Blog of the Plague Year(s)

6 January eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S158294921 weather:  10:00 am 4C,  1:00 pm 5 C partly cloudy tide:  11:30 am 4.5m, rising 16 January eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S159094019 weather:  10:30 am -2C wind WNW 2,  2:00 pm 2C wind SE 2  overcast tide:  11:30 am 4.6m, falling  6 January A mostly clear day, with a high tide.   The river was high and swift after rainfall in previous days.  It was the first day in some time that Mount Arrowsmith was clearly visible.   It's still late in developing a snow pillow. A dipper was busy in the river, diving after salmon smolts. In the blackberry vines near the duck-counting benches, a fox sparrow eyed me suspiciously. An assortment of ducks occupied one of the tidal channels in the estuarine fields.  I hadn't noticed until I loaded this photo, but there seems to be a female canvasback among the more common species.  Note the light head at ...

30 December   eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S157551712  weather:  3 pm 12C, wind NNW 3,  4 pm 11C wind WNW 5 tide:  3:30 pm 3.6m, rising 1 January eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S157773417 weather:  10 am 2C wind calm, 1:30 pm 7C wind ESE 11 tide:  11:30 4.4 m, falling   3 January data unavailable 4 January eBird data:   Weather:   10:00 am 8C wind E6,  1:30pm wind NNE6 Tide:   12:00 4.4m falling Back in Parksville after spending Christmas with friends on their farm in the Gulf Islands.   I spent most of Friday settling back in, sorting, laundering, and arranging, and then made a rather late visit to the Estuary.   The very mild weather has started early growth on trees and shrubs--odd, and possibly worrying, but beautiful.   The hazelnut by the parking area is already filled with catkins. Along the river, the cottonwoods are showing golden shoots. They look almo...