Cliff Creek Falls

Cliff Creek Falls cove is the cove south of Hart's Cove on Cascade Head. BLOY have nested there for many years but I have only been able to monitor them for a few.  In 2016, they started very late.  A pair was on site during the May survey on 5/25 and again on 6/8, tossing pebbles and pieces of shells, scraping backwards, wandering around doing that in several places.

On 6/15 I expected to see that they had settled on a nest site, but they were nowhere to be seen. I waited an hour. Since they did not return, I decided they were not nesting this year.

Wrong.

On 7/5, I went back to check just to be sure. I saw an adult on one egg but there may have been more. These photos were taken with my Panasonic Lumix FZ-70.

Cliff Creek Falls nest rock

nest is right of the split, about halfway down to high tide line

Since the rock is a long way away and the birds small, I took photos from then on with my Nikon Coolpix 900 with its superzoom lens. July 14...

On July 19, I saw 2 eggs under the setting hen but was not quick enough with the camera. On July 27, I managed to get both eggs in the photo.

On 8/4 the birds had moved down a level to a grassy area with one chick. One egg remained unhatched in the nest area. Since incubation is from 26-32 days, the eggs must have been laid somewhere around July 1st. Pretty late for BLOY to nest.

nest area at top right, grassy chick area below with adult sitting left of chick area

2 adults in chick hiding area

chick, bottom right

chick, cropped photo

unhatched egg

 On 8/11, the chick had moved up to an overhang just west of the nest area. One adult stood guard while the other went off to forage and bring back food for the chick. Unhatched egg still in nest area.

nest area right, guard adult left, new chick area left center

chick week 2

On 8/17, only one adult was in view at high tide when I was there. The other adult may have been in hiding with the chick. Unhatched egg was gone.

BLOY on guard circled in red, nest site upper right

BLOY on guard

 After an hour it walked up halfway to the nest site and stood, then sat, on guard again.

BLOY on guard 2nd position, circled in red

BLOY on guard, 2nd position

On 8/23, both adults were on a foraging rock north of the nest rock. No chick in sight and they were not taking food anywhere. Before I spotted them, an adult Bald Eagle flew over the nest rock from north to south and apparently landed in a tree in the cove, southeast of my OP and out of my sight. The BLOY, wherever they were then, did not react.

foraging rock visible behind nest rock

two adults on foraging rock

They soon called and flew to the back of the nest rock, then one walked around to the south (visible) side and down to a point between the nest area and the last area where I had seen the chick two weeks ago.

That adult walked around that area, threw pebbles, sat and scratched backwards as though preparing a nest.

 After half an hour or more of that, it walked down to the left of the grassy area where I had first seen the chick 3 weeks ago... and did more throwing pebbles, sitting and scratching backwards.

BLOY doing "nest prep" in far left of photo; grassy area lower center, nest area upper right

Eventually, it walked down a few more levels to where the other adult had appeared. Finally, they both sat and hung out. I have no idea what happened to their chick.

9/1 I returned for a final check. Both adults on west end of nest rock. One was wandering around throwing pebbles as though preparing a nest; other was sleeping.

 At one point the pebble-thrower called, the other stood and faced (her, presumably). The pebble-thrower squatted and lifted tail as though inviting copulation. The mate declined and walked a distance away, sitting down behind a rock. Pebble thrower followed, wandered around, throwing more pebbles, then wandered off to a pool on top of the rock, picked something out of the pool and pecked at it. Don't know if it ate something.

Eventually, it wandered back to the other one and they both preened.

In 2015 the pair lost their eggs and wandered around crying piteously, one of the saddest sounds I've ever heard and one I've heard no other BLOY make. They threw pebbles and scratched while crying but eventually flew off.

In 2017 the pair hung out on the rock in May but did not nest preparation and never nested. I checked weekly through July and never saw them again.

Cliff Creek Falls Nest History

2007 fledged 2 chicks
2008-2011 not monitored
2012 fledged 1 chick
2013 unknown
2014 unknown
2015 eggs laid, not hatched

2016 2 eggs laid, one hatched, none fledged
2017 no nest observed
2018 no nest observed
2019 no nest observed

 2020 no nest observed