above photo - ducks (mostly White-winged Scoters) flushed by a Bald Eagle at Goose Spit
Feb. 6 - Spit Stop
I've probably mentioned it before, but the most successful outlet for my books on Vancouver Island is GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS in Courtenay. What's that got to do with birding? Not much except that they had just sold out of their winter supply of books and ordered another box. That gave me an excuse to check out Deep Bay, COurtenay Airpark, and Goose Spit for the first time in 2009. Deep Bay was a bust as someone was just there and all the Long-taileds and other birds were too far out. The northwind was also howling through Baynes Sound which was a good reason not to stick around. The Airpark was next, but there wasn't much for the camera except a couple of mid-distance Green-winged Teal. The best stop was Goose Spit. Despite gale force winds there were still a lot of beach-walkers, but the usual congregation of ducks was also present and provided a few photo opportunities.
One of my favorite photo subjects is the scoter clam party. I can spend hours just trying to get some decent shots of the scoters flipping the clams around and then chug-a-lugging till the clam is swallowed. You should try it some time - I mean the photography, not the chug-a-lugging.
It's always a treat to see the jovial clown-faced Surf Scoters. Once again, they were the life of the party.
What kind of party was it? A clam-digging party, of course. It's time to dive and dig everyone. I'm always intrigued when I see them dive in synchronicity. The Long-tailed Ducks do the same thing. Can anyone enlighten me?
The female Surf Scoters were the first to surface, and they all seemed to be clammed up!
Here's another successful gal. I wonder if they are better clammers than the males?
Not to be outdone, the males all surfaced with their respective clams. This was a successful dive, but it was an exception and not the norm.
Now that everyone has a clam, the next step is the most hilarious. I need a movie camera to show you how it's done. I'll do my best to explain. The clam is juggled around to the right position then the head is thrust up in several jerking motions to use inertia and gravity to force the clam into the crop where it is ground up by grit. If you don't understand what I just described, you'll just have to go down to the beach and see for yourself.
The only one to come up without a clam was the immature male. Better luck next time.
There were a few White-winged Scoters in the flock, but I've never seen the Black Scoters there. I wonder if it's just my timing or if the Black Scoters have been boycotting the lagoon.
Another common species at the lagoon is the Greater Scaup.
I wasn't surprised to see Buffleheads there as they seem to be everywhere.
The only pictures I took at the Airpark were of a couple of Green-winged Teal. I was hoping to find a Wilson's Snipe, but they have been scarce for me all winter except in Saanich at the bulb fields.
I love photographing the Green-winged Teal because of its exquisite colours, patterns, and markings. The result is always different depending on the angle of the light.
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Feb. 7 - Hawk Owl update
I was under the impression that the Hawk Owl was gone, but was able to glean from an incidental post on the birdingbc site that the bird was still present. After playing taxi to the ferry today, I had the chance to see for myself. I'm happy to report that The Hawk Owl continued to inhabit the Morden Road vicinity for the 15th consecutive day, and although the crowds have diminished, there was still a steady trickle of birders and photographers. SHAUN and TERRY were up from Victoria, FRANK and HAL represented Nanaimo, and CIM and CARL made the mighty trek from Chemainus. I've run into CIM in a few unusual places, and it's always a pleasure to share a few minutes with such a cheerful free spirit. Oh, I can't forget JARED from Alert Bay. He's promised me a HORNED PUFFIN this summer (I wish). I was on the scene from 1 to 4 pm, and the owl only spent about 10 minutes at its roadside perch. Most of the time it was on trees or poles in the properties to the south of the road. Combined with heavy overcast skies, the situation wasn't very suitable for taking pictures.
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Bewick's Break - When the Hawk Owl wasn't around, there was a little Bewick's Wren that kept us entertained. It generally kept under the cover of the hedgerow but did reveal itself occasionally, especially when it wanted to sing its territorial song.
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Bird Poster
My posters are on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House; Nanoose Bay - Credit Union; Courtenay - Graham's Jewellers
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