13 April

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S85475131

Weather:  7 am 1C wind SW 3,  1pm 13C wind NW 16, sunny, initially patchy frost

Tide:  10 am  3.1M, falling

This was possibly the most rewarding morning yet in the Estuary.  I am starting to waken early as the sun rises earlier, and set out early.  This time of year it's often tricky to dress for the weather, particularly if you're planning for a longish time outside, and sure enough, today saw a temperature rise of 15 degrees Celsius in the time I was out.  As usual, however, the wind picked up as the day progressed, so my warm sweater and jacket weren't too oppressive.  

As was the case yesterday, the path to the trailhead, which passes homes with abundant bird feeders, was chiming with red-winged blackbirds.   I really don't have very good luck photographing red-wings--I think because they tend to perch in willow thickets which makes it hard to get a clear photo.  

I almost had a good shot lined up, when--OH MY GOODNESS!--a flock of twelve band-tailed pigeons flew past.  Wow.  That's only the third time I can recall seeing them.  They were headed west, so I had to retrace my steps to try to get a photo.  Fine.  I succeeded, but not of the entire flock, who seemed to have disappeared into the branches of several cedar trees.  One exhibitionist bird remained visible.  Here he is:


I turned back to my usual route, tried a few not very successful shots of red-wings, and found myself watching two  industrious chickadees refurbishing a nest cavity near the (not yet!) Merganser Pond.

I'd seen this performance last year on Mt. Tolmie in Victoria, but it still delights me.



 They would emerge from the cavity, hop to a branch nearby and --ptoooie!-- spit out a beak full of wood chips.   It was quite a performance.  

I explored a new path (to me) that leads into the forest in hopes that the deciduous trees I saw would yield warblers.  No such luck today, but I think I'll keep checking out this area.  


The observation mound, not always productive, gave a fine view of a northern harrier, first roosting on a log, diving off the log to grab something and eat it, and then moving on to another log, where she sat studying me.  



Not a great photo, but possibly gives a sense of this rather scary looking bird.

I proceeded to the usual coffee and granola break.  It wasn't very ducky today.  Still, it's a lovely place to sit, watch the Straits, and just absorb the view.

The eagles were on their nests along the river.  From what I can gather from my reading they must now be brooding little eaglets.  I've now found three nests with eagles on them.  I've yet to really understand the relation of immature eagles to place.  From what I've read, the younger birds can have an enormous area to occupy--up to a thousand square kilometres.  Today there was a pair of immature eagles flying about together, and the nesting eagles shrieked at them.  It didn't sound like family welcoming Junior's return.  I don't know whether the immature eagles predate eaglets.  I'm afraid it's not impossible.

The paths are now becoming lined with wildflowers--toothwort and trillium, so far.  

At the Shelley Road trailhead, I heard a loud "HOOHOO--HOO--HOO!"  answered by a softer, more distant "hoohoo--hoo--hoo."  (The standard version of this is "Who cooks for you?"--a good mnemonic if a bit silly).  It was so loud that I thought I had a good chance of spotting this vocalist, and sure enough:


not an easy spot, but pretty clear once I found him.  I gather there is a pair of them resident in this area, or so I hear from locals, who hear hooting many nights.

Nearby there were trees with orange-crowned warblers, a bit too distant for a good photo, but promising more warbler visits.  

It was a long morning out, but as I wrote earlier, a rewarding one.



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