Hi
Just three eager participants this week and big thanks to Kathleen for the driving duties and of course Daryl for her meticulous notes on the spreadsheet.
It is now getting very close to departure time for the swans, the immatures are getting a lot whiter and are harder to find in the flocks and much gesturing can be seen with the adults. They are eager to get north now that the weather has turned for the good and already I have read of birds in Alaska.
Our day started slow with numbers down in the the Somenos area, but Quist’s Farm came through with 75+ swans.
Tom Windsor Road had a flock of 100+ geese but no raptors which I think is a first for us.
Hwy. 18 had a small flock of swans and a few more geese.
By the time we had reached A&W for a rest stop we did not have much for Daryl to tally. This was all to change as we reached Corefield/Sahilton Roads with almost 250 swans and over 200 geese. Now everyone was happy we got some nice closeups of the birds and our numbers were heading up.
It was about this time when one of the female participants dropped a bombshell and informed us that she had lead her husband to believe that the counts continued all year and that she would be gone every Wednesday, when pressed as to what she got up to once the counts finished she became rather evasive.
As we left the Sahilton Road area our star of the day was spotted, a single Turkey Vulture flew out over the fields across the highway and slowly drifted across towards Koksilah Road west.
A new spot was found on Koksilah, but the swans played real hard to see and so a guestimate was made of the numbers.
Between Riverside, Bench and Wilson Roads we added another 115+ swans and then it was off to Dougan’s Flats where some swans that had flown over from our previous spots and joined up with over 140 geese.
Both neck banded swans from previous weeks were seen again this week P927 and 01UK.
Koksilah Road east once again had the major flocks with 170+ swans and 120 geese.
Our Raptor count took a downturn this week, I guess the adults are all getting ready for baby making duties. Although I had seen a pair of immature eagles attacking the heronry in Cowichan Bay later in the week.
As we left the bay our day was done and a few drops of rain started so it was a good time to finish.
Happy Birding
Derrick
PS
I have just received a good report of an American Bittern in Cowichan Bay, this represents a new record for the Cowichan Bay checklist area, only wish i had found it.