RBA: SCRIPPS'S MURRELETS off the West Coast of Vancouver Island - Sept 7th

On the morning of Sept 7th-2017, while doing an offshore NOAA survey, Ryan Merrill et al. found and photographed 2 Scripps's Murrelets. The birds flushed in front of the boat they were on. They viewed the birds for 30 seconds as they flew along the NE edge of Nitinat Canyon. On the exact same date last year, Ryan Merrill et al. found 4 Scripps's Murrelets in almost the same location!.

GPS coordinates are: 48.236998, -125.660527.

One of 2 Scripps's Murrelets seen in Nitinat Canyon - Photo: Ryan Merill

 2 Scripps's Murrelets seen in Nitinat Canyon - Photo: Ryan Merill

RBA: LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE in Maple Ridge - August 31st

At 12 noon on Thursday Aug 31st-2017, Greg Humphrey found a Loggerhead Shrike on the dyke north of 216th St in Maple Ridge. 

Directions: At the north end of 216th St there are trails to the east and west and north. The bird was on the north arm - about a quarter mile - almost to the fork in the dyke. It was on the west side.

He viewed the bird for three minutes before it flew south. He tried to look for the bird yesterday and today but has not been successful in relocating it.

Loggerhead Shrike in Maple Ridgde - Photo: Greg Humphrey

RBA: INDIGO BUNTING in Tatlayoko Lake - August 30th

At 6:55 am on August 30-2017, a male INBU was caught and banded at Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory by Gwyn Case and Anna Tran.

The photos were taken by Kyle Cameron bander-in-charge.

Male Indigo Bunting - Photos: Kyle Cameron

RBA: PIPING PLOVER in Delta - August 24-25th

At 8 pm on August 24-2017, Doug Martin found a Piping Plover at the foot of 96th St at Boundary Bay in Delta. He showed the bird to Michael Klotz who was present on the dyke and he also got good looks at the bird. He immediately thought it looked like a Piping Plover. Doug noted that the bird was pale sandy brown in colour, had orange legs and what appeared to be a complete neckband and looked different in shape and colour to the Semipalmated Plovers it was associating with. The light was poor and he was only able to get a digiscoped shot through his scope, that he admitted was poor. He reported the bird to me but although suggestive of a Piping Plover due to shape, posture, neckband and leg colour;  I could not rule out a Leucistic Semipalmated Plover based on the photographs I was presented. Not to mention John Gordon had photographed a Leucistic Semipalmated Plover in the same area a few days prior. I did in fact show John's photograph of the Leucistic Semipalmated Plover (which you can see HERE) to Doug Martin and Michael Klotz but they both were adamant that this was not the same bird. I decided, therefore to post it last night as a "Possible Piping Plover."

On the evening of August 25th, out-of-town birder Jennifer Wu was out looking for the reported Plover, Hudsonian and Bar-tailed Godwits. As she was walking back from 88th St to the parking lot at 72nd St, she noted a small bird with bright orange legs running along the edge of the water. She walked off the dyke onto the mudflats to get a closer look but at a safe distance, as to not spook the bird. She noted it was different than the Semipalmated Plovers she had seen before. The bird was foraging completely alone. She checked field guides and realized she had actually seen a Piping Plover, she reported the bird to me when she got home and sent in her photos.

This photo confirms that the bird Doug Martin found was indeed a Piping Plover.

This is the first confirmed record for the Province of British Columbia. All 2 previous records have been sight records only.  

**As per the BC Bird Records Committee a first provincial record must be documented with physical proof (ie. a photo). ***

*Despite multiple observers looking the bird has not been seen since.*

On August 27th Jennifer sent in new photos after taking time to go through them all upon her return home. I have posted the best of the lot which shows the identification features more clearly further confirming the ID.

Peter Pyle author of "Identification Guide to North American Birds", David Sibley author of "The Sibley Guides"  and Kevin Karlson and Michael O'Brien authors of "The Shorebird Guide" have also confirmed the ID of Piping Plover.

If you are going to look for this bird please note that parking on the dyke at 96th St is illegal and the Park Patrol is enforcing this by handing out tickets. There are two public parking lots, one at the end of 72nd St and one at the end of 104th St.

Maps to both parking lots below:

72nd St

104th St

Map to where the bird was seen the first day HERE

Map to where the bird was seen the second day HERE

Piping Plover in Delta- Photo: Jennifer Wu

The first confirmed Piping Plover in BC at Boundary Bay, Delta - Photo: Jennifer Wu

Piping Plover in Delta - Photo: Jennifer Wu

A Piping Plover in Delta - Photo: Doug Martin

RBA: FERRUGINOUS HAWK in Sechelt - Aug 8-19th

At 10:30am on August 8-2017, Mike Steele and Lynne Dunham found and photographed a light morph Ferruginous Hawk. The bird was first found on the beach to the west of the marina at Wilson Creek Estuary in Sechelt. They originally thought it was a Red-tailed Hawk but Rand Rudland notified them that they actually had a Ferruginous Hawk on their hands. Multiple observers got to look at the bird when it was relocated on August 10th on the breakwater at Wilson Creek Estuary. It was quickly mobbed by crows and flew to the trees to the left of the estuary as you look towards the ocean.

The word only got out to the general public on August 10th.

The bird continues as of 9:30am on August 11th in the trees to the left (east) of the estuary. The bird moves around and has been seen by Mission Point as well as on the breakwater at Wilson Creek Estuary where he prefers to sit, patience is key with this bird.

The bird continues on the breakwater at Wilson Creek Estuary as of Aug 14th.

The bird was not seen on August 15th or 16th, despite multiple observers looking.

The bird was relocated on August 19th on the breakwater at Wilson Creek Estuary but has not been seen since.

Map to the location of where the bird was last seen on the breakwater HERE

Ferruginous Hawk in Sechelt - Photos: Lynne Dunham

RBA: BLACK PHOEBE in Okanagan Falls - Aug 4th

At 5pm on August 4-2017, Dr. Rodger Titman et al. found a Black Phoebe at 328 Eastside Rd. It was flycatching near Skaha Lake from a Ponderosa tree and would occasionally perch on the ground. He did not obtain a photograph.The bird was located on private property and it is not open to the public. The bird has not been seen since despite Rodger looking for it.

Map to the exact location HERE.

This is the 22nd record for the province of BC.

RBA: BLACK PHOEBE in Richmond - July 25-28th

At 7:15pm on July 25-2017, Doug Martin found and photographed a Black Phoebe at Iona Regional Park. The bird was flycatching at the west side of the SW pond and is still present as of posting time, as viewed by multiple observers.

A gate code is required to enter the sewage ponds. To gain access please email Jude Grass at judegrass(at)shaw(dot)ca

Iona Regional Park is located at 943 Ferguson Rd.

The bird continues at the SW inner pond and it is also being seen between the banding station and the SE corner of the North outer pond as of July 27th.


The bird was seen by a single observer on July 28th near the banding station between the outer north and south ponds.

The bird was not relocated on July 29th.


This is the 21st record for the province of BC.

Black Phoebe in Richmond Photo: Mike Fung

RBA: CURVE-BILLED THRASHER near BURNS LAKE - July 7th

At 10 am on July 7-2017, Keith Walker found and photographed a Curve-billed Thrasher in his yard, close to the west of Francois Lake which is south west of Burns Lake. He watched the bird for 30mins as it was dive bombed by swallows.

The bird was not relocated on July 8th. If it is seen again, it will be open to the public and I will post his address here.

This is not the first rare bird on his property, he has also had an Oriental Greenfinch before.

This is the first record of a Curve-billed Thrasher for the province of British Columbia.

The first Curve-billed Trasher in BC near Burns Lake - Photos: Keith Walker

RBA: INDIGO BUNTING in Abbotsford July 3-6th

At 7:50pm on July 3-2017, Gabriele Cuff found and photographed a Male Indigo Bunting east of Whatcom Rd at the end of Florence Drive in Lower Sumas Mtn.

Directions to where she saw the bird (about a 5 min walk from the end of Florence Dr.):

At the end of Florence Dr, the formal road ends, and there is a metal gate. Beyond the gate there is an area that is being developed. You follow the crushed rock roadway which goes up a hill, and then down again. You will see large mounds of dirt to the right and then there are small alder trees that are along the right side of the roadway. This is just before a roadway that forks off to the right. This is the spot where she saw the bird in an Alder tree. She saw the bird for 20 seconds, before it flew west.

A map to the exact location, she saw the bird is HERE

She looked for it on the evening of July 5th but did not relocate it.

On July 6th, the bird continues in the same location as of 8:30pm.

On July 7th, multiple observers looked for the bird but it was not relocated.

*Since the area is under development, anyone going to look for this bird should do so after working hours or on weekends. Please follow the directions of all construction signs in the area.*

 

Male Indigo Bunting in Abbotsford - Photos: Gabriele Cuff

RBA: Ash-throated Flycatcher in Port Alberni - July 1st

At 1:10pm on July 1-2017, Penny Hall found an Ash-throated Flycatcher in Port Alberni. She had good looks at the bird through her bins for 3 mins. The bird was sitting on a fence and when she approached it, the bird flew from the fence into the trees. She tried to relocate the bird into the evening but could not relocate the bird.

Directions to where the bird was last seen: Enter the trail at the bottom of Mozart Road and follow the trail along the farmer's fence line to where the big boulders are and the bird was last seen in the stand of trees right next to the cleared field.

Map to the exact location of where the bird was seen HERE

The bird has not been relocated since the initial sighting.