SkyWatch Friday was yesterday but I thought that I share some of these cloud photographs I took earlier this week. Late in the afternoon a dramatic set of clouds formed over downtown Courtenay, British Columbia. A double rainbow appeared, lasting about 15 minutes before ending in a short heavy downpour. I really didn’t have much to work with as far …
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Comox Bay Mudflats – BC Skywatch #8
While I spent most of my time this past weekend slogging around the mudflats of Comox Bay looking for Bent-nosed Clams and Japanese Littlenecks I couldn’t help looking occasionally skyward. The light was just brilliant and the combination of dark mud and dynamic clouds was irresistible. Many of these photographs feature a set of pilings. The bird boxes on these …
Oyster Bay – BC SkyWatch #7
Oyster Bay Sky #1 I’ve stopped in at Oyster Bay on my way through several times this week for a quick look for birds and to admire the setting sun. Oyster Bay is on the east side of Vancouver Island but the sunset lights up the Coast Mountains across the Strait of Georgia making for some dramatic skies. I captured …
A Glorious Morning – BC SkyWatch #6
In the dead of winter here on the West Coast of Canada one knows that if the sun is shining in the morning it is imperative to seize the day before it vanishes. Such was the case this Tuesday when we had a break in the deluge. After a quick breakfast we headed to Goose Spit in the morning to …
Simply Saguaro – Arizona SkyWatch #7
It’s a dark, wet, rainy night here on Vancouver Island so my thoughts turn southward once again to the blue skies of Arizona for SkyWatch Friday inspiration. Saguaro cactus are a signature species of this desert landscape. Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) with arms reaching to the sky. Last March I traveled with two other naturalists to Arizona for a week …
A Grey New Year – BC SkyWatch #5
On this last day of 2009 I thought it would be fitting to share a series of the typically grey skies that we experience here on the coast of British Columbia in the winter. With any luck, signs of spring will be appearing in a couple of months and we’ll be experiencing blue skies again soon! This series of images …
Across the Strait 2 – BC SkyWatch #4
Sunset at Miracle Beach looking across the Strait of Georgia at the Coast Mountains. It looks like we’ve seen the last of the crisp, cold clear days on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I took this sunset photograph at Miracle Beach earlier this week while we still had some clear skies. Since then the weather has continued to be cold, with …
Courtenay Estuary – BC SkyWatch #3
During the dull gray days of November and December in the Pacific Northwest it is always a treat to get a sunny day. This week we’ve been fortunate with a string of clear (but cold) days and the sunsets and sunrises have been magnificent. The Courtenay estuary is a good place to watch the colour of the evening sky reflected …
Cochise Lake Birdwatching – Arizona Skywatch #6
As the rain continues to fall here in British Columbia, I wistfully return to Arizona for this episode of SkyWatch Friday. Last March, I traveled to Arizona with a pair of naturalists for a week of birding and botanizing. One of the locations that we wanted to hit was Cochise Lake, just outside of Wilcox, Arizona. We arrived late in …
Across the Strait – BC Skywatch # 2
We’ve been blessed with some blue skies this week here on the east coast of Vancouver Island. I captured these photographs of clouds building on the mainland across the Strait of Georgia earlier this week. Enjoy this Skywatch post! Air and Water Mix Storm Clouds Build Across the Strait Looks Like It Might Rain