Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

Whenever I am out at Esquimalt Lagoon I always look for this lone Trumpeter Swan who has taken up residence there. Trumpeter Swans are the heaviest native birds in North America and this one is large - and fast. He was paddling along the shoreline so rapidly I nearly had to run to keep up with him. You can also gauge his speed by the bow wave in front of him. Below is a rather large panorama of Esquimalt Lagoon, where today's and yesterday's bird photos were taken. If you click it you will see a larger version. Click it again and it will blow up even larger and you can scroll back and forth to see the lagoon. It's a lovely, peaceful spot.

Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)

Here's a species of bird I only see when I am out at Esquimalt Lagoon. Above left is a female Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus). On the right above is a male of the species.

Sooke Inlet

Fern posted a photo last week of Whiffen Spit, a long narrow spit of land that protects the entrance to Sooke Inlet, an extensive bay only a small part of which is pictured above.

A Watery Stroll

This adds a whole new dimension to the phrase, "dog paddle".

Harling Point

As part of my continued exploration of landscape/seascape photography here's a photo of Harling Point, just around the corner from Gonzales Beach and below the old Chinese Cemetery. I am quite pleased with this photo - the rocks on the right make it work the way I like landscape photography to work.