Blogs from Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, North America - page 2

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North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver Island » Bamfield September 1st 2005

I thought it was high time I posted some photos of the wildlife we see around Burlo. Just to give you some idea, most of these were taken from the front porch of our house. We are pretty lucky to have such close encounters on almost a daily basis. I particularly like the bear cubs - they are unbelievably cute. Their Mum takes them for afternoon strolls along the shore - she is very protective of them, you can tell she loves them very much. The eagles are regular visitors to the tall tree behind our house. Actually I think they might live on the island. There are at least five of them that frequent our bay and, sometimes, you see them teaming up and swooping on prey in the water. They also often fly over ... read more
Bald Eagle
Cranky Heron
A Furious Stellar's Jay


In between our hectic schedule of what mainly consists of lazing around on Burlo, we have discovered the bounty of tasty delights that nature provides. It is blackberry and salal berry season in Bamfield, which means all the bushes are absolutely dripping with ripe, juicy fruit. Not only are these the biggest, sweetest berries you'll ever taste, but they are also totally free! Surprisingly, few others seem to be as enthralled by this delightful discovery as us, and our only real competition seems to be the bears (not that it is much of a competition - the bears win hands down). But even the bears have their limits and, even on our property alone, there are literally more berries than all of us combined can ever possibly eat. We've had to come up with inventive ways ... read more
Mmm, More Blueberries
Wild Blackberries Everywhere
The Apple Grove


The time had come for my parents to catch their flight back to Australia and leave Quin and me to continue our overseas adventure alone. So be prepared - those of you aware of our dubious mechanical aptitude and interesting penchant for blundering into sticky travel situations of questionable wisdom can only marvel at what is to come.... read more


Today, Dad has been giving us boating lessons since it will be our only way of getting on and off the island once they leave. Although I've had my boat driver's licence for several years, anyone who has taken the course will remember that the one thing they do not teach you is how to actually drive a boat - a rather critical oversight, you would think. So Dad has bravely taken on the task - his expression in the photos says it all. If his hair wasn't already white, it would be after today ;-). But I think I've gotten the hang of it now, even the docking part - in fact, it comes much more naturally to me than driving a car. Maybe I should have been a sea captain :-).... read more
Starting Up the Motor
Off We Go
King Neptune, Here I Come


Burlo Island is truly a magical spot - from the front porch of my parents' house, we have seen seals lolling around in our bay, resident black bears foraging on our foreshore and bald eagles sitting in the trees behind the back garden. My parents have been busily getting ready to head back to Australia next week but, otherwise, we have spent a relaxing week reaquainting ourselves with the home we lived in when I was a baby. We also took time out to engage in the social extravaganza that is Bamfield's Annual Sandcastle Competition. Our entry was a cunningly-devised 'lost Australian sea turtle' - admittedly, this is the only sand creature I know how to make that does not simply resemble a two-year-old's mound of dirt, but it was quite the masterpiece nonetheless ;-).... read more
Relaxing on the Front Porch
View from our Porch
Overlooking the Back Garden

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver Island » Bamfield February 13th 2005

Biology 11 trip to Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, which is on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. The place is breathtakingly beautiful, though a tad chilly - and the food's dee-lish! Was a ton of fun doing hands-on experiments in the wild.... read more
Barkley Sound
Barkley Sound
Barkley Sound




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