Cowichan Bay South:
Seven determined birders –Eric Marshall, Carol Milo, Gail Mitchell, John Scull, Linda Hill, Wilma Harvie, and Christine Cutbill — peered into thick fog to try to identify waterbirds. Only those near shore could be seen. 4 glaucous-wing gulls obligingly landed in Hecate Park so they could be positively identified. The birds we saw were:
Bufflehead, 27; Common Goldeneye, 15; Double-crested Cormorant, 5; Great Blue Heron, 2; Glaucous-winged Gull, 4; gull sp., 10; Northwestern Crow, 1.
Cowichan Bay North:
Heavy fog on Sunday sent Bob Nation and Daryl Johnson back to count the waterbirds on Monday afternoon, Jan. 15th
Birds counted were:
Horned Grebe, 3; Double Crested Cormorant, 2; Mute Swan, 2; Trumpeter Swan, 31; Gadwall, 5; American Wigeon, 73; Mallard, 6; Green-winged Teal, 7; Surf Scoter, 7; Bufflehead, 8; Common Merganser, 8; Bald Eagle, 2; Mew Gull, 4; Unidentified Gull sp., 28; Common Raven, 1
On the clear, calm morning of January 14, 2017 Jim and Lyn Wisnia did two coastal waterbird surveys in South Cowichan.
Verdier Point area:
Canada goose, 16; American widgeon, 48; Surf scoter, 13; Scoter sp. 2; Bufflehead, 22; Common goldeneye, 14; Barrow’s goldeneye, 5, Red-breasted merganser, 9, Pacific loon, 2; Common loon, 1; Horned grebe, 11; Western grebe, 240; Brandt’s cormorant, 3; Double-crested cormorant, 1; Great Blue heron, 1; Glaucous-winged gull, 12; Gull sp. 3; Belted kingfisher, 1; Common raven, 1.
Mill Bay Area:
Canada goose, 35; Mute swan, 2; Mallard, 12; Greater scaup, 2; Surf scoter, 75; Bufflehead, 63; Common goldeneye, 27; Barrow’s goldeneye, 8; .Hooded merganser, 3; Common merganser, 5, Red-breasted merganser, 8; Pacific loon, 1;, Common loon, 1; Horned grebe, 2; Pelagic cormorant, 1; Double-crested cormorant, 2; Mew gull, 10; Glaucous-winged gull, 44; Gull sp. 10; Belted kingfisher, 2.