Nature’s Salmon Feast at Basil Creek

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The faint stench of rotting salmon greets visitor’s nostrils just beyond the Squirrel Cove Store. Further down the rocky beach, at the mouth of Basil Creek, clouds of seagulls feasted upon the corpses. A few of the dead Chum Salmon were reduced to skeletons, but most have been left to rot. The only body part missing is their eyes, a delicacy among sea gulls. Nothing has been feasting on their brains, which is a delicacy among black bears. There were reports of bears raiding human properties during the last big Chum run, in 2020. The Whaletown Bear needed to be put down. His Squirrel Cove counterpart was also slated for execution, but may have escaped. There have been a couple of bear sightings in Whaletown this fall, but so far they have not been a problem. The island taxodermist, Laurel Bohart, says she has not seen any scat or other indications of bears in Squirrel Cove. The question remains: Have Cortes residents learned to Bear Smart their properties? Or will yet another forest creature be lured to his death sentence by human attractants? As a result of the rains, water is now raging through Basil Creek. While their numbers appear to be slacking, there are still dozens of salmon fighting their way upstream. Bohart has been living in Squirrel Cove for 22 years, but insisted, “I have never seen so many salmon.” She listed four species of gulls feasting on their corpses: Glaucous gulls, Mew gulls, Ring-billed gulls and Bonaparte’s gulls. Another Squirrel Cove resident saw the gulls scatter as a bald eagle flew by. They returned to the harvest once it passed. Two squadrons of black duck-like birds were cruising offshore. Bohart confrimed they were most likely Surf scoters, but added there have also been Mergansers. Sea Lions can be heard barking most nights. Harbour seals are quieter. The anonymous Squirrel Cove resident reported seeing five gulls zero in on the Chum disturbed by a hungry seal. Bohart remarked, “Everything is feasting on the salmon.”