Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Humpback and other nature sightings today

I've been missing in action from Our World Tuesday for a while, mainly because there have been so many wonderful moments to record that I became a bit overwhelmed.  However, today, on our way to Salt Spring Island, we saw a Humpback whale from the ferry, and I am so excited, I really want to tell the world about my good fortune.

It came so close to the ferry that my big lens couldn't catch a full shot and there was no time to adjust. 

We (passengers and ferry staff) were worried for its safety, but I believe.. 

it was okay, since it swam away and dove several times in the next few minutes.

I have a "Thanksgiving and Autumn colours" post waiting in the wings, but right now, I will express my deep thanks to that whale, to Bill for choosing the perfect time for the sailing, and to all those who share my joy.

It was also thrilling that two friends just happened to be on the same sailing with us.  Leona was standing next to me, as I was taking the photos.  They live on beautiful Pender Island, shown below.  I took the photo after the ferry dropped them off.  We continued on to Salt Spring Island..
and I again felt fortunate to get quite a close-up of this beautiful cormorant before the ferry docked.

Their colours..

and graceful flight always leave me in awe.

Then, at Salt Spring, and from Raven's dining room window, I saw this Downey Woodpecker..

just as I began posting about my thrilling experience.
This Dark-eyed Junco (?) was outside the window too.  What a beautiful start to our visit!

I am seriously behind in reading the wonderful blogs at Our World Tuesday, but determined to catch up soon.  In the mean time, I hope you will take the time to stop by to see events in the lives of people all around the world.  Until next time!  

13 comments:

  1. What wonderful images of that whale! I'm so very happy for you!

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  2. How neat to have such a close encounter with a whale! I’ve seen whales (although not THAT close) from the ferries, too, and all the passengers get completely enthralled seeing wildlife in action.

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  3. ooh, you get those lovely tri-color juncos there! ours are always the slate colored. and the 'oil slick' sheen on the cormorant is really cool. the whale, of course, has got to take the prize, though.

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  4. A whale capture on photo would make me excited, too! You certainly had an eventful ferry ride.

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  5. I share your joy in seeing the whale so close, magnificent creatures. Love the birds too, excellent pictures.

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  6. to see a whale in action is amazing! i had goosebumps when i saw this magnificent creature. your bird shots are beautiful.

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  7. Fabulous shots - especially seeing the whale!

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  8. Great sightings!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  9. What wonderful fortune & that whale sighting!
    Living so far inland (close to the center of the continent in northern Minnesota) my whale watching opportunities have been few. We took an excursion off Hawaii once, with bad weather & no luck.. and tried our best at seeing some migrating whales during a trip along the Oregon Coast.
    So far it is still on my list of things I hope to see one day. Thanks for sharing these photos - you can feel the excitement of the experience through them!

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  10. Great to see the whale up close and great shots of the birds!

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  11. What a thrill that must have been to see the humpbacks and fantastic shots. I also like the autumn beginning, the cormorant in flight and the woodpecker. Great post.

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  12. Hi there - great set of pictures! Love the whale. A few years back we had a whale swim under the boat we were in - I had the same problem as you with a long lens. I ended up thinking "how can I need a wide angle lens to shot whales!" Crazy and great all at the same time.

    Stewart M - Australia

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  13. Awesome whale shots!
    Wonderfull nature photographie.

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