Vancouver Island Trip Report – March 2012

Vancouver Island Trip Report – March 2012



During the past few weeks I have been leading my annual Vancouver Island Photo Workshops. Both groups of 4 participants were blessed with some very cooperative weather, plentiful avian subjects and great shooting companions. We had a great time! Some of the most memorable encounters and best photo opportunities included:

American Dipper: These guys are so much fun to watch as they chase each other around the rainforest streams and feed on salmon fry.

Vancouver Island Trip Report – March 2012
American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) perched on a rock in Victoria, BC, Canada.

American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)

Sapsuckers and Pacific Wrens in the Temperate Rainforest: Two more fantastic birds that we found during our group sessions in the rainforest.

Red breasted Sapsucker 05
Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) perched on a branch in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber)

Pacific Wren 26
The Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) breeds along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California and inland as far as Wyoming and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It migrates through and winters across the western half of the United States and Canada.

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

Landscapes: We couldn’t leave the rainforest without taking a few scenic images.

Goldstream 10
Goldstream in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Flight Photos: I have the BEST place to teach you the skills for successful flight photography here on Vancouver Island. If you want to improve your flight shooting skills…this is the place to do it!

Bufflehead 55
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) flying in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Northern Pintail 61
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) flying in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Beautiful Waterfowl on the Golden Pond: In addition to all that flight shooting we made sure to focus on capturing some exquisite portraits as well.

Ring necked Duck 36
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) swimming on a pond near Victoria, BC, Canada.

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Harlequin Ducks and Shorebirds: No visit to Vancouver Islandwould be complete without a few shots of Harlequin Ducks and the charismatic Black Oystercatcher.

Harlequin Duck 17
The Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) swimming on a pond near Victoria, BC, Canada.

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

Black Oystercatcher 25
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) feeding along the shoreline in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

Feeder Set Ups and The Much Sought After Varied Thrush: Both groups wrapped up the week with a stop at a few feeding stations. At one station we worked on Pine Siskins and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. At the other we got what was for some the highlight bird of the trip – the Varied Thrush.

Varied Thrush 17
Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) perched on a branch in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)

By the time the week was over I think everyone had fallen in love with the city of Victoria and also all of the great birds that can be found nearby. If this action packed 5 days of bird photography sounds like fun to you then be sure toe-mail me and put your name on the list for next years trip. Article written and images fully copyrighted by Glenn Bartley.

Varied Thrush 15.1
Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) perched on a branch in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Glenn Bartley

Glenn Bartley

Glenn Bartley is a professional nature photographer who specializes in photographing birds in their natural habitat. He currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast. Glen runs instructional photo workshops throughout the year to exciting destinations around the world. Upcoming trips include Vancouver Island, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Churchill Manitoba and Peru. He focuses on birds because there are so many species, they can be found almost anywhere, they are challenging to photograph and beautiful to watch.

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Glenn Bartley

Glenn Bartley

Glenn Bartley is a professional nature photographer who specializes in photographing birds in their natural habitat. He currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast. Glen runs instructional photo workshops throughout the year to exciting destinations around the world. Upcoming trips include Vancouver Island, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Churchill Manitoba and Peru. He focuses on birds because there are so many species, they can be found almost anywhere, they are challenging to photograph and beautiful to watch.

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