Vancouver Island : Aug 17-28, 2024

Part 1

August 17: San Diego to Swansboro

This trip started with a flight up the Central Valley to a friend's hangar party near Placerville. Julie Clark flew in in her beautiful T-34.

Dodger Stadium	El Capitan	Yosemite Falls just a trickle	Half Dome
Boundary, Little Bear, and Spotted Fawn Lakes	Julie Clark	pIMG_3300.JPG	pIMG_8362.JPG
pIMG_8391.JPG	pIMG_8419.JPG	pIMG_8486.JPG	The Halie O'Ryan Band

August 18: Swansboro to Burlington WA

A nice day flying north along the Cascades, but had to dodge some rain showers heading into Burlington.

Ball Butte, Sister, Broken Top, and South Sister	Mt. Jefferson	Mt. Hood	Seattle and Elliott Bay
pIMG_8541.JPG	pIMG_8548.JPG	pIMG_8550.JPG	Skagit Bay Estuary
pIMG_3334.JPG	Final approach at Skagit Regional Airport (KBVS)

August 19: Burlington WA to Nanaimo BC

A short flight up the Strait of Georgia to Nanaimo, home of the Nanaimo Bars that I've gotten hooked on. After clearing customs (on the phone), I had time to hike Jack Point Trail before taking a whale watching cruise.

Into Canadian airspace...	pIMG_3372.JPG	pIMG_3381.JPG	The distinctive Arbutus tree
pIMG_8562.JPG	Weathering pattern caused by salt crystals in the sandstone	pIMG_8567.JPG	pIMG_8568.JPG
cIMG_8572.JPG	pIMG_8574.JPG	Cliffs on Gabriola Island	Jack Point
cIMG_3383.JPG	Great Blue Heron

August 19: Vancouver Island Whale Watch

A showery cruise with Vancouver Island Whale Watch. Good thing they had us all geared up in Mustang survival suits. We found a couple Humpbacks, as well as a pod of orcas they identified as the T049A pod:

T049A Nan ♀ (1986)
T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)
T049A4 Neptune ♂ (2014)
T049A5 Nebula ♀ (2017)
T049A6 Charlie II ♂ (2022)

Their trip log for the cruise is here.

The Bastion	Purple Sea Star	River Otters	pIMG_8596.JPG
pIMG_8598.JPG	pIMG_8599.JPG	pIMG_2255.JPG	pIMG_2259.JPG
Glaucous-winged Gull (?)	Harbour Seal	Harlequin Ducks (?)	pIMG_8619.JPG
Black Turnstones and Surfbirds (?)	pIMG_8625.JPG	Steller Sea Lions	pIMG_8632.JPG
pIMG_8638.JPG	pIMG_8646.JPG	pIMG_8647.JPG	pIMG_8649.JPG
pIMG_8654.JPG	pIMG_8655.JPG	Different whale from photo 8675	pIMG_8675.JPG
BCX1965 "Abyss" or "Professor X"	pIMG_8694.JPG	pIMG_8696.JPG	pIMG_8698.JPG
Pigeon Guillemot	T049A "Nan" and her family	pIMG_8720.JPG	T049A3 "Nat"
T049A "Nan"	pIMG_8750.JPG	pIMG_8756.JPG	pIMG_8766.JPG
pIMG_8774.JPG	pIMG_8776.JPG	pIMG_8780.JPG	pIMG_8784.JPG
pIMG_8789.JPG	pIMG_8795.JPG	pIMG_8798.JPG	pIMG_8802.JPG
pIMG_8805.JPG	pIMG_8806.JPG	pIMG_8811.JPG	pIMG_8814.JPG
pIMG_8825.JPG	pIMG_8829.JPG	Not the Nanaimo Bar I was looking for

August 20: The Raptors, Duncan BC

The Raptors (aka Pacific Northwest Raptors) is a raptor exhibition facility that also focuses on their use in wildlife management (e.g. discouraging birds on airports). Of course I had to drop by for a visit as soon as I found out about them. They had a great free-flight demonstration. Nearby was the Hands of Man Museum, which is best summarized as an eclectic private natural history and artifact collection.

Golden Eagle	Peregrine Falcon	pIMG_8870.JPG	Spectacled Owl
Western Screech Owl	American Kestrel	pIMG_8884.JPG	pIMG_8888.JPG
Saker Falcon	Harris's Hawk	pIMG_8929.JPG	pIMG_8940.JPG
pIMG_8973.JPG	In the weeds...	pIMG_8978.JPG	pIMG_8985.JPG
Ferruginous Hawk	Great Grey Owl	Black Vulture	Aplomado Falcon
pIMG_9027.JPG	Turkey Vulture	pIMG_9033.JPG	Bald Eagle
pIMG_9061.JPG	pIMG_9068.JPG	pIMG_9074.JPG	pIMG_9091.JPG
pIMG_9109.JPG	pIMG_9113.JPG	pIMG_9123.JPG	pIMG_9130.JPG
pIMG_9148.JPG	pIMG_9154.JPG	pIMG_9168.JPG	pIMG_9175.JPG
pIMG_9187.JPG	pIMG_9204.JPG	pIMG_9206.JPG	pIMG_9209.JPG
pIMG_9223.JPG	pIMG_9232.JPG	pIMG_9236.JPG	pIMG_9245.JPG
pIMG_9252.JPG	pIMG_9256.JPG	pIMG_9258.JPG	pIMG_9273.JPG
pIMG_9277.JPG	pIMG_9287.JPG	pIMG_9288.JPG	pIMG_9298.JPG
pIMG_9300.JPG	pIMG_9304.JPG	Marabou Stork	pIMG_9309.JPG
cIMG_9311.JPG	pIMG_9313.JPG	pIMG_9314.JPG	cIMG_9319.JPG
pIMG_9322.JPG	Amethyst cathedral geode	pIMG_9331.JPG	pIMG_9336.JPG
pIMG_9338.JPG	pIMG_9342.JPG	pIMG_9346.JPG	cIMG_9349.JPG
pIMG_9352.JPG	pIMG_9354.JPG	Maple Bay	cIMG_9357.JPG
pIMG_2272.JPG	pIMG_2276.JPG	pIMG_2277.JPG	pIMG_2283.JPG
pIMG_2287.JPG	pIMG_2289.JPG	pIMG_2330.JPG	pIMG_2352.JPG
pIMG_2359.JPG	pIMG_2360.JPG	pIMG_2376.JPG	pIMG_2381.JPG
pIMG_2384.JPG	pIMG_2385.JPG	pIMG_2409.JPG	pIMG_2414.JPG
pIMG_2427.JPG	Barred Owl	pIMG_2448.JPG	pIMG_2450.JPG
pIMG_2451.JPG	pIMG_2452.JPG	pIMG_2453.JPG	pIMG_2454.JPG
pIMG_2460.JPG	pIMG_2462.JPG	pIMG_2464.JPG	pIMG_2467.JPG
pIMG_2472.JPG	pIMG_2476.JPG	pIMG_2487.JPG	pIMG_2489.JPG
pIMG_2508.JPG	pIMG_2527.JPG	pIMG_2533.JPG	pIMG_2556.JPG
pIMG_9361.JPG	cIMG_9364.JPG	pIMG_9366.JPG	pIMG_9367.JPG
cIMG_9369.JPG	European Black Slug	Stocking Creek Falls	cIMG_9384.JPG
pIMG_9386.JPG	cIMG_9393.JPG	pIMG_9395.JPG	Pacific Dampwood Termite, looking for new home...
pIMG_9408.JPG	pIMG_9410.JPG	Banana Slug	cIMG_9414.JPG
cIMG_9418.JPG