17-18 November 2020

 eBird data unavailable--server is under maintenance

Weather:  Torrential rain and wind all morning, cleared around 4pm
Tide:  "King Tide"  4 PM, 4.2 M, rising

November has always seemed like the month for ugly weather on the BC coast, and the past few days certainly have measured up to that attribution.  There was wet now forecast the night before last, which didn't materialise, but the wind was dramatic and there were intermittent downpours until late afternoon yesterday.
 
Then it became quite lovely:
 


 I don't really understand why people think they improve the beach by building these silly cairns and superglueing them together, but there they are, in big numbers.  Still, I think the sea and the clouds are quite wonderful.
 
After my episode with the "mystery bird" on the 16th, I brought my camera along and sure enough, she (as seems to be the case) was still on the beach.  I gather many birders have been very excited by the little visitor.  I'm still puzzled and a bit troubled at her presence, but I have to surrender and accept the identification as a female mountain bluebird.  She's a pretty little creature, even if somehow I wound up with a lot of noise in the photo. Doesn't usually happen, lately.  Who knows?
 

 
 
 Among other things, this means I need to take a big jar of mustard and eat my birding hat...at least that's what I said I'd do if it turned out be a mountain bluebird.  She still shouldn't have the white eye ring, her beak is a bit strange (kinda thin) from anything I could read, and it's disturbing to think that she's down here, migrating all by herself.  Bluebirds usually migrate in flocks, and I don't think this is a bluebird migration venue, and most certainly not a mountain bluebird location.  She's completely out of range.  It's possible she got picked up by some nasty weather and dumped here.  I find myself feeling sorry for her.  I'm somewhat inclined to put together a little plate of worms for her.  

Local bird experts are very confident that this is what she is, apart from one guy I chatted with yesterday who said he too thought it was all rather odd.  He'd done birding courses, he said, and led bird counts locally, so I guess he's knowledgeable.
 
Fact of the matter is, birds have more variance within a species than people would like to expect.  Anyhow, I hope she'll find her way back to her flock and do ok.  I'm hoping she's not been dropped by the other bluebirds because she's atypical.  Happens with birds, too.

Weather is miserable again today, but just soggy, not blowing.  There was a snow flurry this morning but it didn't accumulate.  It's still a bit on the chilly side, but it's not windy so the temperature isn't too bothersome.  

I'm actually multi-tasking a bit, and prepping to cook up a batch of lemon ginger marmalade.  Should be nice with my homebaked bread.
 
If the rain abates, and I finish the marmalade before nightfall, I may yet go out and check the bird situation along the beach.  It looks like dire weather for the rest of the week, so it's more likely the beach than the estuary.
 

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