At 8:15am on Sunday, the title of this post was looking like it was going to be "Red-eyed Vireo - 4, Victoria Birder - 0". Happily, this is not the case.
Sunday was a housework kind of day, so I headed out before 6am, bound for Cowichan Bay and my fourth try for Red-eyed Vireo. I was going to leave it for next weekend as I will be in Duncan anyway but, as Mike McGrenere pointed out on Saturday afternoon, next weekend is August, and August means migration time. As dire as my chances of beating Chris Saunders' record are this year (thanks in no small part to a dismal spring, rarity-wise), I didn't want to tempt fate too much on a supposedly simple bird such as this.
For those who have visited the "Red-eyed Vireo Spot" in Cowichan Bay, I'm sure you can relate to the difficulty in locating these birds, even when they are singing right above you. The trees, mostly cottonwoods and maples, are big, really, really big. They are also dense. On each of my previous trips up in the last month and a bit I have had four different birds singing non-stop, always from the same trees, and I have never managed a look for the tick. Last weekend, I had a look at a bird high in a cottonwood that really couldn't have been anything else, but it was so distant and lit up by the rising sun, that I decided against counting it. This is a far cry from last year, when a single pish on my first visit brought six inquisitive Red-eyes in for an eye level visit. I think perhaps their shyness this year may come from the fact that a family of Cooper`s Hawks have set up shop in the same patch of trees, and likely nested right in the middle of the vireo area.
For those who haven't been there, the "spot" is an old dirt road, gated off, and likely on reserve land, directly across Cowichan Bay Rd from the Dock Road. It is a neat little pocket of riparian forest, and always full of birds. The vireos can be heard most days immediately upon exiting ones vehicle.
Anyway, back to Sunday morning. I arrived in Cowichan Bay at 6:30am, to deafening silence. The birds started up after a couple of minutes, with Swainson's Thrush and Pacific Wren leading the charge, followed by Bewick's Wren, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and Yellow Warbler. After 20 tense minutes, I finally heard the first Red-eyed Vireo singing a way back in the trees. About 60ft down Cowichan Bay Rd (heading toward Duncan) there is a small trail that leads into the trees, again most probably on reserve land, and therefore "technically" off limits. I headed down this trail and quickly had two vireos singing right above me. Well, really high above me. After they went silent, a couple started up over where I had originally started. Back I went, again unsuccessfully.
This back and forth went on for an hour or so, with a brief stop at the base of the Dock Road, where a small patch of trees held a pair of Black-headed Grosbeaks, a female Yellow Warbler feeding a young Brown-headed Cowbird, Downy Woodpeckers, Orange-crowned Warblers, and more. No vireo here, though I did get a quick glimpse of what may have been a Warbling Vireo.
By 8:15am, I was ready to start yelling into the trees out of frustration. I headed back over to the smaller trail to the east where 2 vireos were singing. These could be heard from Cowichan Bay Road, and didn`t sound too far off. The trail eventually takes two directions, left down a small embankment toward the river, and right, along the back of a couple of houses. One bird was singing in each direction and I opted for the right branch this time, having tried repeatedly for the left hand bird already. It didn`t take long to pin down the singer, but I still couldn`t get a look! A quick pish and a Swainson`s Thrush popped up beside me. Another quick pish and a bird flew from one branch to another, in the vicinity of the singing bird. I quickly got on it and confirmed that even though it wasn`t the singing bird, it was indeed my first visual Red-eyed Vireo for the year!<
With the singing birds, and the silent one I actually saw, there were a total of six birds on Sunday, my highest count this year as well!
In other news, there is a pair of Merlin that have decided to call my neighbourhood home. I am not sure if they are nesting or have nested, but one or two are very vocal and visible almost every day in the morning or evening around the Tim Hortons on Goldstream Ave in Langford. Who knows, maybe they just like donuts......
Now where on earth is my Virginia Rail.......
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Target Birding, Okanagan Style!
My wife and I decided to take advantage of the Canada Day long weekend by heading east, and spending three nights in Penticton.
Despite the number of years I have been birding, I was still missing a number of "Okanagan Specialties", and I had previously spent as much time birding in the Washington State Okanogan as I had on our side of the border. I was hoping to correct this and made up my list, checked it twice, and sent off emails hoping for hints to find my targets, which ended up numbering 12.
We were in high spirits when we rolled off the first ferry on Saturday morning but things started to look bad when we passed Hope and the skies opened up in a big way. Luckily, things cleared when we entered Manning Park and started birding. Lightning Lake was quiet, so we moved up to Strawberry Flats, hoping for a couple of specific species. We heard Barred Owl and three Dusky/Sooty Grouse calling, and had a smaller woodpecker fly over, though we couldn't get a good look. Walking around the trails and up the closed road beyond the parking area, we didn't turn up much else, but on the way back a small shape caught my eye, about 60ft up the Poland Lake trail.
Binoculars revealed my first target of the trip, and a lifer!
Princeton turned up a good number of birds, including Ruddy Ducks and American Coots with young, a treat for an Island Birder. Slow birding followed us to Penticton, and I ended the day with a trip down Max Lake Rd, where I picked up target three and another lifer, Common Poorwill.
Sunday morning found us up and out early, with my wife sleeping in the passenger seat (she had caught some kind of bug, and spent most of the weekend sleeping in the passenger sear). We headed up Shuttleworth Rd headed for Venner Meadows, hoping for another dark woodpecker. Despite over three hours of searching, we only managed to find the usual suspects, including Red-naped Sapsucker, Evening Grosbeak, Clark's Nutcracker, etc.
Vaseux Lake treated me better, and I managed to find Chukar and Rock Wren (Canada birds) in very short order. The wrens were singing from many exposed rocks, and the Chukar were hopping from rock to rock across the base of the cliffs. River Rd, north of Oliver, also treated us well, with views of Black-chinned Hummingbird (Canada bird) and Yellow-breasted Chat and Bullock's Oriole singing from the shrubs. A trip down to Km10 of Camp McKinney Rd produced my first Gray Flycatcher for Canada.
A valley favourite, Road 22, was also very birdy in the afternoon, turning up target number eight of the trip, a Veery singing from an exposed perch (BC bird). The ever-present Bobolink were very evident, as were Lazuli Buntings, Grey Catbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, and others.
A detour through White Lake on the way back to Penticton turned up little except an early Greater Yellowlegs, but did provide some nice scenery, though the water had disappeared from the lake.
Monday, our last full day in the Okanagan, started with a return to Venner Meadows and a 4km walk. As the day before, Black-headed Woodpecker was nowhere to be found. Very vocal and active Cooper's Hawks and a Red-naped Sapsucker nest with young were nice consolations, as were the Pine Siskin and Red Crossbill numbers.
We had some time to kill before going after the next target, so we detoured up the Naramata Bench and visited a couple of favourite wineries - Therapy Vineyards and Poplar Grove. At Therapy, I managed to snag a couple of bottles of their 2011 Artist Series Riesling-Kerner, a spectacular wine which is unfortunately only available in their shop, and soon to sell out. I didn't fare as well at Poplar Grove, where I only managed to get my name on the list for a shot at their 2009 Cab Franc when it is released in the fall.
Post-wining, we made our way up to Casa Cannings, where both Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds were holding court. From there, Russ led us to a much and long-wanted lifer, Flammulated Owl. Apparently this individual bird is likely the source of most of the life ticks in British Columbia. Not a bad way to end the day.
I headed back out to White Lake very early on Tuesday morning, hoping to pick up a couple of last-minute birds before heading home. Despite the mild weather and no rain (which had been on and off all weekend), there were few birds active. Brewer's and Vesper Sparrows sang from the sage, Eastern and Western Kingbirds kept watch from the powerlines, and a family of California Quail bobbled across the road.
Finding no new birds, I returned to Penticton, packed the car with our luggage and my wife (thankfully she doesn't read this blog!) and headed south towards Osoyoos with the aim of hitting a few fruit stands and a few birds. The dark sky above us was split by lightning and the rain made it easy to pull over and seek refuge among endless cherries and bottles of Ogopogo Hot Sauce, both of which came home from me. 40km and 8 fruit stands later, we happily encountered a break in the weather, in the exact vicinity of Nighthawk Rd and the Chopaka Border Crossing.
I had tried to bird Nighthawk on Sunday, but the rain was heavy to begin with, and only increased in intensity every time I got out of the car. Tuesday allowed me to have my wife drop me off near the the border crossing, and head down the road for a nap. The sagebrush along this road has always been a favourite of mine, having turned up Clay-coloured and Grasshopper Sparrow for me in the past.
I had a different bird in mind as I walked up the road. Trying to filter out and listen through the endless song of at least two dozen Western Meadowlarks, plus calling sparrows and Black-billed Magpies, I finally heard what I was waiting for as I approached the wrought iron ranch gate near which my wife had decided to park. Scanning the tops of the sage I saw nothing, until I turned my attention to a small deciduous tree in the middle of it all. Perched near the top was the singer, a male Sage Thrasher! I had considered this new for Canada bird highly unlikely, and had not even included it in my target list, but there it was, singing away in plain sight!
Singing behind me revealed a second bird, eyeing me and singing from a fencepost across the road. The only thing better than an unexpected species is two singing individuals! This was also the first appearance of this less than annual breeder in the Okanagan this year. A perfect way to cap off a great weekend of birding,
Along the way, we also managed to pick up another target, and a long-standing Nemesis Bird for me:
We were first alerted by a begging juvenile. When we tracked the bird down, we saw a sight that left me puzzled. The recently fledged Great Grey Owl was attempting to beg food from an adult Barred Owl! It would move from branch to branch around the Barred, and occassionally would land beside it on the same branch. Bizarre! Eventually we tracked down one adult while another called in the distance. A couple of pictures, and we left them, hoping the real parents would step in for the negligent Barred.
All in all, we found 10 of my original targets plus one big bonus bird. Of these, 4 were lifers, 6 were Canada birds, and 1 was a BC bird. Not a bad trip, though my next target trip will have to be a little further north!
Good birding,
Despite the number of years I have been birding, I was still missing a number of "Okanagan Specialties", and I had previously spent as much time birding in the Washington State Okanogan as I had on our side of the border. I was hoping to correct this and made up my list, checked it twice, and sent off emails hoping for hints to find my targets, which ended up numbering 12.
We were in high spirits when we rolled off the first ferry on Saturday morning but things started to look bad when we passed Hope and the skies opened up in a big way. Luckily, things cleared when we entered Manning Park and started birding. Lightning Lake was quiet, so we moved up to Strawberry Flats, hoping for a couple of specific species. We heard Barred Owl and three Dusky/Sooty Grouse calling, and had a smaller woodpecker fly over, though we couldn't get a good look. Walking around the trails and up the closed road beyond the parking area, we didn't turn up much else, but on the way back a small shape caught my eye, about 60ft up the Poland Lake trail.
Binoculars revealed my first target of the trip, and a lifer!
This male Spruce Grouse was not only very accomodating as it let me approach, but it walked the last bit toward me before lunging at my camera and then my hand! It made quite the show of pumping its tail and grunting at me, and after a couple of pictures we left it alone and continued to the Spruce Bay part of Lightning Lake, where we headed down the Skyline Trail. Despite my falling off a log, in slow motion it seemed, and incurring a few bruises and cuts while trying to track down a soft tapping, we kept going and located target two, 2 separate Three-toed Woodpeckers, a Canada bird.
Princeton turned up a good number of birds, including Ruddy Ducks and American Coots with young, a treat for an Island Birder. Slow birding followed us to Penticton, and I ended the day with a trip down Max Lake Rd, where I picked up target three and another lifer, Common Poorwill.
Sunday morning found us up and out early, with my wife sleeping in the passenger seat (she had caught some kind of bug, and spent most of the weekend sleeping in the passenger sear). We headed up Shuttleworth Rd headed for Venner Meadows, hoping for another dark woodpecker. Despite over three hours of searching, we only managed to find the usual suspects, including Red-naped Sapsucker, Evening Grosbeak, Clark's Nutcracker, etc.
Vaseux Lake treated me better, and I managed to find Chukar and Rock Wren (Canada birds) in very short order. The wrens were singing from many exposed rocks, and the Chukar were hopping from rock to rock across the base of the cliffs. River Rd, north of Oliver, also treated us well, with views of Black-chinned Hummingbird (Canada bird) and Yellow-breasted Chat and Bullock's Oriole singing from the shrubs. A trip down to Km10 of Camp McKinney Rd produced my first Gray Flycatcher for Canada.
A valley favourite, Road 22, was also very birdy in the afternoon, turning up target number eight of the trip, a Veery singing from an exposed perch (BC bird). The ever-present Bobolink were very evident, as were Lazuli Buntings, Grey Catbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, and others.
A detour through White Lake on the way back to Penticton turned up little except an early Greater Yellowlegs, but did provide some nice scenery, though the water had disappeared from the lake.
Monday, our last full day in the Okanagan, started with a return to Venner Meadows and a 4km walk. As the day before, Black-headed Woodpecker was nowhere to be found. Very vocal and active Cooper's Hawks and a Red-naped Sapsucker nest with young were nice consolations, as were the Pine Siskin and Red Crossbill numbers.
We had some time to kill before going after the next target, so we detoured up the Naramata Bench and visited a couple of favourite wineries - Therapy Vineyards and Poplar Grove. At Therapy, I managed to snag a couple of bottles of their 2011 Artist Series Riesling-Kerner, a spectacular wine which is unfortunately only available in their shop, and soon to sell out. I didn't fare as well at Poplar Grove, where I only managed to get my name on the list for a shot at their 2009 Cab Franc when it is released in the fall.
Post-wining, we made our way up to Casa Cannings, where both Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds were holding court. From there, Russ led us to a much and long-wanted lifer, Flammulated Owl. Apparently this individual bird is likely the source of most of the life ticks in British Columbia. Not a bad way to end the day.
I headed back out to White Lake very early on Tuesday morning, hoping to pick up a couple of last-minute birds before heading home. Despite the mild weather and no rain (which had been on and off all weekend), there were few birds active. Brewer's and Vesper Sparrows sang from the sage, Eastern and Western Kingbirds kept watch from the powerlines, and a family of California Quail bobbled across the road.
Finding no new birds, I returned to Penticton, packed the car with our luggage and my wife (thankfully she doesn't read this blog!) and headed south towards Osoyoos with the aim of hitting a few fruit stands and a few birds. The dark sky above us was split by lightning and the rain made it easy to pull over and seek refuge among endless cherries and bottles of Ogopogo Hot Sauce, both of which came home from me. 40km and 8 fruit stands later, we happily encountered a break in the weather, in the exact vicinity of Nighthawk Rd and the Chopaka Border Crossing.
I had tried to bird Nighthawk on Sunday, but the rain was heavy to begin with, and only increased in intensity every time I got out of the car. Tuesday allowed me to have my wife drop me off near the the border crossing, and head down the road for a nap. The sagebrush along this road has always been a favourite of mine, having turned up Clay-coloured and Grasshopper Sparrow for me in the past.
I had a different bird in mind as I walked up the road. Trying to filter out and listen through the endless song of at least two dozen Western Meadowlarks, plus calling sparrows and Black-billed Magpies, I finally heard what I was waiting for as I approached the wrought iron ranch gate near which my wife had decided to park. Scanning the tops of the sage I saw nothing, until I turned my attention to a small deciduous tree in the middle of it all. Perched near the top was the singer, a male Sage Thrasher! I had considered this new for Canada bird highly unlikely, and had not even included it in my target list, but there it was, singing away in plain sight!
Singing behind me revealed a second bird, eyeing me and singing from a fencepost across the road. The only thing better than an unexpected species is two singing individuals! This was also the first appearance of this less than annual breeder in the Okanagan this year. A perfect way to cap off a great weekend of birding,
Along the way, we also managed to pick up another target, and a long-standing Nemesis Bird for me:
We were first alerted by a begging juvenile. When we tracked the bird down, we saw a sight that left me puzzled. The recently fledged Great Grey Owl was attempting to beg food from an adult Barred Owl! It would move from branch to branch around the Barred, and occassionally would land beside it on the same branch. Bizarre! Eventually we tracked down one adult while another called in the distance. A couple of pictures, and we left them, hoping the real parents would step in for the negligent Barred.
All in all, we found 10 of my original targets plus one big bonus bird. Of these, 4 were lifers, 6 were Canada birds, and 1 was a BC bird. Not a bad trip, though my next target trip will have to be a little further north!
Good birding,
Monday, May 28, 2012
The Least of my Worries......
As with every weekend, this one dawned with promise. I always look forward to sleeping in on the weekend, and always end up out the door much before I normally would during the week.
Ten minutes before seven on Saturday found me at the base of Mount Wells for try number two at our resident big chicken, the grouse formerly known as Blue. I went up a couple of weeks ago, and the wind was enough of a factor to keep the birds down, or so I kept telling myself at the time. I was feeling a little bit of pressure on the grouse, as in past years I have found them at Wells as early as late April, and others have found them even earlier.
There was no breeze during the climb up, and I had the mountain all to myself! The dawn chorus was in full force as well, with the biggest surprise being a calling Willow Flycatcher about halfway up. At the first summit, three separate House Wrens were singing and calling, and I thought I heard my quarry further up the hill toward the real summit (this one fools a lot of people!). Just below the actual top, the grouse began calling again, and even though they are notorious ventriloquists, I figured this one had to be close. A small, rough path branched off to the left, and I had hoped it would give me a better view. The grouse continued to call as I looked left and right, scanning the trees with no luck. Then I looked up.
The male Sooty Grouse continued its quest for love, puffing up its chest and pumping its tail as it called out for all to hear. After watching for 10 minutes, it was time to continue the hike, and make it up island for an 11am coffee with my wife's parents.
I always complain (well, not really complain) about the inopportune times that rare birds decide to appear. Had I found the Least Flycatcher that was reported from Cherry Point on Saturday, it would have been a most opportune time, as Chris Saunders called me about the bird as I was driving up the Malahat, planning a quick Red-eyed Vireo stop en route to the Oceanfront in Cowichan Bay. Unfortunately, despite a thorough search, the bird could not be found. Red-eyed Vireo also eluded me after the coffee.
Sunday was another early day, up and out the door at 5:30am to do some birding with Sooke Councillor Kerrie Reay as part of the Baillie Birdathon Municipal Challenge. I stopped in at the Goodridge Peninsula on the way, and found eight Purple Martins overhead.
Councillor Reay and I started at Whiffin Spit. While it was devoid of dogs, a good start, there were also very few birds. Ditto for Gordon's Beach and area. We finally got into a few warblers along Otter Point Rd, and found a great number of birds at Butler Main, including Western Tanager, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, many Swainson's Thrush, and a Yellow Warbler singing its song the fastest I have ever heard. Out last stop was Sun River, where we added a few last-minute species including Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbird, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. There is still time to sponsor Councillor Reay or any of our Municipal Challenge Participants at www.rpbo.org/birdathon.html.
While birding in Sooke, I got another call from Chris Saunders, reporting another Least Flycatcher, this one near the parking lot at Swan Lake. I did some quick mental math, figuring leave Sooke at 10, quick stop at home to grab some papers, meeting at 11..... how long does that leave me to find the flycatcher? Not a heck of a lot if you run into a crew working on the telephone wires it seems, as I got to Swan Lake at 10:55am and immediately heard the bird chebecking away from the aspens. I spent 15 frustrating minutes trying to get a look as hordes of birders showed up, and finally had to leave, hoping it would still be around when my meeting wrapped up at 2pm.
I shouldn't have been surprised by the lack of cooperation the bird showed. I found my "lifer" Least Flycatcher last year in Gatineau Park (Parc?), where they were singing everywhere. Despite their numbers, they held so tight into the leaves and bushes that it still took a fair bit of effort to find one!
Turns out the bird was still there after my meeting, or had been. I arrived back at the octagon just after 2pm and sure enough, the bird had been there...... 20 minutes earlier, and not a peep, whit, or chebeck since! To add to the challenge, as we shall call it, the neighbour decided that my arrival was as a good a reason as any to mow his lawn, just on the other side of the aspen patch. It wasn't long before I was alone, straining to hear anything over the lawnmower with no luck. Luckily, Ann Scarfe showed up before long. An absence of wayward empids loves company!
We spent some time listening, and eventually the lawn mower moved to the opposite side of his house. Just before 3pm, almost a full hour since I had arrived and even more since it's last appearance, we finally heard a sharp "chebeck!" not too far away. Another minute passed, and "chebeck!" a little closer, then "chebeck!" really close. "I have it!" Ann had moved to the right for a different view, and had the bird perched midway up an aspen, singing away. It took me a second to get onto the bird, but there it was, my first Least Flycatcher for BC! We watched it flycatch a couple of times, perched out in the semi-open. It sang a few more times, including a couple while it was in binocular view (gotta make sure, right?) before it flew over us and went silent.
It isn't often you get two tries in two days at a bird like this, but my wife turned out to be right when she said on Saturday (on the way to Cherry Point) that Least Flycatcher would be a great bird #201 for the year. So it was.
What next?
Ten minutes before seven on Saturday found me at the base of Mount Wells for try number two at our resident big chicken, the grouse formerly known as Blue. I went up a couple of weeks ago, and the wind was enough of a factor to keep the birds down, or so I kept telling myself at the time. I was feeling a little bit of pressure on the grouse, as in past years I have found them at Wells as early as late April, and others have found them even earlier.
There was no breeze during the climb up, and I had the mountain all to myself! The dawn chorus was in full force as well, with the biggest surprise being a calling Willow Flycatcher about halfway up. At the first summit, three separate House Wrens were singing and calling, and I thought I heard my quarry further up the hill toward the real summit (this one fools a lot of people!). Just below the actual top, the grouse began calling again, and even though they are notorious ventriloquists, I figured this one had to be close. A small, rough path branched off to the left, and I had hoped it would give me a better view. The grouse continued to call as I looked left and right, scanning the trees with no luck. Then I looked up.
Another quality record shot brought to you by the makers of Blackberry
The male Sooty Grouse continued its quest for love, puffing up its chest and pumping its tail as it called out for all to hear. After watching for 10 minutes, it was time to continue the hike, and make it up island for an 11am coffee with my wife's parents.
I always complain (well, not really complain) about the inopportune times that rare birds decide to appear. Had I found the Least Flycatcher that was reported from Cherry Point on Saturday, it would have been a most opportune time, as Chris Saunders called me about the bird as I was driving up the Malahat, planning a quick Red-eyed Vireo stop en route to the Oceanfront in Cowichan Bay. Unfortunately, despite a thorough search, the bird could not be found. Red-eyed Vireo also eluded me after the coffee.
Sunday was another early day, up and out the door at 5:30am to do some birding with Sooke Councillor Kerrie Reay as part of the Baillie Birdathon Municipal Challenge. I stopped in at the Goodridge Peninsula on the way, and found eight Purple Martins overhead.
Councillor Reay and I started at Whiffin Spit. While it was devoid of dogs, a good start, there were also very few birds. Ditto for Gordon's Beach and area. We finally got into a few warblers along Otter Point Rd, and found a great number of birds at Butler Main, including Western Tanager, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, many Swainson's Thrush, and a Yellow Warbler singing its song the fastest I have ever heard. Out last stop was Sun River, where we added a few last-minute species including Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbird, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. There is still time to sponsor Councillor Reay or any of our Municipal Challenge Participants at www.rpbo.org/birdathon.html.
Coun. Reay tries to track down the "whit" call
While birding in Sooke, I got another call from Chris Saunders, reporting another Least Flycatcher, this one near the parking lot at Swan Lake. I did some quick mental math, figuring leave Sooke at 10, quick stop at home to grab some papers, meeting at 11..... how long does that leave me to find the flycatcher? Not a heck of a lot if you run into a crew working on the telephone wires it seems, as I got to Swan Lake at 10:55am and immediately heard the bird chebecking away from the aspens. I spent 15 frustrating minutes trying to get a look as hordes of birders showed up, and finally had to leave, hoping it would still be around when my meeting wrapped up at 2pm.
I shouldn't have been surprised by the lack of cooperation the bird showed. I found my "lifer" Least Flycatcher last year in Gatineau Park (Parc?), where they were singing everywhere. Despite their numbers, they held so tight into the leaves and bushes that it still took a fair bit of effort to find one!
Turns out the bird was still there after my meeting, or had been. I arrived back at the octagon just after 2pm and sure enough, the bird had been there...... 20 minutes earlier, and not a peep, whit, or chebeck since! To add to the challenge, as we shall call it, the neighbour decided that my arrival was as a good a reason as any to mow his lawn, just on the other side of the aspen patch. It wasn't long before I was alone, straining to hear anything over the lawnmower with no luck. Luckily, Ann Scarfe showed up before long. An absence of wayward empids loves company!
We spent some time listening, and eventually the lawn mower moved to the opposite side of his house. Just before 3pm, almost a full hour since I had arrived and even more since it's last appearance, we finally heard a sharp "chebeck!" not too far away. Another minute passed, and "chebeck!" a little closer, then "chebeck!" really close. "I have it!" Ann had moved to the right for a different view, and had the bird perched midway up an aspen, singing away. It took me a second to get onto the bird, but there it was, my first Least Flycatcher for BC! We watched it flycatch a couple of times, perched out in the semi-open. It sang a few more times, including a couple while it was in binocular view (gotta make sure, right?) before it flew over us and went silent.
It isn't often you get two tries in two days at a bird like this, but my wife turned out to be right when she said on Saturday (on the way to Cherry Point) that Least Flycatcher would be a great bird #201 for the year. So it was.
What next?
Friday, May 25, 2012
Snowy in May?
During the winter, I used the term a couple of times to refer to the weather, but today, it is anything but!
I was enjoying the sun through my office window this morning, peering over a stack of files that still needed to be cleaned and organized, when my phone kicked out its "Surfin' Bird" ringtone. This ringtone is reserved for those who actively bird, and it tells me "you had better answer me!" This time it was Chris Saunders on the other end, and he only left me wondering for a moment at what might have shown up at Swan Lake before telling me some of the more exciting news I have heard recently, "Warren Drinnan found a Snowy Egret at Panama Flats!".
What an inopportune time for one of my many most-wanted Victoria birds to show up, as I had walked to work and my wife had taken the car. She was preparing to leave work to come and pick me up when I finally had a bright idea, and hijacked a coworkers car. With a quick pitstop at home to pick up my binoculars (and to forget my camera) I made it to the Carey Road entrance in record time. Mary R was already there admiring the stunning adult Snowy Egret, and I quickly snapped this, my contribution to the record books, through her scope with my blackberry:
Hard to believe that this is the best shot I got!
We enjoyed the egret for about half an hour or so as more birders showed up in drips, drabs, and hordes. It darted from one end of the water to the next, chasing whatever morsel it could turn up, and stopped several times to stir the water up with its foot. What neat behaviour, something I had never seen them do before! I always hate walking away from a bird like this, but I had a lot more work to do back at the office.
This was not only a new Victoria bird for me (and #196 for the year), but a new BC and Canada bird as well!
This has been an exciting couple of weeks here in Victoria, and I am going to officially predict that American Avocet is due to put in an appearance......
Good hunting,
I was enjoying the sun through my office window this morning, peering over a stack of files that still needed to be cleaned and organized, when my phone kicked out its "Surfin' Bird" ringtone. This ringtone is reserved for those who actively bird, and it tells me "you had better answer me!" This time it was Chris Saunders on the other end, and he only left me wondering for a moment at what might have shown up at Swan Lake before telling me some of the more exciting news I have heard recently, "Warren Drinnan found a Snowy Egret at Panama Flats!".
What an inopportune time for one of my many most-wanted Victoria birds to show up, as I had walked to work and my wife had taken the car. She was preparing to leave work to come and pick me up when I finally had a bright idea, and hijacked a coworkers car. With a quick pitstop at home to pick up my binoculars (and to forget my camera) I made it to the Carey Road entrance in record time. Mary R was already there admiring the stunning adult Snowy Egret, and I quickly snapped this, my contribution to the record books, through her scope with my blackberry:
Hard to believe that this is the best shot I got!
We enjoyed the egret for about half an hour or so as more birders showed up in drips, drabs, and hordes. It darted from one end of the water to the next, chasing whatever morsel it could turn up, and stopped several times to stir the water up with its foot. What neat behaviour, something I had never seen them do before! I always hate walking away from a bird like this, but I had a lot more work to do back at the office.
This was not only a new Victoria bird for me (and #196 for the year), but a new BC and Canada bird as well!
This has been an exciting couple of weeks here in Victoria, and I am going to officially predict that American Avocet is due to put in an appearance......
Good hunting,
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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!
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!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
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!
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!
Friday, May 11, 2012
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!
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!
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