May 13, 15--WHITE-FACED IBIS in Creston

On the morning of May 13, Gary Breault photographed this ibis along Speers Rd in Creston, before it took off with a flock of ducks. It has not been relocated but may very well be present somewhere in the maze of wetlands in that valley.

There again on the morning of the 15th!

May 14--SEDGE WREN in Penticton

Today (May 14) around noon, Jess Findlay and I (RC) flushed a small, sandy-coloured wren along a weedy hillside at the "Esplanade Trails" behind the Penticton Yacht Club. Right away we were given the impression of a Marsh/Sedge Wren and upon pursuing it up the hill and around a few bushes we had a few very brief views and heard it call several times. At one point a Song Sparrow chases it through the weeds right toward me and it landed near my feet, but slightly obscured, then darted beneath a log. 

I called my Dad who was up on the West Bench, and when he arrived we renewed the search and saw the bird fly from bush to bush twice then heard it call several times more--this time, the more diagnostic chip call: (http://www.xeno-canto.org/70080). It flew down off the grassy hill and down into the thick tangle that lines a wet ditch that parallels the beach and tennis courts. Both my Dad and Jess each had a brief look at it while I searched from above. 

All in all we followed it around for about 1 hour before losing it in the tangle. It will almost surely spend the rest of the day there but finding it is a huge challenge as it rarely calls and is extremely secretive. 

I will try again tomorrow morning and will post my findings.

No photos/recordings were obtained. House Wren was eliminated from consideration based on colouration, shape, voice, and behavior. Marsh Wren was eliminated partly by plumage, but more so by voice, with additional consideration given to habitat (no marsh for miles and the weather is fantastic so why would it touch down on a weedy hillside?).

This is the 4th record for BC and 1st for the Okanagan.

If you want to try for it, drive to the Penticton Yacht Club/tennis courts at the SE corner of Okanagan Lake in Penticton. Enter the forest at the main trail-head then take a left and follow the main trail that leads to the beach. The bird was observed both in the weedy and bushy hillside on the right side of the path, and down in the thicket that lines the tennis courts on the left side of the path.


May 16 UPDATE: The bird apparently called in response to a recording this morning! (Eva Durance)

May 7--CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR

Iona Island (SOUTH JETTY)--Mostly between markers 134 and 140. The bird was spending most of its time on the South side of the pipe just along the peas and up on the rocks. Still present as of dusk May 7.
Not seen on the 8th.

Found by Tak Shabata.

Photo: Mike Tabak

May 5--Loggerhead Shrike in Creston

May 5--This morning Gary Breault got brief looks at a "small shrike" near Duck Lake (north of Creston). I just happened to be passing through the area today so I joined Gary for a bit of local birding this afternoon and we managed to refind the beauty!  Yup it's a LOSHie!

Apr 29 MANX SHEARWATER - Ucluelet

This past weekend (April 28-29), 87 birders from around BC and Alberta headed to the outer coast of Vancouver Island to board the MV Frances Barkley on Sunday in hopes of finding some nice seabirds. Not surprisingly, with all those eyes out there, there were plenty of other highlights onshore as well.

First off-- here are some photo highlights, courtesy of Peter Candido:
[Click to Enlarge]
Black-footed Albatross: "Clear for Take-off"

Manx Shearwater (right) with Sooty Shearwater--Note smaller size and white underparts

 Photo showing underside of Manx Shearwater (with same Sooties)

 Flock of Red Phalaropes in different stages of pre-alternate moult

 The ever-pleasant sight of Sabine's Gulls floating by

For a detailed report of the pelagic trip itself, CLICK HERE.

Other highlights from the weekend:

--Huge numbers of migrating geese; particularly Greater White-fronted, but also Cackling, Snow, and Brant. On the afternoon of the 29th, an estimated 30-40 thousand Greater White-fronts passed north over Tofino, with close to 10,000 Cacklers mixed in.

--The long-staying Yellow-billed Loon was again present around the south end of Tofino Harbour on the 28th and 30th.

--Western Sandpiper numbers seemed low, but there were still lots of other shorebirds around including 25 Marbled Godwits near the Sharp Rd Look-out, 100's of Short-billed Dowitchers at Sharp Road and the Airport, 7 Whimbrels at the Tofino Airport on April 30th along with a single Marbled Godwit, loads of Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, good numbers of Dunlin, Western, Semipalmated, and Least Sandpipers, and over 40 Wilson's Snipe!

--"Rockpipers" were also around, with Black Turnstones and Surfbirds seen at various locations in Pacific Rim National Park, as well as the usual Black Oystercatchers. Another big highlight for many was a good showing of Wandering Tattlers. Multiple tattlers were recorded in Tofino, as well as Green Point area, and around Ucluelet (where they could be heard calling for several hours on the evening of the 28th).

--The Wick Sewage Lagoons yielded a pair of Wood Ducks, 1 drake Cinnamon Teal, 3 Ring-necked Ducks, and a Northern Rough-winged Swallow (among other things)

--Finally, there appears to have been an influx of Sea Otters into the area, as ~10 were sighted off Amphitrite Point on the 28th, and at least 3 were seen from the boat on the 29th!

Ever heard of a "red-phase" Western Screech?

Check out this photo of a rare "red/brownish-phase" macfarlanei Western Screech-Owl. The red-phase of the Eastern Screech-Owl is well known, but few (if any) have ever seen the Western (interior) Screech version! Or could this be a hybrid macfarlanei x kennicottii or simply a kennicottii (coastal ssp.) that has made it up into the interior?  This bird was found in the upper Fraser Canyon by Jared Hobbs et al.

[Typical gray-phase on left, with reddish bird on right]

[Photo Credit: Jared Hobbs]

Lesser Goldfinch in Lillooet

[Photo: Ken Wright]

Found at a private residence in Lillooet on April 23rd, and is continuing up until at least the 26th. The landowner has requested that the precise location be kept private.

April 26 UPDATE--There are now *2* males LEGOs at the feeder!


April 27--Last seen on this date

ARCTIC LOON--Jordan River

On Apil 15th an Arctic Loon was reported from the Surfer's Parking Lot in Jordan River by Louis Haviland. The bird was Alone and close to shore and was photographed several times.

April 21 Update: STILL PRESENT

Ross's Goose returns for 3rd spring in a row!

CRESTON: Gary Breault just photographed this ROSS'S GOOSE at the first 90 degree corner on Channel Rd, near Duck Lake. This is the third spring that a Ross's Goose has turned up at this exact location--must be the same bird? Sightings have ranged from April 14th to May 4th.

Apr 12--SAGE SPARROW in Kelowna

From Avery Bartels:

At Munson Pond this morning (9:30am) I had a Sage Sparrow. It was foraging on its own, on both sides of the road but was last seen on the north side as it ducked behind the piles of debris and wood chips. A couple hundred metres after turning onto Munson Rd. there is a bare field (mostly bare ground, with little grass) on the left. I first had the bird here before it flew across the road and continued foraging on a dirt track and the aforementioned wood chip piles.

The bird was quite pale brown with a contrastingly grey head, strong white malar stripe, a fairly short and weak white supercilium, an unmarked nape with a streaked back, faint wingbars and and a dark spot on the centre of its chest, underparts white. It often held its long tail cocked up and ran about quite actively.

I managed to digiscope a couple of poor shots with my ipod which I will post when I figure out how to do transfer them off my ipod. [April 12]

--Will post photo soon