Coastal Waterbird Surveys, 9th December 2018.

Cowichan Bay, South Side.
Rain, cold (5 C) and poor visibility did not deter six hardy counters this morning.
Donna Zipse; Ken Bendle; Barry Hetchsko, Willie Harvie, Steve Mitchell and Gail Mitchell

The highlight was much Bald eagle activity.
Gunshots coming from the end of the estuary were heard throughout the time.

1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Northwestern Crow, 7 Gull sp., 5 Glaucous winged Gulls,10 Double-crested Cormorant, 8 Bald eagle, 3 Common Goldeneye, 90 Bufflehead, 5 Duck sp., 1 Hooded Merganser, 3 Mute Swan.

Cowichan Bay, North Side – no survey this month.

The birds didn’t mind the rain today, so neither did Jim and Lyn Wisnia.

In the Verdier Point area:
134 American Wigeon, 1 Surf Scoter, 42 Bufflehead, 45 Common Goldeneye, 1 Barrow’s Goldeneye, 12 Hooded Merganser, 7 Horned Grebe, 2 Red-necked Grebe, 1 Pigeon Guillemot, 17 Mew Gull, 8 Glaucous-winged Gull, 1 Gull sp., 3 Common Loon, 1 Brandt’s Cormorant, 1 Pelagic Cormorant, 1 Cormorant sp., 1 Great Blue Heron, 1 Bald Eagle.

In the Mill Bay area:
4 Canada Goose, 11 Mute Swan, 64 Bufflehead, 7 Common Goldeneye, 1 Hooded Merganser, 2 Common Merganser, 13 Red-breasted Merganser, 300+ Western Grebe (probably more beyond 500 m.), 46 Mew Gull, 6, Glaucous-winged Gull, 2 Gull sp., 6 Pacific Loon, 2 Brandt’s Cormorant, 2 Belted Kingfisher.