Most Popular?

Great Blue Herons are year round residents here but I didn't see much of this one during the summer and was happy to see him back on his usual perch high in an evergreen tree above the Sailor's Cove end of the West Bay Walkway. He's there most mornings, alternately preening and snoozing in the sun. I'm guessing that these birds are the most photographed birds in North America because they're big, they're widespread, they often live in or near urban environments, and (photographer's delight) they often stand perfectly still for long periods of time. Over the last few years they've appeared on this blog at least a half dozen times.

Watching for Breakfast

It's been like homecoming week on the West Bay Walkway this last few days. Shoreline residents I haven't seen all summer are suddenly reappearing in their old haunts. Above is a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) perched high above Sailor's Cove in the rigging of a sailboat.

Headless Heron

Actually this Great Blue Heron is just having a nap. It must be very convenient to be able to just tuck your head under a large wing whenever you want to shut out the world. But I don't know as I'd care to try it while balancing on a branch about 30 feet up in a tree. I have several times seen this heron snoozing like this above the West Bay Walkway near Sailor's Cove.

Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)

These Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) were part of a group of about 8 diving for their breakfast yesterday morning in Sailor's Cove, Esquimalt. That's an adult male leading a pair of females or perhaps juveniles since they resemble females. There were only two adult males in the group of 8. While I always like to see these Mergansers, I must confess that what I like best about this photo is the wonderfully loopy reflections of the sailboat masts on the water around them.

Sailor's Cove Sunset

Here are two shots of the same scene, Sailor's Cove - above, just before sunset yesterday and, to the right, just after sunrise three days ago. We tend to see sunrise and sunset as similar events in that they both bring more colour to the sky. However, I am discovering that because they happen on opposite sides of the horizon, they have quite different effects on local landscapes. Though the above photo was a rather gray evening, if you compare the early morning version of this photo on the right it will provide a good example of the differences between sunrise and sunset at this location.

Sailor's Cove Sunrise

I usually refer to the western end of the West Bay Walkway as West Bay Marina. The Marina is there but the actual bay in which it is situated is called Sailor's Cove and there is also a Sailor's Cove Marina, pictured above, as well as the West Bay Marina, which is visible in the background. I took this photo about two hours ago just after the sun rose on what looks to be another glorious day. You can see part of the walkway on the left of this photo.