Blog of the Plague Year(s)

 21 April eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S134509674 Weather:  9:30 am 7C wind SE 2    1:00 pm 9C wind E 9, partly cloudy Tide:  11:30 am 1.6 m, falling 23 April eBird data:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S134777506 weather:  9:30 am 9C wind SSE 6,  1:30 pm 11C, wind SSW 7,  mostly overcast Tide:  11:30 2.3m, falling 21  April A day of wonders:    Light cloud, mild wind. The rosebushes and rushes are taking on spring colours. As must be apparent to anyone who's followed my blog for long, this is one of my favourite views.  The sky was particularly lovely this morning. This Anna's hummingbird perches on this western crabapple regularly.  Perhaps he's tracking the seasonal growth. There has been a remarkable number of mountain bluebirds in the fields by the forest this past week.  I counted ten, but people have said they saw forty.  In any case, there are more than anyone can ever recall...

10 April  Shorebird survey at Deep Bay, no data available 11 April  Brant count, shore NW of Parksville  14 April eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S133741674 weather:   8:30 am 3C,  wind SE5, 1:30 pm 9C wind ESE 18 gust 20, sunny tide:  11:00 am 3.7m, falling A week of more or less spring like weather. 10 April The shorebird survey at Deep Bay was more productive than last month, although the tide still seems too high for observing shorebirds. There was a little cluster of harlequin ducks.  I'm not sure what these two were up to--it looks like a confrontation. 11 April An unsuccessful brant count, sorta.  No brant, but some nice shorebirds.   There are some very nice beaches northwest of Parksville.  I'd not seen many of them, but going out on the survey with locals has broadened my view. There were big flocks of Bonaparte's gulls. Dunlins fed along the shore, joined by a lesser yellowlegs. There were two black-bel...

27 March   eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S131998209 Weather:   9:00 am 6C wind ESE 8, 1:00 pm 9C wind E10 Tide:   11:00 am  3.8 m, falling 31 March eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S132317750 Weather:  9:00 am 7C wind SSE 12,   1:00 pm 7C SE 27, gust 38, cloudy, then light rain Tide:  10:30 am 3.3m, turning 3 April eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S132632237 Weather:  10:00 am 6C WNW 17,  2:00 pm 8C NNE 11, clear Tide:  2.6m, low, turning 27 April A splendidly sunny morning.  Both the bird populations and the flora are springlike, although the nights are still frosty. Red-winged blackbirds chime in the thickets.  They now display their splendid red epaulettes on taking flight, but I've yet to capture a photo. It was a brilliantly clear morning, but the wind still has fangs.   The low tide reduced the view of waterfowl, but there was  a clear vista of Lasque...