Last week Toumani Diabaté, a virtuoso kora player from Mali, passed away at only 58. As the early morning sun illuminated the city, I was listening to In the Heart of the Moon, an album he recorded with the late and equally gifted Ali Farka Touré.
I mention this not only because everyone should discover new music, but also because it’s a reminder of our mortality as living beings, of our subservience to time. This is a keynote motif of my gull surveys too, witnessing the utter mystery of these birds as they grow from fragile speckled chicks to sooty-grey fledglings, cautiously gliding in the wind.
… and then they disappear into the sky and the city. Perhaps they recognize me – but once they leave their nest, I can’t recognize them. When the season ends, I have a profound sense of loss, yet somehow strangely entangled with joy, as I witness another generation of gulls begin their tentative and risky voyage.
We’ve got some surprising updates this week, so let’s start.
Pyramid Nest
This weekend I was lucky to catch – and quick enough to change my camera settings -– one of the chicks testing out its wings!
But that’s just the beginning… I’ve been in communication with several people involved in research projects with gulls banded in Vancouver - and it turns out one of the parents of this chick has a GPS tracker!
A photo of this charming gull (Brown/Red-Black) from earlier this month (July 7th).
… and some data I was supplied showing the movements of this gull for the last 10 days. The nexus near the ’n’ in Vancouver is approximately the location of the nest. If you’re familiar with Vancouver and the surrounding areas, you’ll notice this gull made two trips down to the landfill, and appears to frequently visit the area around the Oak Street Bridge (which you may recall from my previous visit searching for nests back in June).
It’s so easy to forget or ignore the lives of other beings that are constantly unfolding around us. I’m grateful that I have a chance to see this data to expand my understanding of the life of this gull.
Clipper Nest 1
Our three chicks resting by their beloved cinder blocks.
Clipper Nest 2
I was unable to find any chicks or adults at this nest. Most likely they were napping behind the one of the ledges.
Burrard Nests
#1
One chick and one adult nearby.
#2
Two chicks (as far as I could tell) nestled together napping in a corner.
#3
Just when I arrived, a parent swooped in and delivered a meal to the three chicks.
#4
Two chicks, one begging loudly at a parent standing guard nearby. I’m so glad they are both still there after the three nights of fireworks that I railed against in my previous post.
Beach Ave Nest
After a few weeks of not seeing anything at this location, I finally spotted a chick peeking out over the ledge – there’s at least one here!
Engineer Nest
All three chicks were resting in a corner of the building, although at some point there was a commotion with numerous adult gulls – possibly an eagle passed over, but I didn’t see it – and the chicks promptly vanished into their hiding spots.
Grassy Nest
Here’s a photo of the whole family, shortly after feeding time.
Culinary Nest
All three chicks were sleeping – two together and one alone. Siblings…
But take a look at these chicks, which have now lost almost all their down and grown in their juvenile feathers. Their tails are still very short, but I suspect these birds will be makingsome of their first flights in the coming weeks.
Restaurant Nest
Last week I discovered this nest had been abandoned. I guess this is for the best, as someone has taken it upon themselves to clean up the entire roof, including sweeping away the accumulated nesting material. I am always worried about nest disturbances after witnessing a few last season.
Design Nest
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a good look at the chicks at this hard-to-see nest, but this visit I briefly spotted one chick on its way to nap in some shade.
Rainbow Nest
While I was scoping out this nest, one of the parents swooped in and suddenly all three chicks appeared for feeding time.
Brewery Nest
The two chicks were resting in the sun in the middle of the roof today as one of their parents watched on from the building ledge.
Klondike Nest (?!)
We’ve got a bit of a surprise here – last week I saw a fledgling on the lower level of the buildings, but this week I spotted what looks like a younger gull on the higher rooftop. Given the age discrepancy and the locations, I think there may be two nests at this location, but I’m not certain…
One of the adults is extremely territorial, calling and swooping low when I walk along the bridge on-ramp near the building.
The top circle is where I spotted the younger chick (which you can just make out in this photo), and the lower circle is where I saw the chick last week.
Hemlock Nest (new!)
Here’s a new nest I discovered on my route – located directly across the street from the Klondike nest(s). I had noticed some behaviour that suggested there might be one there, but I was far from certain. However, now I’ve got proof there’s at least one chick present.
Cambie Nest
Approaching Cambie nest, I quickly noticed the chick was no longer on the chimney platform. I saw an adult resting nearby, and guessed the chick must be around somewhere. Last season there were two chicks here, and they wandered around the entire rooftop once they were older. It took me quite a while to locate the chick, but eventually I discovered it hiding the shade behind the chimney structure.
Other Nests
Hornby Nest
Both chicks and one adult visible.
Crossfit Nest
I was concerned last week as I only saw one chick out on the rooftop, but this weekend I confirmed all three are still present. This nest can be hard to photograph, as the main vantage point tends to have people sleeping rough in it, and I don’t care to disturb them.
University Nest
I saw one adult resting on the edge of the building but couldn’t find any of the chicks – mostly likely they were hiding in the vegetation.
Chimney Nest
Chimney Nest is still abandoned. The pair I saw inspecting it last week must have decided against using it.
Island Nest
No sign of any adults or chicks.
Ikon Nest (confirmed!)
Finally, my suspicions were confirmed. I very briefly saw the head of a chick pop up above the edge of the building.
Silver Seas Nest
I was able to spot all three chicks this visit.
Umbrella Nest
There was an adult resting on the pipes, but on this visit I wasn’t able to find the chicks – no doubt there were napping away somewhere in there.
Fountain Nest
Both chicks accounted for, resting in the sunlight.
Pine Street Nest
All three chicks present with a parent keeping watch.
Apartment Nest
No sign of chicks, just one resting adult.
Brigade Nest
No sign of adults or chicks.
That’s all for the gull nests. But, as I promised, I spent some more time looking at the Pelagic Cormorant nests under the Granville Street Bridge as well. I’ll have an update on that in the next few days.
Until next time - get off your phone!