Owlet wrote:Love the photo of the guillemot Mel!
I've heard that lonsdale is a good place for alcids, which I really need to photograph since I've only had views of some alcids by scope. If so, what are the best areas time and viewing tips? I would reaalllllllyyy love to see a pigeon guillemot close up, they are kinda like penguins 
thanks in advance!
Hi Adam,
Thanks so much your kind words on my Pigeon Guillemot shot. You are right they look kind of like little Penguins and they sound so funny. They are present all day Adam but an evening shoot would be better because the light can be harsh during the day if it's not in the right position for shooting. When I was there I saw a large raft of 100 Barrow's Goldeneyes too right up close to a nearby dock (and in gorgeous light) but I couldn't get to them because they were feeding all around a private dock! It was painful haha.
So you definitely won't need a scope. The specific place is called Burrard Dry Dock Pier. Sit down low on the lower public dock (with your dad) and watch them swim in front of you and if you are quiet and alone on the dock like I was, you may get lucky and have them swim right at you! Either way, it will be great fun and they will still be close enough for good views. You can watch them feed along beside the pier and fight/squabble (since it's getting to breeding time). You will also see them fly under the pier to their nest sites. You will have a great time Adam listening to their funny sounds, seeing them in flight with those red feet and flying up to their nests. It's funny to watch them come flying in and crash landing into the water with a big plop! Let me know how it goes for you but make sure you have the sun in the right position for shooting if you go in the day and a nice evening shoot is probably best. Not sure if you know this but Pigeon Guillemots are only found on the West Coast so they are special indeed.
Cheers,
Mel
- By GMcD
- By stumblingpiper