July Choices!

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish two or three photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite July 2016 photos. There are three to choose from today. July is a good time to get out and enjoy the outdoors and these photos reflect the fact that Victoria is surrounded by lots of parks and forest land. The top two photos were taken in July 2016. The bottom photo was taken in July 2010. Which one do you prefer?

Backyard Boss (This bird was at the top of the pecking order in out backyard flock this year.)

Summertime in Saanich (Fern took this lovely photo)

Sooke Potholes (The Sooke Potholes are a favorite spot Victorians go to on hot summer days.)

Eternal Summer

I've got nothing fresh here today so here's one from the archives - 5 years ago I posted this photo taken at the Sooke Potholes, just west of Victoria.

Mermaid

She may not actually have a tail but she swims like she does. This was taken at Sooke Potholes, a great little spot about 45 minutes outside of Victoria. Benjamin took some great photos there last time we were out there. See here. - Fern

More Summer Please

Our summer so far this year has been brisk and refreshing (COLD!) except for about three days in early July. It seems to be warming up now and maybe we will soon be getting a bit more of the kind of real summer weather we were getting last month when I took this photo of my daughter, granddaughter and a friend at the Sooke Potholes.

Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)

Until my recent visit to the Sooke Potholes I didn't know that we had crayfish in this area. I always thought they were only to be found in the southern USA. These were caught to show to some young children and I happened to be nearby. Although they are edible they were released shortly after this photo was taken. Crayfish are apparently very sensitive to pollution so it was nice to see them in the Sooke River, which is fed by a reservoir that provides Victoria's tap water. These crayfish were about the size of a little finger. I think they are probably Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus).

Moth

Sometimes when I am out with my camera I am looking for a specific thing or a specific category such as birds or flowers but often I am omnivorous and just shoot whatever I see that looks interesting. (One of the joys of retirement is that one no longer has to be focused.) So for the next few days there'll be photos of some of the local fauna encountered during my last couple of field trips. The moth above was spotted resting on a tree near the Sooke Potholes. I don't know what kind of moth it is and if there are any lepidopterists out there I hope you will attempt an identification. (It's odd how important size or scale is - if this moth were as large as an eagle we'd all know its name.)

Jump

Here is what the Sooke Potholes are locally famous for - the deep green pools at the foot of rocky cliffs.

Boys Fishing for Girls

About 20 kilometers west of Victoria is a string of cold emerald swimming holes along the Sooke River. These deep green pools at the base of steep rock cliffs provide the perfect relief for summer's hottest days. This is the Sooke Potholes Regional Park.