Wildlife Photo: Lava Heron

April 3, 2013 Red Hunt 4 Comments

With bright yellow eyes and colour patches around it’s bill, this little heron has a creepy silhouette to it!

Endemic to the Galapagos islands, the Lava Heron, or Galapagos Heron, is a relatively small heron that feeds mainly on crabs and fish. Their feathers and overall grey-black colour blend in perfectly with the lava rocks found along the shores of much of the Galapagos Islands. This camouflage and a stealthy ability to spear their prey with their bills makes them effective hunters.

You’ll often see them around the shoreline close to town as they have no fear of people. This one was photographed at a beach on San Cristobal Island.

Travel Articles

Hanging out at Hideaway Island

March 29, 2013 Red Hunt 5 Comments

When I went to Vanuatu, I had one island that I really wanted to visit: Tanna Island.

Tanna is home to the world’s most accessible volcano and my time living in a little beach side hut there was perfectly relaxing. Only two things disturbed my peace on that island – the burning black volcanic sand and the sonic boom explosions of Yasur Volcano. To get there, you have to fly into the main island of Vanuatu, Efate.

Efate is where the international airport arrivals land. This island, along with Espiritu Santo are the two main island in this archipelago of 83 islands. Most visitors coming to a resort will hang out at either of these islands, and if you want to spend a bit of time around Efate Island and the capital Port Vila, there are plenty of hotels and resorts around. One of the most interesting ones is called Hideaway Island.

It’s on the outskirts of town, so you need to take a short taxi / truck ride to get there. The islanders are friendly, so finding someone to give you a ride, real taxi or not, is pretty easy. Then it’s a quick 10-minute ferry crossing to Hideaway Island and your own little piece of paradise.

Palm trees and beaches await, as does the beach bar and – most interestingly – the world’s first underwater post office!

View from Post office — View from above the Underwater Post Office at Hideaway Island

How cool is that?

I chose to stay at the Hideaway Island Resort & Sanctuary after my time on Tanna Island, because I was on a budget and they offer cheaper dorm type rooms in addition to their nice private bungalows. It proved to be a great choice as I was the only person in my 4-bed dorm room! I spent my time relaxing on the beach and snorkeling around the island, where you’ll see plenty of tropical fish.

Attempting to dive down to the underwater post office barrel is a heck of a challenge too. You can actually buy waterproof postcards to ‘mail’ yourself when they have a diver working down there to receive your postcards. Considering that back on Tanna Island there was a Volcano Post post office, I thought it was neat visiting these two odd post offices on my visit.

If you get hungry or thirsty, the food at Hideaway Island will do the job, but I decided to head into town. Between the ferry, walk and taxi it takes around 30 minutes to go back and forth. In town there are some fruit markets or plenty of tourist restaurants to choose from. I spent most of my meal time at the waterfront bar and restaurant at Anchor Inn as it is one of the better beer places in town, serving Vanuatu Tusker and Vanuatu Bitter beers.

The Ferry and Boat Dock at Hideaway Island

After heading back to Hideaway Island at night, there was always some kind of lively activity happening at the island bar. Whether it was live music or drinks specials, the people staying at the island resort were a fun bunch to hang out with. Definitely a fun place to stay if you’re looking for something a little different from your usual hotel stay.

If you do make it to Hideaway Island in Vanautu…just watch out for:

Beware of Falling Coconuts at Hideaway Island

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Uinta Ground Squirrel

March 27, 2013 Red Hunt Leave a comment

I’m a fan of squirrels. They, like raccoons, have been able to adapt to so many different landscapes and environments. These Uinta Ground Squirrels find their homes pretty much anywhere with open fields and grass lands. While this guy was photographed in Yellowstone National Park, they go as far south as Utah, but prefer the Rocky Mountain states.

This one was one of many scurrying around part of the park, as they tend to live in groups, or colonies. While I’m used to seeing tree squirrels skipping their hibernating plans and being around almost all year in Canada, these ground squirrels tend to only be active for about 4 months of the year. They aestivate in summer and hibernate in winter…guess they’re not fans of extreme temperatures!

Travel Marketing

Hey ‘Professional’ Travel Bloggers – Have you Apologized to Delta yet?

March 26, 2013 Red Hunt 32 Comments

Once again the travel blogging industry was whipped into a frenzy recently after an image appeared on the Delta Airlines Facebook page.

Friday morning, Delta Airlines posted an image of a funny, or scary, Llama in front of Machu Picchu as a way to promote their Atlanta to Lima flights. The post generated positive comments at first, but then about five hours after it was posted, the travel blogger who took the photo chimed in with the following comment.

Now that should have been the end of the story. They take their dialogue private, determine how their image arrived on that page, then move on and both live happily ever after. However it wasn’t, partially thanks to a tweet and Facebook post (since deleted / hidden) that the travel blogger sent out:

I watched the Delta post turn into a one-sided battleground as the day progressed. Every story has two-sides to it, right? so I waited for Delta Airlines to provide a response of their own before making any judgements, others were not so patient.

It seems that ‘expect me to contact you shortly’ really meant – ‘I am going to unleash the wrath of the travel blogger community on you and smear your name in the mud’. Within 13 minutes of their post, other travel bloggers chimed in, crying foul and telling Delta they should be ashamed for using this image without permission, some people even accusing Delta Airlines of stealing the image.

A few of my favourite Facebook and Twitter comments are below, one thing I found troubling was that nobody seemed to bother to do their own research into the situation, to see if there was any way whatsoever that Delta could have used the image legitimately. Many of these comments are Founding Members of the newly formed Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA), who are supposed to act professionally and maintain accuracy with their information.

Sadly, it’s moments like these that can easily have professional journalists snickering at the travel blogging industry, not to mention companies and tourist boards re-considering if working with travel bloggers is really worth the hassle.

The list of negative comments goes on and on (those last two crack me up, are Kate and Travelbllgr the same person?). Some of these people I don’t know and have never heard of, but others are well known in the online travel world, even respected by some. This is the part that saddens me most, especially the PTBA Founding Members, who are not upholding the code of ethics they are supposed to represent. Instead they’ve taken a lemming-like mentality that permeates our constant communication, instant gratification world.

Yes, the majority of the blame of course lies on the shoulders of Erica Kuschel over at Over Yonderlust, who failed to check into the issue before seeking vengeance. In reality it should have been a happy moment for Over Yonderlust and, if handled appropriately, may have resulted in them getting some extra exposure and credit from Delta. But, everyone else who came out with guns ‘a blazing has done their own part in giving potential industry partners the wrong signal.

If anyone took the time to think about the scenario, it should seem improbable that an organization like Delta would be so foolish to hijack or steal someone’s image. Maybe a bit of fact-checking was needed? Indeed, after some time, Delta provided the following response, stating that they had indeed purchased the image from Getty Images – check out the link yourself.

Funny enough though, even after this response, the bashing of Delta continued both on Facebook and Twitter.

Now, it is four days later, and Over Yonderlust hasn’t acknowledged any wrong-doing whatsoever. They did remove their two Facebook posts however. These are some of their last mentions of the issue:

Now, I’m no expert on Stock Photography, but if I sign an agreement with a company like Getty, who may license out my image to virtually any person or company out there, I would be pretty sure to do some due diligence before starting any kind of public bashing about someone using my photos. Some people are pissed off that Erica didn’t get any credit for the image, others are mad that she hasn’t been paid and many think she should have received both. Thankfully a few people saw it with a more level-headed approach:

It’s a troubling situation that almost every person who calls themselves a travel blogger is struggling to make money. This desperation is what, in my opinion, partially leads to these type of outbursts on social media and travel blog forums.

But, how often do you see a name credit on a stock photo? Almost never. How quickly do you get paid for stock photos? Not immediately. Take a look at the basic Getty producer agreement details. It clearly states that what they sell for you this month, will appear on your statement next month, and you’ll get paid in two months. I don’t know if this is the type of agreement Erica has with Getty, but I would hope she knows what her agreement terms are. Some other people share this same sentiment:

Knowing that the people at Over Yonderlust have had an agreement in place with Getty for some time, their initial statement that Delta was using their image without permission has no credibility. Then following up on comments later, stating that the issue as they haven’t been paid yet is, again, not an issue – they’ll get payment when the terms of their agreement warrants it. It’s quite inexcusable to have your images available for purchase through an agency, then bash the end-users who pay for them.

Above that, we’re not just dealing with a new member in the travel blogging industry either, this is someone that has a following, just like many of the people who posted comments in the Delta Facebook post. In fact, Over Yonderlust are also a Founding Members of the previously mentioned Professional Travel Bloggers Association.

A month or two ago I considered joining the new Professional Travel Bloggers Association as its premise seemed solid. Giving legitimacy to the travel blogging industry by promoting professionalism and strengthening relationships with the travel industry. Their code of ethics is an inspiring treat to read and asserts that their members will always: strive for accuracy (not in this case), be accountable (perhaps if they all apologize), respect intellectual property (a bit too aggressively?), act civil and dignified without personal attacks (is it ok to attack companies though?) and be professional.

Ooops, sorry Delta, I guess the PTBA didn’t think you’d mind if their Founding Members publicly bashed you. Do you still want to join the PTBA as an industry member? No hard feelings, right?

If I were Delta, I’d be left with a very sour taste in my mouth after this entire fiasco. Giving them credit, the travel blogger who started it all does seem genuinely concerned about the outcome. While they did ask other travel bloggers to ‘calm down’, I think the wording of these messages (and deleting their Facebook posts) lacks accountability on their part.

The damage has been done. Even so, I only count two people who have seemingly sent any type of apology to Delta for this debacle. I guess most others are happy to just carry on as if nothing happened.

I suspect few, if any others will apologize to Delta, and I’m apparently not the only one who thinks they deserve better. A few people out there agree that apologies are needed here. Kudos to a select few other travel bloggers out there too who kept a clear perspective and refrained from commenting until they had more information.

Perhaps the PTBA isn’t a total loss, but then what do you do with the members who acted against the entire foundation of the association? Do you ban them? Is this post an over-reaction to an over-reaction? Possibly. Does the PTBA release a public apology to Delta on behalf of their members who acted out of line? Or do they ignore the issue and pretend it never happened, sending a signal that it doesn’t really matter how their members (and Founding Members) act on their behalf, following their code of ethics is merely a suggestion.

I know I’ll be curiously watching how developments with the PTBA unfold in coming months as they have elections to create a Board of Directors. The results of such elections could heavily influence my opinion on whether or not the association can, and will, be able to achieve the goals it has outlined for itself.

Becoming a professional in any field isn’t something that should be taken lightly. You’re not just in it for yourself, you’re in it for the betterment of the entire industry. What you do affects others both positively and negatively. It goes far beyond putting another badge on your blog or a promotional line in your media kit when you’re pitching for a free press trip. So come on now guys and girls, it’s time for you all to swallow some of your pride and own up and apologize to Delta and your fellow travel bloggers.

As for Delta, you have to give them credit for being calm and concerned about the situation once it was brought to their attention. While they could have possibly reacted faster, they took the right path, something that the non-lemming posters on Facebook appreciated.

If you got ensnared in this debacle, feel free to drop me a line here and chat about your thoughts on how these types of actions and reactions impact the effectiveness of an organization like the PTBA. To anyone mentioned in this post who has since apologized for or retracted their comments, good on you!

Wildlife and Nature

An Ontario Camping Confession

March 24, 2013 Red Hunt 3 Comments

It may seem odd, but for many people the excitement for summer camping in Ontario starts around Christmas time.

I’m not talking about getting a tent or Ontario Parks gift card as a present (although both would be cool), I’m talking about booking a campsite for your first camping trip of the year.

A well-treed Camp Site — A Well-Treed, Large Camp Site at Wakami Lake

May 2-4 long weekend is the unofficial start to summer camping season and in Ontario you can book a campsite up to 5 months ahead of time. This means when you’re enjoying a Christmas dinner, you can be thinking about where to camp in May. The next long weekend in Ontario is Canada Day and shortly after that is my birthday, so early July is my favourite time for camping in Ontario. Long daylight hours lure me further north in need of a nature fix. Sometimes it’s a park many have never heard of, like Esker Lakes Provincial Park, while other times it is a popular park like Killarney Provincial Park.

Now time for my camping confession:

I have never camped in Algonquin Provincial Park

An Alligator in Ontario — An ‘Alligator’ in Ontario – from the Logging Museum in Algonquin Park

Algonquin Park is an icon of Ontario. It is a big park, a very big park. At 7,600sq km it’s bigger than your average Caribbean or South Pacific island. It is also only 250km north of Toronto, making it very accessible to most people who live in Ontario. For outdoor and nature lovers, camping in Algonquin Park is a childhood rite of passage. It is where many people first spot a Moose in the wild, or hear Wolves howling at night. It is where you may first hear the haunting call of the Common Loon, or where you’ll take off on your first back-country canoe camping adventure.

It is one of our most cherished parks in Ontario and I have visited Algonquin Park somewhere around 20 times. But, I’ve only ever visited for day trips, or stayed overnight at cabins nearby, like the Wolf Den Nature Retreat. I did try camping at Algonquin once. It was a July long weekend and we took off to grab one of the first-come, first-serve sites that can not be reserved ahead of time. Standing in line, the person in front of us scored the very last site.

Moose at Algonquin Park — A Moose, spotted through the trees, at Algonquin Provincial Park

It was July and this massive park was 100% full. It was teeming with Canadians and other visitors who wanted to go camping, canoeing, swimming and hiking. The Highway 60 Corridor, which is home to most of the camp grounds and visitor facilities, had a constant stream of cars zooming along.

So, on a whim, we decided to keep driving north, to another park, in search of a camp site. We drove past Grundy Lake Provincial Park, past Killarney Provincial Park. We kept going past Sudbury, then beyond Sault Ste. Marie. After driving for about eight hours after Algonquin, we came to Lake Superior Provincial Park and set up camp.

Pictographs at Agawa Rock in Lake Superior Provincial Park

It was a great weekend of hiking on quiet trails and enjoying the rugged coastline of Lake Superior. It also got me hooked on the more northern parks of Ontario.

That was many years ago and I have camped at dozens of provincial parks since then but I’ve never had the urge to go camping at Algonquin Park. In a weird way, the popularity of Algonquin helped turn me on to the great, lesser-visited parks we have in our province. I still enjoy visiting Algonquin Park every year as it has superb hiking trails and canoe routes, but when it comes time to pitch a tent, my sights are set further north.

A Grey Wolf at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

I do know many people who swear by Algonquin Park and will go on 10-day canoeing adventures into the depths of the park. It definitely has a special place in many people’s hearts and I know – one day – I will explore the park more, and go camping there. But the beauty of Ontario is that we have such diversity. Our province is so large that the trees and animals I may see at Wakami Lake Provincial Park may differ from those I see further north at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park or further south at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.

So, to me, as impressive as it is, Algonquin is the ‘everyone’ park that attracts the crowds. Now, I’ll admit I have gone camping at many smaller parks during crowded, noisy times. So it isn’t just the fact that it’s a popular park that makes me avoid camping there. In fact, I know it is such a large park that it is easy to spend a week there without encountering other people. It’s just not my style of travel to do what everyone else likes to do. I crave different experiences in different places. Algonquin is famous for Moose-spotting, but other parks, with different environments and landscapes, are better for spotting other wildlife, a factor that weighs heavily on where I decide to camp.

A Groundhog — Groundhogs are one animal I’ve more commonly seen in Ontario Parks other than Algonquin Park

You will find me up at Algonquin Park soon though. As the spring takes hold and snow begins to melt in coming weeks, the Moose migrate to roadside ditches in search of salty goodness. For a couple of weeks of the year it isn’t unheard of to come across a dozen Moose on a visit to Algonquin during this time. But, it will only be a day trip for me as I have other parks to book my camping sites at.

Red Hunt Travel