23 November

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S97980775

weather:  8:30 5C wind W 7,  12:30 8C wind WNW 12, clear, felt colder than reported

tide:  10:30  4.5m, falling


A very high tide, and flooded fields this morning.  



A shorter walk than usual.  Part of my usual route along the river is now closed due to the risk of bank collapse.


It's unfortunate, but makes sense, given what has happened to the bank lately.  It's also the part of the river where I usually found the lovely little dippers--I hope they're ok--they apparently roost in close to the bank.  I think I know where they hang out when they're not fishing or singing, and I'm awfully afraid that it fell in recently.   I do hope they weren't under it when that happened.  (I know, in the cosmic scheme of things losing a couple of dippers is pretty minor, but they were lovely singers, and interesting little critters.)

When I set out this morning it wasn't particularly cold, and the wind here, unlike that reported by the Weather office, was very calm.  But it picked up and was icy by mid-morning.  

The river is down, for now.  It was a very high tide this morning, so the flow was quite calm, and rather muddy.


There was a female merganser having the bird equivalent of a "bad hair day."  ...A strange feather day?...

Perhaps...  She has an odd expression, too.  Maybe she slept funny?

There was more of a surf out in the Salish Sea than I recall ever seeing.  The wind must have risen out in the straits.


I sat, drinking hot coffee (very welcome!) and counting widgeons.  Finally there was an Eurasian widgeon among the flock.  Last year by this time there were lots of Eurasians--pretty ducks--but I'm not seeing many, yet, this year.  The one I spotted was well offshore, so no point in photo, I guess.

Making my way home, two not even slightly unusual bird shots, but I'll include them because I think they're pretty.

A purple finch, eating seeds from a lilac bush.


...and a song sparrow, apparently posing for the camera.

The weather is supposed to turn nasty again, and as I write this, the wind is standing up.  We're supposed to get two more "atmospheric rivers," one on Thursday and one on Saturday.  Friday may be an ok birding day.



Comments

  1. Jim PickenNovember 24, 2021 at 7:59 PM

    Yes, thinking of you as the next 'atmospheric river' approaches. Reading your accounts of walks is reassuring, hopefully you'll have a good Friday.

    ReplyDelete

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