20 November 2020

 eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S76508208

Weather:  8am 0C, wind WSW 3kph, 12 m 7C wind ESE 6kph

Tide:  10 am 4.7m, falling

Now sitting as a stew simmers in my grandmother's dutch oven. The aroma is quite enticing.
 
The morning started out frosty, but warmed quickly.  Again, a big tide and boggy paths.
 
Morning light quite lovely.  The remaining leaves by the pond were highlighted against the grey.


 Snow is starting to build up on the Arrowsmith massif.

The morning sunlight had faded to grey by the time I took my coffee break on the bench overlooking the shore, but the day was calm and lovely.  I can't think of a finer venue for a coffee ...
 
 

It always varies, with the tide, the weather, and the visiting birds. 
 
Today wigeons abounded offshore.

If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see that one of the ducks in a row is a Eurasian wigeon.  He seems to fit in fine with his American cousins.
 
A bald eagle set the wigeons into flight.
 
 
Carefully folding and stowing the garbage bag that I use on the inevitably wet bench, I made my way along the river, still full to its banks.   It looks as though the gravel bars will be re-arranged after the high water.


 
There were fewer mergansers today, but they were joined by four common goldeneyes, I think immatures.  I only managed a photo of three.  The fourth dove as I tried my shots.
 
 

 I find the identification of these three to be tricky.  No question they're common goldeneyes.  I think the last one in the line-up is what is called an "eclipse" male.  The head shape is less rounded and there is a more evident neck ring than the other two that I'd take to be females.  (I'd welcome corrections about this.)  In any case, they seemed busily diving in company of the common mergansers.

By this time, the sun was beginning to make its way through the clouds, although the day remained cloudy.  I made my way home to
 a brunch of pancakes with saskatoon syrup.  Quite scrumptious.  It's supposed to rain again tomorrow, but a fine day today.
 
 
 


 ...
 

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