April 12--WHITE-TAILED KITE near Port Alberni

George Bradd reports a WHITE-TAILED KITE flying over his place on the road to Great Central Lake (Just outside of Port Alberni).

Will post any updates or further sightings as they come.

March 27--King Eider returns to Little Qualicum

Guy Monty reports that scoter and gull numbers are swelling during a late spawn around Qualicum Beach. This morning (March 27) he relocated the first-winter male KING EIDER that was present back in February near the Little Qualicum River Estuary--west end of Surfside Drive. He also reports 4 Glaucous Gulls, 1 Nelson's Gull (Herring x Glaucous hybrid), and a Mountain Bluebird in the area.

First NORTHERN CARDINAL for BC?

This past December (2013), the Nanaimo Wild Bird Store received a report of a male Northern Cardinal near the corner of Metral Drive and Dunbar Road (north end of Nanaimo). Follow-up searches found nothing. Not surprisingly it was assumed that the bird had been misidentified (cardinals are reported fairly regularly to bird alerts and always turn out to be crossbills/house finches etc.). So it was quite the surprise when Colin from the bird store texted me this morning to report that the carcass had been found! I went and checked it out this afternoon, and as you can see from the photo it's definitely a male Northern Cardinal. This bird was found by Sandra Gaspardone on March 23 in the same area as the December report. Whether it died recently or was frozen under the February snow is unclear. If accepted, this would represent a first record for British Columbia and the only Pacific coast record north of Los Angeles (I think?). There is a hypothetical record from the Prince George area in the winter of 1994 when a male was well-described visiting a feeder but not confirmed by photos/local birders. There are multiple records from the Edmonton and Calgary area so this is an expected species for BC, but perhaps not all the way over here! Obviously origin will have to be considered, as cardinals are kept as cage birds in some areas though I'm unsure what the BC situation is. Apparently Washington has had 5 cardinal reports that have all been kept off the state list due to questions of origin. [Photo: Russell Cannings]

March 16-18--SAGEBRUSH SPARROW in Lardeau (N end of Kootenay Lake)

Marlene Johnston photographed this sparrow on March 16th as it fed with Juncos in Lardeau, BC. Formerly known as "Sage Sparrow" with less than 20 records for BC, this species has been recently split into Bell's Sparrow and Sagebrush Sparrow. Presumably all BC birds are the latter as they breed in south/central Washington State and migrate north around this time of year. This bird looks fairly good for the Sagebrush-types, but identification of this complex in the field is still being sussed out so conservatives may prefer to call this a "Sage Sparrow sp."
Whatever it is--it's very rare in BC!

Bird is still present as of March 18--Gary Davidson sends this photo from the 17th.

March 7-26--Baikal x Pintail hybrid

*Apologies for the annoying formatting of this post--can't seem to fix it!*

On the evening of March 7th I found a distinctly 'different' duck feeding in a flooded field just south of Nanaimo. Soon the report of 'Baikal Teal' went out and the birders flocked in. Upon closer inspection this bird now appears to be a good match for:

Baikal Teal x Northern Pintail hybrid

So why is the bird suspected of being a hybrid and why were the bird's abnormalities not picked up earlier? I will start with the observable attributes of the bird itself and why they are suggestive of a Baikal x Northern Pintail hybrid, then reflect on the second question, as I think it provides an interesting case-study of the psychological dynamics of 'vagrant-seeking' and 'vagrant-chasing' when it comes to the world of birding.

This is a photo from the morning of March 8th of the Nanaimo bird at a distance of roughly 250m in steady drizzle (with Mew Gulls behind). Note the thick line that divides the cream-coloured patches on the face and the extensive dark colouration on the chin. The extensiveness of dark colouration is atypical of pure Baikal Teal. Because of the low resolution, some of the finer aspects of the bird's plumage (e.g. scapulars) are not easy to assess.
(Photo: Daniel Donnecke) 

This frontal angle better illustrates the extensive dark colouration to the throat
(Photo: Jeremy Gatten)

Click HERE for photos of the bird swimming in brighter light (albeit distantly).

Because of the low resolution involved in these cropped images, there are certain features that are not visible (but are present on this bird) that are consistent with pure Baikal Teal. These include the bright white eye-brow line, and the similar white line on the hind-neck and the lower section of the cheek. The latter line was not as noticeable on the birds second day on view, possibly due to the heavy rain. The bird also does have relatively long scapular feathers, though perhaps not as long as expected in a full 'breeding plumaged' Baikal.

This bird has an orangey-buff breast with black centers to most of the feathers, a vertical white bar to the front flanks, and a parallel white stripe bordering the black undertail coverts. These are both typical of pure Baikal Teal. The bird is distinctly larger than Green-winged Teal but smaller in girth to Northern Pintail and shorter-necked and tails.

In addition to the facial pattern, problematic features (atypical of pure Baikal) include a more pintail-esque head-shape including a longer-looking beak, and relatively longer inner rectricies. The combination of structural and plumage abnormalities logically lead to the possibility of a wild-born hybrid or some form of captive-bred creation.

American Wigeon hybrids (e.g. with Northern Pintail or Green-winged Teal) could potentially produce a similar face and flank pattern, but given that apparent abundance of Baikal-like features, it appears likely that this bird is Baikal x ________. The longer tail and head/neck shape/colouring point to Northern Pintail as a likely candidate. A few Google searches and voila--it appears both wild and escapee Baikal x pintail hybrids are not rare in parts of east Asia. Below are a couple examples of presumed "Pinteals"

This bird lacks the vertical white bar in the front flanks but is otherwise very similar to the Nanaimo bird. 
Note the leg-bands--presumed escapee (Harteman Wildfowl)

This photo from Japan shows another presumed Baikal x Pintail cross. Again, this bird lacks the vertical white bar, has a paler chest,  and is perhaps longer-tailed than the Nanaimo bird, but shows a similar facial pattern.
(Photo: Shuichi Haupt)

The article link below shows a bird in Figure 2 that I believe is closest to the Nanaimo bird (including the white vertical bar). In their discussion they contend that hybrid offspring of baikal x pintail are biased to Baikal Teal in the male phenotype, and that these males tend to prefer female Northern Pintails when it comes to mate selection. Interestingly, many observors noted that the Nanaimo bird associated most closely with pintails and showed signs of courtship toward females and aggression to males.

Note on the external features and sexual behaviour of a wild hybrid Baikal Teal * Northern Pintail found at Hyo-ko Watefowl Park, Niigata, Japan.

'Provenance' is another interesting question--is this bird wild or an escapee? On the first evening I was able to see the birds legs as it walked around an area of short grass, and I noted no obvious bands. We will probably never know for sure but given the regular occurrence of presumed wild hybrids in east Asia and the bird's association with a wild mixed-flock of dabbling ducks, I would guess this is a naturally-occurring hybrid.

So why was this bird reported as a "Baikal Teal?"

After seeing the photos of the Nanaimo bird, some of you may be think---Dang Russ, it's so obviously a hybrid; how did you screw that up?

Believe me, I have mulled that question over in my head for a few days now and thought I would share my experience of this bird as a cautionary tale for birders of all levels of experience and expertise. As David Sibley and others have noted in the past, it is easy for bias to creep into bird identification when a rare bird or lifer is on the line. Many of us head out in the field hoping that today is the day we find the "mega"--that bird that we never expected. This unpredictability is one of the fundamental pleasures for birders, whether it's a bird that is out of season, unusual in a given habitat, or from a different continent, we get out there because we're not sure what might pop up onto that branch just up ahead. If you are lucky enough to find a rare bird on your own, it may be a bird that you are familiar with but is rare for that area. On the other hand, it may be a bird you've never seen before and this can sometimes cause problems. Case in point...

1. I have never seen a Baikal Teal before: As I scanned a large dabbler flock feeding in a flooded field south of Nanaimo, BC, a duck with a striking facial pattern came into view. Holy shit! I exclaimed. I knew right away that this bird had a similar-looking face to Baikal Teal--a bird I had never seen in the field before, but one that I have come across in fieldguides etc. Although I had seen illustrations and photos in the past, I was not familiar enough with the species to know that this bird's facial pattern was in fact atypical. I noted the longish tail and head/neck shape that seemed unusual for a "teal" and was also concerned about the vertical white bar on the front flanks--I know GW Teals have this, I did not know if Baikals did. So right off the bat I thought this bird could be a hybrid. I called my Dad who brought up some images online and I talked him through the fieldmarks I was looking at. My biggest mistake was saying "it has the classic Baikal face" then concentrating more the the body plumage and relative size. When all of these subjective features (including the white stripes on the face) checked out as a match for pure Baikal Teal (I chalked the longish tail up to it being naturally longer and larger than Green-winged Teal, and the fact that I had "never seen a Baikal before so maybe that's what the tail is supposed to look like"), it was like a switch was pulled in my brain. This was a massive rarity and there was still light left! I needed to call as many people as I could!

2. I didn't have a field guide: All I had was the Sibley App, but there is no Baikal in there, and my phone can access Google images. Therefore I had nothing to compare what I was seeing in the field to what it was actually supposed to look like.

3. I didn't make a field sketch/Usable photographs were not achieved on the first day: Because of the distance to the bird and low-light conditions, usable digi-scope shots were not achieved. In place of that, I should have made a detailed field sketch as I could see the bird fairly well in the scope. I did record some voice notes on the fieldmarks, but these can be subjective and again--"classic Baikal face" proved to be a fatal assumption.

5. I became more concerned with getting the word out than diligently studying Baikal Teal and other hybrid possibilities online: When I got home that night, almost all of my energy went into updating the BC Rare Bird Alert and making detailed directions to the site and possible alternate sites to check. These are important tasks but I really should have been studying online photos as well as hybrid possibilities carefully. I did check out some images briefly and noted that my bird's facial pattern seemed to include a thicker black vertical line, but without sketches or photos to physically compare the two, I assumed it must be close enough given that the rest of the bird looked pretty much identical to male Baikal.

6. Until someone voiced their concerns online in the middle of Day 2, no one questioned the ID: Five birders saw the teal on the first night, then close to fifteen more saw it well the next morning, before the flock was disturbed by some nearby hunters. Among the crowd were some of BC's most experienced birders. As I approached the group everyone was all smiles and high-fives etc were exchanged. Having their approval was a big relief and this is where I made the last major mistake. Now that I had taken some time to look at Baikal Teal images online and in field-guides, I should study this bird again and see if it matched up--I even had a field guide along this time. Instead I was satisfied to briefly check out the bird a few times and chat up some of the friendly faces I hadn't seen in a while. Fortunately two people managed distant photos before the bird flew, and the always cool and collected Nathan Hentze had noticed some disturbing features to this bird. With Jeremy Gatten's photos, he compared the Nanaimo bird to online images and noted that this bird bore a striking resemblance to presumed pintail hybrids.

When Jeremy sent his photos to me it felt like a truck hit me. After previously looking up various photos online it was like my image of the Nanaimo bird had morphed into a classic Baikal Teal. I almost wondered if the "two bird theory" was at play... but then I thought back to those first 30 minutes when it was just the bird, my scope, and I. The long tail, facial pattern, the weird head-shape for a teal. Things I had assumed were possible classic Baikal traits out of ignorance, were clearly atypical upon viewing online images.

As for the other birders that thought they had a great bird on their lifelists, I obviously can't blame them. This is an unfamiliar bird to North Americans, I had convinced myself, they trusted me, and who doesn't love a mega-rarity?

Add this duck to the problematic spizella sparrow I found a week earlier, and this has been quite the humbling and educational end to winter for me. While many reading this may not have made the same mistakes I made if put in a similar situation, I hope this story can be used as a reminder to birders of all levels of experience---Be aware of your own bias and limitations when attempting to identify an unfamiliar bird, and be equally critical (in a constructive manner) with the assumptions of others.

Here's hoping the next big one is a bit more straightforward!

For another perspective, check out Chris Siddle's latest blog post.

Late report; ***REDWING*** in Victoria! - Dec 16th

Ken Orich photographed this REDWING (a Eurasian relative of the American Robin) in Victoria, BC on December 16th, 2013. The ID was not known until photos were circulated recently. It was seen on the pedestrian walkway that runs east from Wilkinson Road, ~240m north of Tulip Avenue. This is just west of Panama Flats (a popular birding area in Victoria).

This is the first record for British Columbia.

Feb 14-March 7: Tufted Duck at Iona Island (Richmond)

This male Tufted Duck was discovered by Sunny Zhai on Valentine's Day, in one of the more romantic locales in Vancouver: The Iona Sewage Lagoons. It is still present, using both the inner (gated) and outer (near washrooms) ponds as of March 14. [Photo: Michelle Lamberson]

*Coincidentally another male Tufted Duck was found on the same day (Feb 14) on Bullock Lake, Saltspring Island, by Karen Ferguson. Bird is still present as of Feb 18 but this location is not accessible to the public.*

Feb 9-11: KING EIDER (Little Qualicum River Estuary)

Feb 9--This morning after checking out the mockingbird along Surfside Drive in Qualicum Beach, Russell Cannings spotted a first-winter male KING EIDER feeding on clams among a large flock of Black Scoters. It was still present as of 11am, Sunday. Take Kinkade Rd north off the Old Island Hwy west of downtown Qualicum Beach, follow this onto McFeely Dr then make a left on Surfside and park at the end (this is the Little Qualicum River Estuary). Walk down to the beach and scope through the scoters. At times the eider spent a lot of time underwater so be patient while scanning if it is not immediately visible. In addition to the creamy chest, this bird has white rear-flank patches (not visible in this photograph) which also help to distinguish it from other seaducks in the area.

This bird has not been seen since February 11th

First-winter male King Eider among a group of scoters on February 9 (Photo: Sher Falls)

*If anyone manages better photos, please send them to russellcannings@shaw.ca and I'd be happy to put them up on the alert!

Feb 7-21: Northern Mockingbird

Well it's been a while but there's a new rare bird out there! Not a mind-blower but a nice one indeed to warm up what has been a very chilly week for the entire province. On Feb 7 Donna and Guy Monty found a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD along Surfside Drive near the Little Qualicum River Estuary (NW of Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island).

Photo: Russell Cannings (Feb 9)

Bird is continuing as of at least Feb 21. It it seems to favour the holly bush near the junction of McFeely and Surfside Drive.

"Big Interview" with Ryan Johnston

This site is mostly a simple utilitarian "bird alert" but since it is a blog and I have been pretty busy and unable to keep things properly updated, I thought I'd offer a little extra content. Note that in the post before this that I have written up a summary of the great rarity year that was 2013.

And now for something new. We've never hosted an interview on the BC Bird Alert so what better way to start than with Ryan Johnson of Vancouver, BC, who recently tied Mike Toochin for the #2 spot on the all-time BC Big Year list. That means he scored 363 species in one calendar year--a phenomenal mark, and a venture that many of us around BC followed closely throughout 2013.

A rare photo of the mysterious Ryan Johston. An impressive big year effort in 2013 has thrust this young birder from Vancouver, BC into the limelight of BC bird forums and idle Tim Horton's line-up conversation. If you haven't checked out his blog, you really should. A great way to escape from the bitter cold or dampness (depending on your location) of January in Canada. Big years are getting popular across the country, whether they're in your neighbourhood or across a continent. Ryan chose the entire province of BC as his stomping grounds last year. 

Before we get to the interview, you might want to check out Ryan's blog: http://lastofthecurlews.blogspot.ca/

There you'll find plenty of great birding stories from around the province, as well as a final synopsis, bird list, and reflection of how the year went.

Having done a BC big year myself, it was a real treat to watch someone else do one. While I don't miss the long overnight drives while feeling under the weather, it's hard not to envy all the great birding adventures, lifers, new friends, and all the places that I never got to on my own big year (such as the Chilcotin Plateau for one).

Near the beginning of the year, Ryan set out to see 350 species so he beat that soundly. Toward the fall it seemed there might be a shot at the #1 (373) but a slow November/December hurt his chances. Looking at all the species reported this year however, it seems possible that more big year attempts in the future could yield higher and higher records. Just takes someone dedicated, crazy, and having an understanding spouse (or no spouse at all) really helps.

Now let's hear from Ryan...

Why do a big year? Did you start the year off knowing you were going to try it?

Ryan Johnston: I hadn't been a very active birder for about three years, I had started a band and was focusing most of my time writing and recording music and playing shows. Bands and Birding are polar opposites and waking up at sunrise on weekends is pretty hard when you play a show or have band practice til 2 am on a Friday night. Things were sorta cooling off in the winter of 2012 with some members leaving and having to start over with new ones. It got to be pretty frustrating and I started doing more birding again.

Probably chasing the Citrine Wagtail in Comox in November was the main kick starter. I did it on a whim, only deciding to go the morning of. I had never really chased a bird outside of the Lower Mainland before, and it was pretty exhilarating. When I entered the bird into Ebird(something I hadn't done in a few years) I discovered how improved the website had become. It had added a more competitive aspect with the top 100 birders for different areas. Also with the improved map search and hot spots it added new dimensions to listing.

It felt like my lists were all contributing to a greater network of information other than sitting in a big binder on my shelf. Bird Log also made the data entry aspect a lot easier, I could just submit everything in the field in real time. I started thinking about a Big year and doing research and planning but hadn't fully committed. I think I finally committed in the third week of January when I had already added Brambling and Red-flanked Bluetail, and it seemed like this would be the year to do it.

How did your friends/family/girlfriend react when you told them your plan? How did they see your big year as the months ticked by?

RJ: Well I don't think at first they understood what exactly it meant. Some have seen the movie "The Big Year" so they kinda knew. My girlfriend was a good sport, she went on some trips with me and I think she probably understands more than others the kind of effort it actually takes to do one. As the year went on my friends understood more because I was mostly absent from birthday parties and hanging out. I had to answer a lot of funny questions as I'm sure most birders do. "how do you prove you saw the bird?" "Do you have to take a picture?" "No I can't count birds I see in zoo's or on TV". By the end of the year everyone was rooting for me and super stoked about my results. If anything most friends tell me since they've known me they pay more attention to birds, so at least I've played a small part in opening people up to nature. 

Was there any point you felt like you might give up? Many big year birders talk about hitting a mental wall after missing a certain species, or getting fed up with constantly being on the move.

RJ: I had a few moments where I asked myself: "what the hell I had gotten myself into"? I remember driving home from Osoyoos non stop because a Dickcissel had been seen in Ladner and realizing this would be my life for another 8 months. 

Also the time when I had driven to Stone Mountain Park from Fort Nelson and found that the gate to the radio tower had been locked, and realizing I wasted a whole day in the peace for nothing. At that point I was still missing quite a few key species and it wasn't looking good.

 I had lots of big letdowns but I think the closest was November which was really depressing because there was just a terrible lack of rarities. I had expected it to be like 2012 but it definitely wasn't aside from the Great-crested Flycatcher(which I missed). Also my job had changed so I lost a bunch of days off and was working 8-4 Monday to Friday. I definitely thought about just giving up since i had met my original goal of 350, but I'm glad I persisted and kept going after the Sharp-tailed Grouse, it was a special bird for me. 

What were some of the best aspects of doing a big year? Did anything surprise you?

RJ: There were so many good aspects from my big year. One of the best being the birding itself. Since I was a kid I've always had birding in my life, and it was great to just spend so many hours outside in nature. I think I learned so much more about specific birds and their habitats, like spending 2 days waste deep in wetlands searching for Nelson's Sparrow in the Peace. 

I got to meet so many great birders including you (Russ Cannings), and Mark Phinney, Daniele Mitchel, Kevin Neil, Max Gotz. I've always felt like an outsider in the birding community and I think I came out of my shell a little which is always good. Another great aspect was just the fact I feel like I accomplished something, though it may seem trivial to some people, I set a goal and achieved it. There's a feeling of satisfaction that comes with that. 

Mostly I was surprised by just how much time and effort it really takes. If anyone wants to see 350 species in BC in a year, it is going to take up 1/3 of their time no doubt about it. You look in the field guides and see range maps and it doesn't seem all that hard, but man, just cause it shows Cape-May Warblers in north eastern BC doesn't mean you can just show up and see them, there's a lot of birds like that I only saw once, and it was usually in mosquito infested swamps or forests out in the middle of nowhere. 

What sucks about a big year?

Definitely the worst part is that there are no time outs. The only break I had was a week and a half in California, and the whole time I was just itching to get back, especially since it was the end of May and there was a big storm the day I left. I knew crazy stuff was going to get blown in and I was right as that week I was gone a Lark Bunting, Indigo Bunting and Loggerhead Shrike were all seen. 

Another thing that sucks is just the fact that no matter what you see its always about what you need to see next. The satisfaction of nailing almost everything on my Pelagics lasted about 5 minutes because there was a Smith's Longspur in Vancouver and I had to worry about getting back and seeing it. 

Probably the weirdest part of doing a big year is the fact that you are in an alternate reality compared to everyone around you, even the birders. While everyone around me was ecstatic about the Red-necked Stint at Boundary Bay, I was already thinking about where I was going to sleep in Hope before I went hiking in the morning for White-tailed Ptarmigan. Its pretty crazy but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. 

What are your favorite highway rest-stops to sleep at?

My favorite has to be the rest area just north of Clinton. I slept there 3 times this year and its always pretty filled with campers, which I always like because I usually feel vulnerable sleeping in my car if there is nobody else around. Another good trick I learned when I lived in the Yukon is that you can usually sleep in Walmart parking lots. I slept in alot of those this year, they usually welcome RV's and it can be a life saver especially where there are no rest area's. For some reason the WalMart in Kamloops is against this and has big signs stating the fact. But especially up north its definitely a cheap alternative to a hotel. 

Best birding location you had never heard of?

Its definitely got to be the Rainbow Range in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. I went on a hunch I might find Rock Ptarmigan, as from what I read in hiking guides its easy access to the alpine. I never found them but I was rewarded with Willow Ptarmigan, Northern Hawk Owl, Rusty Blackbird and Spruce Grouse. Even singing Blackpoll Warbler in August. The hike itself was fairly easy, I would recommend it to anyone, although its definitely pretty remote. 

Another Place I had never been was the back roads between Clinton and Williams Lake, it passes through the Fraser River and Churn Creek Protected Area. Its a massive grassland, with cliffs. I went because of an Ebird report of Prairie Falcon and was rewarded by a nesting pair on the huge cliffs along the road. There were also Dusky Grouse, Rock Wren, and more Vesper Sparrows than I've seen in my life. The Scenery is also stunning. 

What's next?

Good Question. During my big year things got a lot better with my band and we have been playing lots of shows, probably going on a mini tour to Alberta this year, and I hope to begin recording a full length album soon. On the birding front I decided to do a patch year for greenbirding.ca I chose Burnaby Lake because its close to my work and home. It's probably not a contender like Iona or Reifel would be but I've spent many hours there and I think I can maybe get 150 species if I work hard and am lucky. I also plan on nailing some of the birds I missed on my big year like Rock Ptarmigan and Hudsonian Godwit. I managed to get to 380 species on my life list, so 400 is within reach, probably not this year but the next couple. Hopefully I can have a few good vacations as well, probably San Jose area as that's where my girlfriend lives and I have over the past couple of years become familiar with the birds there. And possibly I will be driving up to Inuvik in June because I cannot deny my love of the North. Other than that I just want to enjoy the local birds, I always enjoy getting more experience with things like Gull and shorebird flocks.

THANKS RYAN--Good luck in 2014!