The storm passed at about 3 am today and the sun came up and the wind died down and it turned into a beautiful day. The wind is now from the south and that makes all the difference. We're going out on Wednesday morning to see what has arrived on the scene, every day could bring something new especially with the wind in the right direction.

The call of a gull still surprises me so I guess that means I don't really believe that spring is here. It's funny, I grew up in Northern Ontario thinking that the American Robin was the first sure sign of spring but here in the north it is the sound of a gull. The sound stirs my heart and reminds me that soon (in reletive terms) there will be open water everywhere and I will have to keep my eyes and mind open because what I think I see may actually be something else. Like “prehistoric bird” that was a description a nonbirder gave me, it turned out to be a Double Crested Cormorant. And that makes me remember that even a person who doesn't actively bird can see something that is crazy obviously out of place.

We never know what is going to blow in on which wind. Last year a Sage Thrasher, we knew we saw a bird that didn't fit any of our expectations and without the experience needed we couldn't ID it, thankfully experienced birders usually like to show how good they are, so they told us what we needed to know. I never would have got to that ID because I would have had a hard time making myself believe that first that I was right and second that it could be so far from where it was supposed to be. Then when the American Avocet showed up it was proven to me again that I have to make the search a little wider when trying to ID. On the Avocet I didn't need confirmation but someone would have had to confirm the thrasher before I would have ticked it.

So we all knew it was coming but still we're shocked. This has been one of the earliest springs ever and we haven't had the usual warm day followed by snow the next. We have gotten ourselves quite used to the welcomed warmth, parkas put away for the season and thoughts of summer clothing was running in our heads. But alas today the wind picked up and quickly started blowing from the North and we are now in a full blown blizzard. The winds are blowing at about 90 kilometers, the temperature is -15 C and there is some snow thrown in so all is back to normal. Tomorrow will probably be +20 C and everything will melt and so goes a sub-arctic spring.

I mentioned a Polar Bear attack up north in a previous entry and have since learned that it happened in 1999 and someone is passing it off as this year. We did the research when we noticed no snow on the ground in a location north of here when there is still snow here. Ha caught ya.

Oh yeah, birds. I saw my first two gulls yesterday but couldn't ID them as I was at work with no bins I know for sure they weren't Ross's. Not that I wouldn't bird at work, I do it all the time just didn't have equipment yesterday so all I could see was pink legs. I really don't care if it was Herring or Ring-billed but just to hear a gull again means so many things, open water in the area, new birds will be coming all the time and the hope of spring is now a reality dispite the blizzard. The Canada Geese are here but I haven't heard anyone even mention Snows.

I am a security guard at the Town Centre Complex in Churchill and the building sits right on the edge of the bay. I have from the windows of the building seen a Snowy Owl, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-throated Loon, Polar Bears. Artcic Foxes, Arctic Hares, lots of Snow Buntings, many many Ravens (they keep me company in the winter), Aurora Borialis some of the best I've seen is in the middle of the night from the back deck (when I work night shift) and one wolf just the other day walked right through town. Most people thought that it was a really big dog. It came in on the CN railroad tracks, the guys down at the station came out of their shed to find it loping down the tracks. Cool. That's my third wolf in 8 years here, good for me.

Here we are finally! I swear it takes me twenty minutes to sign in but finally I wrote it down correctly so next time should be easier. It seems evertime I use it my password changes.

It is still spring in Churchill and now it seems to have started in earnest. The lead on the bay looks a couple of miles wide and the sun is out so the mirages are beautiful. Maybe someday I will get really ambitious and name the mountain ranges that I see, like the explorer I just read about. He named a mountain range that didn't exsist and it stayed named for years until it was discovered not to actually be there.

The bear attack that I spoke of yesterday didn't happen this year it was in 1990. I spoke to Kevin Burke and he cleared that up for me. I also spoke to David about violence etc. and he mentioned a killing here where a twin killed his twin brother, I've been searching the internet and I can't find any mention of it. I want to be able to add this story to the gun slinger story to the tourists.

The complex is full of people there is a cub car rally for the scouts and guides and earth day is happening in the overpass. It's too bad because the sun is shining and all of these kids should be outside getting the sun on their skin.

The bay (Hudson) is still frozen but there is water sitting on top of the ice. Yesterday and this morning it seemed like spring but this afternoon it feels like winter. Spring is coming too early as somewhere north of here the bears are off the ice and one has already attacked an inuit hunter. The hunter survived but the pictures are horrible the bear scalped the man.

I still haven't seen a gull but people tell me they are around, it makes sense because I can see the lead on the bay from the Complex windows so there is open water around.

After waiting for what seems like forever and reading about everyone else's spring birder it now seems as if spring has finally arrived in Churchill. On April 18, Eleanor and I went out and saw a nice group of birds on Goose Creek Road. A total of 18 Canada Geese but no Snow Geese at all yet. Surprisingly 2 pair of Mallards and a pair of Northern Pintails, at the bailey bridge we saw the Osprey hunting. At Mrs. B's feeder we had a few Common Redpolls and 5 Pine Grosbeak (2 male and 3 female)

We got to the Port and there were thousands of Snow Buntings everywhere you looked there was another flock of about 70 birds per. Not so many Redpolls as before, they must be in the bush nesting because there were mqny, mqny a week ago.