My brother and my daughter and I have a ritual annual luncheon every spring at the Abkhazi Garden here in Victoria. The Abkhazi Garden is small but exquisite and well worth an hour's stroll around before lunch at the former residence of Georgian Prince Nicholas Abkhazi and his wife, Peggy Pemberton Carter, whose labour of love the garden was. For me it has most of the beauty of the Butchart Gardens without the Disneyland atmosphere and crowds. The menu is limited to a few choice items but they are invariably beautifully prepared and served.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Otter Trio
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Hands of Time 10 - I Am Here
This beautifully executed small sculpture mysteriously appeared set into the wall of the Inner Harbour Causeway recently. It is just life size and attached to the wall at eye level so that the mirror reflects the viewers image. It appears to be cast in bronze. I don't know who is responsible but this is very nice.
Later: Thanks to visitor Mike Laplante's comment I now know the artist is Crystal Przybille and the work is one of a series of twelve called The Hands of Time. This information and more from an article in the Victoria Times Colonist. And more information can be found on the city's website, victoria.ca.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Regular visitors here will know that I am always happy to add a new bird or wildflower species to my life list. In order to do so my personal criterion is that I have to have a photo that is good enough for clear identification. Here are two photos of a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicesis). Although I have seen Red-tailed Hawks before I have not previously been able to capture a definitive photo. The photo of the Raven I posted yesterday was taken during my most recent excursion to Pkols, formerly known as Mount Douglas Park. The Raven photo was a real bonus because I made the trip there especially to see if I could photograph some raptors. They like to hover in the updrafts near the summit. In addition to this Red-tailed Hawk I also saw several Turkey Vultures and a Bald Eagle. This hawk harassed the eagle until he left the scene. The summit of Pkols is two humped; these photos were taken from the eastern hump looking east. It's a beautiful spot to sit and watch the parade of clouds over the strait and I'll probably spend more time this summer sitting there on the sun-warmed rocks while the raptors soar past. |
Monday, May 27, 2013
PKOLS
Above is a local bird, the Common Raven (Corvus corax), that I have not featured here before, mostly because they only hang out in fairly dense forest and because they seem shy and wary of mankind. I have often heard their remarkable deep croaks and calls when I have been out in the wilds but generally they move when I try to locate them. Thus I was particularly happy when I was able to locate the raven pictured above and that he stayed in one spot long enough for me to grab a few quick photos. Raven is a very important animal in the mythology of local First Nations people so it seems fitting that my first meeting with Raven should be on the same day that I learned the traditional name for the area where I saw him. Mount Douglas Park is now to be known as PKOLS, the name given to it by the people living here before the arrival of European colonists. The new wooden plaque atop the mountain reads:LOCATED IN WSANEC TERRITORY AND ON THE BORDER OF LEKWUNGEN TERRITORY, THIS HAS BEEN, AND REMAINS, AN IMPORTANT MEETING PLACE FOR MANY NATIONS. THE RECLAMATION OF PKOLS TO REPLACE THE COLONIAL NAME MOUNT DOUGLAS RECOGNIZES THE NATION-TO-NATION AGREEMENTS NEGOTIATED HERE AND SUPPORTS ONGOING EFFORTS OF INDIGENOUS AND SETTLER PEOPLE TO RESTORE BALANCED RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LANDS THEY CALL HOME.I am sure that Raven approves. |
See also "A people's Geography of BC" in today's "Tyee."
Sunday, May 26, 2013
A Special Guest Post by Molly Long
My lovely daughter Molly has recently been on a weekend camping trip up Sombrio Beach which is just about 1.5 hrs north of Victoria on the Pacific side of the island. It's wild beauty is a joy to experience. - Fern
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Cruise Ship Season
It's that time of year again; from now until October we'll be hosting visits by over 200 of these vast floating Hotels. This is the Celebrity Solstice. It can carry up to 2,850 passengers served by 1,500 crew. When launched in 2008 it cost $750 million.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Victoria Day Parade
The Victoria Day Parade took place on Monday the 20th of May although Queen Victoria's actual birthdate is today, May 24th. Her birthday and that of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth, are now celebrated annually on the last Monday before May 25th. Queen Elizabeth's actual birthday is April 21. She was born in 1926 and so celebrated her 87th birthday this year. She has been on the throne for 61 years, a reign for a British monarch only exceeded in duration by Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
View from Gonzales Hill
While the Gonzales Observatory (pictured here yesterday) is itself worth a trip to the top of Gonzales Hill, the view is spectacular. Here, with the observatory behind us we are looking out over Foul Bay (left foreground) with Ross Bay beyond. The mountains barely visible on the left are the Olympics across the strait in the USA. The dark blue hills on the right background are in Metchosin, further along the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Gonzales Observatory
Like lighthouses, observatories are similarly appealing to photographers. Like Gonzales Observatory above, usually they are perched on the very peak of some eminence and they are interestingly shaped and domed. Whenever I visit this particular little observatory I am inevitably reminded of those classic sunbaked white villages of the Greek Mediterranean coast. Gonzales has not been in use as an observatory for many years and now serves as an office for The Land Conservancy which has been managing this site and others of historical and ecological significance in the province.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Canadian Rockies - Over, Under or Through
I recently made a quick trip to Calgary Alberta, flying there and then driving back through the mountains. The mountains looked spectacular still covered in snow.
Here we are driving west, leaving Calgary and the prairies behind us. The spring weather has really only just arrived west of the Rockies.
It's always amazing to me what incredible terrain we have in this country and I can't wait to be able to see more of it! - Fern
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Mystery Grass
Whenever I visit Mount Douglas Park I always visit a small swampy area because it has such a grand stand of Skunk Cabbage and to see the wonderful cuneiform of deer hoofprints in the black mud. On my last visit however, what drew my attention were stands of this grass with their striking flower heads. I'm guessing these are male and female flowers but I have no idea. Nor do I know what this grass is called. Any ideas?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Fisgard Friday 3
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
This little bird, a Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), was so busy building a nest when I saw him out at Swan Lake recently that it was difficult to snap a photo of him. I write "him" advisedly since nest building is a male activity of this species. The males commonly build one or several nests as lures to attract female wrens for breeding. Singing must also be a part of this activity since the only breaks he took from nest-building were to perch on this bull-rush and belt out a few tunes.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Albert Head Lagoon
Just a little further west along the coast from Esquimalt Lagoon is Albert Head Lagoon. In the photo above, the lagoon is on the left, separated from the ocean by the spit in the center. Like Esquimalt Lagoon, Albert Head Lagoon is a nature sanctuary but the ocean side is a splendid stretch of public beach that was nearly deserted on the day of my visit. This photo was taking looking east towards Esquimalt Lagoon and if you look carefully on the far right you can see a tiny white dot that is the Fisgard Lighthouse.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Chocolate Lily
Here's another favourite spring wildflower - the Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis), sometimes known as Rice-root because of the many small swellings on the roots that look like grains of rice. I also saw a few of these blooming on my recent trip to Bear Hill but no matter where I see them, I seldom see more than two or three together. For a couple of years I knew of only one plant of this species that grew near the summit of Mount Douglas so I am happy to have located others.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Esquimalt Lagoon
Yesterday's gun tower may not be very pleasant but the view from it is lovely, pictured above. Here we are looking west towards the entrance to Esquimalt Lagoon and the small bridge that crosses over it.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Fort Rodd Hill
The Fisgard Lighthouse, a National Historic Monument, lies just offshore and is more or less surrounded by another National Historic Monument, Fort Rodd Hill. Fort Rodd Hill consists of a number of buildings and gun emplacements designed to protect Esquimalt Harbour from attack from the sea during various wars of the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of the gun emplacements remain, a sombre reminder of the horror of war. The photo above looks ominous and it should since the sole purpose of the structure was to position guns where they could most easily destroy incoming enemies.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Thetis Lake Beach
Friday, May 10, 2013
Fisgard Friday 2
The new camera has some interesting features - particularly its well-developed set of possibilities for HDR effects. The above photo, for instance, is actually made from 5 separate exposures at different shutter speeds. These were then fused (in Photomatix) to produce a more balanced exposure while at the same time retaining and strengthening the detailed contrast. In this case I did the fusion in post-processing. However, the camera also produces finished tone-mapped HDR images from multiple exposures and we'll have a look at one next Friday.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Dark-eyed Junco
Some of the photographers I admire most specialize in bird photography. I find it very challenging. Birds are shy and hard to approach; they move around unpredictably and jerkily a lot; they come and go seasonally; and they're often quite small and in difficult locations - up in trees, for example. Other favourite subjects of mine, wildflowers, are relatively easy to photograph since once they are located they can be photographed without worrying about their immediate departure. Bird photography is also pretty demanding when it comes to equipment. A very good long lens is absolutely necessary. It is possible to get reasonably adequate bird photos like the one above with a 300mm zoom. But for really outstanding results something more powerful and faster is required - maybe a 400mm prime lens. However, one has to have pretty deep pockets for that kind of lens since they start around $1,500. A good tripod is another necessity since long lenses with good glass tend to be very heavy and difficult to hand-hold without shaking. But certainly the most demanding requirement for good bird photos is patience. Lots of patience.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
New Railings on Ogden Point Breakwater
The Ogden Point Breakwater has new railings and Victorians of all ages were out on the weekend to enjoy them. While the initial idea of railings on the breakwater was met with mixed reactions, now that the railings are up everyone is very happy with them. The breakwater used to feel just a little too dangerous for anyone with slight mobility issues. And it was completely out of bounds for those in walkers or wheelchairs. This is not the case any longer and many seniors were out with friends and family enjoying the fresh sea breezes and the record-setting May temperatures.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Variation on a Theme
This is a favourite subject of mine at this time of year, the way sunbeams catch the new leaves of the Bigleaf Maples. It's like a butterfly ballet.