Vancouver Islands Jewel ~ Tofino's Long Beach ~ Part 2

Here are some interesting pictures that I took that show life just under the water....these wonderful pink tipped invertebrates look just like a flower garden but under water.

This picture below is a capture of the wind blowing the sand across the beach...it was a very windy day. My hair came right out of my pony tail!!!!!

Vancouver Islands Jewel ~ Tofino's Long Beach

I think no matter where you live in the world there is an area close to home that is a Jewel to you. For me it's Tofino. Tofino is at the farthest end of our Island and faces the outer edge of the Pacific Ocean; the winds are strong and the surf is strong. Unlike Hawaii where you can surf without a wet suit...here you can't even in the summer the ocean is ICE COLD. Over the next few day's I'm going to post some lovely images of Long Beach for you to enjoy, maybe you will want to come and see it for yourselves one day. I know that when I look at other blogs and see what I'm missing it really motivates me to add new areas in the world to visit. Africa being one of my many areas to visit. Enjoy

Finally The Rufus Humming Bird Caught in Flight!!

Well here is a treat for you.....finally I found the Rufus Humming birds for you. Beautiful with their colors of browns and greens. These humming birds prefer the areas of condensed wooded areas. While I noticed that the Anna's like the wooded areas but don't really find it necessary for their comfort level. At least that's my perspective on the two species. How do I base that simply by my observations, I simply see more Anna's in the City versus the Rufus. I hope you enjoy these shots...they were taken up Island in my Mother and Father in laws yard.

For Mom...Hummingbirds Do Bathe

Well this little series is for my Mom. About a week ago I was telling her that there was a female hummingbird who had taken a liking to my water fountain in the back yard. She laughed, but while I had her on the phone I said " Oh Mom I wish you were here the hummingbird is taking a bath in the fountain!!! I had never seen that before....she got all excited and wanted me to take some shots the next time I was outside reading. She didn't have to wait long because the next time I went out with my book there she was at it again. I hope you enjoy these cute little shots..not really based on quality, but rather capturing a moment in time watching a hummingbird take a bath.

My Twinkle

Well the weekend held allot of things to be done around the yard. Flowers to be planted; some Veggies and cleaning out the pond pot and little pond my husband make for me over this past year. The roses are growing lush and full this year, better than last....and so far cross my fingers as I say this no powder mold on the leaves. Here are some lovely shots I got in the yard with some of my flowers. I hope you enjoy them.

Albino House Finch

Albino's beautiful but a mystery. I was out on mother's day when I heard some house finches in one of the trees just off the trail I was walking on. When I spotted the Albino Finch...at first I thought my eyes were deceiving me but after taking some pictures it became instantly clear at what it was. Genetics interesting subject really all it takes is one code to change in the DNA molecule and change occurs whether positive or negative. More leaning into the negative if you really research the statistics of it all. Genetics was one of my favorite subject and to this day still captures my mind to the endless possibilities that can happen in the DNA molecule. The Albino is one of them.

My First Picture Of An Orange-Crowned Warbler

Well here are some more pictures of bath time images and in these images is a capture of my first Orange-Crowned Warbler....which pleases me because I didn't know what it was until I looked it up. I originally thought it was someones canary that got loose, but I was wrong LOL. I really love the reflections you will see in some of these images I really try to capture more than one look when I take Nature shots. In the shot above this Robin sat in the water for over 10 minutes before it finally took it's bath. So I was thinking this is what happens as you age...you've got to wait for the water to warm up first...LOL

Here is my little Warbler...very cute. Nice in wet as well his little orange head is all a mess.

Here is the lovely pond that I took all these bath time shots at....I hope you love what you see. Have a fantastic day!!!!

Bath Hour!!! Activities At The Local Pond

Yesterday was a beautiful day lots of sunshine. Today of course it absolutely poring rain outside so this gave me the perfect opportunity to put in some quality editing time....lots of work this editing but I must say rewarding all at the same time. Here are some cute shots of some of our local birds enjoying the sunny day and having a lovely bath. I enjoyed watching them it was quite relaxing and I could help but smile.

Male Versus Female Birds ~ Example The Peacock

I have always wondered why the male species of just about all varieties of birds in the world are the most colorful. It's not like that for the rest that live on this planet. You can't tell one Zebra from the next they all look the same. Consider the hippo is one better looking than the other??? No I would say their not. So why the difference in birds??? It's a quandary for me really and I find no logic in it at all other than the male must convince the female that they are the best and have the better genes to continue the line. Never the less their colors are extraordinary and amaze the senses. The way the males dance, prance and try to grab the attentions of the female are an art to watch. Male Peacocks are the most exquisite dancers and have a display of feathers that would knock your socks off. Nature at times can be mysterious....but even at that I love the fact that not everything is so cut and dry.

Beautiful British Columbia's Dog Wood Flowers

Well I have been trying for years to get a decent shot of these flowers...Dog Wood flowers come from a tree for those of you who might not know. They are also a protected tree here in British Columbia Canada. In other words they are against the law to cut down...the problem with the Dog Wood is that the flowers are very delicate and really can't stand direct afternoon sun...too hot for the blooms and they tend to go brown around the edges of the petals, which doesn't make a nice picture. So while at work one of my co-workers brought it to my attention that the dog wood just outside our window was just blooming and I should get some nice pictures of it...so the next day I brought in my stuff and during lunch when out and did just that. Lovely no brown edges on these shots.

Nature In Bubbles

What a fabulous weekend I had this weekend!!!! It was so nice not being at work that I couldn't stay indoors for one minute. I managed to get some interesting shots off and I've done some experimentation on some ideas of how to portray nature in exciting and different ways. Here are some great shots of my son's Kenton and Corey blowing bubbles for me so I could capture reflections in the bubbles. We had a smashing great time. Lots of laughter and who could blow the biggest bubble. I loved it....it's not very often the boys will play with me very much anymore so this was a special day. The challenge look carefully into the bubbles tell me what you can see :) Have fun

Fresh Scenic Shots ~ Black N White

I've always loved the look of Black N White images there is something about the depth that seems to come through over color. Maybe that's only my personal perspective on that but I love how the light just plays among the textures of the shrubs and trees. I have never seemed to master that perfect look of Black N White, but in my mind everyday is an opportunity to try something new and to hopefully learn from it. Or at least get some constructive criticism on how to improve on what I've achieved or trying to achieve.

Back Yard Images Again!!

Well I'm looking forward to this weekend everyone. First I will have some time to go out and get some new shots so I don't bore all of you too much with the same stuff. Second I will finally have the time to spend looking at blogs I follow and I'm really looking forward to that. I was playing around with photoshop in this top shot. I wanted to add some interest to a simple flower...I could have done better I think or a least make the lighting effects no so noticeable. These shots were from the back yard...the Golden Crowned Sparrows are in full force and are constantly in the yard for seed and a lovely surprise at the suet feeder I've got two males who fight over the suet....I managed to get a decent shot off considering all of the others where so blurry.

Squirrel Caught Eating Rhododendron Blooms!!!

I wanted to share with you a cute picture today. While I was out in the gardens of UVIC I caught this squirrel along with it's friends eating Rhododendron blooms....I didn't even know that Squirrels ate those types of things. Totally made me giggle inside while I watched them stuff their faces with flowers. They couldn't get them in their mouths fast enough. A absolute PIG OUT! LOL

Bald Eagles and Blue Heron

Well I finally found a Bald Eagle....it's days like this that I wish I had an SLR with a 400mm lens. I feel though that the images I did manage to capture across the pond are lovely and I'm very proud of them. Took me a year and a half to run into these beautiful birds....and they stayed in the trees for a very long time. I also managed to get a spectacular picture of this Blue Heron....I definitely enjoyed my walk. Went home with a smile on my face an a lift to my steps!!!