Oct 12--White-headed Woodpecker seen near Merritt

Thanks to David Schutz for passing on a report from Al Serfas of a White-headed Woodpecker (seen by Al) on Thanksgiving weekend along the Coldwater Rd SW of Merritt. When questioned, the ID sounds reliable so this may very well be worth checking out for birders in the Nicola Valley, or anyone desperate for a White-topped Pine-picker in Canada!

Below are the sight details from Al:

(Along Coldwater Rd--Roughly 20km south of Merritt): There are a bunch of large bales wrapped in green plastic on the north side of the road and a rail fenced corral on the south. There are gas pipeline markers there as the pipeline crosses the road. The pine trees are on the north side just east of all the green bales, and the bird was seen well moving through these pines. 

Oct 13-14--Red-throated Pipit near Victoria

From Dave Fraser:

"At about noon four pipits flushed off the newly plowed field on Puckle Rd (Martindale Flats, Saanich Peninsula). Settled briefly back down and then flew towards the plowed fields on Lamont Rd. One was a bright adult Red-throated Pipit (face, throat and chest chestnut red, heavily streaks on sides) the other three I assumed were American Pipits although to be honest I hardly looked at them. I have been unable to find them from Lamont Rd for the last 15 minutes or so."

Click HERE for Dave Fraser's checklist complete with field sketches.

Seen again nearby on the 14th by Kirsten Mills. It has not been reported since.


Watch here for updates.

Oct 12--Black-throated Blue Warbler banded near Victoria

An apparent hatch-year female Black-throated Blue Warbler was banded at the Pedder Bay site of Rocky Point Bird Observatory (west of Victoria) on October 12.  Subsequent efforts to relocate this bird were unsuccessful.  Many cameras were luckily on hand for this bird and Emma and Rebecca Reader-Lee have supplied a couple nice shots of it.

Photo: Emma Reader-Lee

Photo: Rebecca Reader-Lee

Oct 10-28--Lesser Black-backed Gull in Penticton

This 3rd-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull was discovered near the S.S. Sicamous in the SW corner of Okanagan Lake (Penticton) by Dick Cannings on Oct 10. It was soon after photographed (above) by Laure Neish, and since then it has been seen off and on along the Okanagan beachfront in Penticton (Lakeshore Drive). It seems to be absent for most of the day with daily sightings ranging from early morning to late afternoon. Once a reliable visitors to several locations in the Okanagan each winter, this species has been more irregular over the past few years.

Oct 10--Dickcissel in Francois Lake

Keith Walker photographed this Dickcissel in his yard on Oct 10. Nice find for Francois Lake--near Burns Lake in West-Central BC.

This is the 24th record for BC.

Sept 30--Red-throated Pipit and Brambling in Haida Gwaii

Not satisfied with Yellow Wagtail the day before, James Bradley joined up with resident birders Peter Hamel and Margo Hearne, finding a Brambling (pictured below), 

Red-throated Pipit, and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper around Sandspit, Haida Gwaii

Photo: James Bradley

Sep 29--YELLOW WAGTAIL in Queen Charlotte City

Not satisfied with simply finding a Little Stint near Victoria this fall, James Bradley just called in with this doozie for BC. Seen late this morning in Queen Charlotte City on Graham Island, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). The bird was found within the Skidegate Inlet Important Bird Area which supports globally important populations of Black Oystercatcher and Pigeon Guillemot. Exact location here.

Presumed to be the "Eastern" Yellow Wagtail. Contrary opinions on ID welcome.
Apparently it was quite wary and did not allow for an approach closer than 30m.
(Photos: James Bradley)

Sep 25-29--Brambling in Victoria

Around 11 a.m., a female BRAMBLING was found feeding with juncos on Mount Tolmie (Location Map) in Victoria, BC (fide Keith Taylor).  It was still present around 1:30 p.m.

 Female Brambling on Mount Tolmie on September 25 (Photo: Keith Taylor)

*SEP 29--From Ted Ardley--"It was with a group of juncos up on that top rock on the right ridge then went to a lower flat ridge and was able to look down on it was able to watch it pop in and out for a good 10-15 minutes in the pouring rain.It flew by itself way down to the bottom of the hill to the north east towards the houses that line the the trees.So wondering if it's alternating between a feeder down there and this right hand ridge."

Watch for updates here as they come in.

Sep 21--WHITE WAGTAIL in Salmon Arm!

 On the morning of the 21st (Sunday), Don Cecile photographed this apparent hatch-year WHITE WAGTAIL on the mudflats of Salmon Arm Bay in the southern interior of BC. It was foraging with close to 100 American Pipits. The flock flushed several times but Don was able to re-find it 3 times. Unfortunately it disappeared along with most of the pipits by 10am and was not located later in the day.

More specifically this was in the SW corner of Salmon Arm Bay near the mouth of the Salmon River. This requires parking at Peter Jannink Park then trudging out across wet mud for several hundred meters. The bird is presumed to have continued south but if you can find some big pipit flocks you may get lucky. Morning is by far the best time for peak numbers.

There are 9 other records of White/Black-backed Wagtail for BC, but this is the first occurrence of one in the interior.

Sep 20--Brown Booby + Laysan Albatross near Tofino

On September 20th, John Forde and the Tofino Whale Center took 10 birders offshore to the continental shelf and things went pretty well! Fog was an issue early on but overall it was a great trip including two gems for BC birders: Brown Booby and Laysan Albatross (pictured below). For the full list of offshore birds seen that day, check out John Reynolds' eBird checklist.

Sep 20--White-winged Dove near Victoria

Cathy Carlson photographed a WHITE-WINGED DOVE in her yard today, feeding with Band-tailed Pigeons and Eurasian Collared-Doves.

White-winged Dove attending feeder in Shirley, BC (Photo: Cathy Carlson)

If the bird continues more information will be provided for those seeking to visit the area. This was in Shirley, BC (just west of Sooke on Vancouver Island).

Sep 15-21--HUDSONIAN GODWIT--George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Photo: Douglas Brown

Kim Eckert and a group of other birders reported Hudsonian Godwit along with an Pacific Golden Plover and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in the West Field in the afternoon.

Sept 21-23-- Either the same one or a second bird showed up at Reifel again both days in the afternoon. 

BROWN BOOBY -- Fraser River Mouth

On Sept 14th a Brown Booby perched on the top of a fishing boat on the mouth of the South Arm of the Fraser River just north of Sand Heads. This bird was found by Tom Forge.

Photo: Tom Forge

Sep 13-15: Ruff at Iona

A juvenile RUFF (presumed to be a different bird from the one encountered at Reifel earlier in the year) was found at the Iona Sewage ponds (Richmond) on Sep 13 and was still being seen on Monday the 15th. Some photos HERE.

Sep 13-Oct 26: Ash-throated Flycatcher in Delta

There was an Ash-throated Flycatcher at Boundary Bay today (Sept 13). Nick Balachanoff found this bird today "in the trees between the parking lot and the dike at the Heritage Airport off 104th Street Delta, BC."

Oct 26--Continuing to be seen by birders in the same area (200m W of 104th along the dyke). It is spending a lot of time in the crab-apple trees along the dyke beside the buildings. 

Darner vs Ash-throated Flycatcher (Photo: John Gordon)

Late Report: Loggerhead Shrike in East Kootenays

Carlene Irmen photographed this Loggerhead Shrike in Wycliffe, BC (near Cranbrook) on August 23rd. Sometimes summer shrikes are identified as Northerns based on an assumption that Loggerhead is rare and Northern is regular. While it is true that only 1-3 Loggerheads are detected in BC each year and Northerns are common in the winter months, it should be noted that Loggerhead is much more likely to occur in Southern BC from May through September when Northerns are in the Yukon and other reaches of the far north. Loggerheads regularly breed within 200km of the Canada-US border so it's not surprising that a few show up each year. And even though Northerns are often present throughout BC from fall until early spring, it is still worth it to keep an eye out for Loggerheads as they can occur at that time as well!

MEXICAN VIOLETEAR IN PORT ALBERNI - Sept 4th

Martin Dollenkamp photographed this Mexican Violetear on September 4th at a private residence in Port Alberni, BC (Vancouver Island). Mexican Violetears have been known to wander throughout eastern North America and there is a record from Alberta and Ontario. A similar species from South America--Sparkling Violetear--(which is non-migratory) is presumed to be regularly kept in captivity and would likely be an escapee. To see comments and links in the comments section below for a few reasons by experts as to why this is  Mexican Violetear.

This is the first record for BC.

FULL PHOTO SET OF ALBERNI VIOLETEAR

No sightings to report for Sep 5+6. If there are any updates to this story I will post them here. 

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.

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.

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

Photo: Lion Gertsman

Aug 14--WHITE-WINGED DOVE near Tofino

This White-winged Dove was photographed on August 14th by Tom Johnson at the Kwisitis Visitor's Centre (also known as Wickaninnish Info Centre) in Pacific Rim National Park. This is near the south end of Long Beach in between Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Watch here for updates. Thank you to Dave Ingram for passing this along.

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.

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.

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

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.

July 3-7--BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO near Kelowna

Around 10:15 on July 3, Michael Force and Doug Kragh heard a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO in a densely-vegetated ravine near a bend to the left at KM 4.5 on the Beaver Lake Rd (east of Winfield in Lake Country, BC). Be sure to use the yellow KM markers on the road when zeroing your odometer. This is just north of Kelowna where Beaver Lake Rd is signed off Hwy 97 in Winfield.

Photo: Michael Force

Morning (545am-830am) and evening (630pm-830pm) seems to be best.

**LAST SEEN MONDAY, JULY 7 (early morning). The bird ranges from close to the road to several hundred meters south down the brushy ravine.

---The bird was not detected on several attempts Tuesday and Wednesday---PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU TRY FOR IT--even if you didn't see it!

June 29 - McCown's Longspur on Becher's Prairie, Chilcotin

Found in the area where Sprague's Pipit have nested previously, a male McCown's Longspur has been seen well and photographed by Phil Ranson and Sandy Proulx on private land on Becher's Prairie, west of Williams Lake. This is a species which historically may have bred in the lower mainland but it's occurrence in BC is represented by fewer than half a dozen records. If the bird is found again and is more accessible, details will be posted here.

McCown's Longspur at Becher's Prairie, Chilcotin, 29 June 2014 (photo: Sandy Proulx)

June 18--Ferruginous Hawk near Kamloops

On June 18, a group of birders taking part in an extension fieldtrip from the BCFO conference in Pemberton, spotted a Ferruginous Hawk on a private ranch in Knutsford, BC (SE of Kamloops). If the bird is seen again, look for updates here. (Fide Rick Howie et al.)

Western Scrub-Jays nesting in Maple Ridge, BC

John Gordon recently captured this image of an adult Western Scrub-Jay feeding recently fledged young along 119th Ave in Maple Ridge. There has been a 1-2 adults in this area for around 5 years but this is perhaps the first confirmed successful nesting-attempt in British Columbia/Canada (apparently this pair's nest failed last year). There are 2 fledglings according to John Gordon.