Today’s Walk – Columbia River Waterfowl

It was a spectacular, sunny February day for a walk along the Columbia River on the Selkirk College trails. The waters here tend to attract a lot of birds, either overwintering or passing through on their migration routes.

Hundreds of primarily Barrow’s goldeneyes, but also common goldeneyes, along with a few buffleheads, common mergansers and mallards seem to hang out here for most of the winter. The goldeneyes float downstream in groups, diving and feeding as they go, and then fly back upriver to start over again.

This is a shot of two male goldeneyes – one common (bottom), the other Barrow’s (top). The Barrow’s goldeneye has a purplish head and a comma-shaped cheek patch, while the common goldeneye has a greenish head with a circular patch.

There was also a small group of common mergansers snoozing and sunning in a quiet back eddy.

I noted several large groups of birds, mostly goldeneyes but with others mixed in as well, as I walked along this kilometre or so of Columbia River shoreline.

It’s the time of year when the birds are coupling up and preparing for the mating and breeding season. I saw several pairs of buffleheads, like these guys, in among the goldeneyes.

After a our recent stretch of cold weather, all the birds seemed to rejoice in the brilliance and warmth of the sun, with a lot of grooming and showering going on.

I was pleased to see that there were still a few double-crested cormorants hanging around. I can’t be sure, but I think their presence here is quite a recent phenomenon. I wonder if the introduction of invasive fish species like walleye and northern pike has increased the availability of prey for these fish-eating birds.

I was also excited to see a red-breasted merganser and a harlequin duck today - both uncommon in our area. The merganser was a first for me, and I haven’t seen a harlequin locally in years. Very cool!

It was invigorating and uplifting to be out in the bright sunlight, drinking in the rich colours of the river and the vibrant life it supports. Just what I needed to lift me (for a while, at least) out of the funk that tends to settle over me this time of year.

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