Best of 2015 - 3

In this year-end retrospective series, we've seen some local birds (one of my main interests) and some urban scenery (yesterday's photo), but as well as being a beautiful city, Victoria is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Here are a couple of examples. Above is a shot from August 2015 of Esquimalt Lagoon. Below is another of my favorite views - one that I have photographed many times. It is Saxe Point Park, photographed in July 2015.

Best of 2015 - 2

Here's a favorite photo from June of this year.

Best of 2015 - 1

While browsing among the year's photos looking for calendar shots I began to think that some of the year's posts were worth a second look and since I tend to be a bit housebound during the winter I'm going to finish this year by a little retrospective. Above is a Double Crested Cormorant photographed in March 2015 at Swan Lake. I like this photo because it shows some aspects of this cormorant that I rarely see. The beautifully mottled feather markings are particularly visible as is the red around the beak and the remarkable emerald eyes. Usually when I see cormorants all I see is a large black bird flying low over the water. This photo reminds me that they are actually quite spectacular. As far as the Mallard Drake to the right is concerned, I like how close up it is, how you can see right into his eye. Mallards always look so peaceful and happy.

Island View Beach 3

Here's Island View Beach on a crisp frosty morning last week, in black and white.

My Wooden Heart

Well Christmas has come and gone and I have enjoyed the last couple of days of relaxing and not going out of the house hardly at all. I snapped this photo on my way through downtown last week as it was a nice surprise to have been at this intersection countless times before and have never noticed this. - Fern