2, 3 august

2 August

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S92667233

weather:  6am 16C wind calm,  10:30 21C wind NW 12,  haze

tide:  8:30 1.6m, turning 

3 August

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S92725631

weather:  7 am 15C wind calm,  11 am 21C wind NNE, clear

tide:  9 am 1.4 m, turning from ebb

2 August

Hazy morning.  The Coast Range is invisible.  As the breeze picked up in the morning, the haze lifted a bit, but it's clearly made its way here from the fires in the Interior.  The sight and the thought is horrifying.


The light along the pathway was tinged with red, in part because of the haze, and quite possibly because the woods are drying out and starting to look like a sort of false autumn.


It's pretty, but not really pleasing to see.

Neither of these two days were particularly birdy, but both offered some good encounters.  

As I walked along the river, I heard such loud drumming that I actually thought--rather irritably--"some stupid person is pounding on a log somewhere here, pretending to be First Nations."  (It happens and it's just not respectful.)  And then, nope.  It was a really loud young pileated woodpecker.

 


This bird still doesn't have the fully mature bright red "pileus" of an adult pileated.  I found  myself wondering if he's one of the two youngsters I watched having a pecking lesson on June 17th, but on checking back those two were females and this is a male.  Must be a lot of woodpeckers hatched out this past spring.  Excellent.


In any case, he's clearly one diligent young woodpecker.

3 August

In many respects a strange morning.  

First, I overslept:  Biggie wow!  I forgot to set the alarm yesterday night and didn't wake up until 6 am this morning.  I was astonished, and rather groggy.

Anyhow, made my way out eventually, with coffee and breakfast packed.  

It was clearer--the Coast Range was visible, albeit vaguely,


and there was a lovely fresh breeze.  I see that Weather Canada tells me that the wind was "calm" at 7 am when I set out, but I thought there was a nice breeze.   

It was, however, the least birdy morning to date.  I heard a few birds, but really didn't see much, and certainly nothing much that I could photograph, until...

...after my breakfast on the Point, I made my way up to the gravel bar almost at the end of my walk and saw a very young eagle, struggling to get himself airborne.



From his plumage, I'd guess that this is one of the youngsters who hatched this spring.  I'd also guess that somehow he'd managed to get his plumage completely soaked and that the feathers on a young eagle make for a considerable weight when wet. 

Anyhow...


(sorry, not very good photos--lots of tricky backlighting) but the quality of the event comes across, I think.  "Oh s--t!  This ain't gonna happen!"  




!
A couple of shots of young ig saying "NOW WHAT??!"  Nictating membrane in second shot maybe intensifies emotion?  Anyhow, young and exasperated ig.


"OK, Mom always said, 'If things get weird, preen.'  Guess I might as well try."


...and sure enough, Young Ig began to dry out a bit, and managed to fly ten feet to a new log as I watched.

I phoned the North Island Animal Rescue folks, who were very nice and said this happens fairly often with young eagles and he would probably be fine once he dried out.  They suggested I check tomorrow morning, which indeed I shall do, and report if the youngster is still not airborne.

I do hope Young Ig has figured something important out, here.  It all looked like one of those things that happens to us when we're young and independent and --um--stupid?  Eagles are just not really all that aquatic.  

4 August

Little postscript--took a quick walk along the river this morning.  No soggy eagles on bank, two youngsters gliding over the forest.  I guess Young Ig must have dried out and moved on.  





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