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Wigeons, creosote logs, December 13 Storm

Roberts Bay Residents

February 2025 Newsletter

Dear neighbours and friends,
 
Happy New Year. We hope you are keeping warm and coping with the cold, snowy weather. This newsletter contains information about:
  • The Wigeon, our most plentiful winter duck
  • Creosote log removed quickly by Sidney Engineering Services
  • December 13 storm in Roberts Bay
American Widgeon

American Wigeon (Anas americana)

If you have walked along Roberts Bay Beach in the past few weeks you might have noticed the large flocks of American wigeons dabbling along the shoreline and creek mouths. This is the most plentiful winter duck in Roberts Bay.

Wigeons are larger than crows: length is about 20”, wingspan 32” and weight 720 grams. Both male and female have white breasts, grey heads and brown bodies.  The male is identified by the white head patch with a deep green stripe earning him the name “Baldpate”. He also has white patches on either side of his rump. The female has a grey head and bluish beak to avoid detection during nesting. The female quack is low and harsh in contrast to the male’s frequent and distinctive airy two- or three-part whistled wi-WIW-weew. Sometimes they raise quite a loud chorus.

Flock of American Wigeons
These ducks are mainly vegetarian, swimming high in the water with their round heads and short beaks angled down, picking at marine algae along the edge of the marsh and shoreline or in open areas of grass on land. We often see groups foraging up on the beach. They are common winter residents along the southern BC coast, flying north in summer to large open marshes as far as Alaska and the south shores of Hudson’s Bay to breed each year.  One day soon small flocks of about fifty ducks will collect to start their spring migration northward.  We’ll see them again next fall when they return to our coastline, perhaps bringing their offspring along with them.
To see lists of birds recently observed in Roberts Bay, check the eBird Roberts Bay Hotspot.
 
Creosote Logs and Sidney Engineering Services
Have you ever come across a creosote log on the beach? Please report it to engineeringservices@sidney.ca without delay. “Remnant creosote treated wood products and other large marine debris are major contributing factors to decreased ecosystem health within the Salish Sea. The wood preservative creosote is a known carcinogen and a significant source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These chemicals persist in sediments and lead to increased forage fish spawn mortality. PAH impacts are amplified through bioaccumulation and directly impact native salmon runs and resident Orca Whales. …” Chris Robertson, Washington State Department of Natural Resources.  From time to time, these logs, which are easy to identify by their petrochemical smell, wash up on our beaches. The one in this photo was at the Bowden beach access on January 23rd, 2025. Thank you to Sidney staff who responded quickly to our email and removed the log.
Cresote Log on Beach
December Storm in Roberts Bay
The storm that hit the South Coast December 13 was the classic combination of very strong winds, heavy rain, and a high king tide. In the news and on social media, most of the photos and videos featured flooding and damage to the seaside walk between the pier and Tulista Park, but things were also pretty dramatic in Roberts Bay. We went out at high tide around 1:20 pm December 14 and photographed the low lying beach access at Ardwell and the Mermaid Park outfall. 
Person on Beach

Ardwell Beach Access The photo above, taken at 10:14 am Dec 14th shows the Ardwell access with the white top of the storm drain outfall which was completely blocked  by beach sand and gravel washed up by the storm. 

KIng Tide at Ardwell Access
At 1:56 pm the tide had risen to submerge the top of the outfall and start flooding onto the pavement.   A short time later, a manhole cover between Resthaven and the beach was lifted by water gushing onto the road and flooding the beach access until Sidney staff cleared it. 
 Mermaid  The photo below on the left is the very large storm drain outfall at Mermaid Park, also completely under water.  The storm drain system brings runoff from many of the streets in downtown Sidney to this outfall. The photo on the right is also taken from Mermaid Park and also shows the high tide level in Mermaid Creek December 14th.
Storm Damage
King Tide

At lower tides, in the summer, and whenever the Bay is calm, it is easy to forget winter storms that remind us why Sidney has done so much work on flood risk and emergency planning.    

As always, we are happy to receive your feedback, comments and questions. Just reply to this email or write to us at robertsbayres@gmail.com

Roberts Bay Residents

Jocelyn Gifford, Communications 

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“Our vision is to build a future in which our community lives in harmony with the living wonders of Roberts Bay and where the natural beauty and  functionality of the ecosystems of the bay are preserved and enhanced to ensure that this very special place remains a safe refuge for wildlife and a source of inspiration for its present and future residents and visitors.”

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