Cowichan Valley Naturalists

It was one of those days when the weather forecasters did not know it was a Wednesday as the rain hardly left us alone for the whole count and at times it was down right miserable. The Trumpeter Swan numbers went up a little this week, sadly the immature numbers did not do well.
As team leader I am called upon when there to go out in the rain to count all birds, even though I order the other counters to do it, they just give me this funny look and wave. I even donned a pair of Dorothy’s sunglasses in the hope that they would take the hint but nothing doing. You just can’t get good help these days when I’m there.
Trumpeter Swans made a good showing with the vast majority being up on Bench Road where 149 were had of our 188 total. Only 15 immature birds were counted all day and we hope this trend will change soon. The total numbers are up from the past couple of seasons and we would have to go back 3 years to see similar numbers, but it is early days and weather is still warm up north. Canada Goose numbers at 1422 were down a bit from last week and then you would have to go back 3 years to see these high numbers. Most migrants small geese had left with just 9 Cacklers being the only other species counted.
Eagle number were good with the bulk of our numbers being in the Cowichan River corridor where salmon carcasses abound for the picking. A couple of Coopers Hawks and 5 Red-tailed Hawks were added along with a single Peregrine Falcon.
The rain really put the dampers on small birds and it was until the end of the day did we get any excitement to rave about when a immature Glaucous Gull was found on the Cowichan River feeding on dead salmon bit what were floating down the river. A sea lion was also up the river picking as well, it appeared to have a nasty scar on it’s head.
One of the team headed back down the bay after the count and found a nice Short-eared Owl.
There are two pictures of the swans, what you see when you arrive and what you see through the camera when the picture is cropped a bit, what you don’t see is the rain and the poor devil out there counting.
There is not much more I can say about the count except that I think everyone had had enough of the rain and were glad to head home.

Derrick

Photo Credits

Swans by Derrick Marven
Eagle tree by Derrick Marven
Glaucous Gull by Zan Stenhouse
Sea lion by Zan Stenhouse
Somenos Lake by Barry Hetschko
Short-eared Owl by Kurlene Wenberg

This weeks count was supposed to have sunshine and showers but it turned out to be one long shower from start to finish. Bird numbers was very good considering the rain with the raptors coming through big time. Another 3 Peregrine Falcon day, 2 American Kestrels and several other good species. Sadly this week the Trumpeter Swan numbers took a dive #150, not sure what is happening but it appears that this is also happening up in the Comox Valley going on their numbers recorded this week. Our numbers are some of the lowest fourth week counts ever recorded. Even the Canada Goose numbers took a major decline with nearly a 1000 birds disappearing from last weeks count. We did do well for Snow Geese this week with 20 being counted and a nice flock of 15 to finish off our days count. Large numbers of gulls were seen around the valley as the rains and flooded fields caused the worms to come to the surface and cause a feast for the gulls. Eagle number continued to be high as the salmon feast continues with 150 birds in total counted.
We were 7 counters this week in two cars and at times birds were seen from all angles as we traveled around, we use a pair of walkie- talkies to communicate although some times direction and location can sometimes be lost in communication also when the second car gets to far behind and all we hear of them hear is a load of crackle instead of a voice, not sure of the distance these little gems can get, for the most part they serve us well.
Most of the swans were in their usual haunts with just a few more along Sahilton Road which was new for us this week.
Many people have asked what has happened to their garden birds this year with most people asking where’s all the Chickadees. There is a good cone crop this year and they might be feasting on them rather eating up all your handouts.We have noticed on our count the lack of dickie birds so I don’t think it’s just the feeders that are affected. Duck species are also in low numbers with hardly any Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail in our wetlands.
As we reached the Dock Road yesterday the numbers of diving ducks were very low, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye and Surf Scoters are down a lot from previous years.
Personally I think we have much to learn about what goes on in nature and most of what we think is conjecture as just when we think we know what’s happening nature throws us a curveball and does the complete opposite.
That was the case yesterday when the weather people said sun and showers, I must admit I did see some bright bits way off in the distance, maybe in the Sooke area.
We did our job and we did see some nice birds. Mission completed.

Derrick

Photo Credits
Great Blue Heron, by Derrick Marven
Bald Eagles in dead tree, by Derrick Marven
Trumpeter Swans, by Derrick Marven
Cackling Goose, by Derrick Marven
Peregrine Falcons, by Zan Stenhouse
immature Cooper’s Hawk, by Zan Stenhouse
Northern Harrier, by Zan Stenhouse
Mew Gulls in flight, by Zan Stenhouse

Cowichan Bay South 11th Nov
Donna Zipse. Ken Bendle, Linda Hill, Gail Mitchell, and John Scull met in Hecate Park at 9 am on a clear, crisp, cold morning. The estuary was full of life, with Fox Sparrow and Towhee in the bushes, Mink, Seal, and Otter in the water, and the voices of the Sea Lions. We counted waterbirds, too, seeing:
Mute Swan 2; Trumpeter Swan 7; Bufflehead 159; Common Goldeneye 7; Hooded Merganser 4; Red-necked Grebe 1; Glaucous-winged Gull 2; gull sp.23; Double-crested Cormorant 15; Great Blue Heron 1; Belted Kingfisher 2; Northwestern Crow1.

Cowichan Bay North was calm from 9:10 until 10:15 AM, 11th Nov. when Daryl Johnson, Kurlene Wenberg, and Carol Hartwig found a total of 688 waterbirds of 16 species
on Khenipsen Road North on Cowichan Bay.
Double-crested Cormorants 7; Pelagic Cormorants 10; Great Blue Heron 1; Trumpeter Swan 8; Mute Swan 2; American Wigeon 82; Mallard 15; Surf Scoter 20; Bufflehead 75; Common Goldeneye 240; Bald Eagle 13; Mew Gull 5; Glaucous-winged Gull 36; Gull sp.172;Belted Kingfisher 1; Common Raven 1

On a peaceful and bright Nov. 12 Jim and Lyn Wisnia counted in the Verdier Point area:
American Wigeon 18; Mallard 1; Bufflehead 25; Common Goldeneye 35; Red-breasted Merganser 16; Horned Grebe 8; Western Grebe 385; Mew Gull 7; California Gull 2; Glaucous-winged Gull 9; Gull sp. 2; Common Loon 4; Brandt’s Cormorant 1; Pelagic Cormorant 1; Bald Eagle 2; Northwestern Crow 2.
And in the Mill Bay area:
Canada Goose 1; Mute Swan 8; American Wigeon 20; Surf Scoter 4; Bufflehead 51; Common Goldeneye 17; Red-breasted Merganser 21; Horned Grebe 2; Red-necked Grebe 5; Mew Gull 86; Glaucous-winged Gull 30; Gull sp. 8; Pacific Loon 15; Common Loon 3; Pelagic Cormorant 2; Double-crested Cormorant 3;

The next count is scheduled for 8 am on Sunday, December 9

This week I was unable to take part due to family commitments, my good friends took up the reins and saw some wonderful sights and good numbers. A 3 Peregrine Falcon day is always a treat.
Some of the photo’s were from just after the count, but who cares, I even have added one for good luck I took while out.
Below is a counters take on the day.

Derrick

Overnight it had been very wet and even shortly before we were due to meet it was raining; however, much to our surprise the day turned out to be a nice sunny one. Usually Derrick, our worthy leader, sees that the weather is good on Wednesdays and today he was not able to join us but sent an email saying he had made his usual arrangement with the weather gods. Just five of us met at the usual place and we set off in two cars – one was detailed to record the swans and geese and the ladies in the other the raptors.

There were many geese around the marsh area and again at Quist’s Farm. It was not until we reached Dougan’s flats that we found many more geese. At this point one car had stopped and was trying to count a small flock in a large clump of reeds and the other car, which had stopped a few yards further up the road, called to look behind the barn where there was a huge flock. Jim’s Pond was the only other place with geese.

As for finding any swans before lunch we only saw eight in the Westholme area. After our lunch break we found a dozen on Bench Road trying to hide in a dip in the field. So we were thinking our count was going to be a very low one. However, we really hit the jackpot near Blackey’s Farm where there were over 100 in a field – this raised out total of Trumpeters to nearly 140. There were eleven mute swans down on the Bay.

Bald eagles were abundant along the lower reaches of the river along Boys and Sahilton Roads – presumably feeding on the dead salmon in the river where we expect to see them for the next few weeks. A dozen red-tails were seen on our route. From Tom Windsor Drive we could see a bird on one of the distant hydro poles but it was not until one of the photographers managed to get a good shot of it that we could see it was a Peregrine.

All pictures by Zan Stenhouse except the Elk is Derrick’s

Hi to all you Swan enthusiasts
Today saw the start of the 12th annual Swan and Goose count and what a day it was with wonderful sunny skies and warm temperatures. Who would of thought that we would keep going for 12 years, just shows how powerful and loyal citizen science can be.8 counters turned up at the dog park some new and some old faces, but all young at heart. This year we have a sponsor in the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society who have kindly donated some gas money in these times of gouging at the pumps and we thank them with all our heart.
Today’s numbers were surprising with 22 Trumpeter Swans found, 15 Mute Swans many Canada Geese and Cackling Geese and 17 Snow Geese, this is one of the better starting day counts we had for a while. We also had a good number of Raptors with a nice male American Kestrel. Another big surprise was a Dragonfly sp. seen on Koksilah Road west, I think that just shows how warm it was at this late date in the fall. At this same location the bushes and trees have grown up blocking our view of the fields add to this lingering leaves and we could not identify a couple of white blobs in the far off field.
With this first count, photos were at a premium but I’m sure things will improve as time goes on. Barry was off testing water, which is no consolation for a good coffee.
Somenos Lake was very slow with hardly anything out on the water, we worked our way along, many Canada Geese at our first two or three stops and one immature Snow Goose at Quist’s farm. We next got Richard’s Trail where the fields were still dry, but it does look good for the winter counts. Our American Kestrel was sitting on the hydro wires and as we admired this lovely male it took off in a a fast dive across the fields and traveled about 100m and then hit the pasture and came up with what appeared to be a little vole which it took back to the wire for a quick snack. I was amazed that the bird traveled so far and could see this tiny rodent out in the grass, great eyesight indeed.Tom Windsor Drive was next and some white blobs in the distance quickly gout our attention these turned out to be our first 2 Trumpeter Swans and 16 Snow Geese. We left here knowing that we were just getting started for this years count now that we had the first swans under our belt. Things then went slow for our next few stops and we found ourselves having a break at A&W. I guess we got a bit cocky with those first swans as things down in Boy’s and Sahilton Roads we just downright dead, just a couple of Bald Eagles for Dorothy to note and stop the wrist cramp from setting in. Back over to the west-side and something out in the fields on Koksilah Road west avoided our detection because of all the leaves and trees that have grown up over the last two years. Around to Bench and we found our first flock of Trumpeter Swans with 10 adults and 1 immature. Then once again it was all downhill to Cowichan Bay so to speak. Along Cowichan Bay Road we had a group of Mute Swans and added a few more to the flock when viewed from the Dock Road. Another small flock of Trumpeter’s were over beside the mill.
We had done our best and it was time to head home, well maybe not as one of the cars would not start, panic was setting in as the key was wiggled and pulled in and out with nothing firing up. One member suggested we rock the car back and forth which we tried while sitting in it, again nothing, so the big guy got out and got his back up against the open door and gave it a few good rocks and wallah that did the trick. So remember if your car don’t start get out and give it the bear up against the tree treatment.
Home we went with much relief.
Added to the swan count were 10 Bald Eagles and 5 Red-tailed Hawks.
Just remember I am a year older so any mistakes are due to old age.

Derrick

Photo Credits
Cackling Geese, Derrick Marven & Zan Stenhouse
Red-tailed Hawk, Derrick Marven
Dunlin, by Zan Stenhouse
Fox Sparrow by Zan Stenhouse
Glacous-winged Gull, by Zan Stenhouse
Thayer’s Gull, by Derrick Marven

South Side Cowichan Bay ; In very light rain and some beautiful rainbows, Manon Lafleur, Carol Smithson, Kathy Smithson, Laurie Vasey, Gail Mitchell, Linda Hill and John Scull saw the following birds:
Common merganser, 17; Glaucous-winged gull, 2; Gull sp., 56; Double-crested cormorant, 7; Osprey, 1.

On a rainy day at high tide, Kurlene Wenberg, Daryl Johnson and Carol Hartwig found the following beautiful winged creatures on the North Side of Cowichan Estuary:
Mute swan, 11; Common merganser, 130; Bonaparte’s gull, 35; Glaucous-winged gull, 17; Gull sp., 305; Double-crested cormorant, 1; Great blue heron, 3; Osprey, 2; common raven 2.

Cowichan Bay South
On a glorious sunny day, Laurie Vasey, Bruce Coates, Linda Hill, Carol Blackburn, Bryan Thompson, and John Scull were joined by a wonderful young family, Olene, Kaya, Kalyna, and Kazka Russell (and a baby) for the count. With the help of the children we saw harbour seals, salmon and the following birds:
32 Surf Scoter, 8 Iceland Gull (Thayer’s), 19 Glaucous-winged Gull, 24 gull sp., 15 Double-crested Cormorant,1 Great Blue Heron,2 Bald Eagle, 1 Belted Kingfisher,2 Northwestern Crow

Cowichan Bay north
On a flawless October 14th the following birds were seen from Khenipsen Road:
160 Canada Goose, 10 Mute Swan, 58 American Wigeon, 11 Mallard, 5 Surf Scoter, 2 Horned Grebe, 44 Mew Gull, 33 Glaucous-winged Gull, 62 Gull sp., 5 Double .Crested. Cormorant, 2 Great Blue Heron, 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Northwestern Crow, 2 Common Raven.

Jim & Lyn Wisnia observed in the Verdier Point area:
2 Surf scoter, 3, horned grebe, 419 western grebe, 24 Mew gull, 6 Glaucous-winged gull, 6 gull sp., 3 Pacific loon, 3, common loon, 1 Brandt’s cormorant, 1 pelagic cormorant, 1 double-crested cormorant, 1 belted kingfisher.

And in the Mill Bay area:
4 Canada goose, 15 Mew gull, 58 Glaucous-winged gull, 11 gull sp., 1 common loon, 4, Northwestern crow.

The next count is scheduled for 9 am on Sunday, November 11.

Coastal Waterbird Survey: Sunday, April 8th, 2018.

Cowichan Bay South.
A light rain fell as Kathy Coster, Linda Hill, Gail Mitchell, and John Scull saw the birds listed below. It was wonderful to watch the two osprey carrying construction materials to their nest site.
74 Bufflehead; 2 Hooded Merganser; 12 Double-crested Cormorant; 7 Great Blue Heron;
2 Osprey; 2 Bald Eagle; 3 Glaucous-winged Gull; 6 gull sp.; 6 Northwestern Crow

Cowichan Bay North.
On an overcast, dull day there were 15 species of waterbirds spotted by the bright and excited group of Richard Campbell, Daryl Johnson, Bob Nation, Kurlene Wenberg and Carol Hartwig.
14 Canada Goose; 15 Mute Swan; 4 American Wigeon; 16 Bufflehead; 2 Hooded Merganser; 6 Common Merganser; 1 Common Loon; 1 Double-crested Cormorant; 2 Great Blue Heron; 1 Bald Eagle; 28 Mew Gull; 11 Glaucous-winged Gull; 3 gull sp.; 1 Belted Kingfisher; 1 Common Rave

Lyn and Jim Wisnia counted:

Verdier Point area:
2 Mallard; 22 Surf scoter; 22 Bufflehead; 26 Common goldeneye; 1 Barrow’s goldeneye; 1 Common merganser; 5 Red breasted merganser; 12 Horned grebe; 1 Red necked grebe; 330 Western grebe; 1 Brandt’s cormorant; 6 Mew gull; 3 Glaucous winged gull; 2 Gull sp.

Mill Bay area:
12 Mallard; 11 Bufflehead; 9 Common goldeneye; 6 Common merganser; 1 Red breasted merganser; 2 Common loon; 1 Horned grebe; 1 Brandt’s cormorant; 47 Glaucous winged gull; 2 gull sp.; 1 Belted kingfisher; 5 Northwestern crow.

Today (28th March) marked the end of the counting season it also happened to be our 170th count since we started our quest. You will notice the theme of today’s count is all about the swans because that is why we started this back on March 22nd 2009. Many counters have come and gone and there is just a few of us who it seems are gluttons for punishment and have kept this swan count going. Many have driven us around some more than others and i thank them for keeping us safe. We have been blessed with some wonderful sights over the years, which if we had not been out there counting we would have missed all that this wonderful world has to offer. I for one have enjoyed my fellow counters company and the laughs that we have shared. I hope through my weekly reports I have given some insights into what we do and I hope that I have spread a little joy and laughter into your life.

Now for the update on our swans and how they have fared over the years. The first year we had highs of 813 adults and 174 immature birds and over the seasons this has gone up and down with what appears to be a real downturn over the past 3 years. Our highs this year were 674 adults and 94 immature, so you can see that the numbers have gone down, what is most disconcerting is the drop in young birds and this trend has continued over the last few seasons. If you look at our highest counts in February 2011, where we had 924 adults and 224 immature, we have had some drastic drops in numbers since then. A lot of the birds have now started to move further south with many spending time in the Saanich area where once they were scarce. For the last 3 years our numbers have steadied with no major fluctuations and we can only hope that this continues although i would like to see more young birds staying in our area through the winters. At the end of this season we have failed to get into triple figures for immature birds this I worry about.

Now for the update on our geese and how they have fared over the years. The first year we had a high of 1192 and a last week count of 258 and just like the swans this has gone up and down over the years This years high was 1607 and the last week count was 127. What i take from this is that near to breeding season the birds do what most birds do and migrate north. So the next time you read all that nonsense that is printed in our local rags about the goose population growing and the need for more hunting to bring down the numbers and whatever, they are talking out the tops of their heads. Most of the geese like the swans only spend the winter here and the impact on the environment is negligible.

For the past few years more and more Trumpeter Swans are roosting in Cowichan Bay which is good for the swans maybe, there are many problems with the main one being lead shot which is laying in the mud of the bay from years of hunting, also industry is becoming more visible. This is a very important estuary that needs our protection if the swans have decided to call this theirs for the future.
Somenos Lake is one of the main roosting spots and continues to welcome birds most nights. Quamichan Lake is a mystery as not many Trumpeters use this lake for roosting even though it is very large, why this is i don’t have the answer, only that the lake must be missing something. Birds also roost up at Quist’s Farm when the water levels are reasonably high.

We have not seen much mortality of swans just a few deaths here and there mostly it appears from hydro strikes and we must do more to encourage hydro to put up deflectors on their wires in the regularly used areas. As for disturbance this happens every year and I don’t blame the farmers for trying to protect their crops but chasing birds is against the law and should be stopped. We need our government to come through with some compensation money for the hardest hit farms and for land that is owned by government and so called nature friendly groups to start getting their tenant farmers to plant crops for the swans, thus saving the impact on private lands. A prime example of what happened this year was in Cowichan Bay where we failed to find hardly any birds using the Nature Trust land because of the farming practices which were allowed to take place. Why on earth did Nature Trust buy the land if their not going help the birds? They also allow hunting on their lands on Vancouver Island, to me this is not very nature friendly and yet they are always asking naturalists to donate money to their cause?
It is time for us all to pull together as nature in all forms is slowly diminishing and if we are to save something for those that follow we must act with urgency.

Lastly i would like to thank all my friends that have come along over the years, it has been a real pleasure riding along with you and the laughs we have enjoyed and the wonderful sights and sounds we have all had.

Enjoy these last count pictures, lot’s of them, they being all swan types and credit for these should go to, Barry Hetschko, Derrick Marven, Zan Stenhouse and Kurlene Wenberg, these friends have treated you to some wonderful shots of our weekly exploits. For Dorothy Marshall for keeping our numbers during our counts and to Eric, Paul and Elizabeth for making sure that the reports were sent out to you all.

Unitil we swan off again
Derrick

Today was the last count of the season and 8 people set out with much munchies to eat thanks to Jane and birthday girl Helen. As expected numbers were low with just 63 Trumpeter Swans, 1 Tundra and 3 Mutes. Weather was just perfect and light was great for pictures if only we could have found something to photograph. We did see a herd of American Wigeon and if you look at the picture maybe you can find the three male Eurasian Wigeon that was with them. We did have a nice Peregrine Falcon and a far off female American Kestrel. The first Woolly Bear of the season and if you don’t know what they turn into and how they predict the weather try here:
https://www.weather.gov/arx/woollybear
We all had a great time today and once again enjoyed wonderful weather.
I am not going into great detail with this report and it is very short as you will receive a full report on the swans within the next couple of days with loads of pictures.
Thank you to all my buddies for all their help on the counts.

Derrick

Photo credits

Peregrine Falcon by Barry Hetschko
Great Blue Heron by Zan Stenhouse
Woolly Bear by Zan Stenhouse
American Wigeon by Derrick Marven
female Common Merganser by Derrick Marven

It was literally a real swine of a day, the numbers dwindled, the sun and heat was unbearable and we never really saw any good birds to take pictures of. We knew that the Trumpeters would leave eventually but it is always sad to see them go as they have brightened our lives for the past 19 weeks. I wonder where all the Canada Geese went as i saw plenty leaving Somenos early in the morning, wherever they were we never got them. One of the regular spots had a tractor riding around in it, maybe the were not into old noisy Fordson’s.
7 counters left the dog park a little late as one member was up the road chasing a White-throated Sparrow, this migrant species has been scarce this winter.
Hawk and Eagle numbers were pretty much the same with 9 Red-tailed hawks equaling our season high total. Several pairs of Bald Eagles were seen around nest sites and 3 Turkey Vultures were a sure sign that they are on the move. A couple of Cooper’s Hawks, a Merlin and a far off American Kestrel rounded off the raptor count.
I did hear (yes I heard) both Dark-eyed Junco’s and Yellow-rumped Warblers singing and those Red-winged Blackbirds, well they started a couple of weeks ago. A Red-tailed Hawk made a kamikaze dive from about a 1000′ way down to who knows where, I think he had a girlfriend down there some where and he was just showing off.
The star of the day was Barry’s dear mom who came along just to see what we had corrupted her son into doing, of course she was very impressed that we had taken him under our wings and keeping him out of trouble. I can now see where Barry gets his pleasant personality from. It was a shame that we did not have more birds to show her or one of our weekly stunners.
Trumpeter Swan numbers were as follows, adults 178, immature 22 and 4 Mute Swans, add to this just 278 Canada Geese. I am guessing that by next week most of these birds will be gone.
A nice Cooper’s Hawk sat out in the open for about 5 seconds much to the annoyance of the photographers. It was left up to the four-legged critters for me to get a good picture, along Richard’s Trail the lambs were having a little nap with mum and down on Wilson’s Road Barry spotted a couple of lovely ladies wallowing behind a house, these big beauties were being fed some freshly cut grass by the owner of the property and I asked Barry to stop so that I could take a picture. The owner was a very nice lady who allowed me onto her property, I took several shots and as I was about to leave she beckoned me behind the barn. Unaccustomed of me going with a lady behind a barn I wondered what she had in mind, well to my surprise there was another mum back there with a few little ones, what a lovely little family they were with several different colors. As I left I asked the lady what the first two pregnant sows weighed and she said around 700 lbs a piece, wow that’s a lot of pig.
We moved on adding a few birds here and there and it was not long before we found ourselves along the Dock Road in Cowichan Bay and taking pictures of Mute Swans,. The wind was still a little nippy coming up the channel so we didn’t hang around long. Suddenly I spotted something in one of the roadside trees, put the bins up only to see a bare shaded branch, we inched forward and then there a singing Western Meadowlark, it stayed for a few seconds before it got disturbed by some young rugrats who seem to spend more time out of school than in it.
The doodlers following on behind in the second car missed the Meadowlark but got a Northern Shrike and a Northern Harrier.
We had done our best, sadly this time of year can leave us wanting for something better, give it a couple of weeks and the trees will be full of new and exciting migrants to keep the shutters working.
That was it our day was over and with just one more count for the season we hope that a few Swans remain to give Dorothy something to put on the sheet next week.

Derrick

Photo Credits
Piggies by Derrick Marven
Cuddly Lambs by Derrick Marven
Soaring Bald Eagle by Zan Stenhouse
White-throated Sparrow by Zan Stenhouse
Tree Swallows by Barry Hetschko
Cooper’s Hawk by Barry Hetschko

Cowichan Bay South

The birders on this beautiful sunny morning were Linda Hill, Kathy Coster, Wilma Harvie, Gail Mitchell, John Scull, and his visiting son Charley Scull. The tides were strange, with high tide at 2:30 am and slack water until 11 am. The birds we saw were:
30 American Wigeon; 4 Mallard; 110 Bufflehead; 5 Common Goldeneye; 1 Barrow’s Goldeneye; 3 Hooded Merganser; 5 Common Merganser; 100 duck sp.; 12 Double-crested Cormorant; 23 Great Blue Heron; 14 gull sp.; 11 Northwestern Crow;

We also saw but failed to identify a distant grebe.

Cowichan Bay North

On a beautiful sunny Sunday Bob Nation and Kurlene Wenberg saw the following birds:

12 Canada Goose; 1 Mute Swan; 4 Trumpeter Swan; 4American Wigeon; 52 Mallard; 1 White-winged Scoter; 29 Bufflehead; 4 Common Goldeneye; 2 Hooded Merganser; 5 Common Merganser; 2 Duck species; 2 Great Blue Heron; 41 Gull species; 1 Northwestern Crow.

On calm, partly cloudy day, Bryon Thompson and Freda Eckstein counted:

In the Verdier Point area:

1 Eurasian wigeon; 20 American wigeon; 15 Mallard; 3 Surf scoter; 32 Bufflehead; 11 Common goldeneye; 47 Barrow’s goldeneye; 2 Common merganser; 10 Red-breasted merganser; 1 Pacific loon; 4 Common loon; 48 Horned grebe; 1 Double-crested cormorant; 2 Bald eagle; 9 Mew gull; 8 Glaucous-winged gull.

In the Mill Bay area:

10 Mute Swan; 3 Canada Goose; 14. Mallard; 6. Bufflehead; 156 Common Goldeneye; 26 Barrow’s Goldeneye; 6 Common Merganser; 1 Common Loon; 8 Horned Grebe; 2 Great Blue Heron; 2 Mew Gull; 2 Herring Gull; 8 Glaucous-winged Gull; 22 Unidentified gull

If I was to predict the number of Swans and Geese that we would find today on the count like the weathermen predicted the weather I would have ended up with egg on my face. 80% chance of rain they said and what did we get, one of the best days of sunshine and temperature of the season. I am just glad I’m a naturalist and leaving the weather to the gods and my ever improving “stop the rain dance”.
We left the dog park with two cars and 6 people and by half time we had 3 cars and 9 people. I have to admit we got a little behind on the early part of the circuit due mainly the fault of a Red-tailed Hawk who sat beside the road wanting us to count and photograph it, well spotted by Jane. Me being a sucker for such things obliged by getting out the vehicle and wandering back up Westholme Road. Just before this there was the Eurasian Wigeon at Quist’s Farm which had a female with him this week, now if you look at your field guides you will note that this is not a easy bird to identify and showing the counters this bird which was 200 yards across a field in among about 100 other American cousins well I would like to see a weatherman perform with this task. Big thanks to Zan for capturing this picture of the two.
This week we lost a good number of adult Swans they getting the jump on the supposedly torrent of rain, just 397 adults, surprisingly we had 87 immature, which went up. Eagle numbers were stable and 8 Red-tailed Hawks was a good number for the year. The Canada Goosies who are already pairing up were right on target at 822 with Dougan’s Flats once again having the big flock at 400 birds. Only 3 Mute Swans in Cowichan Bay as their numbers continue to drop. We had one flyover Falcon off Cherry Point Road and a nice Northern Harrier along the Dock Road. 2 Northern Shrikes this week, they should be leaving us any minute. We saw several Anna’s Hummingbirds today, one being very obliging at Somenos Lake.
Disaster struck us at our lunch stop where we found A&W closed off as repairs were underway, many people driving up in their cars only to find the car park blocked off. Were they going to go and suffer hormones and steroids at one of the other fast food joints? I would watch out on the roads tomorrow if this bunch are out on the highway. One of our own was in tears, what was she going to do without her Buddy Burger and fries? She had to be consoled with a bowl of what I can only describe as expensive leftovers from another local eatery.
Back to birds, it was now way past some of our snooze time and with not much to show on our tally sheet we were off to Boys and Sahilton Roads where we found the fields bare of any birds and only a Red-tailed Hawk as consolation. Over to Koksilah Road west and the same thing no big white birds. Barry had now made up all the lost time as we sped over to Bench Road only to find just 15 Trumpeters, Wilson Rad was empty except for a nice flock of piggies which always brings a smile to my face as I love these guys. Dougan’s Flats had all the geese and not a single swan. Back over the Hwy. to St.Catherine’s Drive where we were aghast to see Swans all over, Barry maneuvered the vehicle into several positions for me to count. I have to admit I must have missed some behind the trees and with the ever whitening immature birds in bright sunlight, well you try and spot them. This stop had saved our bacon, I did mention I love pigs didn’t I ? Cherry Point Road added a few more swans and then Koksilah Road east came through with another 56 birds, they weren’t dancing this week. I now think that the dancing of last week was maybe some saying goodbye to those who left, one usually has a little party for those departing.
We hit Cowichan Bay where the breeze reminded us that we were not out of the woods yet, as a Northern Harrier used the wind to glide and weave across the estuary.
That was it’ we were now down to just two more remaining counts, so if you’re going to come you better jump to it.

Derrick

Photo Credits
Anna’s Hummingbird by Barry Hetschko
Northern Shrike by Barry Hetschko
Resting Trumpeter by Derrick Marven
Hooded Merganser by Derrick Marven
Red-tailed Hawk by Derrick Marven
Bald Eagle by Zan Stenhouse
Eurasian Wigeons by Zan Stenhouse

Today was a day of Do-si-do, farming smells and Otter nonsense, 6 eager counters faced what I thought was a lovely day although two of our team needed some goose fat rubbed into their bodies to stay warm, fishes blood comes to mind. This week we had a new lead driver in Jane and what a wonderful job she did getting us round unscathed and following directions to a T. Even Barry had a job to keep up.
This week we had a small drop in the number of Trumpeter Swans down to just under 650, having read the reports from up island it looks as if some have started that long journey already. Even the Canada Goose numbers went down a bit although these guys tend to move around a lot more and could have been in a field not visited by the team. Raptor numbers were not bad and a very obliging Peregrine Falcon with a bold face mask was nice to see.
It was an amazing day for watching some really nice sights of nature, a young doe standing in a field watching us watching her, some amazing dance moves by the Trumpeter Swans, a River Otter that appeared to have taken up aerobics as it gyrated away in Cowichan Bay and thanks to Barry a study picture on how to tell both American and European male Wigeons apart. This week we had a first of the season when I just happened to mention we could get a Turkey Vulture, I waved the magic pencil and Barry spots two circling over at Herd and the Highway, next week we will try for something a little more rare and exotic.
Again this week most of our hot-spots had birds to count, so things went very smoothly with no major problems except at Bench Road where a truck was parked in the field and two people were walking across the field with clipboards, the swans did not like this at all and some smaller groups started to lift off. This couple continued across the field until two of the major flocks took to the air. This conduct even if this is on your property contravenes the Migratory Bird Act as disturbance of migratory birds carries a hefty fine, we did take pictures and will forward this to the appropriate authorities should we witness this again, this should not happen in this day and age of fast diminishing numbers of birds world wide.
The farmers were out spreading their cheer around the fields and several times we saw their large wheeled drays traveling along the road and at one spot that lovely farmyard aroma came wafting in the car, not being a farmer I can never get used to this smell but it does help with the growth of the fields. I did notice the fields that had already seen a cover of this liquid did not have any swans on them, so farmers there you go this might be a deterrent.
We arrived at Koksilah Road east where a good number of swans were gathered in the fields and it was here where we witnessed the Do-si-do swan dance and oh did they put on a great display for us, even Bob a member of the shiny shoe shuffle group had to be impressed by some of the swans moves. What the purpose of these dances are, i am not sure, whether it is a bonding thing or a pre-migration dance who knows. It is a bit like the stop rain dance I do every Tuesday night in hopes of a good day for Wednesdays count, only I don’t have any partners to join me.
In Cowichan Bay as has been the norm this year we were witness to some of our best sightings with a River Otter who was on the far bank writhing and wriggling around on the grass leaving it’s scent for any unsuspecting animal to come and put there foot in it. Many pictures were taken of this wonderful piece of nature happenings.
Just off to our our left I spotted a male Eurasian Wigeon which sent Barry off down the trail to get a few snaps. Many people ask me how do your tell the difference between Eurasian and American, well I think Barry’s wonderful picture explains it just perfect, well done mate.
Our day was done and as we wind down to the last three counts of the season our big white friends are starting their long haul north and we wish them well and a safe journey.

Derrick

Photo Credits
Double-crested Cormorant by Barry Hetschko
Fixer upper Bushtit nest, by Barry Hetschko
Wigeon by Barry Hetschkodo
Peregrine Falcon by Zan Stenhouse
River Otter by Zan Stenhouse
Doe by Derrick Marven
Do-si-do by Derrick Marven

You know that when things are going well there always comes a time when they don’t, we have been blessed with incredible weather on Wednesdays for as long as I can remember and today it came and bit us in the bum. The rain was trying even before the left the dog park and the wind had this nasty little bite to it. This did not stop 7 hardy counters setting out on what turned out to be a good day bird wise that’s if you leave out Red-tailed Hawks who I guess hide when the weather goes topsy-turvy. The Trumpeter Swans put on a good show down only slightly from our highs of the past two weeks, this was countered with the finding of 3 immature Tundra Swans. Eagle numbers were steady and as mentioned only 2 Red-tailed Hawks. I think the girls in the second vehicle carry around falcons in their car as us leaders never get to see them as was the case this week as we drove Hwy 1 north, we go by the Exhibition grounds and get a Red-tailed Hawk they come by and get a Kestrel. Me thinks I will have to check out their vehicle before we set off next week.
Somenos Lake had a pair of Ruddy Ducks much to the delight of Kurlene who needed them for her year list. I had checked Quamichan Lake on the way out for Bald Eagles and saw a Hooded Merganser with a dew drip on it’s bill I knew then this was a day for the weak and aged to stay in the vehicles. great I thought I fit that criteria, well no, someone has to count, something the others tend to pass off on me. Poor Barry suffered from finger shutter freeze and could only get a few duckies on his camera, don’t worry my buddy it happens to us all.
The going was tough and birds were spread out all over the place, many flocks of swans being way off across the fields trying to find a good hedge to get behind. One exception to this was Quist’s farm where along Westholme Road our first Tundra was found and close enough for some half decent shots through the rain. We pushed on along Richards Trail where a nice piece of property has come up for sale if you like ducks to watch and count this has to be the ideal spot for you. No hunting allowed.
We were well ahead of time as we reached our lunch break and what a surprise as Jane came out into the rain to bring us some lovely cup cakes which went down well with A&W fries and sour gummy worms; what a mixture a bit like the birds that we see, all-sorts. Many people came and went as we huddled under the tailgate giving us that strange look and commenting to each other, they must be birders.
Boys and Sahilton Roads gave us a few birds to add and the much anticipated crowd on Corfield Road had flown the coop, so we headed west with Koksilah Road not adding a thing except a couple of eagles. It was left up to Bench Road to give Dorothy something to get her pencil going and 185 Trumpeter Swans and 100 Canada Geese did the trick. Then Dougan’s Flats had a large flock of Canada’s numbering in excess of 450. St. Catherine’s Road once again came through with swans spread out all over, some even taking a bath in a puddled part of the field; we left with slightly over 145 trumpeters counted, sadly not many dickie birds here which is usually our number one spot for sparrows and such. Koksilah Road east was our next good spot and it was here we had two very different looking immature Tundra Swans, one almost white and the other showing a much delayed molt with a bright part to its bill. These two we just far enough away and on the crest of the field to make it hard to get good shots.
We headed on the home stretch and found a couple of Mute Swans on the Koksilah River beside Dinsdale’s Farm and two more on the Dock Road. It was here that we had what I think was a nice surprise as we found a Northern Harrier sitting on an old fence post, they have been hard to come by of late, the bird sometimes trying to hide it’s face from the rain and sometimes giving us a filthy look.
It was a great way to end our day as no one wanted to venture out along the Dock Road as rollers with whitecaps were coming in from Skinner Point.
Thanks to my buddies for staying the course on what was the worst weather day of the season.

Derrick

Photo Credits
Mallards and Gadwall by Barry Hetschko
Tundra Swan by Eric Marshall
Hooded Merganser by Derrick Marven
Ruby-crowned Kinglet by Zan Stenhouse
Tundra with Trumpeter by Zan Stenhouse
Northern Harrier by Zan Stenhouse