Goose Spit in Comox, British Columbia is a good place to look for things washed up in the tide. The long, sandy beaches often deliver intertidal treasures. Seaweed in the strand line is intriguing to examine. Beachwalkers can look for the shells of dead clams exposed by the dropping tide. One of the clams that we discovered on Tuesday at …
Comox
Flotsam and Jetsam at Goose Spit
We were pretty much house bound because of the weather in the Comox Valley. High winds and lots of rain mean that it is difficult to venture out. We made a few short forays out for walks around the neighbourhood between squalls but for the most part hunkered down. I was stunned to see the sun when I woke up …
Comox Christmas Bird Count 2009
It’s all over but the owling and I don’t think many of the birders on the Comox Christmas Bird Count who braved the cold wet day today are up to spending another couple of hours out listing for owls. As I mentioned in my pre-count post, I was the team leader for Area 11 which encompasses a large area of …
Winter Shorebirds
Sanderlings and Dunlins at Air Force Beach As we gear up for the Christmas Bird Counts in December, now is the time to do a little winter shorebird watching. Last week, during a break in the weather, we got out to Air Force Beach in Comox and scoped out some of the shorebirds on the rocks near a decommissioned boat …
Sunbathers vs. the Large-headed Sedge
Some weeks ago there was a letter in a local paper complaining about the “invasion” of Large-headed Sedge (Carex macrocephala) at Air Force Beach in Comox. The complaint was based on the fact that the sedge was taking over the prime sunbathing area. Removal was the only solution. Jocie and I decided that it was worth taking a drive out …
Jingle Shells
After Monday’s deluge there was a break in the weather yesterday. We made the most of it, taking the kids to Air Force Beach in Comox to enjoy the sun. Surprisingly, we had never been to Air Force Beach before despite the length of time we’ve lived in the Comox Valley. We’ll definitely be back. It’s a beautiful beach that …
A Solitary Sanderling
Earlier this week, while walking out at Goose Spit I came upon a single Sanderling (Calidris alba). Sanderlings are regularly seen throughout the winter at Goose Spit. Because beaches on Vancouver Island are popular places to walk, shorebirds have a challenging time of it. The strip of beach is quite narrow at high tide and walkers regularly flush birds on …
Varnish Clams
Walking on the beach at Goose Spit in Comox this weekend got me thinking about clams. I always enjoy sorting through seaweed in the strand line. Often I take a closer look at shells that have washed up on the shore before returning them back to the beach where I found them. On this walk I found several “old-friends,” including …
Beach Stone Abstracts
Had a bit of time out at Goose Spit in Comox, BC this morning and with a high tide there wasn’t much to photograph. My son was focused on picking up and throwing rocks and I thought to myself that maybe he had the right idea. We didn’t get too far on our walk but I was able to find …
Awesome Asters
Aster sp. This wonderful seed-head was one of many in a field full of tall weedy dandelion like asters in front of the old Hamilton Mac Laing house in Comox. Unfortunately my 2 year-old son only allowed me to take a couple of photographs before it was time to move on!