Victoria Daily Photo

Gonzales Observatory

2013-05-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Like lighthouses, observatories are similarly appealing to photographers. Like Gonzales Observatory above, usually they are perched on the very peak of some eminence and they are interestingly shaped and domed. Whenever I visit this particular little observatory I am inevitably reminded of those classic sunbaked white villages of the Greek Mediterranean coast. Gonzales has not been in use as an observatory for many years and now serves as an office for The Land Conservancy which has been managing this site and others of historical and ecological significance in the province.

Dusk Blooms

2013-05-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

I love when the clematis on our front porch blooms, it is endlessly beautiful. - Fern

The Canadian Rockies - Over, Under or Through

2013-05-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

I recently made a quick trip to Calgary Alberta, flying there and then driving back through the mountains. The mountains looked spectacular still covered in snow.

Here we are driving west, leaving Calgary and the prairies behind us. The spring weather has really only just arrived west of the Rockies.

It's always amazing to me what incredible terrain we have in this country and I can't wait to be able to see more of it! - Fern

Mystery Grass

2013-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Whenever I visit Mount Douglas Park I always visit a small swampy area because it has such a grand stand of Skunk Cabbage and to see the wonderful cuneiform of deer hoofprints in the black mud. On my last visit however, what drew my attention were stands of this grass with their striking flower heads. I'm guessing these are male and female flowers but I have no idea. Nor do I know what this grass is called. Any ideas?

Fisgard Friday 3

2013-05-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week's Fisgard Friday features on the left an HDR version of the lighthouse directly from the camera. For side-by-side comparison a "normal" single exposure is posted on the right above. All I've done here with these photos is to shrink them to one third of their size so they don't take forever to load. In the HDR case the camera took three exposures rapidly with one click of the shutter button and then merged them into one final shot. On the right is a single exposure. In this case I think I prefer the "normal" shot on the right but I really like the way the HDR version brings out the lichen on the rock and tones down the blown out brilliance of the lighthouse tower. Ultimately I think I would prefer something midway between the two, so I merged the above two photos in Photomatix to produce the version below.

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)

2013-05-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

This little bird, a Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), was so busy building a nest when I saw him out at Swan Lake recently that it was difficult to snap a photo of him. I write "him" advisedly since nest building is a male activity of this species. The males commonly build one or several nests as lures to attract female wrens for breeding. Singing must also be a part of this activity since the only breaks he took from nest-building were to perch on this bull-rush and belt out a few tunes.

Albert Head Lagoon

2013-05-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Just a little further west along the coast from Esquimalt Lagoon is Albert Head Lagoon. In the photo above, the lagoon is on the left, separated from the ocean by the spit in the center. Like Esquimalt Lagoon, Albert Head Lagoon is a nature sanctuary but the ocean side is a splendid stretch of public beach that was nearly deserted on the day of my visit. This photo was taking looking east towards Esquimalt Lagoon and if you look carefully on the far right you can see a tiny white dot that is the Fisgard Lighthouse.

Chocolate Lily

2013-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's another favourite spring wildflower - the Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis), sometimes known as Rice-root because of the many small swellings on the roots that look like grains of rice. I also saw a few of these blooming on my recent trip to Bear Hill but no matter where I see them, I seldom see more than two or three together. For a couple of years I knew of only one plant of this species that grew near the summit of Mount Douglas so I am happy to have located others.

Esquimalt Lagoon

2013-05-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's gun tower may not be very pleasant but the view from it is lovely, pictured above. Here we are looking west towards the entrance to Esquimalt Lagoon and the small bridge that crosses over it.

Fort Rodd Hill

2013-05-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Fisgard Lighthouse, a National Historic Monument, lies just offshore and is more or less surrounded by another National Historic Monument, Fort Rodd Hill. Fort Rodd Hill consists of a number of buildings and gun emplacements designed to protect Esquimalt Harbour from attack from the sea during various wars of the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of the gun emplacements remain, a sombre reminder of the horror of war. The photo above looks ominous and it should since the sole purpose of the structure was to position guns where they could most easily destroy incoming enemies.

Thetis Lake Beach

2013-05-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

When it gets hot like it has been this week, Victorians head for the beaches, but even though we are surrounded by ocean beaches, the many small lakes near the city are also very popular with the those who like to loll in the sun. Though it is small, Thetis Lake Beach (pictured here) is one of the most popular.

Fisgard Friday 2

2013-05-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new camera has some interesting features - particularly its well-developed set of possibilities for HDR effects. The above photo, for instance, is actually made from 5 separate exposures at different shutter speeds. These were then fused (in Photomatix) to produce a more balanced exposure while at the same time retaining and strengthening the detailed contrast. In this case I did the fusion in post-processing. However, the camera also produces finished tone-mapped HDR images from multiple exposures and we'll have a look at one next Friday.

Dark-eyed Junco

2013-05-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Some of the photographers I admire most specialize in bird photography. I find it very challenging. Birds are shy and hard to approach; they move around unpredictably and jerkily a lot; they come and go seasonally; and they're often quite small and in difficult locations - up in trees, for example. Other favourite subjects of mine, wildflowers, are relatively easy to photograph since once they are located they can be photographed without worrying about their immediate departure. Bird photography is also pretty demanding when it comes to equipment. A very good long lens is absolutely necessary. It is possible to get reasonably adequate bird photos like the one above with a 300mm zoom. But for really outstanding results something more powerful and faster is required - maybe a 400mm prime lens. However, one has to have pretty deep pockets for that kind of lens since they start around $1,500. A good tripod is another necessity since long lenses with good glass tend to be very heavy and difficult to hand-hold without shaking. But certainly the most demanding requirement for good bird photos is patience. Lots of patience.

New Railings on Ogden Point Breakwater

2013-05-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Ogden Point Breakwater has new railings and Victorians of all ages were out on the weekend to enjoy them. While the initial idea of railings on the breakwater was met with mixed reactions, now that the railings are up everyone is very happy with them. The breakwater used to feel just a little too dangerous for anyone with slight mobility issues. And it was completely out of bounds for those in walkers or wheelchairs. This is not the case any longer and many seniors were out with friends and family enjoying the fresh sea breezes and the record-setting May temperatures.

Variation on a Theme

2013-05-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a favourite subject of mine at this time of year, the way sunbeams catch the new leaves of the Bigleaf Maples. It's like a butterfly ballet.

Anyone Care For a Ride?

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

You never know what you'll find in the city; even a little bit of old fashioned fun! - Fern

Spring Comes to Thetis Lake

2013-05-05T00:10:00.000-07:00

I can never get enough of this beautiful park. - Fern

HMCS Algonquin

2013-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

While out at the Fisgard Lighthouse earlier in the week I was lucky to see the Canadian Navy's HMCS Algonquin entering Esquimalt Harbour, pictured above. The Esquimalt Canadian Forces Base is the headquarters of Canada's Maritime Forces Pacific.

Fisgard Friday

2013-05-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have a new camera - a Sony Alpha SLT a77 - So of course one of the first places I took it was out to the location of my favourite model, the Fisgard Lighthouse. The lighthouse was looking as beautiful as ever. And the camera? Well, so far I'm pretty pleased with its performance too.

Christmas Hill

2013-05-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Though Fern and I have lived in Victoria for many years we still find that there are new places to discover. The photo above is from our first visit to Christmas Hill earlier this week. Christmas Hill is part of the nature reserve of Swan Lake, which is visible in the foreground of the above photo. It offers splendid views of the city in every direction and has a wealth of wonderfully made paths and trails through a Garry Oak woodland that was carpeted on this day with rich blue-purple Camas flowers (visible on the bottom of the above photo). It's a real gem of a park with the best views of the city.

Lampson Street School

2013-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's one of our oldest school buildings, built in 1913. There was an earlier small building put up in 1903 but it was replaced by this building ten years later. I find it interesting how attitudes to education are reflected in school architecture. This school, Victoria High School (1914) and Camosun College (Young Building 1914) were all erected during a time when education was still in the classical mode as reflected in their neo-classical design. Learned people knew Latin and Greek and were familiar with ancient European scholars and philosophers. The genders were separated - both Lampson and Vic High (1914) still have the "Boys" and "Girls" wings to the school, identified indelibly in cement. And these schools were built during a time when popular education was a relatively new concept and a good education was still viewed as somewhat of a privilege. Below is a bit more information provided at the school.

Hooker's Fairy-bell (Prosartes hookeri)

2013-04-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

While in Goldstream Park last week I noticed this little wildflower that I had not identified previously. It is called Hooker's Fairy-bell (Prosartes hookeri), named after Joseph Hooker, a renowned botanist. Those little white flowers turn into bright red berries when they mature.

Goldstream Park

2013-04-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Most of the wildflowers I've been photographing lately are found in conjunction with the Garry Oak Ecosystem. Last week Fern and I went out to another eco-zone - the temperate rain forest that is found in Goldstream Park. Though not so rich in spring wildflowers as the sunnier and more open Garry Oak locations our rain forest is also full of burgeoning growth at this time of year. Above, a beam of sunlight catches the mosses and young leaves on some Bigleaf Maple trees.

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder

2013-04-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unusual places. In this case the edge of the sidewalk with it's incredible texture and peeling paint. - Fern

Death Camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum)

2013-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

This plant is called Death Camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum), not because it is a related to the Camas Lilies posted yesterday but because its bulbs are very similar to Camas bulbs, with one important difference - the bulbs of Death Camas are very poisonous. While the flowers of this plant and Camas Lilies are quite different, traditionally the bulbs were not harvested until long after the flowering season when even the leaves had withered. Death Camas often grow in close proximity to Camas Lilies and the bulbs of both could be harvested together, with dire consequences. During the flowering season, when the two plants could be easily distinguished, First Nations people would industriously uproot the Death Camas from their favored Camas Lily meadows. However, without that kind of care, harvesting Camas Bulbs in late summer is probably a foolish activity. Better nowadays simply to enjoy the splendid flowers. The Death Camas pictured above was photographed in Bear Hill Park on the Saanich Peninsula.