Monday, September 8, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
MEXICAN VIOLETEAR IN PORT ALBERNI - Sept 4th
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Sep 3-9 -- LITTLE STINT in Sidney
From 8.30 - 9.15am on the 3rd Sept, James Bradley had good views (with photographs) of a fairly fresh juvenile Little Stint at Tseum Harbour in Sidney, seen from Resthaven Park. The photos show all the key features including rich (though fading) rufous edges to coverts and tertials, strong white back braces, a split supercilium and strong contrast overall between clean white underside and warm coloured upperside. In structure, smaller and more delicate than Westerns with short and squat body, concave rear-dorsal profile, and small head. Bill fine, straight and medium length. In total, approximately 60 small peeps, nearly all Western Sandpiper, were present in the flock.
UPDATE - last confirmed at 8.30am on Sept 9th
**best to time your visit for a tide height of less than 2.4m if you can (see tide charts here) although the shorebird flock may use a dock floating in the bay as a high tide roost. Otherwise, they usually forage at the south end of the bay by the wharf on the lowest tides (~ 0.6m), close to the bank on the west flats on a rising tide (~1.4m), and on the north flats opposite the wall after that until the tide is too high (~2.4m+). Updates are appreciated.
UPDATE - last confirmed at 8.30am on Sept 9th
**best to time your visit for a tide height of less than 2.4m if you can (see tide charts here) although the shorebird flock may use a dock floating in the bay as a high tide roost. Otherwise, they usually forage at the south end of the bay by the wharf on the lowest tides (~ 0.6m), close to the bank on the west flats on a rising tide (~1.4m), and on the north flats opposite the wall after that until the tide is too high (~2.4m+). Updates are appreciated.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Aug 30--Lark Bunting at Port Hardy Airport
On a rainy afternoon at the Port Hardy (North end of Vancouver Island), Russell Cannings found a female Lark Bunting foraging with White-crowned and Savannah Sparrows just NW of the Port Hardy Airport terminal. Unfortunately a photograph was not obtained. There is a large area of thimbleberry and other scrub criss-crossed with quad tracks and this is where the bird was. It flushed several times, flying over 100m away so predicting exactly where it will pop up again may be tricky. At any rate it looks like a very good spot for wayward migrants in general so any birder in the area might want to drop by for a look.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Aug 28-Sep 2--REEVE at Reifel Refuge (Ladner, BC)
Around 1030am this morning (Thurs, Aug 28), Liron Gertsman, Josh Brown, Logan Lalonde, Tak Shibata, and Tom (Plath?--Need to confirm) observed a juvenile REEVE (female Ruff--based on size) in the "West Field" (the flooded area in front of the tall blue viewing tower) at Reifel Refuge near Ladner (SW of Vancouver). It was foraging with Stilt Sandpipers but then flew out of sight. Unfortunately it has not been relocated yet.
Aug 29 (Friday) UPDATE: Present again from 9am to just after 11am (I. Povalyaev). It appears this bird is only present during high tide then heads to the foreshore. Best to time your visits accordingly.
Sept 2 UPDATE: Still present in the afternoon
Aug 29 (Friday) UPDATE: Present again from 9am to just after 11am (I. Povalyaev). It appears this bird is only present during high tide then heads to the foreshore. Best to time your visits accordingly.
Sept 2 UPDATE: Still present in the afternoon
Photo: Lion Gertsman |
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Aug 14--WHITE-WINGED DOVE near Tofino
Aug 14--YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO near Oliver
Mel Thorn just called to report a Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Hack's Pond NW of Oliver. This is the wetland along Horsetail Rd which is a gravel track connecting the north end of River Road with Secret Road. Apparently it was first seen in the cottonwood riparian area then flew up the bank and went out of sight.
Check back here for updates and more details.
Check back here for updates and more details.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Blackburnian Warbler in Chilliwack
Gord Gadsden saw a Blackburnian Warbler at Island 22 (Chilliwack) yesterday. You can read more on the sighting Here. So far it hasn't been relocated today but stay tuned for more updates.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Hawaiian Petrel off BC
On 8 July, Paul Lehman and group were aboard another Princess cruise-ship "pelagic" from San Francisco to se. Alaska and had a HAWAIIAN PETREL in BC waters far southwest of Vancouver Island, at 47.105, 129.147, which is about 320 km SW of Estevan Point, or 340 km SW of Tofino, but actually due west of Washington state (but no closer there than 350 km's....). Otherwise this pass through these deep, far offshore waters was fairly slow, with mostly just about 300 Leach's Storm-Petrels, a few Fork-taileds and several Black-footed Albatrosses and Sooty Shearwaters to look at.
--Paul Lehman (San Diego)
Posted by Barbara Carlson
--Paul Lehman (San Diego)
Posted by Barbara Carlson
Jul 13--Indigo Bunting in Cawston
While returning home to Nelson from the coast, Janice Arndt found a singing male INDIGO BUNTING near the highway pull-off with the Eagle Valley interpretive sign, 4km south (toward Osoyoos) from the lone traffic light in Cawston. This is just outside of Keremeos if you were driving Hwy 3 to Osoyoos.
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