To those who check in frequently my apologies for the length of time since the last post .   Now on with the new . . .

This past weekend we dropped in on a friend who lives in the Interlake.  To our surprise she has been adopted by a Helmeted Guinea Fowl which is a bird native to Africa.  She figures it has  most likely escaped from a hobby farm and adopted her place as the new home base.  After some phone calls, they are confident a good home has been found for this delightfully funny bird which is a good thing with winter just around the corner.  We are told it loves its own reflection, pecks at her reflection on the glass door and follows her around. It also chases other critters out of the yard, disregards her cats completely and has a most unusual high pitched call.  We witnessed first hand some of the Guinea Fowl antics which is affectionately known as “Freda”.

“Freda” on the deck.

“Freda” likes to dig in her garden with her long claws searching for bugs.  There are holes dug all over the place.

Similar to a turkey, Freda likes to sit on fences and on the roofs.  Mostly a ground dwelling bird it can fly short distances up to a roost area.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Ever wonder about the grains of sand on vast expanses of ocean beaches?  I do. Where have these tiny grains been and how long have they been there?  Winds and surf at play sculpt the shores and sights one will see over the years.  The tall grasses blanketed in the dunes and dwarf coastal trees try to grow big and strong in the ever present ocean breezes.  Today’s photos are from the sands of Agate Beach on the north east shores of Haida Gwaii.  I loved the little sand hoodoos that formed from the winds and how the fog hugged the coast line.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

I make a point of driving up to Hecla Island a few times each year and it makes for a good day trip from Winnipeg.  While at the marsh boardwalk this little muskrat coated with some duckweed swam right up to where we were standing, climbed up the bank, immediately groomed his fur and dried off in what seemed a few minutes.  The muskrat started munching on greens – obviously not worried about any human presence.   Check out the teeth in the last photo -

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Part of our planned day trip was to the remains of an old logging camp on Louise Island where equipment was just left abandoned.  The forest is reclaiming the area and the remains are now mostly moss covered which made for some interesting photos.  I could not help but wonder how they got the heavy machinery into such a remote area and how the loggers sustained themselves.  They must have been extremely tough and hard working people. The photo below is a pair of boots left behind by a logger. The stitching on the boots is long gone but the leather was still in remarkably good shape.  The other item I really found interesting was the wooden spoked Firestone Tire.

Below is an old trailer almost completely covered in moss.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Sitka Deer were everywhere we went and when driving the highway you had to be extremely cautious as the deer were constantly at the roadsides . They were introduced to the islands but I could not find information as to when they were brought in.  There are no predators such as members of the cat family, no wolves or coyotes on the islands so the deer population thrives here.  They are tiny deer compared to the White Tailed Deer or Mule Deer that I am familiar with,  weighing on average between 80 and 120 pounds. Sitka deer have a black tail and richly coloured reddish-brown coat.  The buck in the photo above was wandering among the fallen poles at Skedans.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

The remains of Haida Lodges also are returning to the earth but are still clearly visible.  The mound in the middle of the lodge floor in the second photo apparently was created by an archaelogical dig. This must have been a beautiful and thriving village at one time.  There are a lot of kelp beds in the area which would support a variety of ocean life and in turn a constant food source for the Haida people.  The Haida lost approximately 90% of it population with the arrival of the white man who brought the deadly smallpox virus to the islands.

The photo above clearly shows the outline of a Haida lodge. More lodge shots below. Old poles have fallen onto the foundation area in the photo below.

Below is the view onto the Hectate Straight from behind the village. We were told this was the fortress area used when other clans came to fight.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Today’s blog is a little more “wordy” than usual but I want to try and give you a sense of the day trip to the old Haida Village site of Skedans.  The photo above was taken from our zodiak and shows the beach landing area at Skedans.  Kelp was very abundant in this area. You can see some old poles (photos below) leaning in the background behind the spruce trees.  Fog hung in the old growth trees along the shore.  This must have been a beautiful village at one time and the location itself is beautiful. The old village site of Skedans is on the west side of Louise Island  facing Hecate Straight.  The day started @ 5:30 AM with a  lovely dawn 100 km drive down from Masset to Charlotte,  followed by a 20 min ferry ride to the south (Morseby) island. We were met by our guide for the day who took us on an hour and a half  jolting drive on a rough logging road in a van with 8 others to Moresby Camp.  The usual route would have only been about 45 minutes but if I understood correctly the logging companies dictate which back roads can be travelled which has resulted in the tour company having to take a longer alternate route lately.  We were outfitted at Moresby Camp complete with heavy gum boots and loaded into a zodiak for our ocean trek to Louise Island with a few stops along the way.  The ocean was calm but foggy once we left the inlets.  To quote a fellow blogger,  ”You have to be committed (and I don’t mean crazy) to travel out to these remote locations. But that is what makes the visitors to Haida Gwaii a bit special.”  I have to admit I had expected to see more  but with the extra travel time due to road detour I think our “tour was somewhat compacted”.    The old poles in former village site of Skedans are now barely recognizable and are returning quickly to the earth from which they came.  The Watchmen said during the past few winters that storms have really taken a toll on the remaining poles.  Watchmen led us through the village site using guide books complete with photos of what the poles and lodges used to look like – without these photos one could not tell what was.  In spite of the state of decay there was something very special about this place, almost haunting,  as I was trying to visualize a Haida village and proud people that once lived there.  There remains some good examples of lodge foundations where the cedar framing in the ground is clearly visible.  Watchmen live in shifts on the island and keep watch over these sites to make sure nothing is disturbed or further damaged. These sites would be sacred to the Haida people as there are archaeological items and human remains still in the villages.  Lunch was provided at Skedans followed by a side trip on the water going to Reef Island where seals haul out. Due to our time limitations we only got to spend about 5-10 minutes in the area so that was somewhat disappointing for me who had hoped to see more wildlife on this outing.   One of our stops earlier in the trip was an old logging camp and mission site with grave markers dating back to the 1880′s  and it was in this area that I did find the Black Oystercatchers in the previous post.  The next post will have more images from the Old Haida village of Skedans.

You can still see the ” V-shaped beak” and the arms laid across chest on this pole.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

I was so thrilled to finally see these birds with my own eyes as I had looked for them on previous visits to British Columbia!  I found them way out on the tidal flats of a fairly remote  island which we had visited via zodiak while touring Haida Gwaii.  Black Oystercatchers feed on marine invertebrates found on rocky shores, gravel beaches and mudflats along the seashore. Shorebird biologists estimate the world’s breeding population to be about 10,000 pairs. These are mostly in Alaska, followed by British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California and Baja California. They use their long orange beaks to chisel feed such as snails off rocks and to pry open mussels.  I love their orange ringed  eyes – so bright. There were eight birds in this group.

Enjoy !

~Sharon

Just completed an awesome trip to Haida Gwaii.  Travel to the islands was a little challenging  - air, bus, ferry and finally the rental car.  Great trip, perfect accommodations at Copper Beech Guest House,  terrific weather (luckily), beautiful and lush old growth forests. We met some wonderful local residents and other travellers along the way.  For the next few weeks I will share the sights of Haida Gwaii with you.  I’ll begin with the Bald Eagles of Massett that seemed as abundant as the birds in my backyard.

Bald Eagles and their chicks were everywhere and in numbers.  We had never seen so many in one place at one time.  The fishermen “feed” them with scraps from their fish cleaning so it’s no wonder the eagles hang around.

Below is one of this year’s eaglets.  They won’t get a white head until about 3 years old.

Landing gear is down . . .

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Found this pair of Sandhill Cranes on a recent visit to the Whiteshell area.  They really are large and beautiful birds.   There was a marshy area in behind the tree line and possibly chicks but I did not attempt to go into there and disturb the birds.   My reference book indicates brown plumage is juvenile stage but should lack the red crown and adults are grayish overall.  These birds were richly coloured brown tones but had the black bill and distinct red crown so I am not sure what stage they are at.  Looked like adults to me.

Enjoy!

~Sharon