16 April


16 April

eBird data:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S85673076

Weather:  8 am 8C wind WNW 2, 1pm 18C wind NNW 9

Tide:  10:30 am 3.3m


17 April

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S85748324

Weather:  8 am 9C wind calm, 1pm 19C wind NNE 9

Tide:  9:30 am 3.8 m

Two record-breaking warm days.  Not uncomfortable, just in the low 20s (Celsius).  Really quite beautiful.

There are new wildflowers appearing.  The salmonberry blooms, which I'd mentioned before, are now becoming abundant.


The wild currant is less abundant, but striking, and its blooms are supposed to attract rufous hummingbirds.


...I've yet to see a rufous hummingbird near these, but it could happen.

Today (Saturday) I saw little candyflowers for the first time.  


Very delicate, despite the rather precious name.  I expect to see more of them, from the surrounding foliage.

By now the woods are very lush.


In addition to being beautiful, this seems to be accompanied by an increasing variety of new bird visitors.  Today there was a Townsend's solitaire, relatively uncommon, but alas, also very flighty.  It disappeared into shrubbery as soon as I could lift my camera.  It's likely transient, so I can't count on seeing it again, soon.

For some reason that no one seems able to explain, we're practically over-run by eagles just now.   There have been at least a dozen eagles on the sandbars offshore.  There doesn't seem to be any spawning or migration among the offshore fish.  On reflection, it sounds as though there are more sea lions as well.  I hear them all night, and during the day.   Perhaps there is something in the Straits that is drawing both.  

This eagle was catching and eating something tiny in the river, but s/he was alone, so I don't think it was drawn by whatever was bringing the eagles to the shore.



Yesterday, as I sat, drinking coffee and counting ducks, I saw, on a sandbar well offshore, a flock of smallish gulls, who sounded different from the usual assortment.  At first I thought they might in fact be terns, but they were too far out to get a really good identification.  


The little white line out in the Straits are the birds in question.  I was able to load another photo into my laptop last night, and enlarge it so that I could see that they had black heads, and mostly white wings.  (They also looked pretty fuzzy when enlarged but that was just an editing thing.)  I decided they were likely Bonaparte's gulls--usually around in good numbers off the coast in spring.  

To my delight, today as I sat, the gulls were still way offshore, but Don, another birder and a nice and not snooty person, who has an incredibly good spotting scope came walking up.  I think he was a bit surprised when I greeted him with "Oh, I'm sooo glad to see you!"  And then I explained about how welcome his spotting scope was (I didn't look through it--not good to use optical doo-dads just now and anyhow he's quite tall and it was on a tripod.)   Anyhow, yes, 75 Bonaparte's gulls.  I'd seen a few earlier up-Island, still in nonbreeding plumage, but these were in their best birdy bib and tucker.  

Between the Townsend's solitaire and the gulls, I feel I had a very satisfying morning.  

Meanwhile, the flicker continues at her nest--I think she's now feeding young, although I can't get a good look.  I'll monitor the situation.  

The industrious chickadee continues her refurbishing project.  And I'm seeing other birds hopping about with nesting material.  


(I didn't think siskins nested here, but perhaps no one had told her...quite a beakful!)

Tomorrow is the day I usually set aside for domestic chores, and now I'm weeding flower beds as well.  I'd like to do some planting but for the moment, due to the virus, I'm not shopping.  Things will just have to go in late.



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