“And there they were gone”
Was it the wind and rain or the barmy temperatures that drove our birds away this week, the swans were gone and the eagles followed suit, our numbers tumbled like the Canadian dollar and the price of oil.
With only 75 swans total this week and 59 Eagles our numbers were down over two thirds from last week and to add to insult even the American Kestrel had departed, but all was not lost I have to mention the weather again, how many more times are we going to be blessed on a Wednesday. How could we have fitted a sunny day into these past few days of wind and rain, we are truly gifted.
Our day started with a nice group of 8 counters setting out from the dog park and heading off along Beverly where many Canada Geese were playing at splashing each other in the school pools and then at the corner of Berverly and TCH we waved at the underwater dike builders. Our arrival at Somenos Lake was our first taste of the missing birds with just a few Canada Geese and a handful of Double-crested Cormorants they had the whole lake to themselves. We moved on to Quist’s Farm where the duckies were having fun and several species were seen. With all these duckies you would think the eagles would be present, but no just 3 immature and a Red-tailed Hawk. Along Westholme Road a major group gulls were seen with the majority being Mew and a few Thayer’s Gulls for good measure. Around to Richard’s Trail and we found our first Trumpeter Swans with 13 adults and 5 immature, little did we know that this was going to be our second highest flock of the day.
Most people know that I am very serious when out counting birds and this count is no exception, so when I made everyone stop and get out and shouted Western Screech Owl everyone was out and looking, this little bird has been seen in this same tree using a crevice as a roost for several days, photo attached. My wife wonders where all the bruises came from today.
Anyways, onward we went and a nice immature Coopers Hawk sat up above Richards Creek and along Herd Road a good group of Canada Geese and again along Hwy 18 another group of geese, even their numbers were down this week and we failed to find any banded birds.
One of our drivers decided to exit her vehicle and move around to the other side for a picture or ? when suddenly the vehicle took off by itself along with three other passengers, but it was with good fortune that the driver had just been fitted with a new knee and was very nimble and managed to slip into the drivers seat and bring this wayward beast to a standstill, white faces were seen all around, some from panic and one red one from embarrassment.
With all this excitement a rest stop was needed and so A & W came next and some real tasty treats were supplied to the counters. Refreshed and some nerves settled we headed off to Boys Road, here we had a best eagle count but only 26 were had, where had they all gone from a week ago?
Next stop was Sahilton Road where some nice Northern Shoveller’s showed well, photo attached, but that was it for this part of the east side.
At the corn fields on Koksilah Road west a Red-tailed Hawk sat in the trees and then a second bird came in and called and hovered over the tree where the first one sat,me thinks spring is in the air. Bench Road came next and 7 Trumpeters were counted, these lovely fields could accommodate whole monster flock and keep them in food for weeks.
Dougans Flats had a good number of Geese but the main fields were under water, except for one little patch that a Northern Harrier sat high and dry on, or maybe it could have been a dead duck or just a tuft of grass, but the distance we were looking it could have been anything. We quickly zoomed along the highway and over to St. Catherines Road where another 10 Trumpeter’s awaited our counting. We checked Jim’s Pond for any Snipe, but their little bank had shrunken enough that any Snipe would need it’s wellies. Koksilah Road east was a total bust with not even a duckie to be seen. Down through the Bay 2 Mute Swans we added to our pitiful total. But we did get three salvageable boats, which were the worst for wear from the previous days blow.
Dinsdales Farm came next and a very photogenic Bald Eagle sat in the sun for all those with cameras, photo attached. Most of the past week or two there has been hundreds of birds in the fields but today just 26 Trumpeters and 3 Canada Geese, We then hit the Dock Road with hopes of a last hurrah, but we had to settle with 14 Trumpeters.
Our day was over for counting and we headed back to the dog park.
On arrival I noticed this lady coming down from off the dike with trees and putting them in her truck, so I wandered up onto the dike for a look and there were many trees in pots down on the side of the dike, she was picking them over, so I said was she the person responsible for planting and she said no that she was saving them from getting waterlogged, I thought hello whats going on here. I said you do know these were here to enhance the fields below the dike and were not here for all and sundry to take, you know me always tactful. I said you best put them back as what she was doing is not right, with this she flew back to her truck threw one tree off and then roared out the car park with a truck half full of trees, what nerve. But when I
got home i thought about it, what fools stacked all these trees there in the first place, were these our local tax dollars sitting there for all to help themselves.
Photo credits.
Northern Shoveller, Barry Hetschko
Western Screech Owl, Barry Hetschko
Bald Eagle,Barry Hetschko
Row row your boat.
Derrick