27 October

 See eBird data https://ebird.org/checklist/S75497682

 

Weather--cloudy initially, then clearing and windy, then cloudy. 

3C to 5C.  

Tide 2 metres at 10 am, rising. 

 re-commenced circuit at 9:30. 

 

A very mixed morning:

 I set out this morning only to find that my camera was sending me an alarming message.  "CF error," and refused to function.  I was alarmed, although   I thought I  understood it to mean that something was amiss with the memory card.  So I made my way back home, found a second card, tried it and it seemed to work.  
 
I headed out again and watched a battle between a murder of crows and a very stroppy kestrel.  
 

I continued on my walk without event.  Out at the point, there was a river otter on the far side of the tidal channel.

The photo is asking a lot of my zoom.  He was a fair distance, but no question, your basic river otter.  A young woman from the Nature Trust was out checking water quality, and she said she'd seen it as well.  She said they weren't common in the area--she'd seen one a couple of years back.  
 
...I meet interesting people on my walks.  One in particular is an older gentleman (and having written that, I realise that he and I are likely contemporaries) whom I think is likely First Nations.  His skin is light, but his manner and general appearance and his voice all make me think he's from the local folks.  He walks a small, fuzzy dog, and often carries a camera.  We discuss what we've been seeing and he's very observant, although he doesn't have the same names for birds and critters that I do.  
 
Day before yesterday we met up along the river and I asked whether he'd ever seen Dippers along the river.  He didn't seem to know the name.  

Today, I did a detour from my usual route to a spot overlooking a gravel bank and rapids.  The salmon are heading upstream to spawn and the area is full of eagles, mergansers, mallards and gulls, all dining on spawned out fish.

But sure enough!  Within moments of walking up to the bank, there he was--a nondescript little grey bird, walking along logs, slipping down into the river, gathering goodies of the bottom of the river.  One of my all-time favourite birds.


There he is.  He is a songbird, but an atypical one.  More about him is future blogs, but the white is not a reflection but feathers that protect his eyes when he dives.

This definitely brightened my day.

I've since learned that memory cards in cameras wear out over time, and there was nothing wrong with my camera.  The photos with the card I used seem fine, but I'm ordering   a couple of new cards--they're pricy but I don't want to lose photos.  A relief and a fine day after a shaky beginning.



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8-10 August

Image
  I find myself wondering if I'm becoming a party poop in my old age.  My home, across from a community park, near the sea and an estuary, is a delightful place to live--most of the time.  August is the exception.  It's not the climate, although we do get a few toasty days, but the annual Beachfest, which attracts hordes of visitors.  The nadir of the event is the Rock the Park weekend, when there's incessant VERY LOUD pop music.  In previous years, I've found it hard to escape and  tiresome.   This year, I decided to spend the weekend at Cluxewe, my favourite campground, up-Island by Port McNeill.  It was a good choice. I left early Friday morning, driving north by the Oceanside Route--there's a faster inland highway, but the slower route is pleasant and has good spots to stop, eat lunch, enjoy the view.  It's consistent with a decision to seek quiet.   I knew Cluxewe would be busy, but it's set up in such a way that it h...
Read more

6 July

Image
  Summer has definitely arrived in the Hamilton Forest and Wetlands.   The distinctively warm light on the vegetation signals the change. The huckleberries are ripening, and are more abundant than I've seen in past years. The very durable foamflower continues to bloom. Although described as common, ghost pipe hasn't been evident in the Forest for the past three years.  This year there is an abundant patch of it near the path. Pojar and MacKinnon file ghostpipes under their heading, "Oddballs," and indeed they are.  As the photos show, the plant has no chlorophyll, gaining its nourishment from mycelium beneath the ground.  It typically appears in a spell of warm weather after a rain--not so in this case--it's been warm and dry.  They seem to be abundant this year; reports and photos are appearing throughout the region. This big trillium is fruiting, its flowering completed.   Two other, smaller, younger, trilliums are visible in the photo abov...
Read more

Two days up-Island

Image
  A somewhat fleeting trip up-Island to explore Alert Bay and attend the T'sasala Cultural Group's final public performance of the season.  There was a lot to see in that brief time. We made our way up, first along the Island Highway, then shifted to the Inland Island Highway to avoid the traffic of Courtenay and Campbell River.  Past Campbell River the highway narrows, and there are many signs warning drivers of elk and other wildlife on the highway.  We didn't see any elk, and the highway was, for the most part, sparsely travelled.  It appeared as though the tourist season is waning. I had misread the ferry schedule from Port McNeill to Alert Bay, but as is often the case, the ferry itself was running late.   We were able to spend time at the dock, where we admired the view across Broughton Strait of Mount Waddington and the Coast Range. We were also impressed by the drinking fountain along the quay, which accommodates both humans and dogs. Arriving ...
Read more