Blog of the Plague Year(s)

30 October   eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S96893494 weather:  8 am 2C wind WSW 5, 12:00 m 7C wind NNW9, clear tide:  10:30 2.8 m, rising 31 October eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S96950664 9 am 0C,  wind WSW2, 1pm 8C, wind NE7, clear tide:  10:30 2.4m After being pinned down by nasty weather for most of the week, the past three days have been spectacular, both in their beauty and in their birding.   30 October, It's becoming chilly.  Somehow I didn't manage much in the way of good photos today, despite some very nice sightings.  There were five raptor species--Cooper's hawk, merlin, northern harrier, kestrel and bald eagles.  The kestrel, chased by a crow (maybe three times its size), flew and vocalised something that really did sound like the kestrel version of "nyah nyah nyah nyah boo-boos," and then dove into a dense fir tree.  The crow gave up. The hooded mergansers were on their pond.  I'm no...

  27 October eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S96780837 weather:  9am 8C wind calm, 12:30m 12C wind NNE 5, clearing, occasional showers tide:  11 am 4.2m, rising 29 October eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S96851622 Weather:  9 am 6C wind WNW 16, 1pm 9C wind WNW 8, brilliantly sunny tide:  10:30 am 3.3m rising 27 October:   A dark and ominous day for the most part.  Showers never materialised into the downpours that we've had recently. It appears that the hooded mergansers have returned to their pond--most welcome.  They are such photogenic little ducks, I hope they continue their residence among the mallards. The entire estuary teemed with ducks, mostly widgeons and mallards. I hadn't realised that the recent storms had been cold enough to bring snow to the mountains in the interior of the Island, but, sure enough. That's even rather low altitude.  Small wonder it's felt chilly. A very high tide, again with...

21 Oct   eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S96514980 Weather:  8am 13C wind SE 4  11am 14C wind SE 42 Gust 60  cloudy, occasional showers tide:  10 am 3.6m, falling 26 Oct https://ebird.org/checklist/S96739405 Weather:  8:30 am 8C wind SE 12, 11 am 11 wind ESE 18 gust 33  cloudy, occasional showers then clearing tide:10 am 4.2m, rising 21 Oct A mixed day--the path into the Estuary remains a tangled mess at one point, and the recent rains have left flooded bits.  The duck migration is increasing, although there isn't a lot of variation among them so far.   A point of interest:  near the downstream eagle nest, there is a second nest being built.  I hadn't known that eagles did their nest construction in the autumn, but it makes sense.  They're usually brooding by February, so having a nest in good order early in the season seems a smart move. I'm somewhat puzzled at the proximity to the earlier nest, which I was t...

  17 October eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S96292835 weather:  9:30 am 11C, wind NNE3,  1 pm 8C wind WNW 14, cloudy tide:  11 am 2.0 m 18 October https://ebird.org/checklist/S96395410 weather:  8:30 am 1C, wind calm, 12:00m 10C, wind E7, clear tide:  10 am 2.0m, falling 19 October eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S96435350 weather:  8 am 4C wind SSE 5, 11 am 9C wind SE 13 initially cloudy then clearing tide:  10 am 2.5m, falling 17 October Following on 2 days of heavy rain.  The river is in spate.   It was a very low tide, which left me wondering what the river was going to look like at high tide.  Apparently it still remained within its banks.   The salmon run must be about to begin--the eagles are beginning to appear in substantial numbers.  This is still an immature eagle--probably about four years old, although as I understand, the plumage varies quite a bit among youngsters.  He lo...

11 Oct eBird data:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S95993526 weather:  8 am 6C wind W 7, 11:30 am 9C wind WNW 9 partly cloudy Tide:  10 am 4.4m, rising 13 Oct eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S96083340 weather:  8:30 am 5C wind SW 4,  12:00m 9C, wind N 4, increasing cloud tide:  10:30 am 3.4m, rising 14 Oct eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S96123492 weather:  9 am 9C, wind SE 10,  12m 9C, wind ESE 17, cloudy Tide:  11 am 3.1m, rising A week of variable weather.  Sun and mist in the early hours of Monday morning  But gradual clouding over.  Somehow I managed to evade rain every morning, even though the days have become wet.   There were very high tides on the 11th and 13th. The migrant ducks are becoming abundant.  Much quacking from the mallards, and squeaking from the wigeons. The snow on the mountains in the interior of the Island has persisted as the weather has remained chilly...