hh Journal 404

WHAT HAPPENED TO JANUARY?

The Palm Warbler was one of the pair that has been present all winter. The warblers are the western variant featuring a brown back, pale white supercillium, and a dark eye line. The majority of Palm Warblers breed in north-central Canada from Alberta to the east coast and migrate to Florida and southeast United States for the winter.

I remember Christmas and New Year, but suddenly it's February. I had to look back to my calendar to see where January went - three days were spent delivering books - two separate trips to Victoria (Bolen & Ivy's) and one to Quadra Island (Book Bonanza); two days writing articles for the North Islander (Harlequin Romance & Who's Your Mommy?); one day mentoring a university student on bird finding and identification; and two days preparing and delivering presentations for the Oceanside Photo Club and the North Island College Access Class. Oh yes, I also wasted a day and a half selecting photos and ordering my 2016 calendars.

I'm hoping February will be more relaxed with some free time available for photography. However, it hasn't started out that way. On February 2nd I spent the day preparing for a presentation to the Nanaimo and Ladysmith Retired Teachers Association, and half of February 3 was utilized for the presentation. As well, I received an invitation to participate in the 10th annual Campbell River Bald Eagle Festival on February 21 and have been brainstorming for for a suitable presentation. Book orders are usually few and far between at this time of year, but I just received an order from Munro's. Overall the book business has slowed down in the past few years. At one time the book stores wouldn't hesitate to order 10 books at a time. Now, 5 books seems to be the max. A case in point, the Munro's order was their 3rd in 3 months and they have all been for 5 books.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm committed to promoting public awareness about birds and butterflies and will endeavor to maintain my website, write articles, and deliver PowerPoint presentations regular basis for this year.

WHAT ABOUT MY WEBSITE?

Obviously, my preamble was all about making excuses for neglecting my website, but despite all the distractions I managed a couple of brief outings when the weather was suitable. On January 16 I decided to look for signs of the herring spawn from Parksville to Qualicum. There had been reports of feeding frenzies by gulls off Moorcroft, but the best report was from photographers Wayne D. and Pete C. They were scouting around Denman Island when they were treated to a spectacular sight. The came across a herd of sea lions in a feeding frenzy with herring when a pod of killer whales joined the party. It was an awesome scene of chaos and the raw power and ferocity of nature - unfortunately, Murphy's Law prevailed as neither photographer had his camera.

Back to my trip to Qualicum - it was pleasant but devoid of any excitement. Bird activity was disappointedly quiet. The best sights were a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese and a Snow Goose at Parksville Park and the usual Black Oystercatchers and Turnstones at Qualicum Beach. That didn't stop me from taking a few pictures. It's usually fun to watch the antics of the Black Oystercatchers, but on this day they were mainly resting on the rocks.

Another regular at Qualicum Beach were the Black Turnstones. As usual several were wandering close to the tideline flipping rocks to look for aquatic invertebrates or seeds. It looks like the turnstone below scored some kind of aquatic seed.

Meanwhile, there were also a few turnstones on the rocks resting with the oystercatchers. Yes, they also practice yoga. I'm not sure if this is a warrior pose or the lord of the dance.

The only other birding I was able to manage was another visit to Raines Road where the Rough-legged Hawk was still entertaining photographers and birders.

As usual, the Roughie was very obliging while continuing to use its favorite perching trees and posts to search for voles, mice, and insects. Local birding experts are still dumbfounded and perplexed about Roughies congeniality. I don't have any explanation either, but I recall standing eye-to-eye with the great Grey at UBC many years ago as well as relaxing within a few feet of Western Sandpipers many times at Admiral's Lagoon. Those were all exceptional moments to enjoy - not to question.

Watching Roughie hunt was always interesting. Although I haven't seen it hovering, I've enjoyed seeing it silently glide from its perch and land on its intended prey.

Even though I still haven't scored the coveted, clear vole with dinner shot like everyone else, I did see Roughie catch a vole under the giant oak tree did get the record shot through the tall grass.

While Roughie seemed to tolerate humans, the same couldn't be said for for the ravens. When one ventured too close, Roughie gave chase immediately. The raven flushed but in the air you couldn't tell who was chasing who.

WHAT ELSE?

In between sessions with Roughie a Downy Woodpecker landed in the giant oak and provided a pleasant diversion for the paparazzi. The Downy didn't seem to mind as it meticulously worked its way from one branch to another.

Bird diversity at the estuary hasn't been abundant, but with patience one can score a variety of sparrows, ducks, and meadowlarks. In fact, a Harris' Sparrow has even been recorded. The Western Meadowlarks have been regulars since fall, and as usual, very wary of anything on two feet with or without camera. The distant tree shot was all I was afforded on this day.

BIRD CHECK

It's not unusual to receive a phone call or email regarding bird identification, and I am only too happy to oblige if I'm not otherwise preoccupied. In fact, if it's a possible rare bird anywhere from Nanaimo to Qualicum I often hop in the car with the camera. Last week some folks called me about a hummingbird sitting in their cherry tree all afternoon. They had never seen a hummingbird there before and wondered if it might be something unusual. They lived close by so I dropped in with the camera. As far as I could tell, it was a female Anna's waiting for the cherry blossoms.

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Bird Poster

My poster is on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House. (Note: This poster has been produced in a more manageable size and is now available for $20 unlaminated and $32 laminated.)