” hybrid rain drops”
When one crosses wind with rain you create a hybrid and the 7 counters today had a pair of hybrids. The weather man said expect rain about 2 to 2:30 so I ushered our driver along in the hopes that we would beat the incoming storm, but sadly once again they lied and by 11:30 am it started as we set about lunch at A&W. From then on it went from bad to worse until near the end strong wind joined in and created a hybrid weather system. Trying to get the counters to vacate the vehicles was an impossible task, they just flatly refused to budge. At least one person did his duty and our numbers were very good considering, Trumpeter Swan adults went down a bit which is to be expected as some eager adults like to get up north first. immature birds were right on average with one flock having more younguns than adults.
Our first stop I did manage to get people out at Somenos Lake and we were rewarded with the Western Grebe which we showed to our good friend Peggy who I suspect was waiting for us to turn up, but not much else was seen.
On up the highway we went and a few Swans were had at Quists farm and a Killdeer was heard but not seen.
Eagle numbers took a dive this week as did most raptors.
We went up Westholme Road and were confronted by a large funeral at the first nations cemetery and just along from here in a small pond where we have had Wood Ducks; was this according to Barry a strange pheasant type bird, which amazingly turned out to be a Hybrid Mallard X Northern Pintail, this happens a lot across Canada and I had seen a few of these before. Barry was having a good day for strange waterfowl for as we went down Herd Road I saw some geese which Barry said they are different, we SCREECHed to a halt and run across the road and there they were 15 decoys all standing bolt upright with some strange feather patterns. 15 then became the number of the day, because at our next stop we had 15 real Canada Geese and at another stop we had 15 Trumpeter Swans.
Boy’s and Sahilton added a few more swans and a couple of Red-tailed Hawks and then it was over to the west side, now I know during a storm the west is not the way to go, but for swan counters you have to go where the birds are. Koksilah Road gave us a nice group of swans and there could have been more but with the raindrops beating against the scope of the one and only counter to get out of the vehicle and like one of our vehicles the wiper was knocked flat down in the wind.
Bench Road treated us to our best flock once again and for the most part all the swans were way down the field, all except for a small group at the corner of Wilson and Bench who seemed hell bent on defying the scarecrow who was about as scary as that famous lion from a film long ago.
Dougan’s Flats came and went and St.Catherine’s offered up a few swans, we checked Jim’s Pond, but I think the snipe have gone off to breed just leaving the single goose with the broken wing who has been here for years.
Koksilah Road east had many white blobs, well that what they looked like through the rain drenched window, but as luck would have it we did see a pair of adult Tundra Swans who were different from the bird seen earlier in the week, so there could be a few out there mixed in those far off flocks.
Down through the Bay and a few more eagles and a couple of Mute Swans and we were on the home stretch. the Dock Road was like a monsoon zone and I and anybody else failed to unlock the doors, that was it, enough of this weather, next week I will make sure that the sun shines as the group are starting to look paler than the swans because of their lack of sunlight.
Photo Credits
Pied-billed Grebe by Barry Hetscho
Scarecrow by Zan Stenhouse
Hybrid Duck by Barry Hetscho
Lamb chops by Zan Stenhouse
By for know
Derrick