17, 18 October

 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 looks as though he's been rained on.


There are also starting to be flocks of siskins--possibly not the irruption of last year, but definitely big flocks.


18 October

For a change, a brilliantly clear morning.  The first frost of the season.  The fields glowed with mist, rendering the deer almost magical.


In addition to eagles and salmon, fungi are another seasonal marker along the river.

There are the spectacular and lethal fly agaric.  It appears that something has been eating these.  I don't know which creatures tolerate it.   Perhaps somewhere, there are critters hallucinating.  Not a good thought...


There are lots of these "fairy fingers."  Supposedly they're edible when young, but no one has yet to tell me they're palatable, and I find them rather creepy looking.

The river is down a bit, but still very high, and the foliage is increasingly spectacular.



Making my way home, I wove my way through the fallen willow.  A flicker clucked at me--a new flicker sound to me.  She looked a bit anxious.


Perhaps she, too, expects more trees to fall.

19 October

Back to clouds, but at least dry.  It's warmed up a bit--the snow is almost entirely gone from the Arrowsmith massif.



No doubt it will return.

A low tide this morning, and not many birds visible, although the eagle population is growing.  I counted at least eight today.  As the clouds cleared, the foliage along the river  glowed


The forecast for the week is more rain.  Time will tell.



 

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