7 November 2020

 eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S75953491

Weather:  8 am:  4C;  12 m:  7C

Wind:  8 am WNW 14kph;  12m:  WNW 20, gusts 40

Tide:  8 am 3m;  11 am 4.6m

Cloudy, clearing by mid-day


I heard surf last night.  This is perhaps not strange, but the Georgia Straits, or Salish Sea, on the shore of which Parksville sits, is typically much calmer than the west coast of Vancouver Island, and enough surf to be heard in the night is uncommon.  

It wasn't very birdy this morning.  There was a bald eagle carrying a duck from the shore to the forest--no doubt a breakfast.

As the foliage thins, nests in the various shrubs near the paths become evident.  I don't know whose nest this was, but perhaps the spring will tell.


Another harrier encounter.  I'm glad they've agile flyers.  As I was walking along a narrow path between wild rose bushes and other dense vines, a harrier came at me, flying low (eye level).  Fortunately I guess she realised I was too big for prey and veered upward about ten feet away from me.  

It was very windy and again, as yesterday, ducks were rafting up offshore.  Another birder, pleasant and apparently knowledgeable had a count of 350 wigeons.  I enjoyed chatting with him.

The river is subsiding a bit.  There is a variety of fungus along the path by the river.  This one is quite strange:  "White fairy fingers," abundant, apparently edible but not all that appetising.
 

 

The upstream gravel bed is becoming littered with spawned out salmon, and as a result, crowded with gulls and mergansers.  I counted sixty mergansers.  The eagles also are drawn to the spot, and there was one seal who had made its way upstream.


 








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