Sea Kayaking and birding at Point Holmes, Comox

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Harlequin ducks near Cape Lazo

 Sea kayaks are great vessels for observing wildlife from seals to whales and they are also ideal for observing shorebirds, ducks and other birds. One of our favourite places to paddle is at Point Holmes since it offers ready access to scenic paddling and a variety of shorelines from sandy beaches to rocky headlands. With the sunny, warm weather of late we have been sea kayaking on a few occasions and our most recent outing was on Saturday, April 18 and we weren’t disappointed. We almost always head around Cape Lazo toward Kye Bay since this is where you tend to get the best bird and marine mammal sitings. Also at this time of year the mountains still have quite abit of winter snow which adds to the scenic beauty of this area.

A merganser takes flight with the Comox Glacier behind

 

An offshore rock offers a good vantage point for an eagle

    On this day we were pleased to see so much variety from basking sea lions, to seals on rocks and

We usually stop for a snack at a sandy beach

shorebirds like black bellied plovers. This is also a great spot to site colourful harlequin ducks and we also saw some mergansers along the rocks as well.  We went a tide of between 2.7 and 3.1 meters and this meant that many rocks were exposed which gave places for birds to perch on. As well we usually make a point of stopping for a snack at the lovely sandy beach that is between the boat launch and Cape Lazo. Another bonus of paddling at Point Holmes is the fact that the boat launch has a web cam that lets you see what the wave conditions are along the shore. It can be viewed at: http://www.pointholmesrecreation.ca/rampcam/. It is always interesting to see the variety of birds and other wildlife in this area and we look forward to our next kayak trip to Point Holmes. 

One seal on a rock and the other in the water

A black bellied plover along the shore near Cape Lazo

   

Using a cross country ski waxing mask might prevent the spread of Covid 19.

by Keith and Heather Nicol

   Most people that view this blog know that it typically deals with a variety of outdoor activities in the Comox Valley and beyond.  However in this era of Covid 19 I thought I would let readers know about using a ski waxing mask to stay healthy during this pandemic.  We bought this waxing mask to reduce the effects of cross country ski waxing on our respiratory system. In further checking the details on this mask we found that it is rated as a N 95 mask so is basically equivalent the ones that doctors use.  This ski waxing mask has a wide soft plastic brim so seals nicely against your face. It is critical that the mask fit well around the nose and mouth so that there are no leakages. 

Ready to go shopping

Although the Canadian government is currently suggesting that people not wear masks when they go out shopping (instead emphasizing social distancing and hand washing) I am wearing a mask with sunglasses for the following 3 reasons. First of all it is sometimes impossible to avoid people by 2 meters and if someone who is asymptomatic coughs when you are close by this might create droplets which you might breath in or fall your sunglasses. This mask will go along way in preventing that from happening. A second reason is that it is impossible to touch your nose or mouth when you are out shopping with this mask on.  It is often hard to keep your hands constantly clean while shopping since you are opening doors, touching shelves, using shopping carts , pumping gas,  etc. All you need is someone who is asymptomatic (ie not showing any symptoms of Covid 19) who has touched some of these surfaces and then when you touch it and then scratch your nose, you could possibly get Covid 19.   And thirdly since I could be asymptomatic I am protecting our grocery store clerks, people stocking shelves and others who are doing such a great job.  The last thing I want to do in contaminate someone else. 

 

                                                       Video of using a cross country ski mask

 Once I get home I wash my hands, take off my mask and sunglasses and leave those in the garage. Then I rewash my hands and leave the plastic mask for 5-6 days before reusing it which should be enough time for any virus on the surface to die off.   So if you have a ski waxing mask in your basement or garage you might want to dust it off and see if it might work while we deal with this Covid 19 crisis.

NOTE: When I wrote this on April 1 the Canadian Gov't suggested that people NOT wear masks when they go shopping but as of today (April 6) they are suggesting people could use cloth masks. Obviously a mask like this (if you have one) is far superior to a cloth mask since it fits tightly around the nose and mouth and filters out smaller material than cotton.