JOURNAL 197 Mar. 13/07 Signs of Spring The snow pack continues to grow on the mountain peaks, but closer to sea level, the pussy willows have bloomed, Rufous Hummingbirds have been reported in Nanaimo, Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen along the Courtenay River, and a possible Say's Phoebe was sighted near the mouth of the Big Qualicum River. It is truly an exciting time for bird lovers as the winter residents such as ducks, swans, loons, and grebes are bulking up and rounding into their breeding plumage for the migration to their breeding grounds while the early wave of spring migrants is starting to arrive. And, it won't be long before the northbound shorebirds will making a quick stop on their way to their Arctic breeding habitat. While bird activity may be considered exciting on the rest of the Island, around the mid-island it is wildly insane. Thousands and thoudands of gulls fill the air and blanket the shoreline like new-fallen snow as they reap the excess of the herring spawn. Although the herring attaches its roe to eelgrass and seaweed, much of it is detached by the waves and currents to provide a floating and beached smorgasbord for gulls, ducks, and shorebirds. The clouds and blankets of gulls are magnificent sights, but even more spectacular are the huge rafts of ducks that sometimes stretch for 2 or 3 kilometers just offshore. Long-taileds, scoters, mergansers, scaups, Harlequins, Buffleheads, Northern Pintails, Goldeneyes, and others all congregate to feast on the bounty of the high-protein buffet. Mar. 8 - The Eagle and the Crow at French Creek - You supply the caption. Mar. 12 - A Teal With Appeal - If you ever get to see a male Green-winged Teal up close, you'll be amazed at its subtle beauty. It's not always easy to get a good look because it often has its head and half its body in the mud. My two favorite spots to photograph them are San Malo Mudflats and Courtenay Airpark. In both cases you need the early morning sun and a little luck. Now you see why it's called green-winged. It's always a challenge to expose the dark green sheen on the head of male Common Merganser. One of these days I'll find the perfect situation. This is pretty good but still not quite right. The American Wigeon was wondering what all the clicking was about. I wonder who will be the first to come out with the silent shutter? A gorgeous adult Red-tailed Hawk landed across the road from me near Oceanside School. I pulled over and grabbed the camera, but before I could point, a pair of crows flushed the hawk. I proceeded to the gas station to fuel up and when I returned, it was in a nearby tree. I managed to get a couple of quick shots just before two walkers came out of nowhere and flushed the hawk again. Bill to bill with a female Mallard in a small pond by Morningstar ... It's difficult to get close to Northern Pintails in the wild. (Esquimalt Lagoon is not exactly wild as you can hand feed the Pintails.) After the pineapple express on Sunday, the flooded field at Nanoose estuary brought the ducks fairly close to the road. I think this is the perfect pose for a Northern Pintail, but I was still too far away for a high resolution picture. I love the long, graceful neckline. Mar. 13 - The Spawn Continues ... Notice the tiny translucent pearls in the bills of the Mew Gulls? That's the precious nutrition-rich herring roe that all the birds are ejoying. Hey! My first Bonaparte Gull of the season. Yes, the Bonies time their return just for the roe. Duck soup! - I'm always fascinated by the huge rafts of ducks that congregate for the occasion. Sometimes the rafts will stretch to 2 or 3 kilometers. The weather was off and on today as you can tell from the "blah" colours. The sealions are the epitomy of excess as they roll around bloated from gorging themselves with herring. Easy Pickins' - In a good year, billions of eggs wash up on the beach forming a gooey impermeable mass up to a foot deep. The gulls don't mind. Gulls, gulls, and more gulls ... We can't forget the Brant! They're right in there with the gulls and ducks. I wasn't going to take any Brant pictures this year, but what's a camera for? I'll dedicate these to Terry. SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE) SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB) CHAPTERS FALCONER BOOKS SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE TANNER'S BOOKSTORE COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS DEEP BAY - Ship & SHORE SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED BUTCHART GARDENS VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS MUNRO'S CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM BOOK BONANZA SAVE-ON FOODS DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE LAKE COWICHAN - GALLOPING MOON GALLERY TOFINO - BOTANICAL GARDENS UCLUELET - WORDS END BOOKSELLERS Quadra Island - EXPLORE & BOOK BONANZA
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