FROM HERE TO THERE...

A screenshot of Saturna Island from Google Earth.

Saturna Island in relation to Vancouver.

Even though it wasn't forecasted, it rained anyway. It started at about 7:30 am and it rained off and on all day. It does bring the deer out earlier in the day, when it is sunny out we usually don't see them until parts of the site start to shade over. This was before it started raining.

We made it off the island on the 4:15 pm ferry, with a stop on Mayne Island, where we had to transfer to another ferry. Here we are waiting for our ferry to come. The one pictured was heading to Tsawwassen.

Spending the night in Sidney, out by the airport, and then on the first direct flight back to Toronto Friday morning.

Today for lunch we went up to Mt. Warburton Pike, it is the highest point on the island at 397m. You can drive right to the top, it gives some awesome views of the neighbouring islands.

Spotted some feral goats further down, look closely and you can see about four of them.

I saw some of these birds at the site and after a little research, I think they are Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura), so called because of their red heads. Often from a distance they are mistaken for eagles.

On the way back down we spotted this truck.

I wonder how long it has been there to be overgrown like that.

Couldn't do an update without a deer picture. When I called out Bambi, it turned to look at me, I was just taking a wild guess on its name.

A little video of the family leaving.

I almost stepped on this guy, if it wasn't for our trip to Botanical Beach last summer I wouldn't have known what it was.

Picked him up and confirmed it was a Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus)

It can stretch out pretty far. That is a quarter for reference.

A little video of the slug.

I was up early this morning and took a walk down to the beach by the cottage we are staying at. This is the cottage looking up from the trail to the beach.

A view to the south through the trees.

The view to the north east.

An island off in the distance.

When you lift a rock, you'll find a little crab sitting under it.

They come in all sizes.

Self portrait.

Even the deer come to the beach.

For all the times I have been out here, this is the first time I have walked down here, usually because I am here in November and it is raining.

Woke up this morning an opened the blinds, this is what I saw. He was a little closer, but by the time I got the camera he had moved on.

Nothing like working outside when the sun is shining and there is a cool breeze.

There are big spiders on Saturna, often we get spiders in some of the samples that come back from the sites.

Probably the only flowers growing in the clearing where our site is.

Look closely and you can see the ladybug.

The black tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) have been very plentiful this trip, to date we have seen over 20 deer.

Self portrait of me and the deer.

A closer look at the deer.

Drove out to Winter Cove after work.

I'm off to Saturna Island this week. The flight into Vancouver was good and we actually got bumped up to an earlier flight over to Victoria. Of course that meant we had to wait longer for the ferry. Here is the restaurant at Swartz Bay.

We passed a Fisheries and Ocean vessel from Ottawa on the way to Saturna.

Was able to catch the sunset down Navy Channel. That was after watching the Oilers lose to Carolina.

A bird got in the way of this picture.

Just by turning to the left a bit, it is a whole different view.

I tend to go a little overboard with the digital camera.

I am heading to Saturna Island tomorrow for the week. I should be able to do some updates through the week. Weather is forecasted to be sunny.