First Pictures with my Nikon

Once upon a time there were five aquariums in the house ranging from 15 to 200 gallons, fresh to salt water. The first aquarium I ever set up for tropical fish included this female pearl gourami. She lived a long time, too. I sold her with the tank before leaving for college to an elderly gentleman. I should swing by his place to see how things have progressed. Pearl gouramis use their elongated, whisker-like pelvic fins to feel their environment. They also have a labyrinth organ used for breathing air. That way, if the water becomes stagnant, the gourami can go on living by gulping air from the surface. Trichogaster leeri. Captive from my private aquarium. September 23, 2009. Nikon D3000. ISO 1600, 200mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/160.

One of my beloved turtles, Basil. His name means "kingly," but that he is not. He's kind of a brawler, the only one of my turtles who likes to bite. And, apparently, he is confident enough in his self-defence abilities to allow me to approach while he basks. I don't know why he doesn't like me. When he was very young, before I purchased any other turtles, he used to berry himself under the boulders in his tank. It caused the front of his carapace to appear rather bumpy, at least compared to my younger red-eared slider Andrea. As the first turtle I ever purchased (excluding my very first which died shortly after purchase), Basil has special place in my heart. Trachemys scripta elegans. Captive from my private terrarium. September 23, 2009. Nikon D3000. ISO 400, 112mm, 0 EV, f/5.3, 1/125.

I kept a couple dwarf underwater frogs in one of my aquariums for some time. They are very personable little amphibians and easy to care for. This series of aquarium photos is the first that I ever took with my new Nikon camera. Hymenochirus curtipes. Captive from my private aquarium. September 23, 2009. Nikon D3000. ISO 1600, 200mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/20.

Long Beach: Part II

Sunset. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 13, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/13.

My family enjoys surfing and boogie boarding at Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park. Unfortunately, I could not get a positive ID on this shell because it has been to thoroughly eroded by the sand. It's a nice picture, though. Well-eroded snail shell. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 12, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/400.

The paintbrush flower (in this case, a common red paintbrush) is always a delightful edition to any set of photographs. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, though this one was growing in a coastal dune. Castilleja miniata. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 12, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/250.

The mist highlights the greens very well in this picture. A little to the left of this picture, people are surfing. It wasn't this trip, but once when we were very young, my brother Daniel was playing alone in the waves. Suddenly, a massive, bull sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) appeared right behind him. Oblivious to the 1 tonne behemoth watching him a few meters away, Daniel continued to frolic in the waves. Every time my brother would turn, by chance to face the sea lion, it would drop below the surface unnoticed. My Dad, however, certainly noticed and ran frantically into the water to get my brother's attention. There was, of course, no incident, but one can't help but wonder what the sea lion was thinking. Coastal dunes. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 12, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/640.

Although I believe this is a Pacific tiger beetle, I can't be sure of the identification. Tiger beetles are, without a doubt, at least when you're looking at them, the most amazing invertebrate known to man. Cicindela oregona. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 12, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/400.

The American sea rocket also grows in Canada, apparently. It is tolerant of a lot of sea spray. Cakile edentula. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 12, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/500.

I met an older man taking pictures on the ridge above the beach when I snapped these shots. He had a DSLR camera and I was jealously asking him questions about pricing and brands. Clearly, a newer, better camera was on my mind and the very next month my PowerShot was put on the shelf. I still used it periodically after that, but this trip left sand in the gears, and a earlier encounters with rain and pond water and gotten moisture in the lens. It served me very faithfully, even after a lot of abuse, but I don't think I've used it for at least five years now. Sunset. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 13, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 14.41mm, 0 EV, f/4.5, 1/25.

Sunset. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 13, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/10.

Search for the Painted Turtle: Part III

After two failed searches for the painted turtle north of Courtenay, I decided to move farther south. A local wildlife photographer showed me a picture a friend of his took of several painted turtles near Port Alberni. My Dad and I decided to turn it into a camping trip. We spent nights at Stamp River Provincial Park and days around Turtle Lake and proximal bodies of water. Male Pachydiplax longipennis. Turtle Lake, near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 31, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0EV, f/5.6, 1/400.

The dragonfly diversity at turtle lake was great. This is a male blue dasher. Unfortunately, the closest wing (out of focus) was broken. I literally posed him for this photo. Male Pachydiplax longipennis. Turtle Lake, near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 31, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0EV, f/5.6, 1/640.

A Crimson-winged whiteface. The females are yellow. Male Leucorrhinia glacialis. Turtle Lake, near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 31, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/25.

Once again, I think we have another hybrid here. If you've read my other posts, that seems to happen quite often. The brown tint seems to indicate that this guy is the progeny of both common and northwestern garter snake parents but it might just be an allusion because the roads are very dusty around the slough and he is probably due for another shed soon. Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii. Slough near Turtle Lake, near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 1, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/80.

Bladderworts are nifty plants. This is just the flower, protruding above the surface of the water, but, beneath the layers of watershield, this is a filamentous aquatic plant. They are called bladderworts because, along the aquatic stems, there are a number of little watertight bladders. They are lined with tiny, sensitive hairs that, when triggered by the movement of some unfortunate insect larvae, spring the bladder open, causing a sudden inflow of water. It sucks the insect right in and promptly seals off the escape. The bug decays and is digested. Yes, the bladderwort is a carnivore. In a strange twist of irony, this one is infested with aphids, feeding on the plant's stem. Utricularia vulgaris flowers with Brasenia schreberi leaves behind. Slough near Turtle Lake, near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 1, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/640.

In conclusion, we did find the turtle. It was a mile away at the backside of the slough. No pictures. When it saw us looking in its general direction, it slipped away. I certainly wasn't satisfied with this "success." We were sunburnt and hot; it had been over 30 degrees Celsius every day of the trip. We did swim in the cool Stamp River evenings, but it was little consolation. I kept the elusive painted turtle in the back of my mind for another two years. My Dad and I tried a Victoria trip in search of turtles but without any luck. The locals told us that they used to live in the lakes, but since the invasive water mill foil and bullfrog choked out every other living thing in the lakes and houses line every shoreline, the turtles not only had nowhere to swim or breed, they were being replaced. I gave up on finding the elusive painted turtle. On a work trip with Crossland Sheds, I finally caught my first western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) at Swan Lake in inner city Victoria (Saanich). It was fitted with a radio transmitter and out of the water--an easy catch. It was clearly a female, looking for a place to lay eggs, so I let her go promptly. The transmitter means that there are researchers studying the turtles in Victoria, which is good. But there future is far from certain. Every viable egg laying site at the lakes I visited had been developed. It's not surprising that the single wild turtle I did see at Port Alberni was a large, old female. There is no next generation for the western painted turtle. It has faded out of sight and out of mind for locals on Vancouver Island and, a turtle that once had a range as far north as Campbell River, is now isolated in a single, heavily monitored population in inner city Victoria. I'm sorry to say, my search for the painted turtle doesn't have a happy ending. The picture above is my father, ever the epitome of outdoorsman-ship. Slough near Turtle Lake, near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 1, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/400.

Search for the Painted Turtle: Part II

In a second attempt to spot the elusive painted turtle on Vancouver Island I headed to a farm close to where I'd gotten a tip off for painted turtles in the area. The only other wetland I new of north of Miracle Beach was behind a dairy-turned blackberry farm on Salmon Point. I didn't see any turtles, but I did find some very interesting creatures including this wandering garter snake. A sharp-shinned hawk also had a go at some starlings over my head. It's always super cool to see hawks in action like that. Thamnophis elegans vagrans. Salmon Point, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 18, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/100.

This is a great example of the grey colour phase for the wandering garter snake, our own subspecies of the western terrestrial garter snake. Notice the almost checkered look to the spots and how large they are. It is usually only western terrestrials that have large, dark spots like this. I caught it in a sort of pond or slough behind the farm. Now, I don't want to go around making any grand claims, but I'm quite certain their are bullfrogs on this farm because one of the ranids I saw made a *peep* sound when it jumped into the water. It is usually only bullfrogs (and a few subtropical relatives) that do that, so I don't think it was a regular red-legged frog. If there are bullfrogs in this pond, it is the farthest north they've gotten yet, as far as anyone knows. I did find one just south at Saratoga Beach, but it was just one large male and I eradicated it once it was captured. Thamnophis elegans vagrans. Salmon Point, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 18, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/400.

Long Beach: Part I

When my distant relatives' husband Cal called, asking if I wanted to accompany him to the west coast of the island for some nature photography I eagerly accepted. Sometimes it's like another world over there. I think he was disappointed by the cloudy skies and foggy forests, but I find the layering affect very aesthetically pleasing. Shorepine Bog, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 9, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. 21.6mm, 0 EV, f/5.8, 1/125.

It's shots like these that remind one that it is a rainforest. So colourful. But my raincoat, rain pants, waterproof shoes, and three layers of sweaters is evidence enough that this is not the tropics. Rainforest at Shorepine Bog, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 9, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/30.

Although they are beautiful, it is illegal to collect these shells from the beach because they provide valuable shelter for hermit crabs among other critters. I only just noticed now that you can see my squatting silhouette reflected in the purple olive's shell. Olivella biplicata. Green Point, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 9, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200. 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/500.

I took some of this stonecrop home on a later trip and planted it in our garden. It is still growing there today. Sedum oreganum. Green Point, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 9, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/30.

Rainforest at Shorepine Bog, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 9, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/30.

This plant, called bunchberry by the locals, actually grows up much higher when in the rainforest and almost resembles a miniature dogwood. Cornus canadensis. Shorepine Bog, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. July 9, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/500.

Search for the Painted Turtle: Part I

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus. Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. June 11, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 17.3mm, 0 EV, f/5, 1/250.

In my early teen years, I heard that painted turtles had been seen living on Vancouver Island. Remembering earlier days in Wisconsin patrolling the lakes and having a heyday catching turtles around the mud and reeds I was ecstatic to imagine such a place existed on Vancouver Island and I set out to find it. Although I had spent a spring living at Saratoga Beach, a small resort town, and never seen any painted turtles, I thought it worth another go when I found inside the nature house of Miracle Beach Provincial Park. I called the lady managing the house and asked where it had been found. She said someone had found it crossing the road near Saratoga Beach. I left the nature house as the turtle continued to bash its face against the glass. The turtle had disappeared when I came to call sometime later. I searched this place, a slough between Saratoga and Miracle Beach. Besides scratched up legs, I found a variety of snakes (3 species) and frogs (3 species), but no turtles. After talking to some of the locals, I found some native naturalists who obliged me with descriptions of their own encounters with the turtles in the area. I was out of time but, given the positive, albeit, dated accounts of others, I decided to come back. Slough north of Miracle Beach Provincial Park. Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. June 11, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/320.

On my second (or was it the third?) trip to Saratoga Beach in search of turtles, I found this lovely faun curled up in the grass. It was truly adorable and the temptation to touch was almost unbearable. My friend, Aiden, wanted badly to touch it but, uncertain of the consequences, I bade against it. I was probably overcautious and, in hind site, I think I should have let him touch it. I later learned that there no problems of does not accepting their young after human interactions. That's only an old wive's tail. No serious harm could be done, and I probably missed a very memorable animal encounter. The faun probably thought we never saw it. Odocoileus hemionus columbianus. Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. June 11, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 11.84mm, 0 EV, f/4, 1/250.

My friend, Aiden, looking for whatever he can find in the sedges of the brackish slough north of Miracle Beach Provincial Park. I enjoy the sun-damaged look. It is nostalgic. It capitulates the childhood of a nature nut so well. I love this picture. Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. June 11, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 17.3mm, 0 EV, f/5, 1/250.

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus. Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. June 11, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 0, 17.3mm, 0 EV, f/5, 1/200.

The day was coming to a close and no turtles. Disappointing, but a great time nonetheless. I snapped off some final shots of the Nootka rose. A nasty little plant really. My legs are always bleeding after these forays in the slough. I haven't been back to the slough for a long time now. They built a resort on top of the sandbar, the only good place to lay eggs in the area so, any turtles that were living there have since had to move on. Probably why the last survivor wound up a road-rescued display in a nature house. Bombus sp. on Rosa nutkana. Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. June 11, 2009. Canon PowerShot A430. ISO 200, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/640.