6, 7, 9, 10 March

 6 March

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S130342813

weather:  9:00 am 2C wind W 4,  1:00 pm 5C wind NNE 5, cloudy, occasional showers

tide: 11:00 am 3.0 m, falling

7 March

Brant count, no data available

8 March

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S130472429

Weather:  8:00 am 3C wind ESE 2, 12:00m 8C ESE 10, clearing to sunny

Tide:  11:00 am 2.9 m, falling

9 March

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S1305397296 

Weather:  8:00 am 4C wind ESE 6, 12:30 pm 7C wind ENE 7  cloudy, then clearing

Tide:  10:30 am 3.1m, falling

10 March

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S130606990

Weather:  9:00 am 6C wind WNW 7, 1:00 pm 8C wind NNE 6, overcast, clearing 

Tide:  11:00 am 3.0 m, falling

6 March

A less than inviting morning.  Early clouds and very dark.  After about 15 minutes walking, there was light rain.  I persevered, over boggy and slippery paths, left by the heavy snows of last week.  The last bit between the end of the Nerbus path and Mills Street, was really slippery, and threatened to land me in the blackberry thickets.  Fortunately I managed to evade landing in the brambles.

The path from Mills Street to the shore was more accommodating, and there were numerous Anna's hummingbirds lining the way.


The tide was well out, and the duck population appeared to be down, although I suspect that was a factor of the low tide.  

There was a youngish great blue heron out in the marsh, hunting.


At present there doesn't appear to be much activity in the eagle nests.   Things should liven up as the herring spawn gets underway.  

7 March

No photos from this day, but an interesting day.  I joined up with the annual brant count, and spent time with three other birders.  They knew the territory well, and we counted about three-hundred and fifty brant along the shore.  The number should be in the thousands before the month is out.  

8, 9 March

Clearing weather.  The paths are still slippery and boggy, and the bird population seems to be down.  The low tide reduces the number of ducks to be seen.

Still, the morning light showed up the Coast Ranges beautifully.





The foliage along the path is starting to show more signs of spring.


The songbird population has yet to increase, but this female purple finch was an accommodating subject.  


10 March

What I think would be called a "soft" morning in the Maritimes.  Overcast, fairly mild.  Hints of spring on the foliage.  There were blackbirds singing, although I didn't see them.

The Merganser Pond has finally completely thawed 




and sure enough, there was a nice little female hooded merganser.


...no idea where her mate was hanging out.  

Possibly as an indicator of the herring spawn picking up (it's reportedly lively up-Island at Deep Bay.  Must visit.) the eagle population has become more active.


This is quite a young eagle, judging by the way his beak and eye haven't changed colour, and his feathers look a bit "punky."  He looks a tough youngster.  

The tide was a bit higher than it's been most mornings lately, and there was a good showing of ducks.  I sat happily, counting ducks, drinking coffee and crunching a granola bar.  The life is tough, I tell you!  

Nothing to photograph in the eagle nest, but an eagle flew off downstream as I arrived, vocalising quite emphatically, and a second eagle landed in the nest, and --I guess--stayed put.  I'd conclude that it's possible that the incubation is underway.  It's hard to see from the angle of view that I have from the riverbank opposite the nest, but certainly worth monitoring.

Heading homeward, I spotted a male northern flicker busily preparing a nest cavity.   From what I've read, males typically do most of the nest excavation, although the female may have a role in choosing the tree.  This tree has been a nest before from appearances, so I gather the male is refurbishing.  Kinda fun to watch.




Then home, for soup and a tuna sandwich.

The weekend looks like a time for domestic chores.  Weather looks uninviting.


 








Comments

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