Grey Whale Blows In

Coyote Skulks in Cliff Gilker

Sat May 14th 


After several abortive attempts, usually arriving after it was long gone, to find the local Grey Whale (Gray in the US) which has achieved celebrity status, I finally managed to track it down.

It's been around for a couple of weeks wandering between Bonniebrook Beach and Davis Bay.  Often no more than 100m off shore, delighting a small group of followers and now me!  I spent an hour down on Roberts Creek beach Friday evening snapping away, while Jack explored the beach.  


It is a good job digital technology has replaced film as 270 images later I was able to head home with, I was sure, a few decent shots.   After some heavy duty editing and exposure correction (I shoot in RAW not JPG) I got it down to 30.

They spend their summer in the North Pacific off Alaska and the BC coast but during the winter they breed in the warmer waters of the Mexican Coast (I looked it up to save you the trouble).  More here. Whilst they are reported to travel in pods, this one seems content with its own company.  I had assumed they fed on small fish, but it seems they are bottom feeders scraping worms and crustaceans off the sea floor, swimming on their side!  Because of this they are often seen close to shore.   None of the local pictures have shown it leaping out of the water or showing off its tail - yet.

More pictures below.

I wonder if the Grey Whale's delayed migration North has something to do with the exceptionally cold 
Spring we are enjoying! Thursday saw a number of records broken for the first time since 1911.  Temperatures in some places have been about 10c below the seasonal average. This time last year I was in shorts.  They have not been out of the wardrobe so far this year.  If you are reading this in the UK, can you send some of your warm weather in this direction please.  Thursday's record low's were accompanied by torrential rain - 2" locally, which managed to penetrate my now rather aging Schoeffel waterproof.  My eight month old Salomon walking boots which came back saturated,  remained warm and dry inside despite daily and often rugged use.  Most impressed.

The Whale was not the only large mammal sen this week.  On a walk around Cliff Gilker Park, Jack disappeared in to the undergrowth just as something grey a furry caught my eye.  Standing on top of a log was a large coyote, which disappeared as soon as Jack started rustling around.  As coyotes and dogs don't always get along I called Jack back, only to see the animal standing further back staring at us.  


It did not move and I wonder if there was a den near the fallen tree as I'm fairly sure what caught my eye was not as big as the coyote in the picture.

A local friend, currently at their main home in Ottawa and enjoying 30c, said he'd often seen them in Cliff Gilker, but never in Langdale.

The following day I followed one down the road, much smaller and probably younger than one above and I didn't have the camera with my big lens because of the rain!

Middle of picture at side of road

 

In other news .....

Boxes are packed, beds dismantled, deck and deck-glass balustrading jet washed and windows will be done today.  We get the keys on Wednesday and the move is next Saturday.  Can't wait.



















 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Frustrations of Canadian Immigration Services

Image
And other things  Sat June 1st The pause in blogs was due to Immigration Canada announcing at the beginning of May that a further draw would be made from the remaining pool of the 2020 Expressions of Interest (EOI) for Parent and Grandparent sponsored Permanent Residency.    Friday was the last day and again we did not get through.  The fifth year running.  I suspect that later in the year they will invite a new round of EOI's which probably means we will be a small fish back in a very large pool.  On the grand scale of all suffering and instability in the world, it is insignificant  (I keep telling myself),  but it is hugely, bloody frustrating.  Our tenure continues under the Super Visa scheme, which runs until our passports expire in 5 and 8 years time respectively. Other news ...  on Sunday 27th w e went to a wedding reception. It is the first time I have worn a jacket in over three years.  My boarding pass from our Air Can...
Read more

Cream Crackers & Stilton

Image
Blue Sky in Whistler!!!!! Fred on the Piste - not overly busy Before I get on to Whistler ........ In my early BBC career I spent a couple of years working at the BBC’s Television Centre (TVC), in west London.  This was long before the BBC flogged it and it was turned into an apartment hotel and restaurant complex, plus a few TV studios for the industry to use as a nod to its history.   Amongst other things I did a stint as a studio supervisor and worked on the Two Ronnies, Morecombe & Wise and Top of the Pops.  Anyone remember Pan's People? Phwoar! Interesting times. TV Centre was huge and had several thousand staff. The restaurant block, on three floors, included a waitress service restaurant on the '2nd floor' where stars were entertained by their producers over long lunches and the odd glass of wine.  This was the late 70’s before ‘hair shirts’ and the critical public attention the BBC gets today.   Occasionally, a couple of fellow wor...
Read more

Fall Leaves and Rainfall

Image
Jack Vs Car Sat November 9th Fall seems later this year and the deciduous leaves have been a lovely mix of golds and reds with the predominance of Maples in all of its varieties. After last week's storms, most of the leaves are now down along with quite a few trees.  Further up the Coast a tornado was reported taking out multiple trees that closed the main highway and took out power for local residents for around three days.    A local driver caught the trees coming down on video .  After two consecutive dry summers, 2024 has been wetter with no significant water restrictions on the Coast.  I assumed this was good news until reading an article in the UK press that suggested late autumns are just another sign of global warming. The storm left us without power for nearly 12 hours and a huge number of properties were similarly affected across southern and central BC.  Fortunately we had a good supply of candles and a gas lamp.  Some friends near the ...
Read more