fifth world arts

Vancouver Island Birding

Winter Ducks

digitalscapes by starchy                                           all rights reserved

  One of the many and varied perks of living on Canada’s west coast is its abundance of waterfowl. The rugged coastline is a powerful magnet for the multitude of over wintering, and passing through migratory birds. Within walking distance from my home or minutes by car, I’d be hard pressed not to find less that a dozen species. In addition, upon closer observation, many, many more.

The Esquimalt Lagoon for example, is large shallow salt-water pond and marsh, trapped in by a long thin drivable sandbar. Its only minutes by car from Victoria and has tidal movements flush it daily. It is a gold mine, for bird watchers, and all the winter ducks can be found there.  On any given day one will find, Great blue, and night herons, Mute Swans, Golden eyes, Buffleheads, Blue bills, Canvasbacks, Coots, both Common, Red-breasted, and Hooded  Mergansers, Pintails, Surf Scoters, Oystercatchers, Sanderlings, Loons,  Harlequin Ducks, American Widgeon, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, Pied-billed Grebes, Ruddy Turnstones, Rock Sandpipers, Yellowlegs, and if your lucky, Brant Geese, Snowy Owls, and Common Murre. I’ll also mention a number of Gulls, that I’m afraid I pay little heed too. 

 As you move south west from Victoria and find your self in less populated areas, you’ll fine even more species. On one  lucky occasion I spotted a Brown Pelican out in the kelp beds off China beach. A rare visitor to the Island. 

Starchy [:)

The Mallards Nest

digital scape's by starchy                      all rights reserved    
 

Where and when Eric and I found the tattered remains of a broken Mallard’s nest and the exact details leading up to its grisly discovery remains today forever lost. As we were young boys at the time of the sad discovery, and on a great adventure, with all life’s details taken for granted. The following non-fiction account begins at a marauded and abandoned ducks nest, somewhere on Toronto Island over the summer of 1958. In order to fill the gaps, large amounts of artistic license was taken to recreate the events that took place. he young Mallard hen had chosen her nest site well, with her clutch of twelve eggs nestled deep in the wind blown reeds. Deep in a quiet backwater of Lake Ontario, on a sandbar known as the Toronto Islands. As her parents and their parents had done for generations before her.  However, even the best sites sometimes fail, as luck favored  the predators approach. She would bravely brood over her fragile treasure to the last second, neck outstretched, heart pounding not batting an eye. Relying on her natural camouflage, before the basic need of her own survival moved her into explosive flight. 

Birding on Vancouver Island

There must be some tasty treats over in “Good Acre Pond” in Beacon Hill Park these days?  A family of very secretive Ring neck ducks and a shy pair of Lesser Scaups (bluebill's) have been uncharacteristically friendly and approachable this winter. 

Now mind you, they’re not going to swim over and snap crusts from your hand like the local ducks will. However they’ll swim over (with a suspicious eye) to within instamatic camera range, but only when the local ducks are feeding. I’ve also noticed that these wild pochard’s find my flash interesting and will move in closer ever so subtly to investigate.