The Pacific Coast is one of those privileged places where diverse populations of wildlife thrive close to human settlement. Along the shores of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, there is little need to journey far from home to see bald eagles and seabirds fishing for herring in turbulent channels; to watch seals and sea lions basking on wharves or islets; to photograph great flocks of snow geese, trumpeter swans, and shorebirds; or to scan the horizon for the telltale spouts of surfacing whales.

For nearly two decades, author Bruce Obee has specialized in the wildlife and environment of the Pacific Coast. A lifelong Vancouver Islander, he has shared the shores and seas with these animals since childhood, observing their seasonal habits and migrations. These chapters contain a mix of scientific facts, historic accounts by early traders, warnings of modern-day environmental threats, and personal observations.

Tim Fitzharris has photographed these oceanic animals for more than a decade, travelling the Pacific Coast from Mexico to the Bering Sea. He has wandered among mating fur seals in the Pribilof Islands, waded shallow seas and wetlands with great blue herons, and followed killer whales in Johnstone Strait. The collection of photographs on these pages dramatically reveals his intimate knowledge of Pacific Coastal wildlife.