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 […]
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 […]
This October was a great month to shoot birds in Kitimat, not only in my backyard, but on the ocean at Kitamaat Village and MK Bay Marina.
For the Christmas Bird Count in Kitimat, there’s usually a lot of ground to cover in a very short period of time–that’s because here in the northwest daylight hours are limited as we get closer to the Winter Solstice. So we started before dawn, which is OK for those who are counting but not so […]
Trumpeter swans, signets and canvasback ducks in the Kitimat River estuary, Dec.15, 2018. (Robin Rowland) My portion of the Christmas Bird Count in the Kitimat River Estuary (courtesy Rio Tinto) was in an afternoon blizzard which cut visibility by up to about 80 per cent at times and was no help to the cameras, […]
Cackling geese (Branta hutchnisi) make look like Canada Geese, but they’re a separate species, smaller (close to the size of a mallard duck) with a shorter neck, rounder head and a stubbier bill. The west coast species often spend summers in the Aleutian Islands and then fly south to the Central Valley of California, so […]
Wahtl Creek flows past Kitamaat Village, home of the Haisla Nation, into MK Bay on Douglas Channel, across from Kitimat’s Rio Tinto BC Operations aluminum smelter. You wouldn’t know it’s the end of February, except for nip in the morning air. After fellow photographer Doug Keech posted on Facebook that on Saturday morning, low tide […]