24 August

24 August

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S148005193

weather:  9:30 am 15C wind WNW 10, 12:30pm 19C wind NW  13, partly cloudy, some smoke

tide:  11:00 am 3.4m rising

I've been out in the Estuary occasionally of late, but haven't posted much.  Partly I've just had too much other writing to do, partly, the bird situation has been very quiet, and partly, the drought is sufficiently depressing that I haven't wanted to write about it.

But this morning I screwed my beanie on and headed out.  It's cooled down quite a bit lately, and is starting to look autumnal. Unfortunately the autumnal appearance may well be due in part to heat stress and drought, but at least it's cooler.  

The river is low.  I gather that the Arrowsmith water services are holding back water from the dam with the intent of releasing it a bit later in the season so there may be enough water for the salmon migration.  Here's hoping.  Meanwhile, it's low.



I find myself wondering if the salmon can learn to walk...

There was a rather charming doe and fawn along the river this morning.


The youngster is well-grown but still has some spots (adolescent spots?--naw, not like that).  It looks as though mom is saying something in this photo.  She was too distant to hear, but she certainly seems to be speaking.  

There are starting to be signs of the autumn migration--more shorebirds visible.  Today, although they were too distant to photograph there were a few wigeons, which haven't been present since the spring.

I've seen small flocks of sandpipers, again, very distant when the tide was out, and there are a few greater yellowlegs.


Today there were also a male and female northern harrier, the first I've seen since the beginning of summer.  They were both rather fleeting glimpses but unmistakeable.  

There seems to have been a major hatch of brown creepers.  I'm seeing them often.


  After a series of very low tides, a moderate tide.


A rather odd photo of a mylitta crescent-- a small orange butterfly with white edging on its wings.  If the photo is enlarged, you can see that it's feeding on this yarrow.


Although the fields are dry, they have a certain beauty.






28 August

A relatively quiet morning, although a horde of senior citizens (I know--who am I to talk?) came through at one point, chattering away.  One of them saw me with my camera and said, "I haven't heard a single bird today!"  I refrained from saying, "Maybe because you're so noisy yourselves."  

Once again, the river was discoloured--a debate is afoot whether it's an algae bloom or a collapse of the claybank upstream.


I'd put money on the claybank, myself. The algae in the river seems to be mostly sort of chartreuse.  

The foliage along the river is turning.  


There are starting to be flocks of migratory birds--tricky to photograph, but today there were even more brown creepers. 


This was one member of a flock of four.  As I understand, brown creepers can have as many as six or eight young at one time.  I thought I heard more than the four I spotted.

There are starting to be more shorebirds.  The tide was more cooperative today, so the killdeer appear in good numbers.


My usual season gauge cluster of bitter cherries is looking very autumnal.  I suspect heat stress rather than season.


To the delight of us locals, we've had a couple of good rains, and more is forecast for the weekend.  Fingers crossed.





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