar tree branches, was fed by her mother, then flew a little further.

I stayed for a few more minutes, watching the happy family. What an incredible feeling to be able to witness this. I'll always remember it.