Well, my pronouncement that spring is on the way appears to have been a tad premature. I awoke to snow this morning! Of course I went out with my camera, and found this little one enjoying a solitary breakfast of ivy berries.
robin
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Category Archives: fauna
curious encounters (4 images)
Yesterday I saw the funniest interaction between a seal and a seagull. The whole sequence happened twice in the space of the few minutes I was there. These photos are from the second go-round, because the first time I was so surprised I didn’t think to take pictures.
The gull was swimming around rather aimlessly, but when the seal popped up to the surface, the gull headed straight toward it.
The seal did not seem perturbed by the advancing gull, but calmly held its position…
…even when the gull came really close.
The gull seemed to peck the seal on the nose. I thought at the time that it was just pestering the seal. It was only later when I loaded the photos on my computer that I saw the seal had had a small fish sticking out of its mouth, and the gull had snatched it.
Now I am very curious. Was that seal too dumb to evade a cheeky gull intent on stealing its meal, not just once but twice in a row? Why would the seal not eat the fish as soon as it had caught it, or at least dive to save it?
Or were the seal and gull playing some kind of animal version of “Go Fish”??
If anyone has ever seen something like this before, I would love to hear about it. I’ve read about how different species can interact in surprising ways (such as humpback whales saving a seal from a pack of orcas), but it was certainly fun to see this little drama unfold right before my eyes.
twilight in pink and mauve
My laptop is currently in for repairs, and along with it all my photo editing software. So here is one from the archives: a view of Mount Baker from South Pender Island, taken last fall.
Whoever uses the word “mauve” these days, anyway? It’s become so out of fashion that it seems quaint to even see the word in print.
jewel beetle (2 images)
This is a Golden Buprestid beetle, more commonly known as a jewel beetle because of its iridescent sheen and beautiful colours.
This one was in some distress when I found it on the patio, unable to move freely because of what looked like sticky spider web strands wound around its body. With the aid of a small twig, I gently removed the strands, then placed the little critter on a Queen Anne’s lace flower. It seemed pretty happy, stretching its wings for a bit before retreating beneath the flower to rest and recover from its ordeal.
common cabbage white butterfly
These and the little orange skippers are the only butterflies I’ve seen around lately.
Does this flower make me look skinny?
snail
The other morning I spotted this little guy on a horsetail plant, heading down to shadier ground as the sun got hotter.
partners in crime
I don’t normally make more than one post a day, and I was intending to skip this week’s photo challenge because I didn’t have a suitable picture. But then this afternoon I spied these two deer, trying to play it cool while sneakily sampling various garden plants.
colony
A group of sea anemones thrive together in a tidal pool.
sinuous
Well dang. I used all my best curvy photos in my Wednesday post. Luckily, Nature provides an abundance of curves wherever one looks, and this green sea anemone is no exception with its wonderfully wavy tentacles.
Did you know? Sea anemones are immortal. Maybe in the future, scientists will come up with some form of sea anemone gene therapy, and humans could be forever young.
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