On a quest to hunt birds (with a camera!) I decided to follow a local tradition – hiking around Goose Spit, the sand spit partly enclosing Comox Bay. Circumnavigating the long narrow spit is a 4 km hike in total to return back to the starting point.
Brant Geese
My first aim was the Brant Geese which I was happy to see have arrived in numbers in the Comox Valley. Dogs now need to be leashed at Goose Spit, until late May, in order to not disturb the geese.
Ring-billed Gull & Mew Gull
Among the thousands of gulls at the spit I was able to compare the Ring-billed Gull, rare here in winter, with the common wintering Mew Gull. Both have yellow legs, gray mantle and black wingtips, but side by side the size difference is clear. The ring on the bill and the yellow eye of the Ring-billed are its definitive field marks.
Northern Shrike
An unexpected bonus while hunting for birds was this hunting bird – a first-winter Northern Shrike! While focussed on the water I almost missed this small predator perched on a shrub behind me.
End of the Spit
At the end of the spit a large overturned stump marks the point farthest from the start, with a different perspective on the town across the bay.
Owl Pellet
At the base of the stump was evidence of another hunting bird – I found a couple of owl pellets, coughed up by an owl who must have used the handy perch after feeding. A Short-eared Owl has been known to frequent this area.
Sculpted Sand Spit
The spit changes shape every year with the winter storms. In recent years the slope of the shore at the far end has greatly increased as the sand has eroded.
Sand Deposition
Farther along on the inner side of the spit the curving forms indicate where that sand has deposited. Each walk around the spit will reveal a different shoreline every time.
The traditional circumnavigation of Goose Spit requires staying below the high tide line in order to avoid trespassing onto DND or K’omoks First Nation land – choose a time when the tide is below 3.6 m for several hours.
nature student 