9, 23 October

 9, 23 October

A return to the Englishman River Estuary after a ten day absence.  After three years living beside it, I still find the ERE endlessly fascinating.  There's always something new to see.  In my absence, October has definitely arrived.  

The deciduous trees aren't yet in full glory, but there are patches that simply gleam.

Grandma Maple seems to be turning earlier this year.

Last year, for reasons I don't understand, she was the last of the maples to turn.

It was a high tide, and with the recent rains, the river is beginning to rise.

Hearing sounds of construction upstream, I made my way along the bank to investigate.  No fresh outrages seemed to have appeared, although the area that will be under development certainly warrants monitoring.  

I hadn't seen this tree before.  

It looks to be a pair of maples, one of which has died, and become a resource for pileated woodpeckers,

and the other half continues to grow into a glorious big-leaf maple.

I watched a song sparrow enjoy a bath at the river's edge.

(I am reproached occasionally for attributing human emotions to birds.  Ok.  Maybe. But he did seem to be enthusiastic, at least.)

Headed downstream, the beginning of the fungus season was evident.

To my delight, Mr. & Mrs. Eagle are working at their autumn nest refurbishment.

They've done a lot since I last saw the nest--the leafy branches are a new addition.  As I watched, the male flew off, quite possibly in search of more construction material.  In the past two years, it's looked as though he did more of the fetching, and madame has done the arrangement.  It's becoming a very big nest indeed.  

The flock of wigeons offshore is growing.

The western crabapples near the duck-counting bench are ripe, and have attracted songbirds.

...Not great photos, but the golden-crowned sparrow is the first I've seen this season.  

A nearby song sparrow looked as though he was trying to remember the lyrics:

"...ummm...chirp, ... chirp?... tweet?..."  

The high tide rendered the distant sandbar into a small islet.

Canada geese aren't popular birds, but sometimes they pose well.

A juvenile sharp-shinned hawk studied the Estuary fields attentively.

He'll prey on smaller birds, so the bushtit security arrangement is well-situated.  

23 October

Again, a return to the Estuary after too long an absence.  A glorious morning, following an atmospheric river accompanied by high winds.   The wind and rain have brought down much of the autumn colour, although across the river, the cottonwoods and alders are putting on a brave showing.

Salmon were making their way upstream, and a seal was following them.

(Somehow I don't have very good luck photographing seals in the river, but there he was.)  Interesting, perhaps, is the fact that he'd surfaced right beside the dipper, who, like him, put in an appearance with the salmon. 

Photos of dippers with salmon eggs are very common--the eggs are packed with nutrition and the little birds obviously really go for them.  This little character hasn't found a salmon egg, but I feel pretty safe suggesting that he's showed up because the salmon are spawning, and he'll be on the river looking for goodies that have washed downstream.

The river is finally up after our seasonal drought.  

In part this is due to the atmospheric river, but it's also the effects of a very high tide.  

Even though reduced by the weather, there remains gold in the forest's foliage.

The high tide brought killdeer close for photos.

In addition to mallards, wigeons, and Canada geese, the first gadwall of the season put in an appearance.

A late flock of yellow-rumped warblers flew into the fir trees along the path to the observation mound.

The bitter cherry, sentinel along the path, has all but shed its leaves.

I love the transition of seasons, and the Estuary displays it wonderfully.