On Sunday, October 13, four birders, Daryl Johnson, Kurleen Wen, Ray Demarchi and Carol Hartwig, conducted a Coastal Bird Survey on Cowichan Estuary North-Khenipsen Road. The beautiful sunny day with excellent visibility afforded the viewing of 14 species including: 950 American Wigeon, 260 unidentified Gull, 33 Double-crested Cormorant, 27 Mute Swan, 16 Common Merganser, 7…
Four observers, Daryl Johnson, Christine Gilbertson, Carol Hartwig and Kurleen Wen, conducted a Coastal Bird Survey on Cowichan Estuary North-Khenipsen Road Sunday, November 10 from 11 AM to 12:10 PM. Visibility was excellent during the high tide and although gun shots were heard, generally the birds did not seem to be too disturbed. There were…
Hi Birders, Thanks for the nice evening together birding. I just entered the birds and you were right, Bob, there was no way to record the swallows or even the purple martin on the form even once I asked for the longer form!! I did enter them in the comments at the bottom of the…
Hi Yesterday I met up with 7 or 8 enthusiastic butterfliers and we walked the train tracks at Cowichan Station the weather was spot on and was not long before we spotted our first butterfly a Cabbage White. At the meeting place a Red-breasted Sapsucker was drilling some wells in a large Maple. On the…
Hi There are days when you just know that it is going to be an exceptional day. My day started on a bit of waste land along Cowichan Bay Road where I found a pair of discarded kitchen catchers loaded with empty beer cans, over forty in total, what a start to the day. Then…
Early on a sunny Sunday morning five bright-eyed birders gathered with no time to waste – observations had to be complete by 0904, two hours after high tide. First “waterbird†of the day was a Turkey Vulture, on beach patrol right in front of Ray and Carol’s place. But most of the estuary was calm…
Hi Birders Well spring has arrived with all sorts of weather so I guess it must be April. Rufous Hummingbirds abound and are coming into feeders and stationed along the Dock Road on hydro lines. Chipping Sparrows are making an early debut with one at my feeder and another on Corefield Road. First sighting of…
Hi When you got to go, you got to go, as was the case for the swans and geese this past week with a mass migration from the valley. Just 47 Trumpeter Swans were counted and even the remaining few looked eager to leave us to go north. A group of four immatures on Sahilton…
Hi This is a report for all those who like nature. Last Thursday while walking the Cowichan River Dike in Cowichan Bay I came across a puddle with something moving in it, but as I got close it stopped; this puddle was really murky so it was not possible to see what was in there,…
Hi Birders I am so sorry for the delay in the report, but things have been a little hectic this week, what with filming the swans, digging the garden, getting ready for our wedding anniversary and all sorts of other things that take place in everyday life. Or I could tell the truth and say…
Hi Just three eager participants this week and big thanks to Kathleen for the driving duties and of course Daryl for her meticulous notes on the spreadsheet. It is now getting very close to departure time for the swans, the immatures are getting a lot whiter and are harder to find in the flocks and…
Hi Birders This week saw a major explosion of counters with 9 people in two vehicles moving in slow procession around the route. I brought old Derrick in this week so that we would finish in a timely manner and it was a good move as we were done by 2:30pm. There are times when…
Two counters, one experienced and knowledgeable and one inexperienced, confused and scopally challenged, set off to do the north side of the bay. The weather cooperated and we had a total of 458 birds and 20 species which included 6 Horned Grebes and 2 Gadwall. Again Mallards, Glaucous Winged, Mew Gulls and Buffleheads were the…
BOB’S REPORT Four birders set out along the usual track, without stalwart leader Derrick, but fearlessly facing the prospect of making our own decisions, all day. Daryl led the charge from the back seat. At Somenos Lake, 108 Ruddy Ducks still parked on the calm surface. But Trumpeter Swans, our raison d’etre, were scarce for…
Hi This week saw a major drop in swan numbers with just 440 birds being found, where the others were hiding, who knows. We did manage to find two Tundra’s one of which was the neck banded P927 which incidentally thanks to Peggy Smith was seen in Forest Grove OR in January 2010 and in…