Roche Percee Flood

This photo makes me so sad.  My best birding areas are somewhere in the vicinity of the little village of Roche Percee.  It's part of my regular birding route.  And now, much of it is under water.

Driving #39 - Estevan Area Flooding

Two days ago, I was out on Highway #39 - the bit between Estevan and Weyburn.  There's a place, just west of the little town of Macoun that is underwater.  The CP railroad tracks in this stretch are nearly submerged as well.  I think train traffic has stopped except for work trains with loads of crushed rock for the rail bed.

Needed the windshield wipers on when plowed through the water.

 The road to Mainprize Park south of Halbright

A general view of the oilfield just north of Mainprize

I promise I will get back to blogging about birds, flowers, and nature in general soon.

Oil Patch in the Flood

This is the state of probably 35% or more of the pumps in the vast oilfield on which I live.

I'm not really up on the state of the local oil industry, but since most of the roads are closed, and ALL of the roads are too soft for the big, heavy oilfield trucks, things are a little quiet.

Peonies

My peonies are blooming - gloriously blooming, in fact.  All this rain and cooler weather has been decent for my perennials, if nothing else.

So I hauled out one of my Mom's old vases - the one I always associate with big bouquets of peonies during my childhood on the farm.  I think Dad probably won this vase at the Estevan Fair way back in the 50s. 

Big, luscious blooms

And something else.....

.........ah, of course, an ant.

Estevan Flood - June 23

#47 at the Woodlawn Bridge - wash-out

Woodlawn

The golf course

Boundary Dam

Gray Partridges In The Rain

I need a break from flood photos.  Let's get back to the beloved birds.

A Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) pair were feeding on a newly mowed acreage lawn yesterday morning.  I expect a good many nesting attempts for game birds has failed as it has for most of the waterfowl in the area. 

Mr. Partridge

Mrs. Partridge

I do have a nice goose story.  My friends have been watching a Canada Goose nest in the valley below their place.  Twice the nest has been in water, and we all thought the eggs were doomed.  However, three little goslings hatched out yesterday.  Yay

Rafferty Dam Spillway - June 20

Update:  An August 9, 2011 - a USian broadcast person blames Sask. for the flooding. 
http://www.discovermoosejaw.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18397&Itemid=399

It will be a long damn time until I visit (or spend $$) in Minot again. 

Gates are open

Quite amazing the water going down the spillway at Rafferty

Estevan Flood - June 20

A photo of the valley.  This is looking west - that's #18 with #47 at the bottom in front of SRI.

Photo courtesy of Barry Dies, thanks!

And the rain is pouring down again as I type this.

Estevan Flooding - #18 Hwy

Okay, this is fairly unbelievable.  #18 Highway just south of the city is under water.  The 5+ inches of rain that fell west of here on Friday has moved downstream and has inundated most of the valley. 

The scene from the valley rim, a block from my house  (click on the pix for larger & clearer, if you want to)

#18 is in the midst of that water

Oh look, of course an SUV is driving through.

Two vehicles; apparently the water is now too high for a regular low car. 

All this happened in the past 24 hours.  I came through on #18 at about noon yesterday (Saturday).  The water is rising by the minute.  And, if the water continues to rise, it will compromise the shifts getting into and out of Boundary Power Station, as well as people getting between the city and their farms and communities west.  Side roads are flooded and/or washed out. 

Weyburn Flood

Weyburn is flooding and in a State of Emergency.  Weyburn is about 90 kms NW of Estevan, on the Souris River.

That area has had 100+ mm of rain in the past two days.  It is quite a mess.

The junction of Hwy 35 and Hwy 39  - flooded and both highways are closed

From #35 at the 385 Motel and the Bowling alley.

The normally pleasant little campground and picnic area - flooded

Water gysering through a manhole cover.

The trailer park on #39 heading to Regina

A new construction site across from the Co-op Service Station, corner of Hwys 13 & 39.

I have just heard our water treatment plant here in Estevan will likely flood with all this water coming down.  Weyburn has a boil water advisory.  I have filled up all the pails I can find just in case our drinking water is compromised soon.

Newborn Mulie

My friend and frequent commenter on this blog, Brian, sent me this photo of a newly born Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawn.

His son saw a doe giving birth near the family cabin in BC.  After the mother moved away to feed, he crept over and got this photo of the baby.

My blog is morphing into a Cute Overload wannabe; I just love it.  Thanks for sending the photo!

Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon

Life is pretty relaxing for these three Mule Deer. 

Notice the budding antlers on two of them.

Marbled Godwits Are Little Bullies!

Yesterday, two Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) were harrassing me! 

I don't believe for a minute I was anywhere really close to their nest and babies.

Ah, to be fair to them, I doubt if many people are on that particular stretch of road these days since it is closed due to a wash-out and consequently no longer leads anywhere at all.  Very protective birds.

Roche Percee Park - Last Sunday

Okay, then, still in the process of re-grouping after having been without a computer for a week or two.  What has happened to me!?!  I feel more like getting outside and into the garden than sitting here fiddling about with my blog, my photos, and generally wasting my time in a fine and lazy style.

But...but...but...I love wasting time....

As I've said and blogged about before (many, many times), there's too much water around my area.  A week ago I went down to my favourite Spring birding and walking park near the tiny village of Roche Percee.  It's about 20 kms SE of Estevan.

This is the road into the park, er that little water fall...not supposed to be there. 

The dear old Souris River just couldn't contain itself....

There is a pretty little marsh in this photo, now 5-6 meters under water

In a normal year, this small marsh at the bottom of a narrow, deep coulee looks like this, complete with Wood Ducks coyly hiding in the reeds and cattails.  Not this year

I haven't seen a Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) this year.

Click on pix for clearer & bigger, if you want to.