Morning snowbirds.
This weeks count was cancelled because of the weather, we would have been hard pushed to park and access some of our usual spots, safety being the main concern for my friends. This is only the 5th time we have had to cancel which is not too bad in eight years. How quickly we forget that this white stuff is not that unusual for us here on the coast. Most of our gang spent time at home dealing with all those little jobs that they had been putting off, that is except one lady who spent her time sliding down the hills around her place, still young at heart.
I did get a few reports come in from those foolish enough to venture out and most said there were few birds around. Some Trumpeter Swans were close in along the Dock Road along with their cousins the Mutes.
My feeders were doing a roaring trade with several Varied Thrush turning up, these beautiful birds are always a joy to see in the winter. Another unusual sighting was a pair of Merlins copulating on top of a fir at the house opposite, not sure if this was the real thing or a bit or training taking place. Another strange occurrence was a Glaucous-winged Gull coming to a feeder in Mill Bay and eating sunflower seeds, I guess when needs must anything will help those stomach pains.
There were many Shovellers around, these were the southern counterpart and not the Northern ones that are regularly seen on our ponds and estuaries. My wife said she saw one big male on our driveway several times over the past week.
The Northern Mockingbird that has been coming to a garden on 2nd Street in Duncan continues and is fast becoming the longest stayer of this species for BC
The Great Horned Owls are still calling away and news out of Victoria has a female Anna’s Hummingbird feeding young already, just amazing that these little birds carry on as normal in these adverse conditions.
At my feeders I have a Bewicks Wren that has taken too crushed peanuts in a big way right outside our kitchen window, he approaches from the carport and peeks over the feeder to see if there is anything there and if not gives us a filthy look and disappears back down and listens for us to open the window and put some food out for him.
A few photos have been sent in to me by Zan Stenhouse who was one of those that didn’t stop taking pictures, wonderful attitude. Also a photo of a Snowy Owl that Christina Cutbill managed to capture, wonderful sighting.
Anyways time to go my wife thinks she can here another Shoveller calling from across the road.
Derrick
waiting for the big flood.
