Mist hangs over serene Matheson Lake as a convoy of ducks drifts by; what a scene! And I had the place to myself this February morning...

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Tags:   landscape mist fog water reflection trees serene tranquil wild nature Matheson Lake Regional Park Metchosin Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada

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Before I offer some prairie winter pics, here's a last look at Vancouver Island. This one sat in my file for ten years before I took another peek at it, and liked it. While the rest of the country deals with blizzards, black ice, and cold snaps, our west coast is famous for raining all winter (although that is not a fair description, as they can also get their share of snow and black ice - I know this, having lived there for more than 35 years). The rain never bothered me. I was a happy rain dog.

Even on dreary days, I could find colour in the forest, and photograph it, and I never once came close to drowning. And then spring would come early. A very different lifestyle from my current location, on the Canadian prairie. On the coast, I could get by without a winter parka, but a rain gear was mandatory; on the prairie, the reverse is true.

I've always loved the Bigleaf Maples at this location, and the mid-to-late November run of chum salmon, with its attendant gathering of gulls and eagles (and the occasional dipper, heron, or black bear). Fungi in the fall; flowers in spring. And always green.

Photographed in Goldstream Provincial Park, near Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   landscape forest trees Bigleaf Maple Acer macrophyllum green moss ferns river wet rainy lush beautiful temperate rain forest fog bare trees wild nature Goldstream Provincial Park Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2009

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A reworking of three shots I made a few years ago. Waves at French Beach on Vancouver Island, coming in, going out, coming in again. Unremarkable. Wavelets, really. Pebbles being sucked back by the draw, rolling and clattering. Then the next white foam burst on the pebbly sand.

I shot these with "triptych" in mind, but it took nearly nine years to figure out how to present them. I tried a vertical column with the three in full colour and full frame horizontal; didn't really work. I let it sit for years. Finally, last week, I opted for square crops of all three, removing most of the colour, increasing contrast, and generally monkeying around with the images until I liked what I saw. And here it is.

Photographed at French Beach Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   triptych three square monochrome black and white sea ocean shore wave waves breaking sand sandy pebbles tide intertidal beach transition land water coast coastal wild nature subtle beauty French Beach Provincial Park Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page

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July 2/09 - morning. A male Yellow-headed Blackbird calling from a cattail stalk at the marsh near Burstall, Saskatchewan.

Tags:   Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus wildlife bird songbird black yellow wetland marsh cattail calling wild prairie Burstall Saskatchewan Canada updatecollection

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Manning Park has two marmot species, the Hoary Marmot at higher elevations and the Yellow-bellied Marmot lower down. I made this shot along the access road to the alpine meadows.

On this visit the high country was still snowed in, but there is plenty of wildlife to be found lower down. At various times over the years, between highway level and the alpine, I have seen the following: Mule Deer, Grey Wolf, Coyote, Snowshoe Hare, Beaver, Spotted Frog, Canada Jay, Dusky Grouse, Black Bear, Clark's Nutcracker, Common Raven, Goshawk, Cascade Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, Red Squirrel, Yellow-pine Chipmunk, and Yellow-bellied Marmot. I'm probably forgetting some.

This marmot wasn't afraid of me and we had a great old time scrambling around the rock piles and steep meadows. I thought it would be interesting to show the two species side by side (see yesterday's shot of a Hoary Marmot).

Tomorrow: yet another reason why I'm fond of this park...

Photographed in Manning Provincial Park, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris wildlife animal mammal rodent vertical rockpile steep slope mountainside wild nature beautiful Manning Provincial Park BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2009 Explored

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