Bald Eagles in Clayoquot Sound

While staying in Tofino last week, we saw several Bald Eagles. One took up its post near our cabin, keeping watch for an easy meal of fish from the inlet.

We know the plumage of the adult: evenly dark brown with a white head and tail. Males and females are identical in colour, and differentiated only by the fact that the female is 25 per cent larger than the male. 

Plumage of an immature Bald Eagle resembles that of a Golden Eagle: a messy kind of brown with white streaks covering the bird from head to tail, until its fifth year when it becomes an adult. These photos show an immature Bald Eagle in flight. 

All photos copyrighted 2013 by Jim Murray.

Cathedral Grove

Cathedral Grove is one of the most accessible stands of old-growth forest left in BC. Only 16 km east of Port Alberni, along Highway 4, it is a remarkable place to visit.

The Grove is only 157 ha in size, and resides within the 300 ha of MacMillan Provincial Park. Cathedral Grove contains a stand of ancient Douglas Fir, some of which approach 800 years in age.














In 1944, H. R. MacMillan, donated 136 ha to the provincial government "for the perpetual enjoyment of the public in recognition of the unique stand of trees."  The donation was made after years and years of refusing to discuss the possibility of preserving what had already become famous as Cathedral Grove.

In 1997, on New Year's Day, a severe windstorm changed the park forever. Hundreds of trees were toppled and much of the park's trail system destroyed (some have not yet been re-opened). The fallen trees are of significant value as they open the canopy to provide light, shelter and nutrients for the new growth.






















About 1 million people visit the park every year, and there can be an initial sense of congestion : cars and people. That being said, it only takes a few moments to find peace and solitude, and it is worth every minute.

Photos by Jeem. Copyright 2013 by Jim Murray.

The Falls of VanDusen Gardens

We walk around VanDusen Gardens about two or three times a week. The Gardens are a backyard of sorts for us and we enjoy seeing the changes week to week. We also hear from visitors about the falls. The falls seem to be on every tourist's list of things to see while visiting the Gardens.








There is a tropical flair on the way to the falls at VanDusen; the ferns are nearby and they conjure up thoughts of a more primitive time in a hot and humid rain forest.




























The falls at VanDusen are perhaps 12 m in height, and possibly 2 m wide at best. They are apparently fed by... a municipal water source. Not that there is anything wrong with that.





I remember some other falls, at Argentina's border with Brasil, where we spent more than several days earlier this year. The Garganto del Diablo, at Iquazu, is 82 m high and 150 m wide. It was hot and steamy and everything was wet beyond belief. It was an adventure.



And yet, so too are the falls at VanDusen. The sound of water falling on rocks and the mist in the air, is not unlike Igauzu, and it's slightly closer to home.




You can see some photos from the other falls here: Iguazu Falls