2, 3 December

2 December

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S98374381

weather:  8:30 am 6C, wind WNW 21,  12:00m 6C  wind NW 16, cloudy, then clearing

tide:  10:30 am 3.2 m, rising

3 December

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S98429982

weather:  8:30 am 2C wind WSW 7, 12m 4C wind WNW 7 cloudy, then clearing

tide:  10:30 am 3.3 m turning upward

Two mornings following on wild weather, and showing some effects.

The night of December 1, there was a squall of wild wind, which brought trees down throughout the Estuary forest.

In addition to the wind, it's likely that the rain-soaked earth contributed to the fall, and everything I saw looked as though one tree had fallen and taken others down with it.  The above photo is of an old tree that was snapped off by another pine falling across it.  At some point it will need to be cleared by the Nature Trust, because this is an access road for maintenance.

The Salish Sea was wilder than I recall seeing it.  I certainly heard more surf in the night.

This is mid-tide, and rising.  there were many ducks, mostly widgeons and mallards.  There is also at least one new sizeable fir tree washed out to the shore.  Hopefully it will stay put;  they become real hazards for boats.

There is an increase in bank collapse along the river.

This happened last winter as well, but this looks like a good 50 metres in length and about 2 metres wide so far.  There are certainly more trees that will fall into the river and be washed out to the shore.

Another sign of the bank collapse is here:

Dippers make their homes in riverbanks, where they often stay throughout the winter.  I think the dippers I see actually breed and nest upstream in the spring--I never see them in summer and they reappear in the autumn.  But I was concerned to see the stretch of bank had collapsed, where I was pretty sure the dipper(s) hung out when they weren't hunting or singing. 

But a birder whose judgement I respect told me the day before yesterday that he thought the dipper had moved downstream.  He'd seen it that morning.  I looked, of coursed, but  didn't see it that day, Sure enough, yesterday there he was, well downstream in a channel that runs off the river.

Dippers aren't social birds and usually occupy their own maybe 900 square metres of river, and I'd never seen one down this far downstream.  I'm assuming this is a little flood victim, but he seemed to be coping ok.  I'll monitor.  They are among my favourite birds.

I spent time watching another of my faves yesterday morning.  Now that I can actually slosh my way to the path, I can observe the Merganser Pond.  It lived up to its name yesterday, with five hooded mergansers swimming about.

The second photo leads me to wonder whether females are more assertive than males.  (It seems to be true of mallards.)  The other thing I need to find out is whether the male uses his hood to show dominance.  As I watched, for maybe 15 minutes, one male kept his hood fully open, one midway elevated and one down.  It's visible in the second photo even though the fully opened hood is behind Madam Merganser.

Supposedly sunny and cold on Sunday morning.  I think I'll defer my usual domestic chores until Monday, which threatens wet snow and rain (ick) and go forth tomorrow and see what's transpiring.  I hope the dipper is settling in ok.