If you don't take your Camera

You'll wish you had 

As today has proven twice over ......

Sat May 29th

Barred Owl

This morning's walk was largely uneventful.  

The mist was rising from Mixal Lake as Jack and I walked down to check the view, so we headed on round to Camp Burley Road.  

As we started up the hill to the junction with Irvine's Landing Rd there was a cacophony of American Robins (a bit like the UK Blackbird but with a red breast and white eye-liners!), they were making a racket around a Barred Owl.  I had decided I wouldn't take the camera this morning (BIG MISTAKE), so a quick few iPhone pics, finished the walk and went back a few mins later.

Back to the ranch, grabbed the camera and to my surprise it was still there! 

Similar in size to the UK Short Eared Owl,  it just sat there, looking at me taking pictures.  

After breakfast it was down to Garden Bay to check out the Madeira Market, which took all of ten seconds.  So while Fred did a quick top-up foodshop, I took in the view and a cup of coffee and a HUGE cinnamon bun at the cafe.  Even with Jack's help it was a tall order!

Back to the ranch to sort out supplies, we packed a picnic for an afternoon hike.  The plan was to drive up to the Dan Bosch Provincial Park on the edge of Ruby Lake and take 4km hike up to Klein Lake.  

The first couple of kilometres were a 261m climb (hard graft) to a viewpoint looking over the Ruby Lake and a peek of Sakinaw Lake, with Nelson Island in the far distance and Pender Hill in the middle distance, which we climbed the other day.  This was the most stunning panoramic mountain and lake views we have enjoyed on the coast so far.  

A brief pause and conversation with some chaps from Whistler cycling the track the sensible way round ie downhill; it was a welcome break.  "A Springer Spaniel" he said.  Unusual as they are few and far between out here.  It turns out his daughter has been working in Maidstone, Kent as an Osteopath, (for six years) shortly to return to BC.  'Can understand why', I said, taking in the view.   He agreed.  

I didn't have the heart to tell him it cost £2.5k to ship Jack out, on a one way ticket!    

We headed on to `Lake Klein' where we planned to stop for lunch.  With no lake access and all the good picnic spots taken by weekend campers, we headed back to the earlier viewpoint stop for a mid-afternoon lunch.  A good call as we just sat there and enjoyed taking in the amazing scenery, chatting to a former Whistler/Pemberton resident who moved to the Coast three years ago, to be close to parent in Van.

Recharged we headed back down to Ruby Lake where Jack took the waters immediately and showed his prowess, swimming out and climbing on to a submerged log and then off another log above the water.  

Great, but he wasn't sure how to get off!

King of the castle

Eventually enticed down with a stone splash (all good training!), he and Fred paddled about in the crystal clear water, what a great way to cool off before heading home.

Dinner for Jack, and cuppa for us,  we settled down to some down-time after an 8.8km (5.5m) roundtrip.  I sat in the back-yard (AKA oasis around the house), Jack searched for the various tennis and other balls dotted around the garden and Fred nodded off in front of a book.  

A bird flew into a pine on the edge of the garden's lake, stunning colours and yes ...... my camera was indoors.  The iPhone captured a blur.  It looked Woodpecker like, but was not listed under Woodpeckers or Sapsuckers, but eventually typed as a Northern Flicker (woodpecker family).  Lovely colours, but alas no pictures today.  Quite common apparently.

This one is not my image but one taken by Melanie Leeson, who does some marvellous wildlife photography.  

The moral of today's story is, even if it doesn't look like a decent day for photography, take your camera!