Dale's Wildlife Photos

This large building is the home of the Lefttennant Governor. Wind passing over the roof produces both lift and violent rotors. The crows in the first photo were playing touch tag and they flew into quickly descending air. They hit the roof and had to scramble back to the top as many others screeched loudly at their folly.

They often play king of the castle with the big chimney. One crow claims the position on the chimney and others approach from above, below or behind and they try to knock the other off. Looks like fun. Sometimes they simply tag the one on top and they voluntarily give up the chimney.

Flying in unison. The last photo was fuzzy so I cranked up the colour and contrast levels.

Birds in motion.

I jumped in front of the flock of ducks. They can bee seen taking evasive action.

Sea birds in motion.

The last ones invented synchronised flying.

These smaller birds are quick to swallow tasty morcels when the large thieving gulls are around.

Let's both look that way. Now look the other way.

A few more.

I've taken so many photos this summer that my friends think I've gone a little nuts. (it's an acorn)

Others say I've gone squirrely.

This one headed for the trees when I got too close.

It lives amongst Gary Oaks on a hill top location.

A nursing mother.

These squirrels must be aware that humans can't fly or climb worth a darn, yet they generally move away when they are being watched from the ground.

They generally present themselves during low light conditions. My camera likes medium sunlight.

The last photo is a view of Washington's Olympic Peninsula viewed from Victoria BC.

The last one. Is that where you live?

A few days later in a different location.

The little black squirrels are threatened by the reproductive capacity of the larger grey ones. The greys were introduced to this island.

The blacks are more likely to stay behind cover.

This one may be a hybrid. It is medium sized and has a medium colouring.

These squirrels often bicker over food gathering territory but today they joined forces. After this one showed me a new card trick, he joined with others of both species in chasing away Canada geese that were gobbling up acorns that were laid out to dry. They did a few quick runs through the geese and made some sounds. There were about 30 geese and they are much tougher than these little squirrels but the geese moved on without incident.

These ones flew over my head so quietly that I almost mised them,

I've never seen a black squirrel. Well, until now.

Rion Mather wrote:I've never seen a black squirrel. Well, until now.

They have a wide range including much of Canada and U.S. including N.Y. and Pennsylvania but the grays are more numerous and visable.


Finally after many failed attempts, I have captured the elusive hummingbird. Not sure which species.

All of these shots are of the same bird. The look changes depending on the direction it is pointed and incoming light.

The second shot should have been the best of all since it was in full sunlight. Hard for autofocus to lock in on flourescent objects.

I would have walked right past this spot if he hadn't buzzed me. Males guard their favorite plants.

You know you've got it just right when reflections can be seen in a hummingbird's eye.

This guy hovered within 3 feet of my face for about 45 seconds when we first met. These are the best of those failed shots. Couldn't seem to focus.

While looking for some duck weed, These otters found me. I nearly dropped the camera when one poked his head up near my hand. Unfortunately all of these shots were taken at some distance in less than ideal lighting.

Darkly coloured wet things are hard to photograph.

If I could be any lake dweller, I would want to be an otter. They spend more leisure time than most wild things and much of their time is spent playing around. Even their "work" of fishing seems to be exciting for them. After bellies are full, they find a sunny spot and lounge or wrestle. A large gang of sea otters moved into a vacant house that I demolished. They made an awful mess. There were paw prints all over the picture windows facing the sea, so I guess that's how they got weather reports. The house was only used on stormy days and the coldest winter nights. They're smart.

Along came a turtle.

And then the duckweed that I came for.

Otters are such fun. Glad you captured some on film.

I'm standing about eight feet above this deer on a rock shelf. If I were a cougar she'd be an easy kill. Most cougar sitings in Victoria happen at Swan's night club on Friday nights.

I watched her eat acorns, berries and apples.

After eating, she decided that I was getting too close.

She trotted down the road and after eating a little more, she joined this buck. I tried to follow but they went into a thicket and continued to evade me until I saw a humming bird.

A male Anna's hummingbird.

This squirrel was the first to sound the alarm after spotting the hawk. He kept an eye on the sky as he moved close to his tree den while kicking up quite a racket. All of the other squirrels ran for cover. The hawk departed after realizing the squirrels had detected its presence.

This bird is eating flower seeds.

Sparrows in the bushes at a shopping mall.

These birds live at Swan Lake Sanctuary. There are sparrows of several species, waxwings, ducks, grebes and many I can't name.