The staycation files:

A camera in hand & an eye for animals

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY STEVE GROVER

With the province in staycation lockdown for the past five months, we have been fortunate that in Powell River; we have been able to access beaches, parks, trails and lakes without worrying about social distancing or unwittingly becoming part of crowds of people keen to be outside enjoying nature and summer weather. We are fortunate to be able to view so much wildlife just minutes away from our doorsteps.

• When the tide is out, little Plovers deftly scoop food from seaweed and tidal pools.

• A chance meeting with a friend while shopping led to the comment that she had seen a Barred Owl that morning near the Music Academy. The path where she saw it is fairly popular with cyclists and walkers and I figured the chances were slim that the owl would still be there but I should probably check it out anyways. Fortunately the owl was still at its roost and I was able to take some photos from a distance without spooking it!

• A friend of mine called to say that three humpback whales were heading towards town and had just passed his home at Grief Point. The Viewpoint seemed like a good place to see these amazing animals as they cruised unusually close to shore. As I waited with my camera and tripod the parking lot quickly filled up with other “would-be whale watchers” who had noticed the signs that something was up. Cars pulled to the side of the road and photographers looking intently at the water often means whales are in the area.

• My young nephew from Vancouver was very interested in seeing some Western painted turtles which are an endangered species in BC. We heard that there were some in Priest Lake on Texada Island so we packed up the cameras and kayaks and spent a pleasant afternoon paddling around without seeing a single turtle. I later checked with a “turtle expert” friend who said the turtles were in the slough on the other side of the road from the lake. A year later Liam and I went back and saw nine turtles without dipping a paddle.

• On an afternoon stroll along the Seawalk, I noticed a family of Common Mergansers basking in the sun on a rock. The bird in the water was vocalizing to the rest of her family that it was time to catch some dinner before the light was gone. After a few minutes the “sunbathers” reluctantly joined her in the cold water and paddled away.

• A friend and I were walking near Second Beach with our cameras and spotted a river otter on a rock, which got us very excited. We edged closer to take some photos and the otter slid in the water and swam away to our great disappointment. In less than a minute the otter was back to its rock with a flapping flounder and we got some lovely shots.

I was in a friend’s boat near Grief Point hoping to photograph a Humpback Whale that had been reported in the area. The crew of a passing sailboat joined us in being, “in the right place at the right time.”