Arrow Lakes, BC

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 16 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Birds in our Yard

For some posts, I do not have to go very far. The photos that I am putting on display today have been captured just a few metres from our backdoor. Word spread quickly among our feathery friends that there are delicious and nutritious sunflower seeds in bird feeders and also on the ground left behind by messy eaters. Some birds like the chickadees make their presence known with the cheerful chirping all year round. Others like the grosbeaks are just travelling through on their long flight to more northern regions. Some are mere summer guests. Prominent among them are the aggressive but adorable hummingbirds. If you stand under their feeder they swoop down on you like dive bombers only to veer off at a right angle at the last second. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 19 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

One Minute Walk around our Yard

A few days ago, I made this video from a few photos that I took while walking around the yard. Due to a long period of very cool weather, nature was way behind compared to other areas in North America. Now Nature was playing catch-up. Mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine greatly assisted in getting the flowers and fruit trees to show off their splendour. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 19 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Spring Impressions at our Outlook

The speed of the arrival of spring at our beloved viewpoint a few km south of Fauquier was truly impressive this year. The sideroad built for the BC Hydro crews greeted us with its leafing tender-green foliage on the birch trees. A young larch branch showed off its splendid new shoots. The look onto the lake with the flowering Oregon grape bushes was breathtaking. We spent a very long time taking pictures which included a macro of the simple and yet so beautiful flower of a wild strawberry. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 26 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Arnica Flowers at the Kalamalka Lake

Last week my wife needed to visit the optometrist for a new pair of reading glasses. We travelled west, and on the way to Kelowna. We stopped at the outlook parking spot on Highway 97 south of Vernon. The spectacular sight tempted me to go beyond the dedicated area. I climbed down a steep embankment where I enjoyed looking at several unobstructed landscape scenes. The icing on the cake were several clusters of arnica flowers covering the dry hillside of the Okanagan Valley. They cover like floral carpets large areas of the hills west of our Arrow Lakes. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 20 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

A Visit to the Pond

Last week I published a few photos on a nearby pond. The discovery of a pair of mallard ducks that had made this pond their nesting and summer residence encouraged me to come back to see if I could capture them with my Canon movie camera. Here is the video composition with music from Grieg Peer Gynt Suite no. 1 op. 46 (Morning Mood). Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 22 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

The Ice-Free Pond

Last week I showed a lone cattail at a frozen pond. Two days ago, we visited the pond again and found that all the ice had melted with daytime temperatures climbing way above freezing. A pair of mallard ducks had already returned from their winter quarters and settled nicely in their seasonal residence. It is an ideal place for the ducks with plenty of water to frolik in and clumps of tall grasses and reeds to hide from predators. For me, it was hard to get a good view to capture them with my camera. A brief walk across the road is our favourite viewpoint. Dark clouds made the BC Hydro powerline and the lake below look more dramatic. Enjoy.