Wildlife on the beach
There are so many wild, beautiful places on Vancouver Island and one of the most magical things is getting to see other animals just doing their thing. The last time I went out, I saw otters, harbor seals, herons, and eagles! Here are some photos of other beings who live here with us.
This great blue heron was kind enough to fly in and pose for me in the most perfect light. These may be my best heron photos ever! (You may know how much I love photographing herons. See this post, Take a Summer Stroll with Me, this one, Herons Only, and this one, Birds Along a Shoreline, for more heron photos.)
A great blue heron is standing on a seaweed-covered rocky shoreline with their wings partially open. Their feathers are shades of slate grey, pale grey, and white with a spot of pink on the wing.
A great blue heron landing with wings outstretched in front of them on bunch of seaweed in front of the ocean.
A great blue heron about to land on a seaweed-covered shore with their legs outstretched and wings back. Their legs look like very long chicken legs with enormous clawed feet.
I was also delighted to see this big group of harbor seals lounging around! I think this shot is kind of album-cover-ish. They’re so round and cute!
A group of six harbor seals are relaxing on a seaweed-covered rock in the ocean. Some of them are looking straight at the camera.
A harbor seal is lounging on a rock in the ocean. They’ve got a mottled black-and-white body and a puppy-like expression as they gaze at the camera.
A harbor seal on a rock with their back end sticking straight out. They’ve got white fur with black spots and are looking at the camera.
A mostly-white harbor seal is laying on a rock in the ocean looking out to the distance. Just behind the rock another seal has peeked their head up.
I think a lot of birds have their fanciest plumage on right now and this bald eagle was no exception. I really love feathers!
A bald eagle is precariously perched on the top branch of a tree with wings outstretched about to take flight.
A bald eagle has just pushed off a treetop and has their wings stretched out in front. The tail feathers look almost transparent with light coming through.
And arguably the cutest, river otters. Otters are vicious predators who just always look like they’re having such a good time! This one was alone, which seemed unusual, but it was so cool to see them galloping among the rocks down to the water. I watched them hunt around the shore for a long time after this.
A river otter on a rocky shoreline has just paused to look at the camera. Their whiskers are adorable.
A river otter navigating their way through boulders on a rocky beach.
I hope you get a chance to go outside soon! If you liked these photos, you can also follow me on my nature Instagram account @AndreaRangelOutside.
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