JOURNAL 199 Mar. 20/07 - In the spring of 2004 I saw my first Bonaparte Gulls. It was a cool, drizzly day, but I was oblivious of the weather as I was totally astounded and excited to see a mass of black-headed gulls all lined up in formation, stoically facing into the southeast wind on the beach at French Creek. Since that day, they have been my favorite gull, and I have never tired of photographing them. Last week at the same beach, I was privileged to spend another hour enjoying their presence. With a light overcast sky, the conditions were ideal for gull photography. Like the rest of the gulls and ducks in the area, the Bonies were only interested in the herring roe. Why bother with one at a time? After a good meal, it's time for some grooming and a rest. Rocks are still the favorite resting spots. It won't be long before the Bonies change into their summer plumage. Thayer's Time - As the experts all know, there are many variations to the appearance of gulls depending on age and time of year. here's a few Thayer's for you to figure out. Mar. 24 - A Quick Trip to Qualicum The patch of blue in the sky towards Qualicum in the late afternoon was irresistable. Before long I was at French Creek anticipating the usual flock of gulls along with a host of dabbling and diving ducks and maybe a few hundred Brant. I was surprised to see less than a handful of gulls. I guessed that they had all moved north to Qualicum Bay where there was a larger herring spawn. Instead of gulls, the beach was busy with dabbling ducks - Mallards, Wigeons, and Northern Pintails. At the end of the breakwater, a lone Double-crested Cormorant couldn't understand the excitement of the herring roe. At Qualicum a pair of gulls caught my my attention as they foraged apart from the rest of the flock. They were my first Ring-billed Gulls of the year. Most of the flock was in the shallow water harvesting the tiny jewels of roe. Mew Gulls were the predominant species at that location. A mid-Western Gull - The darkest gull in the flock looked like an "almost" adult Western. Bufflehead Fun Mar. 25 - A frost delay on the golf course gave me a chance to check out the ducks. The Buffleheads were in a playful mood with their courtship activities. Mar. 26 - One Last Gull Visit - Now that the herring spawn is a distant memory it won't be long before the supply of floating roe is depleted and the gulls and ducks head for their breeding grounds. I thought I would make one last visit before I turned my attention to the summer migrants like the delightful little Rufous Hummingbirds and gorgeous Yellow-rumped Warblers. Yes, there were lots of gulls, but they all looked the same to me. After an hour checking out the flocks around Qualicum Bay and Nile Creek, I was cross-eyed. May 26 Bringing Back the Sun - There must be a legend about the Yellow-rumped bringing back the sun. If there isn't, someone should write it as it seems to signify the beginning of spring. I saw my first Yellow-rumpeds yesterday at Fairwinds. They were just appetizers for a visit to the Morningstar Ponds. As expected, there were a few Yellow-rumpeds at Morningstar. Not as many as there soon will be, but I only needed one or two. You definitely have to be patient as they are in constant motion, and there are always branches in the way. I was lucky to get a photo of a female in the first half hour. I staked out an area where I saw a male Yellow-rumped hawking insects. After an hour I finally got a clear shot. Besides hawking insects, the Yellow-rumped was busy keeping all intruders out of his area. Finally, he slowed down on a branch close by. Click! What a gorgeous bird. 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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