Stranded on Hornby

Feb. 20/11 - In case you haven't heard, the ferry to Hornby has been out of commission for the past two weeks, and just like Robinson Crusoe, I've been stranded but with no person named Friday to keep me company. It has been a struggle trying to decide what provisions to buy at the Co-op Store and what luxury B & B to patronize since it's been too cold to camp.

To tell the truth, passing the time hasn't been too difficult. Rather than feeling down about being stranded and away from home, I decided to embrace the situation and take advantage of the local scenery. Tribune Bay is one of my favorite locations to visit. Many considerate it to be the crown jewel of Hornby's natural attractions, and it's hard to dispute. With a kilometer of silky white, sandy beach framed by the sandstone cliffs of Helliwell on the east and the trees of Hornby on the west, it is the epitome of paradise. During the summer it is one of the most popular beaches in the strait, but now, in the dead of winter, I often have it to myself. For me it has become a photographic challenge even though I've always focussed on the birds and not the scenery. Sunrise? early morning? late afternoon? sunset? When's the best time? What's the best sky conditions? Where's the best angle? There's only one way to find out ...

Helliwell Park is another amazing natural wonder featuring a carpet of extremely rare coastal grassland above the fascinating sandstone and conglomerate cliffs. The cliffs are an artist's palette for the wind and waves to sculpt and carve into masterpieces of nature while the grasslands are a host to a variety of exotic and rare wild flowers and plants. The inner half of Helliwell is a well-preserved coastal douglas fir forest with a variety of pines, arbutus, oak, and even the invasive holly.

The Song Sparrow is one of the winter residents in the forest at Helliwell.

The habitat is also perfect for the Bewick's Wren.

While Tribune might be the crown jewel, Whaling Station is the hidden jewel, and that's the way the locals prefer it. Although it is much less expansive, it is no less beautiful.

Another secluded gem is Grassy Point. It was bitter cold with a biting west wind sweeping off the snow-capped peaks of the Beaufort range, but I was attracted by the giant cascade of the waves as they crashed into the sandstone shoreline. With the snow-capped mountains in the background and the sandstone pools in the foreground, I was oblivious to the cold as I tried for the perfect spray shot. When I had enough I realized my fingers were numb with cold, but then I saw the Harlequins ...

It was no surprise to see Harlequins around Hornby. The area is known for having the largest concentration of Harlequins on the west coast. Part of the attraction is the herring spawn when ducks from all around flock to the area for the herring roe buffet. Hornby is also known as a favorite spot for molting. Molting populations of up to 5,000 birds have been recorded in the late summer and early fall.

Harlequins love the rough water, and the conditions were perfect for them. They were in a playful mood, diving, swimming, chasing each other, and just enjoying the sun, wind, and waves. For them, this was duck weather.

This was also photography weather, and I could never have too many Harlequin pictures. Blue sky meant blue water and a great background for the colourful ducks. Trying to shoot Harlequins bouncing in the waves was a challenge, but that was part of the fun.

The Harlequins were very cooperative. Once they got used to my presence they drifted closer to me, and I was grateful for the better shots.

It's always more interesting to get more than one duck in the picture, but with a 800 mm lens it's difficult to get both in focus. The best chance is when both ducks are almost in the same plane.

After a half hour of Harlequins, I was quite satisfied that I had a couple of decent shots. I stood up to stretch and look around. I was enjoying the scenery of the distant mountains when I noticed some birds flying onto the rocks.

I was surprised to see a mixed group of American Wigeons, Black Turnstones, and Black-bellied Plovers. It's unusual to see ducks hanging out with the shorebirds.

I did my usual graduated approach taking a few shots then approaching ten steps. The birds were aware of my presence and kept their distance.

The silhouette of a Black-bellied Plover against the curtain of spray and foam caught my attention. This was one case where getting the catch-light in the eye didn't matter.

Eventually, my presence was tolerated within reason. I was happy to be within ten meters and the birds reluctantly consented.

The birds were taking a break from their foraging and were lined up on the rocks closest to the water.

It was difficult to get a group shot with the catch-light on all the birds. This was the best I could manage.

I was tempted to stay at Grassy Point awhile longer, but I wanted to check for other birds. Just as I packed up my camera a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers flew by at close range. That always happens when I'm packing up, but my mind was made up. I was leaving. On the way out on Carmichael Road a familiar sight caught my eye - Northern Flicker on a hydro pole. I would have preferred a fir tree, but couldn't be choosy. It was a close, clear shot in the morning sun that I didn't want to pass up.

Just west of Bradsdadsland a pair of eagles were riding the wind currents. One landed on a cliffside tree, and was wavering back and forth in the wind while I took a few shots. Doug Carrick has been studying Hornby eagles for over 20 years and knows all 7,200 feathers of every eagle. I'll have to get him to identify this eagle for me.

My destination was the ferry dock. It's not just the ferry that docks there, so do a number of Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants and a few ducks. (So far I haven't seen a Brandt's there.) My goal was to get some flight shots of the cormorants flying in to the pilings or wharf. The angle of the sun wasn't great nor was my position for shooting, but there was no other choice. The good news was that there was a flurry of flights so I had fun trying. Here's one of my better efforts of a Pelagic Cormorant. They're the smallest of the three species.

There were several ducks beyond the pilings and too far for me, but a female Red-breasted Merganser showed up close to the ferry ramp.

The merganser was busy diving for food and didn't notice me on the ramp. I was hoping for her to catch a good-sized fish, but that didn't happen. Most of her catches must have been small enough to swallow underwater.

I waited another five minutes but still no catch.

Over by the pilings a Red-necked Grebe awoke from its nap and was stretching. Not a bad shot from about 25 meters.

I was just leaving when one of the distant male Red-breasted Mergansers started thrashing around. I couldn't see what was happening so I focussed the camera to catch the action. It was a classic, "Who's got who?" The crab was firmly clamped onto the duck's bill and the potential meal suddenly became a painful enemy. The duck knew it had met its match. Finally, the duck was able to shake the crab off and was happy to look for something a bit smaller.

There weren't any other birds around so I decided to call it a day. I looked wistfully over to Gravelly Bay to see if the ferry was coming, but there was no sign of activity. The rumor was that they were waiting for parts to be shipped over from Germany, and that might be another week ... over 40 years ago I taught school in Inuvik and had a lot of fun with the students. Many of them had great senses of humor. It was common for them to tell me a tall tale and then with a mischievious glint in their eyes, they would confess by saying, "I lie!" Well as you can guess, this journal is a big, "I lie!" I apologize, but I just didn't have any other pictures to share so I concocted this "I lie." The pictures are real and were taken recently on Hornby, but the ferry has always been on time. I have been over to Hornby a few times to work on another project but haven't done any other birding since the wonderful Rocks (Rock Sandpipers) on the rocks at Cattle Point. Hopefully, things will improve as we near the magical herring spawn in early March. I've had my share of Slatey-backed Gulls in the past so this year I'm hoping for an Ivory. If that doesn't happen I still expect to have fun with the hundreds of thousands of ducks and gulls that flock to the area for the event. I'll try to keep you posted, but my recommendation is to come on over and enjoy it in real life.

Meanwhile, I hope no one took offense to my little tall tale. It probably would be a lot of fun to be stranded on Hornby - no, I think a better word would be therapeutic. I think all of us could use a little time out from the hectic treadmill that we're all spinning our wheels on. Like Denman, Hornby is laid-back. The pace of life slows down to the natural rhythms of nature and there is time to enjoy the simplicity and beauty of the sea, forest, and natural environment. Unlike the big cities and little cities for that matter, the Islanders recognize and cherish the beauty and importance of nature ... They have slowed down to become part of nature, and that is something the whole world should do ...

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Bird Poster

My poster is on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House

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