When it comes to Big Days, size DOES matter....

After the build up, it was finally time to head out for my Baillie Birdathon Big Day on Sunday.

I had enlisted Jeremy Gatten as a co-pilot for the day and we met at my place at 11:30pm on Saturday, with the plan of heading north to the Cowichan Valley for owls.  The official start time, midnight, found us at the Mill Bay Tim Hortons with much coffee but no birds.

 Our first bird and only owl of the day, a begging young Barn Owl, came at 12:35.  It was a great start to the birding, and turned out to be one of a very few "staked out" birds that actually stuck around.  The next couple of hours were slow, and we added two Pacific-slope Flycatchers dueling on territory at 1:00am along Herd Rd in Duncan, two Marsh Wrens at Somenos Marsh at 2:00am, and three Killdeer back down the island at the breakfast sandwich-less Tim Hortons on Westshore Parkway.  A quick refueling stop at McDonald's for coffee and chicken (and Gatten charming the young guy at the drive-thru into throwing in some extra apple pies and french fries) and we headed west.

At Gordon's Beach the 4:30am pre-dawn chorus began, and we added Swainson's Thrush, Common Yellowthroat, and others to our list.  At a clearcut near Shirley we encountered our first Varied Thrushes and a MacGiillivray's Warbler.  The MacGillivray's Warbler spoke volumes to the skill and dedication of Jeremy G, as he was actually sleeping in the passenger seat when it began calling right beside the car.  He not only identified the call in his sleep, but commented on how it was the first bird we heard, and then later asked me if he had dreamed the warbler into existence!

We had a number of target birds for Jordan River and in a little over two hours we got them all - Fox Sparrow, Marbled Murrelet, etc, plus some surprises including a young male Bullock's Oriole, a drumming Ruffed Grouse, and large numbers of Wilson's Warblers and Swainson's Thrushes.  The return trip through Sooke netted us Band-tailed Pigeon, but our high hopes for Whiffin Spit were dashed, and it became 30 minutes that we will never get back.

The Western Communities from Metchosin to Langford were likewise quiet.  My staked out Sandhill Cranes had been replaced by a guy on a seed spreader chasing a flock of Pectoral Sandpipers from one end of the field to the other, and Witty's Lagoon/Tower Point was as quiet as I have ever seen it.  Birds were also mostly absent from Esquimalt Lagoon, but we did manage to add Caspian Tern, Cackling Goose, the resident Trumpeter Swan, and a very late female Black Scoter.

After our next Tim Hortons stop (coffee was a common theme throughout the day), we added the Colwood Corners Osprey and headed for the waterfront, where Clover Point also disappointed.  We were a little surprised to see small numbers of Marbled Murrelets at almost every stop along the waterfront, as we had banked on it only being far to the west in Jordan River.

We made it to McMicking Point just past the midway point of the day and set up to scope Trial Island, the golf course, and the open ocean.  As I was scanning up the golf course, having already done a sweep of Trial Island, Jeremy G started jumping up and down, calling for me to get over to his scope quickly, before I missed it.

I managed to get a "record shot" of one of the two Tufted Puffins that Jeremy had spotted lazily floating to the east of Trial Island.  Big Surprise Bird number three for the day!

We added very few birds between Cattle Point, King's Pond, Mt Tolmie, and Mt Doug, though the scooter parade putting down Mt Doug was a sight to behold!  After picking up Ian Cruickshank, we headed for Martindale Flats.

A very accomodating Mourning Dove was exactly where we expected in on the wires along Dooley Rd, and several other species, all repeats, were present in the various areas of the flats.  Surprise number four came about when we parked along Puckle Rd, hoping for a pheasant squawk.  We did get the Ring-necked Pheasant, but were taken aback when Jeremy G said "Kingbird!"  Indeed there was a Western Kingbird on a stake in the tree farm, and Ian quickly located a second!  We then headed to the airport, where a mob of American Robins and an  Anna's Hummingbird quickly betrayed the location of a dark phase Swainson`s Hawk.  No Sky Larks were seen or heard there or at the bulb fields, where we had gone in search (unsuccessfully) for American Kestrel.

We made it to Maber Flats just after 5:00pm, and quickly added Peregrine Falcon, Black-necked Stilt, all three teal, as well as all the other puddle ducks we had missed all day.  We also had six species of swallow, only missing Bank.  Unfortunately no rails of any type were calling.  Red Barn Flats was the next stop, for birds and a bite (can you have a turkey sandwich while birding....) and we added our only Greater Yellowlegs of the day.

With only six hours left on the clock we added Pied-billed Grebe and Hooded Merganser at Viaduct Flats, several shorebirds at Panama Flats, and made our way to Swan Lake.  Chris Saunders was down by the lollipop boardwalk when we arrived, and pointed out another Western Kingbird in the trees.  Old news for us, but a great bird nonetheless.  We added the Bufflehead tick and headed out, desperately hoping to add some of our missing passerines.  A quick stop at the bulb fields again yielded a singing Sky Lark, but searches along Thompson Place and Pat Bay failed to turn up anything new.  Saanichton Spit also had no new birds, not even Brandt`s Cormorant (which we ended up missing).

It became dark too quickly for our liking, and we changed strategy back to rail hunting.  Nothing was calling at Maber Flats, and we gave up completely when a couple of idiots on quads came down the hill and started riding around the fields and trails.  Panama Flats and Quick`s Bottom were also quiet.  After dropping Ian off, Jeremy and I spent some time at Rithet`s Bog, which had earlier failed to produce any new species.  Like other stops, no rails were calling.  Our final stop was Charlton Pond.  I don`t know if rails were just not present, or if it might have had something to do with me accidentally hitting the panic button on my car alarm (not sure how Jeremy G managed to sleep through that one!) but again there was nothing to be heard besides frogs and Killdeer.

Utterly exhausted after 23 hours and 50 minutes of birding covering 485 kilometers, 10 coffees, and 1 energy drink, we made it back to my place and called it a day at 120 species.

Given our list of misses (Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Cooper`s Hawk, most flycatchers, Brandt`s Cormorant, all rock-loving and marine type shorebirds), 135 could very well be my target next year.  Big thanks to Jeremy and Ian for the great company and extra eyes!!!

There is still lots of time left to sponsor my Birdathon (though at this point, I would recommend against per-species pledging!) at my fundraising link,

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1914&AID=1845&PID=259239

Already looking forward to next year!

International Migrating Bird Day

When I set out this morning I was going to call this post "A Good Day for Grouse", but it turns out it wasn't.

I decided to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day by hunting for migrants.  7:30am found me in the parking lot of Mount Wells Regional Park, listening to calling Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and California Quail.  I had my sights set on picking up Sooty Grouse for my Big Year 2, but it seems I used up all my Grouse juju on Alberta Greater Sage-Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse.  I made my way up the mountain, surrounded by calling Black-throated Gray Warblers, Townsend's Warblers, Hammond's Flycatchers, House Wrens, Cassin's Vireos, and Pine Siskins.

The view from the first summit was as good as it gets, but the birdlife almost disappeared.  A fair breeze rustled the trees and played in my ears, which reduced my hope for my Gallinaceous quarry.  On the climb from the first summit to the second the wind got stronger, and at the top all I could hear was the moving trees and the sound of the wind.  Then my phone rang......

I should have expected the call, given the extreme inopportune time.  It was Jeremy Gatten, calling with news of a light phase Swainson`s Hawk at the Victoria Airport.  I spent ten more minutes at the top of Wells, cursing the wind the whole way, before heading back down to meet Jeremy and take a shot at the hawk.  When I reached the parking lot again, two hours after heading up, I finally got a look at my first year bird of the day, a singing Black-headed Grosbeak.  I had heard three year birds on the hike up, but never got the look for the tick.

I made record time to pick up Jeremy at his house and we headed for the airport, immediately noticing a number of hawks airborne.  The first couple turned out to be Red-tailed Hawks, but within a couple of minutes Jeremy noticed the light phase Swainson`s Hawk over the Purolator building, as seen from the Willingdon Rd pullof just before the terminal.  Before long, we noticed a second bird in the same area, which we eventually tagged as a dark phase Swainson`s Hawk.

After an hour of admiring the hawks, and after the light phase bird had disappeared to the south, we headed for the Vantreight Bulb Fields.  We managed to see Sky Lark, American Kestrel, and a few others in short order.  I had to make lunch for my in-laws, and was eager to get going, until I saw an email come through on my phone.  I let Jeremy know that we had to go, and left him thinking it was home time before showing him the email reporting a Wilson`s Phalarope at Panama Flats.

We made great time getting to the Carey Rd entrance to Panama Flats, and quickly located two female Wilson`s Phalaropes feeding near a flock of Long-billed Dowitchers.  What a score!

After lunch, I headed out to Metchosin to do my monthly Goose Survey.  While there were very few geese around, I got a surprise at Swanwick Rd when I noticed a couple of heads poking up from the grass.

My first Sandhill Cranes of the year (three of them!) slowly worked their way through the grass about 80ft away, and I kept my distance, not wanting to flush them.  I worried a little when a groundskeeper putted over in his tractor cart, which was extremely loud, to see what I was looking at.  As I pointed the birds out, they continued to feed, unconcerned.

Even without the grouse, I managed to add four new year species, and the phalarope was a new Canada bird for me!  It tuned out to be a great day, with a number of very unexpected migrants.  No complaints!

I am a little worried though, tomorrow I head to Vancouver for the night.  Hopefully I don`t miss anything....

Good birding!

Working for the Pot of Gold!

Last night found me in the office at 6:30pm, finishing up on some paperwork and getting ready to head out.  I had spoken with Jeremy Gatten briefly on a weekend birding matter, and he mentioned that it might be a good idea to check out Tower Point.  I have been going to Esquimalt Lagoon every day hoping for the arrival of Marbled Godwits, but without luck, and I have been neglecting other great areas like the Witty's Lagoon complex and other parts of Metchosin.

With the recent wind, Tower Point made perfect sense, you never know what could show up on the rocks or the beach!  Past birds seen there have included most tubenoses, Willet, Green-tailed Towhee, Philadephia Vireo, Sabine's Gull, and more!

I had intended to scan the rocks and beach, and then move on to Albert Head Lagoon and other areas.  My good intentions quickly disappeared when I spotted a shorebird sleeping on the rocks off the point.  Conveniently, it was sleeping on one leg, and had positioned itself facing directly away from me.  From the structure of the bird, it was no doubt a plover, and I orginially assumed it was still in mainly winter plumage from the looks I had.  Every once in a while, it would quickly lift its head before tucking back in, showing the golden-brown cap and thick white supercillium wrapping around a cheek patch.  Combined with the golden-brown back, the bird went from plover spp. to Golden-Plover spp! 

As a drawback of being a Victoria Birder, I am not as familiar with the varying plumages and sexes of the Golden-Plovers as I would like, and was determined to make a study of this one while I had the opportunity.  There was extensive white under the tail, which should have clinched the ID, but I was still under the impression that I was staring at the backside of a mid-moult bird, all the while trying to focus through a scope at 45X that was being blown around by the relentless wind.

After a couple of phone calls and 40 minutes, the bird finally started to forage around the rocks, and when it turned is showed spotty black underneath, running up to a fairly indistinct facial patch.  The supercillium, which I had previously only had spotty looks at, ran around the facial/cheek patch, through the shoulder, and along the entire flanks of the bird, creating a wide strip between the wings and the patchy black underneath.

What I had previously assumed was a moulting bird of some description became an almost full breeding plumaged female Pacific Golden-Plover, only my second in Victoria!  Looking back on it, the long-legged, heavier-billed appearance of the bird could have tipped me off much sooner, as could the extent of the white under the tail, but c'est la vie.  It was a great lesson to add to my plumages of lesser seen migrants library!

Let's see what the wind brings in next!

Time Flies!

I must apologize, I just noticed how long it has been since my last post!  In fact, 2 full weekends have passed since I last posted anything about birding!  I had been hoping to just post a link to www.naturalestnaturalist.blogspot.com for weekend trip reports, but he has been busy writing about moths, bugs, Garry Oak ecosystems, and other boring stuff.

Migration has been happening all over the island the past couple of weeks, and I have been trying to take full advantage of it.  This is the time of year when not only are passerines showing up all over the place, but shorebirds pass through, finding refuge in any wet field or shoreline that will sustain or shelter them.  The Black-necked Stilts first reported a week and a bit ago are still hanging around Maber Flats as of noon yesterday and were showing well while 3 Sora called from the shelter of the marshy areas, one being kind enough to briefly show itself.

Birding the last couple of days turned up a few new year birds for me, among them Warbling Vireos at Mount Tolmie on both Saturday and Sunday, Olive-sided Flycatcher at the same on Sunday, Lesser Yellowlegs at Panama Flats on Saturday, and the previously mentioned Sora at Maber Flats on Sunday.  This gives me a year-to-date total of 178 species, 9 ahead of last years pace.  If I can keep it up, I might actually be successful in topping the Victoria Checklist Area record of 251 this year!  (For those of you just tuning in, last year I hit 246)

Black-headed Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, and Whimbrel are starting to be reported, but we are still lacking decent numbers of Blue-winged Teal, and some shorebirds, such as Marbled Godwit and Ruddy Turnstone, have yet to make an appearance.  There are regularly 10-12 Caspian Terns at Esquimalt Lagoon, and small numbers of peeps and dowitchers almost anywhere there is water.  Vaux`s Swifts are being seen regularly at Panama Flats, and a couple of Wandering Tattlers popped in at Ogden Point last week.

Just about anything could show up almost anywhere in the checklist area this month, as was demonstrated last year when we had a Lesser Nighthawk, Willet, and Sabine`s Gull show up on the same day!

See you out there!

It's That Time of the Year Again.....

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is Baillie Birdathon Time once again!  Despite the huge number of migrating birds drifting through, and despite the fact that Jeremy Gatten managed to double the size of our Black-necked Stilt flock through some kind of bird whispering trick (and, I will add, he also predicted the previous day that our next good bird would be two more stilts!!!! Creepy, I  know.....), I have still decided to take time out to write about future birding.

This year, I will once again be putting my sanity to the test by embarking on a Tim Hortons fueled, 24 hour birding adventure in support of Rocky Point Bird Observatory, as will a number of others, collectively known as the Rocky Point Birders.  We are switching things up a little this year not only by having a dedicated RPBO team, but also by initiating an inter-municipal Mayors/Councillors Challenge!

There will be more news about this coming out very shortly, but in 500 words or less, a number of local Mayors and Councillors have joined with Rocky Point this year to take part in the Baillie Birdathon.  The represented municipalities will face off to see which can raise the most pledges on a per capita basis, and then hit the field with volunteer birders/guides to see how many species they can find!  I can't think of a better way to help Rocky Point, help the community, and have some fun!

To sponsor me for the Baillie Birdathon, and help me reach my target (which, the closer I get to it, the higher it will get) click here, or to sponsor one of our other team members or to join our team, click on "Rocky Point Birders" a couple of paragraphs up.

I have set the team target to $5000 which, on sharing with Dick Cannings a few weeks ago, I was told he raised all on his own last year!  With a portion of all pledges going to Rocky Point (the more money raised, the higher the percentage), let's see if we can beat this target!

Good birding,

Rarities sure are inconvenient critters.....

Having spent Friday night in Vancouver while my wife attended a concert, I was on my way back, trying to pull something different out of the thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls in Active Pass when I got an email about a Yellow-headed Blackbird at Panama Flats.  Minutes later, I got a text from my brother saying that he had refound the Arctic Loon!  These things keep showing up when I am elsewhere!

To say I was eager to get home was some kind of understatement, but I made it in the door just before 4pm, stayed long enough to grab my keys and scope, and headed back out again.  There were no birders at Panama Flats when I arrived, only a number of Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, etc on the water, and a few swallows overhead.  No sign of the Yellow-headed Blackbird.  Several Red-winged Blackbirds sang and called from the cattails and grass around the building at the Carey Rd entrance.  No sign of the Yellow-headed Blackbird.  Even an American Coot and a singing Common Yellowthroat.  No sign of the Yellow-headed Blackbird.

After 20 minutes of searching and a walk along the centre dyke, I was on my way back to the building side when I noticed a dark bird with white whing patches flying across the water and, with binoculars up, the brilliant yellow head came into focus!  Finally, the male Yellow-headed Blackbird flew in and settled on a log on the north side of the trail before moving to the grass on the south side.

I always hate to tick and run, but in this case bigger things were calling.  I managed to head out of Panama Flats at 4:45, and make the run to Jordan River, albeit with a coffee stop in the middle!

Once in Jordan River, it didn't take long to locate Mike Bentley, who had the same idea as I.  We carefully checked through every bird on the choppy sea, but failed to locate the Arctic Loon.

On Sunday I received a phone call with 40 minutes left in a Home Show shift.  Mike M. had found an incredible fallout at Mount Doug, which included 6 Townsend's Solitaires and a Western Kingbird!  The rest of the shift passed quickly, and I stopped in at home long enough to change and collect my wife.

We found Mount Doug almost as Mike described it, minus the Solitaires and Kingbirds.  Excellent numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers were foraging in what seemed to be every tree, and Orange-crowned Warblers sang from what seemed like every bush.  Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagles, and Red-tailed Hawks cruised overhead, while Pine Siskins chased each other below the summit.  After an hour and bit of searching, we finally spotted a lone Townsend's Solitaire further down the east slope.

The million dollar question was where to head next!  With migrants dropping in, pretty well any location had the potential to harbour a rarity.  We decided to head for Whiffin Spit.

While birds were few and far between, we did find a flock of 60 Black Turnstones, along with 6 Western Sandpipers, 12 Least Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, and the first of the year Semipalmated Plover.

I started this post earlier, and saved it for finishing later.  My intent was to end the post after Whiffin Spit on Sunday, but in between saving it and coming back to it, I received a phone call about a bit of a rarity, which also falls into the "inconvenient critter" category.

Having finished work for the day, I raced out to Panama Flats, where Mary R. had found two Black-necked Stilts, an incredible 4th record for Victoria.  When I arrived, still decked out for the office, I spotted Ann N, Rick S, and Agnes L, who had the birds sitting in the scope for me when I tip-toed through the soft ground to reach them.  The rain was coming down steadily as we watched the Stilts foraging back and forth, while my first Northern Rough-winged and Cliff Swallows of the year flew overhead.

Until this afternoon, this had been one of my most wanted Victoria birds, and was also my first for Canada!  I joked that I had stopped paying attention to them after getting the tick, but thoroughly enjoyed the hour that I got to spend admiring them.  I always hate walking away from a great bird like this, never knowing when I will have the privilege or luck of seeing another!

Conditions out there are ideal for more fallouts and more rarities.  Panama Flats has gotten better and better (and more and more birded) over the last couple of years, it will be interesting to see what turns up there next.  Good birds could be anywhere this week, watch especially for Ruddy Turnstones, Marbled Godwits, and more passerines to show up!

Good birding,

The Fast and the Furious, Migrant Edition

Well, the migrants are showing up too fast to keep up with!

We now have our first reports of Common Yellowthroat, Townsend's Solitaire, Osprey, Caspian Tern, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and others!

But, I digress.... The 19th Annual Big Day for the Brant was held this past weekend in Parksville, and the Steller J's were at it again, albeit with a lineup change, owing to a couple of certain someones being off galavanting in Alaska.....

We still managed to have fun, and placed third overall after leaving Victoria at 2am to ensure our arrival at the owling grounds by the 4:30am start time. We quickly picked up Barred and Great Horned Owls in Errington before making our way to Cameron Lake, our annual surefire spot for both Northern Pygmy-Owl and Ruffed Grouse. Cruising the usual spots, we dipped on both, but did find an incessantly calling Northern Saw-whet Owl. Travelling back down the logging road toward the highway, we made a last-ditch turnoff, and almost ran over a male Ruffed Grouse that was brilliantly illuminated in the headlights! Later, we did find Northern Pymgy-Owl at Hamilton Marsh, where up to three were reported during the day.

The four owls being the highlight, we spent the remainder of the day cruising the Parksville area, tallying 93 species to the winning 117 ticked by Guy Monty's "No Egrets" team, and the Old Country Twitchers' 103. By the looks of the post insanity gathering at Deez Bar and Grill, everyone had a great time, big thanks to Rhys, Sandra, and Tim!

Back at home, I have been trying to keep up with the arrivals, but I must be the only one who still hasn't seen Rufous Hummingbird in the Victoria area this year. I have heard the buzz of many, but haven't yet managed to lay eyes on one for the tick.

I have also been checking the Osprey nest at Colwood Corners every day, and was finally rewarded yesterday, when a single bird was perched on it. Following that, I found two of the three Caspian Terns that Mary Robichaud had reported from Esquimalt Lagoon.

This is where the birding starts to get fun, and more passerines and shorebirds should be showing up soon (such as Sandy Bowie's 3 Long-billed Curlews at Whiffin Spit!!!).

Time to go find some flycatchers, good birding!