South Side from John Scull
We counted many birds and we had a record number of birders doing the counting on this beautiful cold sunny day. There were still lots of snow and ice in Hecate Park, which made the walk challenging, but nobody slipped. The birders were Christina Cutbill, Sue Fryer, Debbie Easson, David Nowacki, Eric Marshall, Jim Nichol, Dorothy Marshall, Patty Nichol, Linda Hill, Pam Turney, Gail Mitchell, Wilma Harvie and John Scull. 12 species were seen in a total of 582 birds. The birds were:
Mute Swan 11; Surf Scoter 126; Bufflehead 401; Common Goldeneye 20; Barrow’s Goldeneye 1;
Red-necked Grebe 1; Double-crested Cormorant 5; Bald Eagle 3;Western Gull 1;gull sp. 14; Belted Kingfisher 1
North side, from Carol Hartwig:
It was a gloriously sunny day and at 3:30 in the afternoon at high tide on Khenipsen Road, Cowichan Bay North. Daryl Johnson, Howard Brounstein (daughter Anna and husband James), Ray Demarchi and Carol Hartwig observed 7 species of seabirds for a total of 40 birds for the BC Coastal WaterBird Survey. The numbers observed were as follows:
Pelagic Cormorant 1; Surf Scoter 12; Bufflehead 10; Common Goldeneye 7; Bald Eagle 1; Mew Gull 1; Glaucous-winged Gull 8.
The next Coastal Waterbird Count is at 4 pm on Sunday, March 12. Results of all the counts can be viewed at http://www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/bccws/