9, 10, 14 November


9 November

 eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S154088732

Weather:  9:30 am. 9C wind ESE 14;  1:00 pm 8 C wind ESE 14  cloudy, then rain

Tide:  11:00 am  10:47 m, rising

10 November

EBird data:  https://ebird.org/ebird/edit/checklist?subID=S154158408

Weather  10:00 am  7C wind W 9,  1:00 pm 10C wind SE 14 cloudy

Tide:  11:00 am 3m rising

14 November 

eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S154467084

Weather:  11:30 am 6 C, wind E8,  2:00 pm 8C wind E7  partly cloudy

Tide:  1:00 pm 3.6m, rising


9 November

Definitely November:  grey, chilly, sometimes wet.  

The autumn foliage is starting to make its exit.

My favourite bitter cherry is now showing its very distinguished profile.


My botanist wizard friend Lynne suggests that it should be Grandma Maple--I see her point, there are indeed at least a couple of generations of progeny.


The river is high and swift, the trees lining it are beginning to shed their gold.



Three mergansers formed a little procession down the river.


The waterfowl migration is yet to reach its peak, but there are a lot of ducks and gulls.  A young eagle harassed the ducks first,


then the gulls.


A small flock of wigeons, with one northern pintail, took flight.


10 November

Yep, still November.  I've taken the wind speed that I record above from the Canada Weather office, but there were definitely serious gusts here that aren't noted.  It was chillier along the shore, and, although warmer, a bit un-nerving among the trees.  

There are two dippers along the river these days, although I've yet to manage a photo of the two of them.  Today their behaviour was less territorial--maybe they're becoming an item.



I keep hoping for dipplets come the spring.   It does look as though they're heading into a nest in the riverbank.  One of the folks I chat with on my walks is a retired biologist with the department of fisheries. She shares my affection for dippers, and has evidently spent a lot of time observing them during what were officially salmon counts.  She commented recently on their huge feet.  We assume it's to enable them to hang on to rocks and logs in the swift water that they seem to prefer.  

The trees along the shore are changing.


The remaining leaves are more deeply coloured, and the branches are emerging.

It looks as though the beavers are at work along the shore--at least this time they've waited until the river was high, so their efforts are less likely to wash away.



The eagles continue to work on their reno.  The male took off from the nest just as I arrived on the opposite bank.


I'm engaged in a minor debate (not the first) with the monitors for eBird.  I'm pretty sure this is a lesser yellowlegs--relatively small, straight bill.


Oh well, as we said when I was in high school--"ain't no big thang."  It's definitely a yellowlegs.

I went home and warmed up with soup.  

14 November

Partly cloudy and a good tide for shorebirds.

The river is still high and swift, 

and the dippers are keeping busy.


This one sang a bit--I couldn't see his/her partner.  

The eagles were away from their nest, monitoring the river.


A young eagle sat, not too distant from the fir tree with the adults.  

Grandma Maple's autumn glory didn't last long this year.


She's still a magnificent tree, even without leaves.

This young Cooper's hawk patrolled the shore.


Back at the Merganser Pond, the hoodies were still present.  The two males look to be hanging out, trying to impress the girls.   


Once again home to soup. 










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