Helpers Robert and Enooya are dwarfed by the ice.
Big shakeup yesterday! The river upstream on the Sylvia Grinnell River broke up and came sweeping down. When confronted with the sea ice the river, and the huge chunks of ice it was carrying, formed a dam right across the river backing everything up, heaving huge frozen chunks up on shore and flooding the lower valley from side to side. I wish I had been there to see it – the power must have been awesome! Today it was cold (barely above freezing) and a bitter wind blew out of the south….making it difficult to perceive this as the first day of Summer.
A chute on the Sylvia Grinnell River with 3-foot standing waves. Note the ice chunks thrown up on shore.
The Sylvia Grinnell River opened up yesterday flooding and bringing huge blocks of ice down.
On the negative side, one of “my” nests, SNBU3, was totally wiped out, submerged under many feet of water and ice. I was going to start trying to band the adults of this nest on Sunday. Several days ago there was one egg in the nest. The female lays one a day and begins incubating after the 3rd egg – so there were likely 4 eggs in the nest anyway. It would have been interesting (and sad if, like me, you’re just a bit anthropomorhpic) to watch the parents try to come to grips with the rising water and then have to abandon. They still have time so, hopefully, they will make a second attempt.
Nest SNBU3 – now well under water and ice.
Nest SNBU3 was about where this arrow is pointing.
On the plus side, just after realizing the demise of this nest, we found a new nest (SNBU19) in an obscure crack high above the flooding. This nest has 7 eggs in it so I will get around to trying to band the adults in a couple of days.
The arrow marks the approximate placement of the nest but the bunting enters from the left.
Robert getting a picture of the nest – SNBU19; just a narrow, but deep, fissure in the rock.
Although it’s the most difficult time to find nests (the females are hidden while they incubate), I will keep trying for two more days and then I will focus on catching and banding.
Last night David Hussell took me to a Northern Wheatear nest that he had found with 5 eggs:
Female (foreground) and male (back) Northern Wheatears. Their colouration fits in perfectly with the rocky background. -E. Sudlovenick
Young helper, Aden, indicating the location of the wheatear nest.
A growing clutch of Northern Wheatear eggs – same colour as a Robin’s.
Rick