Elephant Seal

When I heard there was a seal on the beach nearby I assumed it was a Harbor Seal and I didn't get too excited since I have a lot of photos of them. But I discovered it was a juvenile Elephant Seal, probably on the beach for its annual molt. (They are susceptible to the cold when molting and haul out on land.) The first time I went to take photos it was lying motionless under the walkway with no angle to get decent photos. But I went back later and it was in the water, quite active and playful. After taking lots of photos I even took some video. My video skills are crude, but it's fun to see it in motion.

Like Harbor Seals, Elephant Seals were also almost hunted to extinction, this time for the oil from the thick layer of blubber that insulates them. Elephant seals get big. Our northern species is smaller than the southern ones but the larger males still get up to 16 feet long and 5500 lbs. The males are up to 10 times larger than the females. Elephant Seals can hold their breath for up to 100 minutes and dive as deep as 5000 ft (a mile!) Race Rocks near Victoria is their northernmost breeding location. The "elephant" name comes from the big "trunk" on the adult males.

When I first got there it was fairly sedate.

But then it started playing with a piece of kelp and got a little more lively. It reminded me a bit of a dog playing with a stick.

And finally tired out from playing.

See all 11 photos in this batch

Friday Photos

After a rainy week, Friday was finally clear. I decided to carry the big camera (Nikon 7200 with 18-300) for a change. As usual, I didn't make it half a block before I had to start taking photos of yet another sign of spring - lilac blossoms. We had a big lilac bush at the house where I grew up and the smell of the flowers always reminds me of it.



The sun was glinting off the river brightly.



The new leaves are still such a bright green, especially after the rain.



The Canada geese have their baby goslings out and about on the river. This family passed right underneath me on the railway bridge.



I'm always amazed at how prolific some of the seeds are. Although when they cover our car and get in all the vents I'm not so impressed!



I usually go for sharp, clear images but occasionally, as with these flowers, a soft treatment seems to match how I saw them.



The native crocuses are pretty much gone by now. The ones in the gardens last a bit longer but even they are going to seed.



The dandelions have also passed their initial peek and are going to seed. This was a pair of handheld shots focus stacked with Photoshop. For one I focused on the outside edge, and for the other on the (nearer) center.



There are lots of spider webs around and I liked the dew drops on this one.



The fruit trees are still in flower, although the petals are dropping and littering the ground below.



I can't remember what these plants are. They keep their large leaves over the winter and are one of the earliest to flower. Both the leaves and flowers tend to be somewhat ragged, but I caught these flowers while they were still in good shape.



And I couldn't pass up a few more lilacs on the way home.



For more of these photos, see all 28 as a slideshow or overview

Photos of the Day

There are lots of tracks in the snow in the winter so I know they are around but I haven't seen many rabbits (or hares) lately. So I was happy to spot this jackrabbit on the way to work. I wasn't sure if it would stick around long enough for me to get my camera out, but I ducked behind a tree and it went back to feeding. I was surprised when it didn't run away even when I approached. And when I stopped, it came even closer to me. But that turned out to be because it wanted to get by me, and once it did it bounded away. It looked a bit scruffy, probably shedding its winter coat.



A robin also let me approach quite closely before taking off.



And more flowers were opening on the larches.

Spiders of the Day

A couple of new spider sightings.



I think this might be a long-jawed orb weaver. It was on the underside of a horizontal web built in a corner of the pond at Innovation Place.

And this one was nearby, also on the underside but of a much small web.



No sign of my usual fishing spiders today.

Fall Color

In the last few days the trees have abruptly changed color and started dropping their leaves. We don't get the brilliant reds that highlight fall colors other places, mostly just shades of yellow, but it's still pretty (other than the reminder that winter is coming!)



The berries also add spots of color against the greens and yellows and oranges.



But most of this set are actually flowers. Despite the descending night time temperatures some flowers are hanging on. On the way to work, or heading out for a morning run, I kept noticing some flowers just down the back alley that catch the morning sun. Before the farmers market yesterday I took my camera out to see what I could do. Frustratingly, it was too early and the sun hadn't hit them yet. But right next to them were some sweet peas that were just starting to catch the light. My mother loved sweet peas and we always had some in the garden and often in a vase on the kitchen table.

Here's the Allium (at least I think that's what it is - the same genus as onions and garlic). This is before it got the sun, but the soft light is nice.



I was soon distracted by some flowers across the alley were in the sun.



I was surprised that the Borage still had flowers. I'd seen them earlier in the summer, but lost them among the greenery. I think it's cool that the flowers start out pink and then change to blue as they mature.

By now I'd dawdled long enough for the sun to reach the Allium. Ironically, since that's what I'd come out for, I think I like the shot in the shade better! What's your preference?



Some of the flowers were past their prime, but still interesting.



These were all taken with the little RX100

See all 23 photos as a slideshow or overview

Photo of the Day

Autumn may be coming, but the sun is still shining bright on the pond at Innovation Place.



click to view larger

The Birds & the Bees (& the Frogs & the Trees)

Another visit to Beaver Creek. I'm guessing people have been feeding the chickadees because they seemed awfully friendly, repeatedly coming to perch within a few feet of me. Of course, they don't sit still for more than a second or two, which makes photographing them a hit or miss affair. Some of them had bands on their legs. This one looks like a juvenile.



There aren't a lot of flowers still blooming, but the bees are still busy.

I was happy to see quite a few frogs, both wood frogs and leopard frogs, since frogs in general aren't doing well these days. I remember there being a lot more when I was a kid. They would leap away when you approached, but if you wait for them to stop and then approach very slowly you can get quite close to them. Some of them were hiding in the grass.



And some were along the shore of the creek, requiring getting down on hands and knees in the mud to get a good angle.



I was watching for garter snakes, but it still took me a minute to figure out what this was lying on the side of the trail. It disappeared into the grass as soon as I got closer.



I like the curling bark on the (birch?) trees.

See all 23 photos (more chickadees and frogs) as a slideshow or overview

See also my blog post from a visit earlier this summer.

Color

More of the beautiful flowers at Innovation Place.

Dragonfly Demise

More of the fishing spiders in the pond at Innovation Place. This one had obviously caught itself a dragonfly. They usually don't make a web - I wonder if this is a nursery web that they make to protect their hatchlings.





As usual, taken with my everyday carry RX100m2. The articulated screen was handy for getting the eye level shot.

Still Flowering

Although the end of summer seems to be in sight, I'm still enjoying the gardens at Innovation Place. Here are a few more photos.

my lunch spot

hibiscus bud

hibiscus flower

water lily