In hopes of viewing scenes of herring activity, some group members drove south to the Deep Bay and Ship's Point areas on Wednesday. We found some of the herring fleet set up off the peninsula forming Deep Bay Marina, while an aqua colour staining the waters between the fleet and land was a signal that the herring had been busy spawning. Of course, the area was alive with birds, seals and sea lions all eager to grab a meal. We heard that Orcas had joined the frenzy the day before but, alas, they were absent when we visited the area. For ninety minutes or so, we checked out the birds off the Deep Bay shoreline and in the Marina before heading to the Ship's Point Park for a quick look at its shores. The tide was well out by this time, so we kept the visit short (no herring activity here). It was a very interesting afternoon, all in all.
Deep Bay species count was 29: gulls, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Mallard, Bufflehead, Long-tailed Duck, Harlequin, Scaup, Horned Grebe, American Wigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Canada Geese, Bald Eagle, American Crow, European Starling, Brewer's Blackbird, American Robin, Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, House Sparrow, Golden-eyed Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Spotted Towhee and Anna's Hummingbird.
At Ship's Point, the count was six: Great Blue Heron, Black Oystercatchers, Mallards, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye and Horned Grebe.
Deep Bay species count was 29: gulls, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Mallard, Bufflehead, Long-tailed Duck, Harlequin, Scaup, Horned Grebe, American Wigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Canada Geese, Bald Eagle, American Crow, European Starling, Brewer's Blackbird, American Robin, Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, House Sparrow, Golden-eyed Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Spotted Towhee and Anna's Hummingbird.
At Ship's Point, the count was six: Great Blue Heron, Black Oystercatchers, Mallards, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye and Horned Grebe.