Post by JeffOver on Nov 3, 2006 19:48:34 GMT -8
Hi all,
For some reason I often seem to do my birding in the worst weather. The first time I saw Gord (although I didn't know who he was at the time) at Cheam Wetlands last spring, it was pouring down rain. I met him again a couple of weeks ago and it was threatening to rain. Then, this week I decided to get my target life bird--the Redhead. So I planned to go to Sardis Park on Wednesday (a nice day), but homework got the better of me. Placing my hope in a forecast that initially said Thursday morning would be dry, I was content with finishing homework. To my dismay, it was bitterly cold, windy, and raining at 11:00 Thursday morning.
Thankfully, though, I found the male Redhead, in the middle of the pond. 
;D Other species here that I don't see every day included:
Hooded merganser--1 or 2
Common merganser--1
Greater Scaup--several
Ring-necked duck--several
Bufflehead--3 or 4 males, several females
Then, I came home from work today around 3:30, and decided to give my dog some exercise around 4:00 (not sure if she appreciated it or not
). Anyway, I decided to walk Hope River Rd. from Kinsmen Park to the 3-way stop. At first, I walked outside with a coat, looked at the rain, and walked right back inside to put on a new inexpensive rain suit. It turned out that my rain pants ripped about 20 minutes into the 1 hour walk. 
Well, needless to say, it was raining pretty hard--sometimes very hard! Almost every time I stopped to look at a bird, I had to peer through watery lenses, but I still made out several noteable species:
Greater Scaup--many (more plentiful than mallards!)
Hooded mergansers--3 or 4 groups of 3 to 5 males and females
Snow goose-- alone in the middle of the slough--would this be a wild one or a pet one--what's the difference (if any)??
So if you see anybody in the next few days with binoculars and a rain suit--you know who it is!!! ;D
--Jeff
For some reason I often seem to do my birding in the worst weather. The first time I saw Gord (although I didn't know who he was at the time) at Cheam Wetlands last spring, it was pouring down rain. I met him again a couple of weeks ago and it was threatening to rain. Then, this week I decided to get my target life bird--the Redhead. So I planned to go to Sardis Park on Wednesday (a nice day), but homework got the better of me. Placing my hope in a forecast that initially said Thursday morning would be dry, I was content with finishing homework. To my dismay, it was bitterly cold, windy, and raining at 11:00 Thursday morning.
Thankfully, though, I found the male Redhead, in the middle of the pond. 
;D Other species here that I don't see every day included:Hooded merganser--1 or 2
Common merganser--1
Greater Scaup--several
Ring-necked duck--several
Bufflehead--3 or 4 males, several females
Then, I came home from work today around 3:30, and decided to give my dog some exercise around 4:00 (not sure if she appreciated it or not
). Anyway, I decided to walk Hope River Rd. from Kinsmen Park to the 3-way stop. At first, I walked outside with a coat, looked at the rain, and walked right back inside to put on a new inexpensive rain suit. It turned out that my rain pants ripped about 20 minutes into the 1 hour walk. 
Well, needless to say, it was raining pretty hard--sometimes very hard! Almost every time I stopped to look at a bird, I had to peer through watery lenses, but I still made out several noteable species:Greater Scaup--many (more plentiful than mallards!)
Hooded mergansers--3 or 4 groups of 3 to 5 males and females
Snow goose-- alone in the middle of the slough--would this be a wild one or a pet one--what's the difference (if any)??
So if you see anybody in the next few days with binoculars and a rain suit--you know who it is!!! ;D
--Jeff
