Gillian's Art and Whimsy: Birds near Spanish Creek

Went for a walk along Spanish Banks last week mainly to check on Spanish Creek; I was looking to see if I could spot the Chum Salmon returning to Spanish Creek. It is only at high tide that returning fish have a chance of even getting into Spanish Creek. There have been some very high, or king tides, lately so I have been watching for fish returning to spawn.

I didn't spot any fish but did see quite a lot of birds, and took enough pictures to show you this week and next week too!

Fresh from the camera:

A Glaucous-winged gull at the mouth of Spanish Creek:

Here is Bad Company music video "Seagull":

Lyrics:

Seagull, you fly across the horizon
Into the misty morning sun
Nobody asked you where you are going
Nobody knows where you're from

Here is a man asking the question
Is this really the end of the world
Seagull you must have known for a long time
The shape of things to come
Now you fly through the sky
Never asking why, and you fly
All around till somebody shoots you down

Da-da-da-down, mmm, mmm

Now you seagull you fly, seagull you fly away
And you'll fly away today
And you'll fly away tomorrow
And you'll fly away, leave me to my sorrow

Songwriters: MICK RALPHS, PAUL RODGERS, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS

This group of gulls was standing near the waters edge watching me. They are called Mew Gulls, and yes they make mewing sounds.

Mew Gulls are smaller than the other gulls that I encountered on my walk. I didn't know what they were called before this but they were making mewing noises. They stood and watched me for a long time before they took off.

A few of them were yawning, I didn't realize that I had caught a yawn until I downloaded my pictures.

Clearly I bored him!

I set off down the beach and almost stepped on these little birds:

They are so well camouflaged, I only noticed the movement. They are a type of Sandpiper called a Dunlin. They have a long slightly curved beak and they are much more colourful in mating season.