Nature in Today's World

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, a day to recognize the billions of birds that migrate seasonally. Facing ever increasing hazards due to loss of habitat, climate change and toxins, it is important to recognize that migrating species are exposed to risks in each of the many environments they must navigate as part of their life cycle. It is for this reason, that conservation must be coordinated internationally. The following photos illustrate a few of the migrating species, that add so much wonder and beauty to our world.

It is not my nature to express opinions of a political nature, but on Earth Day, I believe there are things to say that go beyond politics. So much that we take for granted, is threatened. Climate change is real and has been accelerating. We have entered a time period where biodiversity is severely threatened and species are disappearing at an alarming rate. World wildlife populations have been reduced by about 50% in the last 40 years. We are on the brink of the sixth mass extinction in the history of the planet. Are we taking notice? Political pronouncements of the last week have been encouraging. However, recent history has seen that similar announcements made in the past have not resulted in any significant change in behaviour. Will it be different this time?

It is far too easy in February to complain about the restrictions that the pandemic brings and to complain about cold or wet weather! The reality for me is that February has been a very good month for walks, hikes, birdwatching and enjoying nature. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty around us. Here are a few of the highlights.

I am informed that there are not generally large numbers of snow geese in the Fraser Valley. This winter has been different, and yesterday we were treated to the spectacle of thousands of snow geese lifting off, and then returning to the same field to land. It was awesome! The sight was matched by the sound of thousands of pairs of wings flapping and of the geese calling. How the geese can do this without colliding is mind-boggling!

At this time of year, one of the most plentiful birds in the Fraser Valley is the bald eagle. So it is only natural that I keep taking more pictures of them. Here are a few more from the last two months.

Yesterday, the weather forecast was for reasonable weather. The forecast for the rest of the week is rain. So I decided to head out to Brunswick Point in Delta, to try to find and photograph a rough-legged hawk, which has been reported in the area. I was successful, in finding and photographing the hawk, but saw so much more than I expected to see! There were many harriers, red-tailed hawks, eagles, herons, swans, flickers, trumpeter swans and short-eared owls. The biggest surprise was that the owls were active from noon until I left at 3:00 PM. This owl is generally nocturnal, and usually the only time you can photograph them is late in the day or early in the morning, or when they are very hungry, such as after a cold spell and snow storm. Our weather has not been cold and we have not had snow recently.

A few photos of ducks from the last couple of weeks. The Fraser Valley / Lower Mainland is a great location for wintering ducks!

On Sunday, I drove east to the Cheam Lake Wetlands, in the Fraser Valley. I had heard that there would be a lot of trumpeter swans there, but it was important to arrive early, as they all leave within an hour or so of daybreak. I was richly rewarded for the effort. There were probably a thousand swans on the lake.

The water was pitch black and the swans were a brilliant white. They were trumpeting at irregular intervals. Every so often there would be a vigorous flapping of wings, and splashing as groups of trumpeters would take off, literally running on the water and flapping their wings hard against the water until they achieved lift-off. This generally required close to 100 metres.

The swans would then circle around the lake, slowly gaining altitude before disappearing into the Fraser Valley.

This was repeated over and over for about 90 minutes, with groups of anywhere from 2 to 12 lifting off at a time.

It was an outing, I am sure I will never forget!

With all the rain we have been having lately, I took advantage of a break in the weather to return to the Harrison River. It was a good move as water levels have dropped and the number of eagles present was astounding!

From the moment I arrived, until the time I left, there were eagles everywhere, with the occasional eagle gliding right over me.

The river was full of spawning salmon, swimming and jumping, with many more dead salmon on the banks.

At one point in the woods, I looked up to see a dead salmon stuck in branches above me. Clearly, it had been dropped by an eagle!

On other trips, the eagles were aggressive to each other. Yesterday, when one eagle approached another, generally the standing eagle would yield its position to the new arrival. I suspect they were all very well fed, and had little desire to fight, other than to offer token resistance.

The river also had lots of ducks including goldeneye, hooded and common mergansers, mallards and American wigeon.

Just as I was preparing to go, four trumpeter swans landed in the water beside me. (There were hundreds further out in the water and the entire time I was there, I was “serenaded” by the whistling of eagles and the trumpeting of swans. What a day!

These photos were taken on the Harrison River this past Sunday. With high water, the eagles were more dispersed than they had been the week before. Still, a very enjoyable and productive outing.

The Fraser Valley, with its mild winters, open fresh water and proximity to the coast is a good wintering location for many of the birds from the north. Added to that, there are many spawning salmon in the lower Fraser in October and November. When the salmon die, they become feed for bald eagles, which flock to the rivers of the lower Fraser Valley. The following photos were taken this past week at the Nicomen Slough and the nearby Harrison River which features an exceptionally high concentration of eagles in November and December.