I went out birding the other day. It was the first clear sky, sunny day in a long time. It was also very cold. That is the trade-off around here in Winter.
First I went to this pretty place. It is the city sewer lagoons. Looks nice doesn't it. Doesn't even smell too bad at this time of year. There were no special ducks in the bit of open water - about 25 Mallards.
Then I went down RM5 35 to Fisherman's Road. I stopped at my favourite little pretty place along the way. What is that in the ice?
There must be a spring keeping that little hole open. There were no human tracks around it or to it - ruling out an attempt at a bit of ice-fishing. This isn't a place where anyone does ice fishing anyway. I've been driving around here in the winter for 12 years, never saw a hole or anything else like this on this pond. I expect aliens are below. There's a sign over at the library that shouts ALIENS EXIST! (If I were a really good blogger, I would zip over there to take a photo of the sign...but, alas...)
On down Fisherman's Road - there is Boundary Power Station in the distance, spewing and puffing
and on to the bays near the hot-water outflow at Boundary.
The mist was rising, but not too badly. On really cold days, you can't see the banks. Tens of thousands of Canada Geese spend the Winter here, feeding in the nearby stubble fields. Also, many Cackling Geese & Mallards with American Coots, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, a few Lesser Scaups maybe, you name it....almost every species of waterfowl is apt to be found here.
Then over to the east side of the reservoir, to the boat launch at Woodlawn Boundary park.
Quite often there are a couple of coots pecking at debris around the docks.
All this open water makes Winter birding around Estevan very interesting.
First I went to this pretty place. It is the city sewer lagoons. Looks nice doesn't it. Doesn't even smell too bad at this time of year. There were no special ducks in the bit of open water - about 25 Mallards.
Then I went down RM5 35 to Fisherman's Road. I stopped at my favourite little pretty place along the way. What is that in the ice?
There must be a spring keeping that little hole open. There were no human tracks around it or to it - ruling out an attempt at a bit of ice-fishing. This isn't a place where anyone does ice fishing anyway. I've been driving around here in the winter for 12 years, never saw a hole or anything else like this on this pond. I expect aliens are below. There's a sign over at the library that shouts ALIENS EXIST! (If I were a really good blogger, I would zip over there to take a photo of the sign...but, alas...)
On down Fisherman's Road - there is Boundary Power Station in the distance, spewing and puffing
and on to the bays near the hot-water outflow at Boundary.
The mist was rising, but not too badly. On really cold days, you can't see the banks. Tens of thousands of Canada Geese spend the Winter here, feeding in the nearby stubble fields. Also, many Cackling Geese & Mallards with American Coots, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, a few Lesser Scaups maybe, you name it....almost every species of waterfowl is apt to be found here.
Then over to the east side of the reservoir, to the boat launch at Woodlawn Boundary park.
Quite often there are a couple of coots pecking at debris around the docks.
All this open water makes Winter birding around Estevan very interesting.
Interesting indeed. We go where the open water is found. And here, living in a county with no lakes and only small trout streams Waste Water Treament Plants, strangely enough, are a prime destination....;)
ReplyDeleteYou don't have a lot of snow there. Poor birds here must have a bit of trouble feeding if people don't feed them. Mind you I haven't been out and about in the country.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have a lot of snow there. Poor birds here must have a bit of trouble feeding if people don't feed them. Mind you I haven't been out and about in the country.
ReplyDelete