CBC Chilliwack area 13-14
Dec 21, 2023 20:51:28 GMT -8
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Gord, Wetlander, and 8 more like this
Post by ed on Dec 21, 2023 20:51:28 GMT -8
One of the locations we start our count is on Sumas Central west of Evans Rd. Here we saw a humongous flock of Cackling Geese. We did a few rough counts and estimated approximately 7000 birds. We diligently scanned for GWFG but came up short. A passing Eagle stirred up an unholy racket. We noticed a truck parked nearby and a local farmer/landowner came out to talk to us. He waited respectfully for us to conclude our observations and then fired 2 whistlers and 2 bangers towards the geese. With a gigantic uproar they circled and left for less tumultuous places. They do a significant amount of damage to the soft winter grass crop. He told us that they preferred the least resilient grass to the tougher winter wheat crop on the other side.š³
We drove on 500m to check for gulls and sparrows. Suddenly a police officer appeared out of the gloaming and asked a lot of questions. Did we have a gun, could we produce id, had we fired shots, were we sure that there were no firearms in the car? And on it went. Someone had provided descriptions of us and our car! Another officer showed up cutting off our escape route with her car! We explained what we knew was the truth but there was just a āhintā of skepticism in the air. Weāre we sure?! It had become foggy at that time and we were in a surreal world between fantasy and the real. Suddenly shots were fired and we pointed in the direction they came from, shouting āthatās himā meaning the farmer. The police ran to their cars, engines revving, shot off at a high rate of speedš³š Good grief! One can see how an ordinary and everyday event can quickly morph into something else, not that birding or doing a bird survey is normal.
Well that was an exciting moment and a story with humour attached. We took it in good humour and really hadnāt taken time to process our experience.
It was mild and more benign weather than weāve had for years on a CB Count. We were happy to tally 53 species knowing that we had about 45 in 2022. I know sone other areas counted in the 60ās and 70ās, wow so good!
Our real thrill of the day though came in the form of a bird not on the list for the Chilliwack bird count. A White-breasted Nuthatch! This species has been seen in the Fraser Valley area possibly 3 times in the past, but never on the CBC for Chilliwack. We heard an unfamiliar whinnying which I wrote off as an unusual bird soundā¦.perhaps a mallard or woodpecker. I was using the Merlin app(hoping for Red-breasted Nuthatch) and it showed White-breasted Nuthatch. I pretty much dismissed it as it was so far out in possibilities. Also inexplicably a Eurasian Jackdaw registered on the Merlin app. Well that clinched the thought that the app was acting up(Iāve had Northern Cardinal and other unlikely birds register). Well then Larry called me over where Joel and him had located this special guy and the rest is history. It was seen again today and the feeders in the atea May keep him around for a while.
Good birding,
Ed
We drove on 500m to check for gulls and sparrows. Suddenly a police officer appeared out of the gloaming and asked a lot of questions. Did we have a gun, could we produce id, had we fired shots, were we sure that there were no firearms in the car? And on it went. Someone had provided descriptions of us and our car! Another officer showed up cutting off our escape route with her car! We explained what we knew was the truth but there was just a āhintā of skepticism in the air. Weāre we sure?! It had become foggy at that time and we were in a surreal world between fantasy and the real. Suddenly shots were fired and we pointed in the direction they came from, shouting āthatās himā meaning the farmer. The police ran to their cars, engines revving, shot off at a high rate of speedš³š Good grief! One can see how an ordinary and everyday event can quickly morph into something else, not that birding or doing a bird survey is normal.
Well that was an exciting moment and a story with humour attached. We took it in good humour and really hadnāt taken time to process our experience.
It was mild and more benign weather than weāve had for years on a CB Count. We were happy to tally 53 species knowing that we had about 45 in 2022. I know sone other areas counted in the 60ās and 70ās, wow so good!
Our real thrill of the day though came in the form of a bird not on the list for the Chilliwack bird count. A White-breasted Nuthatch! This species has been seen in the Fraser Valley area possibly 3 times in the past, but never on the CBC for Chilliwack. We heard an unfamiliar whinnying which I wrote off as an unusual bird soundā¦.perhaps a mallard or woodpecker. I was using the Merlin app(hoping for Red-breasted Nuthatch) and it showed White-breasted Nuthatch. I pretty much dismissed it as it was so far out in possibilities. Also inexplicably a Eurasian Jackdaw registered on the Merlin app. Well that clinched the thought that the app was acting up(Iāve had Northern Cardinal and other unlikely birds register). Well then Larry called me over where Joel and him had located this special guy and the rest is history. It was seen again today and the feeders in the atea May keep him around for a while.
Good birding,
Ed
