Unfortunately it's now 1am and jetlag has got the better of me

So, I've uploaded what will be my main album from my Vancouver Island trip. I hope you enjoy it

Click on the picture!



Wildlife pics will still have to wait as I need to retrieve some video footage off the movie camera before the full tale can be told.

In the meantime, what about the power outages?

Vancouver itself was hit by the worst storm in over forty years. (For those not familiar with Canadian geography, Vancouver is not, confusingly, on Vancouver Island, but on the mainland, the other side of the Georgia Strait. The north and west of the Island are sparsely inhabited; for example, the village where I stayed has a population of 300 people and is an hour and a half's drive down a rough logging road from the next village!)

We didn't get the 90mph winds on the West Coast. We didn't need them. Our power supply was already severed!

It went out on Tuesday afternoon, was eventually restored by Wednesday afternoon, only to go out again on Thursday morning. While Vancouverites booked themselves into hotels to escape the blackouts, the village offered coffee and tea in the community centres.

I'm no fan of roads but when the only one to the village is blocked by fallen trees and snow, getting home to the UK is a tad complex. We rang Air Canada and explained we were marooned, and they said the next available flight wasn't until the 24th - and that was from Calgary over in Alberta! (Calgary is just three hours from Waterton National Park, a place I've wanted to visit in winter for years and years, and I immediately thought of ways to exploit this unexpected situation - provided, of course, we could get out the village with some time to spare)

On Friday, the winds dropped, but the snow came down...



Mid morning, it brightened up. My mother and I decided to make a dash for it. Despite having a 4x4 it was an utterly unnerving drive - but stunningly beautiful. And, obviously, we made it back to Vancouver in time to catch our original flight. (Or, thinking of Waterton, )

While I argue that the value of London's rail stations as a commuter hub may possibly be overestimated, I can say that they offer minor rewards from a wildlife watching perspective - house mice, rats and Newfoundlands... This evening I saw two house mice, one a juvenile that seemed mildly bothered when a train rattled along the track, wheels cranking a few inches above its head.

Lucky mice, really. No owls to swoop upon them, no foxes to listen for them, no cats to torment them. Still, I think a wild mouse in long fresh meadow grass is a pretty sight than one dodging cigarette ends tossed onto the track.

Seasons hardly matter to station mice. To foxes, of course, all is different. And out here in the countryside, the season is changing fast.

The Old Dogfox has long had his winter coat, and is looking in excellent health. He's developing a black brush as well as black legs:



The Fringe Vixen is still scratching, unfortunately, and has large bare patches on her flanks. We'll have to keep an eye on this. I wasn't able to photograph her tonight - she was too restless.

But an interesting thing happened. The Old Dogfox suddenly walked over to the lawn near her, lay down on his chest and stretched himself out, almost playfully. She ignored him for a while.

Then she ran straight at him! He bounced up and they stood a few feet apart for a little while.

I wonder if this is some kind of pre-courtship ritual. The seasons are certainly moving on...