19 June

 

19 June

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90438356

weather:  7 am 15C wind WNW 5, 11 am 19C wind N10,  clearing gradually

tide:  9 am 2.2m rising

21 June

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S90555424

Weather:   7 am 17C wind W 4,  11am 21 C wind NW 16, clear

Tide:  9 am 1.2m, low tide, turning

Two summer mornings, definitely warming up.


There are always deer in the fields when I set out.  I assume they're the same deer who graze on our flowers and vegetables.  They look lovely in the fields, although they do leave me with fond thoughts of venison.

The overgrown path into the Estuary remains overgrown, but at least the foliage isn't as wet as it's been.  I've now acquired a heavy long-sleeved work shirt that protects me from the brambles and rose thorns and isn't as hot as the rain jacket I was wearing.  It's not a fashion statement, but it seems a good idea.

The meadows are beautifully green and glow in early light.


And the Arrowstone Massif is gradually shedding its cap of snow.


The two very chatty ravens continue their dialogue and aerial acrobatics, but I've yet to be able to record anything.  I'm re-reading Bernd Heinrich's Mind of the Raven in hopes I'll come to understand them better.  

There have been very low tides during my most recent visits.


A local birder assured me recently that there were no common yellowthroats in the Estuary, so when I heard the classic "witchety witchety," I was keen to see the source.  Sure enough:


Perhaps not a great photo, but unmistakably a yellowthroat.  I've seen it twice, now, in this same alder snag.

There's still a lot of parents feeding youngsters


I watched this hard-working little song-sparrow gathering bugs and taking them off to a nest (which I never could find).




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