A Golden Feast

Salmon on the Menu (click to enlarge this or any of the other photos below)

Anchored off the mouth of the Goldstream River at the head of Saanich Inlet, we were just starting to cook dinner when I heard some sudden loud splashes very close to our boat.

In the brilliant, low-angle, golden light of a late September evening, it took my brain a few moments to decipher what my eyes were seeing.

A pair of seals had surfaced beside us, where they were wrestling a large salmon into submission.

The struggle went on for several minutes, with the feisty fish demonstrating some impressive acrobatics and forcing the seals to work hard.

But in the end, the salmon couldn’t match the power of two very determined seals. 

Eventually the fish was subdued…

and the feast began.

Though perhaps having such an attentive audience for the meal wasn’t truly appreciated.

It’s not often that we get treated to a real life nature show like this, right up close. Needless to say, our dinner was delayed until after the seals had finished theirs. Lucky for us, they were pretty fast eaters.

You can click twice on the images to enlarge them even more and see all the details. 

If you’re on Gabriola Island:  Three of my prints are among those on display in a new group exhibition, “Gabriola Through a Lens”, at The Hive Emporium. The show opens on December 29 and runs until January 24 . (Opening reception: December 29, 6 to 9 pm.)