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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 22m

Marty’s photo of the day #5190: Triple orca whales, photographed last month on the Johnstone Strait, off Vancouver Island. #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5189: Here’s a trio of black turnstones. These birds get their name because they often flip over stones, shells, and seaweed along rocky shorelines to find food. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5188: A humpback whale flashes its tail off the coast of Vancouver Island. #photography #sealife

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5187: Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentrations of black bears in the world. That fact was made obvious by all the bear poop I came across on hikes. Despite that, I only saw two bears: a small one, and the big boy in today’s photo. #photography #nature #animal

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5186: This short-billed gull carried this black thing around as if it was a toy. Initially, I assumed it was a type of lichen. Later, I did some research, and now I believe the gull was carrying a piece of kelp covered in Pacific herring eggs. #photography #birds

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5185: Unlike Republicans in Congress, turkey vultures are valuable creatures that serve a purpose. They are better looking, too. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5184: This is an early morning shot from in front of Deb’s and my campsite last month on the Johnstone Strait. I loved watching the fog dissipate as the sun rose. Soon the tide would come in, covering every inch of the land you see in the foreground. #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5183: I shot quite a few sunrise and sunset photos last month on Vancouver Island. This is one of my favorites: a sunset near the northern end of the Strait of Georgia. #photography #nature #VancouverIsland

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Today, when I checked the motion-sensing cameras on the Essen Wildlife Refuge, I viewed a large herd of female elk rushing by the camera. Bringing up the rear was this big guy. If the herd stays on the Essen Wildlife Refuge through hunting season . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #wildlife

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5182: I think these are a type of ink cap mushroom, called fairy inkcaps, but mushroom ID isn’t my forte. I found them in the temperate rainforest of Vancouver Island and thought they made an interesting subject to photograph. #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5181: During my travels, some people have commented to me, “I don’t shoot photos because I want to live in the moment.” I understand that, and to each his/her own. For me, however, I can live in the moment and still . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #birds

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5180: When Deb and I returned to Port Hardy after a three-year absence, the first thing we did was look for the bald eagles. And there they were! Just where we left them. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

When I was six years old and shot my first roll of film, I photographed a bunch of feet. When my dad saw the photos, he threatened to take my camera away. He just didn’t understand what it meant to be creative. Now, as a wildlife photographer, I . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5179: When Deb & I visited Vancouver Island three years ago, we saw lots of sea otters along the western coast, near Tofino. During our visit last month, we stayed mostly along the northeastern coast of . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #sealife #VancouverIsland

Marty’s photo of the day #5179: When Deb and I visited Vancouver Island three years ago, we saw lots of sea otters along the western coast, near Tofino. During our visit last month, we stayed mostly along the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island. There, sea otters are much rarer. This one, spotted on an outing near Port McNeill, was the only sea otter I was able to photograph successfully.

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Sea lions on high alert! Moments before I shot this photo, a pod of orca whales passed close by, and there was a huge splash. Many of us watching from a boat thought we had witnessed an orca taking a sea lion. Our guide, however, proclaimed that . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5178: A whole mess of sea lions. Well, technically, a colony. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.) #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5177: I watched this great blue heron for parts of three days. She was the only great blue heron hanging out on the gravel beach in front of Deb’s and my Johnstone Strait campsite. The heron was particularly interesting . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

These may look like golden eagles, but they are actually immature bald eagles. Earlier today, I featured an action shot of these two squabbling over a perching spot on the intertidal zone. Here’s another shot from that sequence of photos. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5176: I saw more bald eagles earlier this month on Vancouver Island than I have seen collectively in my entire life. I enjoyed shooting action photos as they interacted among themselves and other bird species. Here’s one . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It’s going to take a while for me to get an accurate count of the bird species I photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island. There were so many! This is a harlequin duck. #birds #photogarphy

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5175: It’s going to take a while for me to get an accurate count of the bird species I photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island. There were so many! This is a female Barrow’s Goldeneye. #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Correction: They are Dall's porpoises.

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5174: On my second morning of photographing orca whales from the beach in front of Deb’s and my Johnstone Strait campsite, I noticed two smaller marine mammals between me and the big orcas. I initially thought they were . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Sunrise on the Johnstone Strait. Waiting for the whales come. #photography #nature #Canada

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5173: “Hey! Chickie, chickie! Shake a tail feather!” A short-billed gull and a greater yellowlegs, photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island. #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5172: When I walked the remote gravel roads on Vancouver Island, I frequently found banana slugs and bear poop near to each other. Since the slugs didn’t eat the poop, I reasoned that the bears must gorge themselves on . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #5172: When Deb and I walked the remote gravel roads on Vancouver Island, we frequently found banana slugs and bear poop near to each other. Since the slugs didn’t eat the poop, I reasoned that the bears must gorge themselves on the slugs. When I researched later, I learned that the slugs secrete a thick numbing layer of mucus that protects them from bears and other mammals. So the proximity of the world’s second largest slugs to bear poop was because of other factors.

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5171: I enjoy photographing birds in flight. So many things have to go right to have a satisfactory image. When they are moving fast, like these glaucous-winged gulls, just getting them in frame is a challenge. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.) #photography #birds

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5170: I watched this great blue heron for parts of three days. She was the only great blue heron hanging out on the gravel beach in front of Deb’s and my Johnstone Strait campsite. The heron was particularly . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #birds #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5169: It took some work to convince the birds to line up in the yellow stripe, but they eventually complied. (Photographed earlier this month on Vancouver Island.) #birds #nature #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Deb and I thought we had our “secret spot” Vancouver Island campsite all to ourselves. Then we noticed these moss creatures, watching our every move.

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5168: Of the many highlights of my Vancouver Island visit, the moments around the time I shot this photo were my favorite. We had pitched our tent at a remote campsite on the Johnstone Strait, and, like . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #sealife #orcas #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #5168: Of all the many highlights of Deb’s and my Vancouver Island visit, the moments around the time I shot this photo were my favorite. We had pitched our tent at a remote campsite on the Johnstone Strait, and, like the two previous mornings, I got up before sunrise hoping to photograph whales. On this final morning, I could hear orca whales breathing on the opposite side of the strait but couldn’t spot them. A half-hour later, the whales swam into view. They were heading for my side of the strait!

I was kneeling at the edge of a spit of rocky beach that the incoming tide was about to submerge. While orcas grabbing seals off Vancouver Island’s shores are extremely rare, when an orca headed directly toward me, I instinctively moved several steps back. That also helped my aim, as I was using an 800mm telephoto lens (which unlike a zoom lens, has a fixed focal length), and the whales were often too close to get into frame.

Because of the orca’s closeness, their brief time on the surface, and my telephoto lens, none of my really close shots turned out. Those views will remain in my head as wonderful memories. Today’s photo is one of my favorites, taken after I moved back from the edge of the water.

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Salmon Day concludes with this short video of the fish waiting for the right moment to make the rapid, strenuous swim upstream to spawn. Shot last week on Vancouver Island. #salmon #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Salmon Day continues with a photo I shot last week near the mouth of a river on Vancouver Island. This is a small part of a large school that was waiting for the right moment to make the rapid, strenuous swim upstream to spawn. #photography #nature #salmon

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5167: The salmon were running in a river near one of Deb’s and my campsites on Vancouver Island. Most of the time I carried two cameras: my Canon R7 with a telephoto lens for distant shots, and my . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #nature #salmon

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5166: Deb and I have traveled all seven continents looking for rare and interesting wildlife and have seen creatures that look like they should be from another planet. These pelagic gooseneck barnacles, which . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #sealife #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5166: Humpback at sunrise! Deb, Nellie, and I have returned to Montana after two wonderful weeks on Vancouver Island. Other than the usual unpacking ritual, today I will begin sorting through the many photos I . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #sealife #whales

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5165: Deb, Nellie, and I just completed three nights at what may be the most awesome campsite in North America. We found a private, one-tent-campsite right on the Johnstone Strait in the northern region of . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #nature #orcawhales

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5164: I just love the far northern, Port Hardy, region of Vancouver Island! I’ve explored all 7 continents, and this is the best area for birds I’ve seen. One reason is because the tides here are so extreme. Some bays . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #5164: I just love the far northern, Port Hardy, region of Vancouver Island! I’ve explored all seven continents, and this is the best area for birds I’ve seen. One reason is because the tides here are so extreme. Some bays go from ten feet deep to hundreds of acres of dry land in a matter of hours—leaving a smorgasbord of crustaceans and other creatures for the birds to gorge on. But alas, after five days, it’s time to move on. Deb, Nellie, and I are hoping we’ve outlasted the summer tourists and that our favorite tent camping spot on the Johnstone Strait has opened up. If not, we’ll look for an alternative campsite.

I photographed this bald eagle at low tide yesterday evening.

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5163: Two days ago, I watched ten humpback whales in the Johnstone Strait (Vancouver Island). Not all humpback whales flash their tails, so when they do, it’s exciting. Look closely under the tail on the left. You’ll see a black turnstone flying. #photography #sealife

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

No. I post a "photo OF the day." So that's over 5,000 posts (starting years ago on Facebook).

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5162: It was a stunning day on Vancouver Island! I spent the afternoon watching and photographing dozens of orca whales, at least ten humpback whales, plus sea lions, sea otters, eagles, and a variety of other animals. This photo shows an orca spyhopping. #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5161: The last time I visited the top of Vancouver Island, the raptors cruising the tidal plain were the highlight of my stay. This time they're even better. Yesterday, I photographed this golden eagle holding onto a fish while escaping harassing ravens. #birds #photography

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5160” Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentrations of black bears in the world. The remote gravel roads have bear poop everywhere. Here’s our first bear. He’s a big boy! #photography #nature #wildlife

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5159: Deb, Nellie, and I have reached the top of Vancouver Island (286 miles long by 62 miles wide). We just finished two nights of wilderness camping at our “secret spot” that we discovered during our previous . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #nature

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5158: Hello from Vancouver Island! Deb, Nellie, and I watched a spectacular sunset last night. As we stood on the shore of the Johnstone Strait, watching the water and sky turn orange, this harbor seal kept popping up. . . . (Tap ALT for full text.) #photography #wildlife

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5157: Zebras at sunset in Zimbabwe. #photography #wildlife

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5156: Today, I give you two animals-in-one. Look at the animal upright, and it’s a great blue heron. Turn your screen upside-down, and it’s the Lock Ness Monster. (Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.) #photography #birds #LochNessMonster

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Marty Essen @martyessen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Marty’s photo of the day #5154: Yesterday, large flocks of migrating Clark’s nutcrackers (pictured) and evening grosbeaks passed through the Essen Wildlife Refuge. The birds picked at pinecones for a while. Then, when a larger bird circled above, they vanished into the trees. #birds #photography

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