Just a thought… Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery. [Lois Crisler]
Out here on Canada’s west coast, on Vancouver Island (not to be confused with the city of Vancouver or even the one in Washington State – boy, that George Vancouver got around!) we are often treated to glorious displays of nature at her best.
Today: a near miss, and pure joy.
As I gaze out the bedroom window in our new place, I’m often treated to the sights of sailboats, the odd multi-million dollar yacht and weekend water babies out on their paddle boards or kayaks. Hours can pass before I drag myself out of bed, having had an entire nautical show play out before me.
But what of wildlife? Seagulls – oh, we’ve got ’em – and occasionally we’ll spot an eagle or a heron either in flight or patiently fishing near the marina. The odd seal makes an appearance, but we have yet to see the grandest sight of all. Last week, we thought that was about to change.
As I looked out at a rather gloomy ocean, I noticed a gathering of large boats. The shape of them, and the dots of orange I could see within them, told me they were whale watchers. And where there are watchers, there are usually whales.
Occasionally we hear of humpbacks in the area, and I have an app that will tell me which whales have been seen where. But we know that Orcas often skirt our area. How often? A feature on the local weekend TV cast has a segment (sponsored by a whale watching outfit) called “BREACHING NEWS.” Cute, huh?
So I called Rob, who finally dug two sets of binoculars out of the many unpacked boxes we’ve brought over from the house. We sat glued to our places for about 20 minutes, looking at this.
Did we see an Orca? No, we did not. But we’ve been told by neighbours that, yes, they can be seen from our building. We just hoped that Friday the 13th would be a lucky day for us and we, too, would see one of these gorgeous black and white behemoths. Without even paying to board a boat and endure the chilly rain.
So I can’t leave you with the story of a near-miss, can I? I’ll take you instead to my backyard visit at the house up in Dean Park that we’re still trying to sell (had another busy open house both days of the weekend, so it’s not for a lack of trying on our agent’s part; nothing is moving in our price range).
Enjoy this video of my big-eared friend, and stay ’til the end, because after I said good-bye, it didn’t leave.
Do potential buyers get turned off by deer? Some do, I’m sure; those who treasure their gardens and would rather they aren’t a buffet for the fawns and their moms. Us? We felt blessed when one or two – or more – would visit. And I hope this video makes you feel the same way. (Oh, and while you’re on my YouTube channel, feel free to check out my latest project: Not a Mourning Person, won’t you? Like and subscribe so you don’t miss any new editions; I’m currently producing two a week.)