When I was a teen, I think I was a lot more of an outdoors person than I am now. Back then, I was a Sergeant in the Air Cadets and it was my job to teach other Cadets about Air Crew Survival as I had specialized in it by taking a summer course in a bush camp up north. It was an intense course. For eight days we were drilled and trained and taught all that our instructors could pack into a 16-hour day. We were supposed to have a final exam which was simple. Our supplies: one meal and a jackknife. Our orders: survive the next five days deep in the bush going by what we taught you, with only what you have. What I don’t like to tell people is that our five day final exam had been rained out and we ended up watching movies and writing paper tests the whole time. I really felt cheated.

Even after I stopped going to Cadets, I always seemed to feel the call of wide open spaces. When I look back now, it seems pretty sad, but the only way I could get out on the open land or forests was to hunt rabbits and other small animals. I feel bad about it not so much because I killed the animals, but that I didn’t use their remains for a purpose. I don’t fault a person who kills a deer to help feed his family and lower his meat bill, but someone who just kills and wastes a life, even an animal life, is something I frown on now. I did have a lot of fun in those days – a time when most of my life was pretty much bleak, driving far out in the country, looking for secluded spots. In a strange way, since I mostly went out hunting alone, my rifle was my best friend and hunting was my only form of recreation.

Thankfully, now I have found things that get me out of doors and actually open doors for me. I have traded in my rifle and taken up photography. I live to record high speed shots of birds with my Nikon, which captures each motion, each feather. Birds to me are such amazing creatures, and so are a lot of animals. I have even been swimming in Hawaii and brought a waterproof camera to take photos of fish.

I was at a friend’s apartment a while ago helping him move and he sprang for pizza for us. One of the other guys didn’t want his crust so I threw it down for the gulls to get. A gull spotted it and swooped down to pick it up but couldn’t chew off a piece. This incredibly intelligent animal picked up the pizza crust, flew with it over to a puddle, dropped it in the water, and then after it had softened he was able to eat it. After seeing that I don’t think I could ever shoot at another bird again – not with bullets anyway. I sure wish I had my camera to shoot that incredible animal that day though – it would have been amazing.

And, of course, when I think of that day I also think about the times I have travelled on the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria and back. Always, the vessel is accompanied by gulls who will fly along at the same speed the ship is going, and you can throw them morsels of food (they seem to prefer french fries) and they will pick them right out of the air. To me, summer is all about the animals, and the places they live freely.

Leif lives in McCauley.