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Charm found while camping; I used my macro gear to photograph it on our green picnic table. Most of the stuff I find belongs to kids, although sometimes something else turns up.   It's amazing how many plastic animals I have found.  They are usually small, often no more than a few inches in length.  And an amazing number of them are dinosaurs.  I guess the intrigue regarding these extinct giants hasn't diminished much since I was a kid. Then there is the jewellery.  I took the above photo of a charm I found while camping a few weeks ago.  I have never found anything valuable, and I generally turn in what I find to the camp's lost and found.  Still, though, the things that people lose would astound you. I have never used a metal detector, but I have found lots of things made out of metal.  Small things, mostly coins, fasteners, and washers.  The coins go into my pocket, and the useful bits end up in my assorted pieces collection.  Yo...

Yellow-headed blackbirds are much larger then their red-winged counterparts. Every spring, I notice that it's the red-winged blackbirds that show up first to stake out a territory for breeding.  If they have chosen a nesting area that has some reeds and shallow water, it is unlikely that they will be evicted.  However, when the larger yellow-headed blackbirds show up, all bets are off if they have chosen a large reed bed in deep water (up to 3 or 4 feet). Red-winged blackbirds are not super choosy about where they nest, as long as there are some reeds and standing water present.  More successful males will want a better territory, one that one or more females will approve of.  And they will defend it, against other males of the same species. Yellow-headed blackbirds are more picky, insisting on large reed beds in deep water.  They also usually arrive later than the red-wings do, but that is not a problem for them.  That's because they are bigger, both in si...

Paul and Bert (inset) - Paul (left) - on our paddling adventure down the Harrison River today. I have never regretted buying canoes or kayaks, although kayaking is my preferred means of water transport these days.   I don't get out as often as I used to, but this year seems to have started out differently.  We have done some camping and gone kayaking four times now, and today finished a 17 km paddle after about 4 hours going down river.  An early start was warranted as the winds pick up in the late morning, and we experienced some modest winds with significant splashing by the time 11:00 rolled around. We will do more kayaking this summer near Merritt, Clearwater, Lake Wabamum, and Leduc.  I have already gotten some nice photos ( click here ) this year and am hoping to get a lot more.  The Harrison River is nice because of the surrounding mountains, but we did not see much in the way of wildlife.  Perhaps the next few places will offer more. I have gou...

Likely a satyr angelwing.  Probably not an Eastern angelwing given location (Vernon). I have never photographed this genus ( Polygonia ) before, although I think I saw one once while camping out near Nordegg, Alberta.  These brushfooted butterflies appear to have only four legs, as the front pair is highly reduced and vestigial.  Another clear indicator that this is a comma butterfly is the white "comma" shaped mark present on the lower section of the second wing - you can see it in the image above. I photographed this with my iPhone 15 Pro - it was there only a short while, and I did not have any other photographic equipment with me.  Even so, the iPhone's macro ability is fairly good as long as I don't need to blow the image up too much.  I got very close to the insect; it did not seem to mind my slow and cautious approach.   I never got a chance to photograph the upper sides of the Lepidopteran, as it rested in the typical butterfly way with its win...

Yellow-bellied marmot at Kamalaka Lake Provincial Park near Vernon, BC. Climbing to a better viewpoint is not uncommon in the animal kingdom, but it was funny to see a yellow-bellied marmot doing it.  It makes me think of meercats climbing on top of nearby people to get a better vantage point.  While meercats tend to live on savannahs where there are few elevation changes, even from rocky outcrops or the occasional tree, our local marmot populations have plenty of structures to climb.  The difference is that I have never seen one, even in photos, actually doing it. Imagine my surprise when I saw this fellow, about 200 feet away from me in a clearing, taking it upon himself to climb a bench.  As I researched the notion of marmots looking for higher "perches", I discovered that these rather large rodents do, on occasion, climb trees.   Oh, they like to sun themselves on rocks to be sure.  I have seen plenty of that, but the rocks are always barely taller...

Savannah sparrow I photographed on May 7, 2026.  Inset - August 31, 2022. Why do I photograph the same species of bird over and over again?  Well, I do, and I don't.  Common birds such as crows, robins, and house sparrows rarely merit my interest.  Other birds that I see less commonly garner my interest, especially ones that I have never seen before.  But why photograph a bird I already have half a dozen images of?  What's the point? There are several reasons, the most alluring is that I may get a better image than I already have.  Examine the photos above; they were taken almost four years apart, one in Vernon and the other in Maple Ridge (inset).  The one I shot more recently is more complete as there are no foreground distractions.  Also, I used a teleconverter on the 500 mm lens, and so I had a bit more reach.  The newer one is just a better photo. Then there is equipment.  My much older photos were taken with what I was using a...

Kalamalka Lake along the Okanagan Rail Trail.  Taken with my iPhone 15. Almost 50 km of decommissioned train tracks were torn up and replaced with a gently graded multi-use path linking the towns of Kelowna and Coldstream.  Travelling beside or near three lakes, the rail trail is a perfect way to explore the majesty of the Okanagan.  The inviting scenes, fresh air, and close proximity to wildlife spur many to explore what wonders await them along the route.  And it cost less than $30 million. That may seem to be a lot of money, but the benefit to the community has been, and will continue to be, well worth the investment.  The trail opened officially in 2018, which doesn't seem all that long ago.  In its first full year of operation, the trail had almost 600,000 uses.  The benefit to the local economy over the last 8 years of operation has no doubt been greater than the original outlay of cash.  And it will continue to do so in the future as its po...

Female northern harrier photographed using 3D image tracking and continuous focusing. A camera may have 3D image tracking, but that doesn't mean it can do a good job.  There are many aspects to tracking an image.  Here are some of the issues to consider: How fast is the subject moving?  Is the subject erratic in its movements?   You can often alter the refresh rate of your continuous focusing in menus, making it longer or shorter depending on various factors.  I keep mine as short as possible. Is there empty space before the subject?  How about behind? Many tracking functions have a problem with clutter, especially if the subject is partly concealed by it.   What model of camera do you have?  Newer/higher-end models will have faster processors and therefore can apply focusing algorithms that much faster than other cameras.   Although I have fairly good equipment, it is not the best, and I know many of my shots could be better i...

Mountain Lady slipper - I photographed this with my iPhone at Mission Creek Park. I have seen lady slippers before, but never in Canada.  Imagine my surprise when I saw hundreds of them along the trail in Mission Creek Park in Kelowna.  The last lady slipper I photographed was when I was shooting slide film and my kids were in their early teens. The blooms of the plant last for a mere 7-14 days.  I saw them yesterday (May 11, 2026) in Kelowna and expect that most of them will be finished sometime next week.   Lady slippers are a type of orchid.  There are about 40 different species of native orchids in BC, the most of any province in Canada.  Although it is not illegal to pick them, it is strongly discouraged.  The plants are easily damaged.  Transplanting them typically fails.   I do very few blogs on plants as my main interest is in animal life of all types and of course all aspects of photography.  However, I make an excepti...

A very vocal marsh wren sings from a bull rush in the Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary near Vernon, BC. The first time I photographed a marsh wren, I thought it was a Bewick's wren.  The telltale tail identified it as a wren, and they both have a stripe above the eye.  Marsh wrens, however, have a checkered back pattern that Bewick's does not.  And then there is location. Marsh wrens - guess where they live?  In marshes.  I have only ever seen them around cattails, often lurking unseen inside some dense thicket of leaves and stems.  Their song ( click here for a video) is distinctive.  I photographed the above birds while kayaking at Swan Lake near Vernon, and as we paddled along the edge of the reed bed, we could hear their numerous calls.   Marsh wren males are aggressive nest builders.  Their nests are bulbous, covered structures with a hole in them ( click here for image) for the awaiting female.  And, as amazing as they are, they don...

Kathryn enjoying her new e-bike on the Okanagan Rail Trail near Vernon, BC. Kathryn wears many hats in her life, in all ways.  Physically, she has two in the photo and another three or four at home or in our trailer.  Metaphorically, she has many more. She is my wife, an amazing thing given who I am.  She could have married anyone, yet she chose me.  We will celebrate our 38th anniversary this year. Kathryn is the mother of my children.  Two kids, now both in their 30's, that we are very proud of and thankful for.  She helped shape their personalities and moral codes. She is well educated, a teacher, and an instructor for the blind.  She has made a huge difference in so many lives.  And her enthusiasm for helping others goes on despite her retirement. Kathryn is my friend; she was my friend first and then my wife.  We camp, play games, walk, ride bikes, watch shows, and eat together.   She loves God.  We go to church, attend a ...

Swan Lake near Vernon - it was a perfect evening for shooting a sunset. Whenever I shoot sunsets, I change my camera's metering system to spot.  There are three, sometimes four, different ways that your camera has to measure light.  The standard one involves the camera reading light from numerous places in the scene and determining an exposure value (EV) based on that information.  This is the Matrix, Multipattern, Multisegment, and Evaluative metering systems found in some of the different camera brands.  Spot metering is different and records the light coming in from one point in the scene and uses that to determine an EV. OK, what's an EV?  An EV (exposure value) is a number, usually expressed as an integer, and may go as low as -6 to +18 and is measured in stops.  A stop is a doubling or halving of light and is usually expressed in seconds (1/2 to 1/4 is a change in time by one stop) or aperture (f/5.6 to f/4 is a change in light coming through the lens...

Queen wasp sits atop her throne - a small open-faced nest that she has been building. It's spring, and nest building has begun in earnest, not just for birds, but for insects of all types.  Included in this throng are the Hymenoptera - and more specifically, the Vespids.  Vespidae are the paper-wasps, so called because they construct nests out of chewed-up wood pulp that they turn into "paper." The formulation of the substance nests are constructed of is simple.  Wood pulp, from dead trees or wood from boards (fence boards are a favourite), is created by using the hardened jaws to shred small amounts of fiber.  It is mixed with the wasps' saliva creating a fluid-like pulp akin to papier-mache.  It is then applied to a surface and shaped, where it will dry and harden. The thing that makes this work is the saliva.  It is rich in proteins, specifically proline, which acts as a binding agent.  The saliva/fiber mixture is applied in thin layers and dries qu...

Canadian geese hiding in long grass help them protect their nest. In order to successfully raise offspring, they have to be protected during all stages of their development.  From egg to hatchling to fledgling to flying, they are at risk of predation.  There are other dangers too, but the largest comes from animals that would fill their stomachs with defenceless creatures under the care of doting adults. We walked through Vernon's downtown park along the improved pathway that allows pedestrians and cyclists to get from there to the Okanagan Rail Trail by Kalamalka Lake.  The town recently improved the meandering stream with rock, grass, and deadwood.  The gravel banks were a perfect place for killdeer to nest and raise their young.  I must have seen 12 or more breeding pairs, their nests cleverly hidden in the low berms.  It also happened to be a place the crows had discovered as they swarmed the killdeer in the attempt to drive them off their nests and to ...

Male (bottom) and female (inset) northern harriers photographed at Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Vernon. I was fortunate enough to photograph both sexes of northern harrier today.  Early in the morning, I walked the 1.8 km pathway in the sanctuary and later on, my wife and I kayaked beside it.  I photographed the male on my walk and the female while kayaking. Between the two of them, I took 48 photos.  They ranged over a wide area and the two photos above represent the best of the bunch.  I also got a photo of crows harassing the female, but they are too blurry to present here.  These two images are the best shots I have ever gotten of the northern harrier. Females are larger and dominant to the males, but males may breed with multiple females.  While the female tends the nest (which is on the ground), the male provides food.   Every time I see one, I have the sense that it may be an owl.  These birds have the most owl-like face of all the raptor...

Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park - from the lower trail at the point.  Taken with my iPhone 15 Pro. It used to be that I would pack two cameras, one with a long lens meant for wildlife and the other with a mid-range zoom used for landscapes and portraits.  Now that I pack an iPhone with me, I rarely bring my second body and mid-range zoom.  It has become redundant.   The iPhone is capable of shooting 48 mp raw images, not unlike my mirrorless Z7ii camera.  It has a zoom range of around 16 mm to 300 mm or so and can take filters such as polarizers or magnifiers for macro.  It is much easier to carry, fits in a pocket, and has the additional functions of being a phone, source of money, and entertainer.  So, do I need my second body anymore?  In fact, can I get along with just the iPhone and lose my long-lens camera too? The answer highly depends on what it is you want to do.  While I am impressed with my iPhone's ability, it has serious limi...

Spotted sandpiper surrounded by flying midges I saw a pair of spotted sandpipers this morning.  They seemed to be a bonded pair as I witnessed one of them bobbing and spreading its wings in what appeared to be a courtship dance.  I got some decent photos of one of them (above) and a set of images (below) of it finding, catching, and eating a relatively large insect. Spotted sandpiper finding, catching, and eating an aquatic insect. I mostly see spotted sandpipers by themselves, although I have seen them with a chick.  This is the first time I have seen them together as a pair.  It is interesting that the males tend the nest while the females are protectors of the territory.  The females may breed with more than one male.  The females are also the ones that engage in courtship behaviour, not the males.   Thanks for reading.      www.ericspix.com

The full moon gave an ethereal cast to the willow trees at Swan Lake near Vernon. It's early May and we are camping.  It was 27° yesterday; the evening managed to cool down to 11°, an improvement from the near-freezing temperatures we had last week.  The clear skies beckoned me to photograph some sunsets and, at 2:00 in the morning, the call to pick up my camera was too loud to ignore A full moon in a clear sky presents a great opportunity to play with long exposures.  I shot the above photo at f/5.6, ISO 100, for a full minute.  I turned the long-exposure noise reduction off, as the low ISO kept the electronic noise in check.  Besides, I hate waiting around for the camera to finish the NR Job.  There are good NR filters that can be applied in post as well. The scene looks entirely different in the day.  I photographed it earlier from a similar position.  It's amazing how the world looks at different times.   Swan Lake an hour before sun...

The problem with building roads near lakes with turtles in them. Imagine my horror when, after finding what I thought was a child's play toy turtle, I discovered it was a dead baby western painted turtle.  Ran over by a car.  It was maybe 1.5 inches long with a shell about an inch wide.  The little guy was probably only hours from being hatched when it got flattened.   The city of Kelowna is busy putting a road through Munson Pond Park.  In spite of the protests, media coverage, placard waving, and letter writing, the road project began.  While it is true that the road is quite a distance from the pond itself, western painted turtles are known to dig their nests significant distances from the water.  This ensures safety from flooding, for the embryos would die if covered with water.  It makes it harder for predators to find the nests because the potential area for their locations has grown significantly.  And it allows the turtles to fin...

Although they look like mosquitoes, chironomid flies are harmless; they have no functional mouthparts. In the mud, muck, and mire of a lake bottom, you may not expect to find anything living.  However, closer inspection may turn up red, maggoty-looking creatures.  Hundreds of them.  These are the larval forms of chironomid midges - a non-biting fly that lives only to breed and lay eggs in the water. The larvae are red because they are packed with hemoglobin.  The protein is used to extract every bit of oxygen from the oxygen-deprived environment where the midges live.  The feed on the decaying matter at the bottom of the water body, although some species may filter particles from the water, some are predators.  There are many species of chironomids in the Okanagan (this was photographed at Wood Lake, near Winfield).  I do not know this particular species. Many fish and invertebrates feed on the larvae, actively foraging for them.  After they have ...

Instead of using a timer or remote, I used rear-synch flash and just walked into the shot. I have written about rear-synch flash before (click here to see), but my desire to play with the feature came with a new goal - to photograph myself without using a self-timer or remote release.  It's easy enough on an iPhone - just switch cameras and you're in business.  But you would not be able to do this with an iPhone because of the anemic flash output and the distance I am away from the camera. Of course, another way to manage this is to have a helper push the button on the camera.  However, I was on my own playing with the evening and decided to try this.  Then again, there was the fact that it was a 15 second exposure.  I am not as fast as I used to be, but I could never manage the feat of jumping off the pier and running into the shot in a 60th of a second, not to mention having any kind of composure when the flash fired. I particularly liked the clouds with the f...

  Lori and Grant with their custom-made 6x6 LMTV camper. Now that's ambitious!  I met Lori and Grant here at Wood Lake RV while we were camping.  They had just come off a long stint from the Northwest Territories.  Their fully-equipped Stewart and Stevenson M1088 tactical vehicle was lovingly put together by Grant, a heavy-duty mechanic, now retired.  Their idea - drive the behemoth across Canada, bring it to Europe, and then travel a few more continents. They plan on taking three years.  Now, that's more than the 800 days alluded to in my title, but the idea is there.  Travel the world, see amazing things, spend time together, and do it while they are healthy. I applaud their gumption.  It is no small task, but I believe they are fully capable of it.  First of all, their camper of choice carries 600 gallons of fuel.  Then there is their obstacle-crushing ride with the ground clearance and tenacity of an elephant.  If that wasn't en...

Bald eagle, Common loon, Red-winged blackbird, Osprey, Tree swallow American coot, California quail, Brewer's blackbird, Great blue heron Wood Lake boasts quite a population of birds.  On the isthmus between Kalmalaka Lake and Wood Lake, there is a large, undeveloped area with marshes.  Then there is Kaloya Provincial Park, a sanctuary for many bird species; I photographed the only caliope hummingbirds I ever saw there.  The Okanagan Rail Trail is surrounded by woodlands or set beside water and is also a haven for wildlife.   There are numerous campsites for weary travellers; we are staying at Wood Lake RV Park, a place we have spent many a day at.  The creek running through the campground is a protected waterway for Kakanee salmon.  Numerous birds rely on the creek for water; a number of ducks breed there.  Yesterday we saw a pair of wood ducks there. The birds in the image above were photographed by me, and they are representative of what I saw ...