10, 11 February


10 February

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S80768939

Weather:  8 am 0C, wind W5,  12 m 1C, wind NW4,  light dry snow

Tide:  10:30 3.6M

11 February

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S80824729

Weather:  8 am -2C wind SE 8, 12 m 0C wind SE 6, cloudy

Tide:  10:30 3.6m falling


Funny, eh?  Last couple of weeks I've been writing about the onset of spring and now!  We get this arctic influx, and although so far it's not been as cold as was forecast (thank goodness) it's been decidedly wintry.

Yesterday (the 10th) the snowfall was the little efficient flakes I used to see in the Interior and Alberta--nothing big and wet, cold, and steady.  I went out for my walk, expecting the big sloppy flakes, but no, just cold.  Not very birdy, either.  From what I saw, the shorebirds were well offshore, and the LBBs sensibly hunkered down into the shrubbery.

It was beautiful, though,  in a chilly and rather austere way:  



The Straits looked grey and cold.


Somehow, I managed to produce a bunch of blurs instead of photos.  I'd tried a re-arrangement of settings on my camera and concluded that I'd somehow made a mess of things.  On reflection, however, I think that I was wearing such a bundle of warm clothes that I inadvertently set off my camera shutter when it wasn't directed anywhere.  It behaved ok today (see below.)

Today (Thursday the 11th) it was cold but less snowy.  More is forecast for tonight, but it was just cold.  It was also rather birdy-er (if that's a word?).

The merganser pond is now frozen over and has a skiff of snow on it.  


I can remember seeing ducks landing on a frozen pond in England, sliding, and taking off again and again and sliding. Wheee!  It looked like they had discovered skating, kinda.  But I've yet to see that among the locals.  Perhaps time will tell--we've got a few more cold days ahead. 

At the shore, there were two intrepid young naturalists from the Nature Trust, in waders, checking water quality.  OH!!!  BRRR!  I've often wished I'd followed their career choices, but today, not so much.  



 The two nearby Gulf Islands--Lasqueti (closer) and Texada (behind) both have had significant snow, it seems.


The five shapes on the sandbar that is furthest out are eagles.  There were LOTS of eagles today.  These were chowing down on a Brant goose.  I debated entering "1/2 Brant" on my eBird listing for today, but I couldn't find any place to do so.  Maybe "1/2 ex-Brant?"  

The river is now low and clear.  The Nature Trust folks and I discussed this, as it was really turbid about a week ago.  We decided that it was so cold, that the stuff that has been washing down from the mountains has frozen and is staying put.   Makes sense.


And finally, a photo of a LBB--a song sparrow--that I think came out pretty well.  Bird looks kinda fluffy--probably feeling a bit chilly.



And so we'll see what the Estuary offers tomorrow.







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