Finishing Point Counts in 11PQ04

The Cherry Lake square

in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the East Kootenay Trench

 

 

Spotties

Greg taught me how to find hillside Spotted Sandpiper nests - HE learned it from Gary last weekend in Nakusp.

I thought they only nested on the flats - but that's because previous nests I've found were in the Chilcotin - where it is flat.  Our Mountain Spotties don't mind roadside banks at all!

We found a couple. Cool.

Four Spotted Sandpiper eggs in this nest.

Seven Spotted Sandpiper eggs in this one.

This is my "Year of the Grouse"

First it was my encounter with a pair of Dusky Grouse trying to do their thing in the middle of the road (see Dusky Grouse animation blog post ).

Then, it was my lifer Spruce Grouse I spotted after ablutions (see 'Up the Skookumchuck' blog post ).

This time it was a couple of sets of mothers and chicks! Super cool! - but I only have pics of one of the species.

Ruffed Grouse chick

Momma Ruffed Grouse between me and one chick.

We spotted this family first, after we paused at the bottom of a ditch dug across the road a long time ago as part of the "decommissioning". Thankfully, these ditches were not as bad as the ones up Lamb Creek a couple of years ago. I don't ever have to go there again.

I spotted a chick first but mistakenly initially identified it as a vole or something. LOL.  We had to wait about 10 minutes for all eleven chicks to cross the road.

The next family was just down the road! A Spruce Grouse momma and 3 chicks.



Mountain bovine families:

Range cows checking us out.

It was a good day of atlassing - nice to finish off a Priority 1 square.