While out birding on January 27, 2024, I also took images of the surrounding landscape during the atmospheric river storm. Given the “atmosphere” I converted all to black and white.
Birding in an atmospheric river
I went out with local birders on Saturday January27 to do the monthly shorebird count. One of the many atmospheric rivers sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean meant heavy rain, fog and some wind. It certainly didn’t stop the birds nor the birders.
There were at least 60 probably more common mergansers both at Wahtl Creek and further out from MK Bay Marina.
Polar vortex January 2024, the view from...
There was a polar vortex over most of western North America for the past few days, with temperatures in Kitimat from -16 C with windchills as much as -30 at times. I did not venture out into the cold. All the photographs were taken from my upstairs bedroom with my Samsung Android S23, with the raw enhancement. One exception are the photos of the sea smoke which I took with my Sony Alpha 55 with the Tamron 70 to 300 lens.
Some views before the polar vortex moved in.
It was a dark and stormy morning
It is interesting the kind of photographs that people like. Early on Dec. 26, Boxing Day, there was a power outage mostly in the Kildala neighborhood here in Kitimat, after a stormy, windy and rainy night,
People on social media were asking question, so I went to a window and used my Android phone to take a quick shot as an indicator,. Most of the Kildala neighborhood is dark, except the hospital to the right which, of course, has a generator and perhaps some other buildings in the mall.
The Rio Tinto aluminum smelter, which has its own power supply is lit up. But the LNG Canada site apepars dark. The big tower has no bright red aircraft warning lights. (See earlier moon shots for the bright red lights).
The power came back about a half hour after the photo was taken,
The photo was posted on both my personal Facebook page and the Kitimat awareness group page.
What surprised me that the photo got so many likes on personal page from friends across Canada and a good many likes on the awareness page, more than sometimes the more interesting landscape shots I have posed.
Taken with a Galaxy S23 with the raw enhanced app Expert Raw which is a free add on downloadable.
Christmas Bird Count 2023
On December 16, 2023 Kitimat Valley Naturalists took part in the worldwide Christmas Bird Count, with special permission and guidance to view the natural areas of the Kitimat River estuary in both the RIo Tinto and LNG Canada industrial sites.
The weather was cool and overcast, but unlike earlier years no snow or heavy rain which allowed us to count the birds and get some great photographs.
Trumpeter swans hang out at the Kitimat River Oxbow, an area of the river which appeaers dark brown due to heavy iron content in the water.
Just as we arrived on site a flock Canada geese flew over head.
A crescent moon over Kitimat
A 14 per cent waxing crescent moon over Kitimat, while the LNG Canada site is shrouded in low lying fog, Dec. 16, 2023.