THEY’RRRRRRRRRRRRRE BACK!!

I always say “when the bears go to bed,the Trumpeters arrive”! They tag team. They are flying down from the Yukon. I took pictures when one of them had a neck ID tag on. (K-18) I sent the shot and location to the National Registry for Trumpeter swans.

The researchers thanked me and in return told me their story. (K-18 and K-19) They both had been caught and tagged in Taye lake in the Yukon. They crimped a metal ring onto their left ankle and also slipped a plastic neck sock on. This plastic neck sock has the ID number on it and is designed to decay and fall off. It doesn’t restrict their swallowing.

I copied this from a Jan 2013 (January 23rd,2013) Received some info about K19 from Jim Hawkings with the Canadian Wildlife Service out of Whitehorse. This is what he had to say about K19…………….”Not sure if anyone else (Ruth??) has tracked this down yet, but this is one of the birds captured in Yukon Territory, summer 2003 during the captures for the satellite telemetry study spearheaded by Ruth Shea and Rod Drewien. The bird was captured on 22 July 2003 at Taye Lake, 37 miles NW of Whitehorse (band # 1939-01708). It was not marked with a satellite transmitter. This is the first recovery I know of from this bird, but Ruth (or other folks in Southern BC) may have other sightings that never made their way to the banding lab’s recovery database. The other banded bird in the group was likely K19’s mate, formerly marked with neckband K18.

Only two have arrived so far with 8 being the size of this wedge (air) and bevy (water). I always look forward to seeing them. They are notorious for being skittish! They prefer to winter over in deep quiet fiord like inlets.

They are the largest bird (by weight) in North America.

BEARS IN THE MIST

I went yesterday to collect my trail cameras I had set up 7 weeks ago at my favourite salmon/bear stream. I came across 5 bears but zero salmon.

Salmon spawn….and die. Their bodies either sink to the bottom or float downstream. These dead fish get stuck in certain spots along the rivers edge. The bears know this.,and so they “patrol” the river banks going from spot to spot searching for a dinner! The vast majority of salmon a bear will eat are already dead. Why run after food when Mother Nature has a great supermarket/fridge!

So when I paddled upstream I was surprised not see any morts laying on the bottom? I did see bits and pieces but just one whole fish.

When It rains hard,all that rainwater drains down into the river system, swelling the volume. What this basically does is act like a powerful hose. It flushes all those dead salmon out into the estuary, where the hungry happy Gulls await!

This cleans the system of dead salmon. So If It had just rained and flushed,I wouldn’t be so alarmed but It’s been several weeks since strong rains. That means in those two weeks there hasn’t been any salmon to die,and that’s the troubling part. It makes me wonder If there “die off” from that drought?

We won’t know the effects of this drought for 3 years?

Seeing so many bears in such a short span of time and not seeing any salmon was disconcerting.

TOFINO

This is a shot of Romeo surveying his territory.

Passing through

The best waves are in winter.

I haven’t gotten out as often as I would like,so here are a few shots from the past.