For the faithful

I thought it was about time I posted something for the faithful few who keep checking this blog every day.  After spending 10 days on Vancouver Island and another 4 up in the Okanagan I haven't had much chance to see anything exciting around here.  The few times I have got down to the water there have been off leash dogs playing, so even if I didn't have a dog with me that disapproves of this as much as I do, there wouldn't be any birds hanging around with all the activity on the tiny little dry spot left.

Water levels are on the rise, although very slowly, thanks to the unseasonable cool weather we've had, but enough that walking to the park is now impossible.

I have noticed that we still have Pine Siskin and that the American Goldfinch are back, along with the Brown-headed Cowbirds and everything is very green and pretty.

To whet the appetite I will post a few of the hundreds of pictures I took on the last trips and that I am slowly working through and will eventually get posted on my 'Birding by Shantz' blog, but considering it sounds like we may be off again next week - that might take a while.

Should also mention to loyal followers to Google 'RV West on line magazine' as am a featured guest as of this morning.

So we were recently at Miracle Beach just outside of Campbell River on Vancouver Island where we had wonderful weather and the campground was accessible for a sensible 'off season' rate - something that ALL provincial park campgrounds should be!

Was surprised to see Townsend's Solitaire there.  Never associated them with beaches before but we saw them every where we stopped.  We should be seeing some of them here as well.  Last year they hung out over at the field for our sewage treatment plant for about a week before moving north.  These robin sized birds eat bugs so not lured to feeders.

Quite a few Black-bellied Plover there as well, some, like the male above, more into breeding plumage than others.  I haven't quite figured out what the smaller shorebirds were yet.

One of the most exciting things was spotting this Marten!  I had been wandering in the campground and was taking photos of a White-crowned Sparrow on one side of the road when I heard some 'scrabbling' sounds behind me.  Looked around and spotted this guy.  The first one I'd ever seen.  We should have these guys around here too.

and one last photo on this brief entry - there were Pink Fawn Lilies growing all along the path beside Black Creek which forms one of the parks boundaries.  I'll have more and better photos on the other blog - eventually!