30 August-2 September (Kin Beach)

 This was my third visit to Kin Beach this year.  It's  quite a small provincial park, just north of the Comox air base, overlooking Malaspina Strait, with a great view of the Coast Ranges.



 Nothing fancy, pit potties (very well maintained, even with real art work on the walls and flower baskets hanging outside), no shower, a small shop for things campers forget. Super friendly staff.  I've never been there when it was full, although it does seem popular.  It attracts me because the first time I went there (just about a year ago), there were rafts of waterfowl in the Straits.  No such luck this trip, but still a nice stay.

I stopped in Deep Bay, as usual, to check the bird situation.  It's one of the best places for shorebirds and an assortment of ducks.  The migration isn't really underway, but it was worth a stop.


This is Chrome Island lighthouse--picturesque, I think, with Denman Island behind it.

There was a curious mix of Bonaparte's gulls and oystercatchers along the shore.  


...and, I note, a juvenile which I think is a ring-billed gull.  

The above photo is one of those that I feel demands a caption.  I'd think the little Bonaparte's are saying, "Get a load of the beak on that guy!  Wow."

A bit hot, on Tuesday and Wednesday, but there was a nice breeze from the sea, and I had my usual shaded campsite, so I was comfy.

Alas, there's a campfire ban in all provincial parks just now.  It was warm enough on Tuesday and Wednesday that I didn't like the idea of cooking in my camper, but I have a one-burner propane stove (on the table) for hot weather or to cook fish or other fragrant food. 

There was a wonderful sky on Tuesday evening.



Wednesday morning I walked along the beach, hoping for interesting shorebirds.  Nothing presented itself, until these, which mystified me at first:



Eventually, the penny dropped.  Harlequin ducks, juvenile and/or female.  The juveniles have yellowish feet and legs.  Sure enough, an obliging duck climbed onto a rock so I could see his feet.

I spent a lazy afternoon, reading and chatting with my neighbours, who had a pop-top camper, a bit bigger than mine, probably a good idea for two people and a very large dog.  Nice folks, nice dog--a Bernese mountain dog and German Shepherd cross.  Someone you would take seriously, but quite mellow.

One of Kin Beach's great accomplishments is amazing sunrises.  




At low tides, there is this lagoon, a bit weedy just now, but apparently fishy--this heron caught a couple of small fish as I watched.  It's really worth getting up early to see the sunrise.  

More walks along the shore on Thursday, another lazy afternoon.

On Friday, I packed up and made my way south.  There was a bit of mist along the shore around Union Bay. 



I stopped and bought a small tub of oysters at the Baynes Sound Oyster Company.  It's the least prepossessing shop of the three oyster dealers, but seems to have the freshest, most scrumptious oysters.  And nice guys running it.  Anyhow I had a fine meal of oysters last night.  

September is off to a fine start.






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