This afternoon I headed north from the head of the lake, specifically
searching for waterfowl. I found lots of Green-winged Teal and Mallards, a
few Northern Pintails, and 4 Hooded Mergansers. Unlike a week or two ago,
there were no gulls or loons at the head of the lake. However, several of
the gravel bars along the Lardeau River were crowded with gulls. At first, I
mistakenly thought they must be HEGU or RBGU and I was trying to figure out
what they were doing moving north. Finally I figured out that they were
California Gulls; the avian persona I had been scanning for for weeks now.
Altogether I counted about 300 in a 30km stretch of the river.
It doesn't rain but it pours! Or rains and blows if you're on the coast
these days.
Gail Spitler
Johnsons Landing, BC
gspitler at awinc.com