Wildlife

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Active Pass is a good place to see wildlife of various kinds. Above is an unremarkable photo of a species of seabird that is new to me though they are common on this coast. The trio above are Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), a kind of diving bird. The pair on the right are as yet unidentified....

Orca (Orcinus orca)

Part of the ferry route from Victoria to Vancouver goes through a narrow pass between two of the Gulf Islands. It's called Active Pass and is a good place to see some of the local wildlife such as seals and various seabirds. And if you're lucky, you may see some of the local Orca or Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) like I did on my recent trip. There were about a dozen in this pod though there were seldom more than three or four visible on the surface at any one time. In the photo below you can see one of them is breaching and spouting while a whale-watching boat follows at a discreet distance.

A Favorite Viewpoint

Here's a look at downtown Victoria from across the Harbour on the Songhees side of the Johnston Street Bridge. I always like to stop here and admire our little city from this vantage point especially now when the blossoms are at their loveliest. - Fern

Tour Through the Gulf Islands

Saturday the staff here at Victoria Daily Photo took a day trip to Galiano Island. This is one of the Southern Gulf Islands and the ride is quite lovely winding through the islands and Active Pass. It was sunny but quite chilly; after a little while on the deck it was necessary to go back inside to warm up! - Fern