Today marks the tenth anniversary of this website. It was launched on March 15th, 2005.
The original, and abiding, objective of the site was neither commercial nor promotional. It was merely a notebook of things learned about my surroundings. Had someone else built such a website, I would have been content to learn from it. No one else did, so I set to work.
Ten years later, the website and its blog receive about seventy-thousand page viewings a year. Most visitors are from Western Canada, but many come from other provinces and lands. Such numbers are small potatoes in the modern world of febrile social media. For me, relative obscurity is good: I am not a populist, but a backwater naturalist consulting his muse.
Yet, a decade does represent a satisfying anniversary for the project. How should it be marked? I thought about a reprise of favourite images, but decided that it would be more fun to just press on.
Fortunately, an observation this last week provided the ideal subject material, the Western Bluebird. (Thank you, Darcy Samulak for showing me where to find it.)
Locally, we encounter two species of the beauteous bluebird. I had seen the Mountain Bluebird other years (Puffed blue, Bluebird of unhappiness), but had not seen the Western Bluebird until last week. Unlike the Mountain, with its powder-blue breast, the Western has an orange breast and shoulders. The male’s colours are bright; the female’s are muted.
What a grand present: an anniversary bluebird.
The male Western Bluebird has a blue head and wings, but an orange breast and shoulders.
He is seen chasing some unsuspecting insect.
The female has muted colours.
She is seen here pouncing on and then wrestling with a larva.
Seen from the back, the male is strikingly ultramarine blue, sometimes with touches of orange.
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary of such stunning photography and fascinating commentary. May you continue for another 10 years. Thank you for sharing.
Congratulations on 10 years, I Enjoy every post . Thanks and keep up the great work.
Bob
A decade of thanks to you each day.
Certainly a memorable anniversary with a bluebird of happiness!
Thank you for ten years of fun, informative material and of course the many adventures we have been on gathering the same
Lovely. It has been a privilege to participate in some of your journeys of exploration.
Thank you, Alistair, and congratulations. Hope you will carry on further. After all, there must be more unseen wonders in the Kootenay Range. Michael H.
Congratulations, Alistair. it’s an impressive achievement.
the other Derek
Alistair
I currently live in New Zealand. I grew up in Salmo and spent many, many summers in Riondel. Your photos from the Kootenay Lake area link me back to my roots and never cease to amaze me at what I did not see in all those years in that area. Congrats on 10 years and well done!
Rob
What a wonderful collection of images you have provided us throughout these 10 years! Incredible photographs, incredible photographer!