February 7, 2022

Dodging the Drift

Beach littered with logs and woody debris

The photo above is a view from Orlebar Point on Gabriola Island. (Click on this or the images below to see the details.)

It’s not unusual to see big logs on this exposed shore. Escapees from logging operations frequently wash up here, especially when we have extreme high tides, as we did last week.

But what’s different this time is the proliferation of shattered, woody debris among the logs.

Different, but not really surprising. Southern BC experienced unusually heavy rains last fall. Steep areas that had been impacted by logging or summer wildfires must have been primed and ready to let loose a torrent of woody debris when those rains hit. And of course, everything eventually flows to the sea.

Driftwood in water on foggy day

It reminded me of our boating trip last summer, when we found our routes littered with myriad pieces of shattered forest (likely from the massively destructive landslide in Bute Inlet the previous fall).

One narrow passage we’d enjoyed in the past was completely choked off by woody debris, forcing us to do a quick 180 and take a longer route. Currents in another passage contained swirling logs, tricky to dodge even at slack water.

Heavy logs and large tree stumps floated into our anchorages with incoming tides. Things went bump in the night a few times, making for less than optimal sleeping conditions.

Logs, tree stump and other floating debris

One day we were forced to weigh anchor and move to another bay when a floating tree insisted on taking our spot. Another time a runaway tree blocked the entry to the only decent anchorage in an area we’d hoped to explore.

Overall, it seems that glacial melt, steep slopes, deforestation, and extreme weather events are conspiring to make safe boating a bit more challenging each year.

I do love modern navigation gear, but it’s not enough. Anyone boating in the Pacific Northwest would be wise to also employ a decidedly old-fashioned mariner’s practice: maintaining a constant watch.

Stay safe out there!

Posted by on February 7, 2022 in BC coast, Boating, Environmental issues, South Coast & Vancouver Island and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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January 10, 2022

QT’s Spring Dreams

Buck lying down in snow

QT, relaxing outside our kitchen window (click on photos to enlarge & see detail)

The first day of 2022 was a frigid one here by west coast standards – but thankfully, no more snow fell that day. QT’s fur coat seems especially thick this winter, so he didn’t appear to mind the temperature.

In fact he seemed almost to relish that extra-cool mattress, as he stretched out in front of our leaf compost bins for a pleasant little mid-afternoon snooze.

Buck sleeping in snow

I’m guessing he might have been dreaming of spring days to come, when all that white stuff turns into tender, tasty green grass and wildflowers.

Posted by on January 10, 2022 in Animals & Wildlife, Mammals, Musings on Life and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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December 30, 2021

Dawn Light

Dawn light through the trees over a snowy yard.

Dawn over our yard, where the wheelbarrow and kiwi vines take a well-deserved rest.

Here on the west coast of British Columbia, we’re ending the year under a thick blanket of snow and unseasonably cold temperatures. But with climate change bringing the world so many wild weather systems these days, who can really say what is “seasonable” any more?

The past year has introduced us (if rather brutally) to phrases like “heat dome” and “atmospheric river”. It has tested our individual and collective resilience – physical and emotional – with extreme temperatures, destructive wildfires, massive floods, and one wretched Covid wave after another. It’s brought tragedy to far too many people and families, here in BC and around the world. So I doubt many people will be sorry to see 2021 pass.

Fortunately though, some of these cold winter mornings have been dawning with the kind of light that brings excitement to photographers and a smile to pretty much everyone else who looks at the eastern sky.

It seems that moments of joy are possible – despite the noisy background of climate catastrophe, pandemic despair and a world gone weirdly awry in all kinds of ways. So here’s wishing all of you a happy new year. May you have the time to look, and may you find, a great many moments that bring you hope, joy and comfort in 2022.

Posted by on December 30, 2021 in BC coast, Musings on Life, reflections and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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December 5, 2021

Meeting the Ancients

Rocky shoreline resembling long row of carved faces

Meeting the ancients (click to enlarge).

We often meet unusual characters when we go kayaking. Sometimes they’re remarkable enough to transport me – at least in my imagination – to destinations half way around the world.

So it was with the oddballs in the photo above, whom I chanced upon this past summer at the edge of Queen Charlotte Strait. Contemplating the long row of ‘carved’ faces lined up in stony silence, staring out to sea, I couldn’t help but feel like I was meeting the famous moai of Easter Island.

OK, I know – it was Mama Nature, not the Rapa Nui people, who carved these ones, and I was barely 200 miles from home. Still, even a brief flight of fancy can be fun – not to mention, a low carbon way to travel.

Posted by on December 5, 2021 in BC coast, Boating, Musings on Life and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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October 31, 2021

Popping up for Halloween

Black elfin saddle mushroom

Right on time for Halloween, a few spooky characters have started turning up at our place.

Some, like the one above, have come dressed like the Grim Reaper…

two odd looking white mushrooms

while others have chosen a more ghostly costume.

I recognized the “Grim Reaper” as a Black elfin saddle mushroom (Helvella lacunosa) – we’ve had them visit in past years. But the ghostly look of the others puzzled me at first. And then I found the likely answer: according to Wikipedia, Black elfin saddles can have white stems when they’re young, and occasionally they have white caps. So I’m guessing these are Black elfin saddle youngsters, out for a lively bit of trick or treating.

No matter which of the two costumes they’re wearing, they all seem just a little bit spooky!

Light coloured elfin saddle mushroom

Posted by on October 31, 2021 in Forest, fungi and tagged , , , , , , .

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October 17, 2021

Port Neville: a Love/Hate Story

0700 hrs: Morning calm (click on images to enlarge)

My husband and I have a love/hate relationship with Port Neville.

We love it for the shelter it offers. Reaching more than five miles in from the open water, Port Neville  is a welcome sight for us during the long trek up Johnstone Strait. Many times it serves as an essential duck-in when we feel the wind rising and seas steepening – or when we’re just too tired to go any further that day.

I also love Port Neville for the photographic feast it provides. Despite a considerable amount of logging over the years, the mountains and shoreline vistas around the inlet can appear sublime. There’s good paddling opportunities too, usually in calm waters, and an occasional bear to be seen on the beach.

View over Port Neville to Vancouver Island mountains

But I confess: we have also grown to detest Port Neville. It’s because of what happens after dark.

You’d never know it from the photos I’ve taken, but once the black of night has closed around us, this seemingly tranquil “port” has become a whirling wind tunnel on too many of our stopovers. Despite dropping our hook in a number of different spots over the years, Port Neville has gifted us with long nights of anchor watches, worry and sleep deprivation.

Clouds over mountain in evening sky

Still, once daylight breaks again and that infernal wind drops, those golden moments can make Port Neville feel pretty mellow.

Golden light on trees along shoreline

Even so, I’m not sure I want to hang any of my photos of this place on our wall at home.

Posted by on October 17, 2021 in BC coast, Boating and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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September 20, 2021

Bears and Boulders

Black bear turning up boulder on beach

When the tide is out, bears check the larder (click to enlarge photos).

Boulders on many beaches along our coast are always being moved about, and not just by waves – it turns out that bears have a big paw in the process.

If you’re anchored fairly close to shore in what we call a “bearable” place, you might see one rearranging the beach at low tide, like the Black bear in these photos.

From our boat, less than 200 feet away, we watched the bear amble across the rocky intertidal area, lifting and turning over one sizeable boulder after another in search of the tasty treats below.  We could hear the clatter as each rock flipped over. The exercise looked effortless to the bear – underscoring just how powerful these critters are. (If that fails to convince you, click twice on a photo and check out the size of those claws.)

Black bear eating what it found under boulder on beach

Tiny shore crabs and other invertebrates may seem paltry for a big bruin, but by the time the bear had finished its beach renovation, all those little morsels likely added up to a decent meal.

As the tide began to rise again, the bear picked up its pace and moved on to the next stop on its agenda. Perhaps some sweet thimbleberries were calling from the forest’s edge over on the next bay.

Black bear crossing intertidal area

Posted by on September 20, 2021 in Animals & Wildlife, BC coast, Boating, Mammals and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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June 6, 2021

Baby Time

Robin fledgling in grass

Meeting the world in wide-eyed wonder: American robin fledgling (click to enlarge)

When I stopped to watch this fledgling robin on our lawn yesterday, an anxious mother called out a loud, sharp, repeated alarm. I had my camera in hand and squatted down to photograph the youngster, but I had to be fast. Sure enough, I managed just one frame before it responded to its mom’s commands and raced unsteadily through the garden fence, away from the scary human.

It’s definitely baby time around here. I was in a hurry yesterday and almost stepped on another young robin, standing motionless in the middle of a path. Later in the day I watched a Purple finch father in rapid motion, feeding three hopping, noisy fledglings atop one or our garden trellises.

Other, much quieter babies are in the offing. For a few days now, our young doe, Elgie, has been absent – which likely means she’s busy in the forest, welcoming new fawns into the world and figuring out how to do her best to protect and nurture them. We look forward to meeting them once she feels ready to introduce us.

Ah, Baby Time: that delightful season of new beginnings and wide-eyed wonder.

**Today is World Environment Day, which this year marks the launch of the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Rewilding our lawns and gardens, growing trees, greening cities, cleaning up our coasts – each can be a step towards making peace with nature, today and all year round. Learn more about World Environment Day. 

Posted by on June 6, 2021 in Animals & Wildlife, Birds and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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