by Tina Kelly –
Sea lions, wolves and whales, oh my! Watching these animals in their own environment from the comfort of your home is possible due to improvements in technology including, and maybe most importantly, water and weatherproof camera housing.
Now is the time to visit Hancock Wildlife (www.hancockwildlife.org) and dunk beneath the surface of the Chehalis River for the annual salmon spawn. Bookmark this site and head back for a look in the spring when you get a bird’s eye view of bald eagle courtship, and egg laying, tending, and hatching, then follow the family drama as the young quickly grow up.
You can also watch salmon spawn in the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest – British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest. With above-ground cameras hosted by Pacific Wild (www.pacificwild.org), you have the chance to watch wolves, bears and birds forage on returning salmon or, on their outer coast camera, observe a sea lion haul-out. Earlier this year, staff at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea were captivated by the real-time action of Bigg’s killer whales hunting sea lions. Underwater cameras capture harbour seals jutting about a seaweed garden and, come spring, an additional camera highlights the magnificent coastal event critical for the coastal food web: the Pacific herring spawn. The site’s archived footage features a humpback whale gulping a school of herring. Don’t miss the action by signing up for Great Bear Live; you’ll be notified directly when something exciting is happening on a live camera.
Dive deep with live feeds from Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) at www.oceannetworks.ca. Cameras mounted in the deep offer you a glimpse of life far below the depths scuba can take you. Deep sea fish, crabs, octopus and more can be spotted. Keep an eye on their website for research expeditions and you’ll not only explore in real time with real scientists, you’ll learn about the technology used from ship deck to sea floor. Learn by watching or learn by asking – some expeditions provide the opportunity to communicate with the onboard scientists, educators or crew.
Look southwest from Victoria and you’ll see a lighthouse and smattering of small islands representing Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Visit www.racerocks.ca and search for residents of the Reserve, including elephant seals and other marine mammals. For added fun and engagement, the site gives you control of remote controlled cameras for two-minute intervals.
How many species will you spot from home?
Note: Even with advanced technology and innovation, storms or other factors (like a trawler that dredged an ONC camera) can cause the live feeds to be down. Be patient, as you will need to be anyway to spot our magnificent West Coast wildlife above and below the sea.
Photo courtesy Ocean Networks Canada.
