Finn Killeen
A grizzly bear walking across seaweed-covered rocks at low tide
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British Columbia, Canada · 49.65° N · 125.45° W

Vancouver Island

A family trip up the BC coast with grizzlies on the tide flats, seabirds offshore, and twenty new birds on the life list.

Rough draft: the full story is still being written.

Nine days on and around Vancouver Island with the family, from Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast up through Nanaimo, Comox and out to Mount Waddington on the north end.

Getting there

Ferries, the drive up-island, where you stayed.

The bears

Tell the grizzly story. Where were you, how close, what were they doing?

Seabirds and everything else

Twenty lifers in nine days, including Rhinoceros Auklets, Marbled Murrelets and Common Murres offshore. Which one was the best?

Family moments

The stuff that wasn’t about wildlife.

The film

Photos · 45

A Great Blue Heron standing by a mossy post at the water’s edgeA boat wake trailing down a mountain-lined inletA Barn Swallow perched on a green boat railingA grizzly bear walking over seaweed-covered rocksA young grizzly digging under seaweed-covered rocksA grizzly standing on its hind legs on the tide flatsA Bald Eagle perched on a metal railingA calm inlet reflecting forested mountains under grey cloudsFinn in a life jacket giving a thumbs up on a boatA grizzly bear walking over seaweed-covered rocksA forested shoreline under low cloudsA grizzly bear walking through a grassy estuaryFinn grinning behind a long telephoto lens in the rainforestA sea otter floating on its backSunset over calm water beside a dock postA sea otter floating on its backThree dark seabirds resting on silvery waterA humpback whale’s tail rising from the waterA humpback whale’s back breaking the surfaceHarbor seals hauled out on kelp-covered rocksA small bird perched in tall green grassA small grey bird standing on a log in a streamA Western Tanager among cedar branchesA Chestnut-backed Chickadee on a thin branchA spotted fawn lying in the grass between tree trunksAn American Robin perched on a broken stumpA Cedar Waxwing perched on a thin branchA Cedar Waxwing on a dead branchA Great Blue Heron standing in a flooded marsh among dead treesA female Mallard resting at the edge of a pondA Chestnut-backed Chickadee among fernsA Dark-eyed Junco on mossy groundA Western Tanager perched among pine conesA Chestnut-backed Chickadee among conesA Western Tanager deep in a pine treeTwo Canada Geese swimming in a shallow riverTall cedar trunks rising out of a fern-covered forest floorA squirrel on a mossy logA Turkey Vulture soaring against a grey skyA Belted Kingfisher in flight against dark forestA Glaucous-winged Gull gliding against a blue skyA Spotted Towhee perched on a red arbutus branchA turquoise river rushing through a forested gorgeA black bear nosing through the brushA young gull standing in dry grass