BLACK-THROATED SPARROW in Sooke - Sept 29-Oct 13th

On September 29th at 4 pm, Kim and Roger Beardmore found a juvenile Black-throated Sparrow at Whiffen Spit in Sooke.

Searches throughout the day on September 30th failed to locate the bird, until ~6 pm when the bird was relocated near the parking lot. It remained in the area for multiple birders to see.

It has most frequently been observed in the area between the parking lot and the outer beach. The sparrow has been described as being very tame and approachable, and actively feeding throughout the day. It was also heard vocalizing.

The bird was last seen on October 13th. 

Photo: Donna Ross

ORCHARD ORIOLE on Balaklava Island - Sept 28-30th

British Columbia has a bit of a history with good birds being turned up by lighthouse keepers.  We are fortunate to have a relatively new recruit to the birding community in Ivan Dubinsky, who is stationed at the Scarlett Point Lighthouse on Balaklava Island.  The island sits 18 kilometres northwest of Port Hardy near the north end of Vancouver Island, and naturally this makes it an interesting spot with solid potential for rarities.

Ivan's first good score was a Tropical Kingbird last year.  Today (September 28), he upped the ante with a fantastic bird: an Orchard Oriole!  This species has been documented more frequently over the past 10 years, but overall there are still fewer than 10 records for the province.

The bird was still present on September 30th, the 3rd day in a row it was seen.

The bird has not been seen since Sept 30th.

The bright lemon yellow underparts and slightly-decurved, shorter bill point to Orchard Oriole (Photo: Ivan Dubinsky)

RUFF in Delta, Sept 25th

On Sept 25 at 3:00pm, Kevin Louth found a juvenile male Ruff at the wood pilings East of 96th St on the dyke at Boundary Bay in Delta. The bird was later relocated by multiple observers at the foot of 96th St. The bird was best viewed by a scope and came no closer than 80 metres from the dyke. The bird was in a Black-bellied Plover flock with one Marbled, Bar-tailed and Hudsonian Godwit therin.

The flock took off just before 7pm and was not relocated.

Photo credit: Peter Candido (Ruff is bird in the grass to the left)

Photo credit: Peter Candido (Ruff is unbanded and in flight)

WHITE-FACED IBIS in Revelstoke

A Plegadis ibis was found on September 24th at the airport ponds in Revelstoke by Dusty Veideman, and later seen and photographed by additional people an hour or so later. Immature/winter plumages of White-faced Ibis can be challenging to differentiate from Glossy Ibis (which has not yet been recorded in the province).

A White-faced Ibis was recorded from this same general area on May 17th, 2015 (see the May archives for details).

Photo: Dusty Veideman

FERRUGINOUS HAWK in Creston, Sep. 20

On September 20th a Ferruginous Hawk was found in Creston by Jim Lawrence. The bird was seen off of Kootenay River Road, where it was perched on a fence post in the distance. It eventually flew closer to the road, and was seen for at least 2 hours, beginning at 10:30 am.

Photo: Jim Lawrence

Chestnut-sided Warbler in Castlegar, September 17

On September 17th a Chestnut-sided Warbler was found at Twin Rivers Park in Castlegar by Craig Sandvig. It was first seen at 11 am and present at least through the early afternoon that day. There have been no reports on subsequent dates.

The bird was at the beginning of the Millennium Walkway Trail that starts at the end of 3rd St. It was in the shrubby/forested section at the start of this trail, but did not go past the bench overlooking the river.

This is the 60th record for the province of BC.

Photo: Craig Sandvig

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER in Hope, September 7

An immature male Blackburnian Warbler was found September 7 at approximately 3 pm in Hope by Rick Toochin. The bird was found in the trees along the far north edge of the property at 62180 Delair Rd.

This property is apparently open to the public. 

Update: Two observers could not relocate the bird on September 8th, and it may have migrated out of the area.