RBA: GUADALUPE MURRELET off Tofino - August 17th

At 12:15pm on August 17-2019, Mike Toochin, Melissa Hafting and Ilya Povalyaev spotted a Guadalupe Murrelet 51 km  SW of Cox Point between Clayoquot Canyon and Loudoun Canyon. The birds were viewed from the "Miss B Haven" on a pelagic with Ocean Outfitters out of Tofino. The Guadalupe Murrelet was less than 10 feet from the boat. Multiple passengers on board were able to view and photograph the bird. At the same time a second Xantus’s Murrelet flew off the water before a clear view of its face could be had.

Exact location of bird was HERE

Guadalupe Murrelet off Tofino - Photo: Liron Gertsman

Guadalupe Murrelet off Tofino - Photo: Ilya Povalyaev

This is the 3rd record for the province of BC.

RBA: 4 SCRIPPS'S MURRELETS off Tofino - August 17th

At 3pm on August 17-2019, Mike Toochin, Melissa Hafting and Mark Wynja spotted 2 Scripps's Murrelets 38.3 km SW of Cox Point off Tofino. The birds were viewed from the "Miss B Haven" on a pelagic with Ocean Outfitters.  The birds sat on the water allowing for great views and never flew during the whole time present.

At 3:30pm on August 17-2019, Liron Gertsman spotted 2 more Scripps's Murrelets in a different location - 29.4 km SW of Cox Point. The birds sat on the water allowing for great views and never flew during the whole time present.

All 12 passengers on board were able to see and photograph all 4 Scripps's Murrelets well.

Exact location of the first pair HERE.

Exact location of the second pair HERE.

First pair of Scripps's Murrelets seen off Tofino - Photos: Melissa Hafting

2nd pair of Scripps's Murrelets seen off Tofino - Photos: Liron Gerstman

This is the 33 record for the province of BC.

RBA: MANX SHEARWATER off Tofino - August 17th

At 9am on August 17-2019, Thomas Plath spotted a Manx Shearwater in a bait ball flock off the SE tip of Cleland Island while on a pelagic trip on the Miss B Haven with Ocean Outfitters. 12 other passengers on board were able to see the bird.

This bird appears to be different than the bird first found in the same area by Artie Ahier on August 13th and 15th. The bird on August 17th has more worn primaries unlike Artie's cleaner bird. There was also a Slaty-backed Gull in the flock.

Exact location of bird HERE

This is the 62nd record for the province of BC.

Manx Shearwater off Tofino - Photos: Liron Getstman

Manx Shearwater off Tofino - Photos: Melissa Hafting

RBA: MANX SHEARWATER off Vargas Island (near Tofino) - Aug 15th

Artie Ahier has photographed another or the same Manx Shearwater within 2 days of each other. The bird he found today (August 15, 2019) was photographed at 8:50 am off the NW corner of Vargas Island near Tree Island. This is only about 7 km from the first sighting on August 13th that you can read about HERE.

Manx Shearwater off Vargas Island - Photos: Artie Ahier

This is the 61st record for the province of BC.

RBA: MANX SHEARWATER off Tofino - Aug 13th

At 1:35pm on August 13-2019, Artie Ahier found a Manx Shearwater 4 miles south of Cleland Island off Tofino. He was operating a boston whaler during a trip from the Whale Centre.

He was able to photograph the bird as well.

This is the 60th record for the province of BC.

Manx Shearwater off Tofino - Photo: Artie Ahier

RBA: BLACK PHOEBE in Ladner - Aug 7/2019-Jan 11/2020

At 3:45pm on August 7-2019, Ken Wright found a juvenile Black Phoebe at Fuller's Slough at Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Ladner.

The bird was flycatching over the water at Fuller's Slough. The bird was still present when he left at 4:15pm and multiple observers had seen the bird.

Map to exact location of bird HERE

**The bird was first photographed by a traveling birder named Tristan Jobin HERE on August 5-2019. He only reviewed his camera after reading the report on the bird alert on August 7th. **

At 4:30pm on August 8-2019 the Black Phoebe was once again seen HERE along the East Dyke.

On Nov 8th the Black Phoebe was seen at the SW pond HERE.

On Nov 10th the Black Phoebe was seen at the end of the East Dyke HERE

On Dec 15th the Black Phoebe was seen by the grey tower and along the south dyke.

***On Dec 22/19-Jan 11/20 the Black Phoebe was seen HERE by the SW pond***

Black Phoebe in Ladner - Photo: Ilya Povalyaev

This is the 27th record for the province of BC.

RBA: LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE in Osoyoos - July 19th

At 7:40am on July 19-2019, Gavin and Don McKinnon found a Loggerhead Shrike perched on a telephone wire HERE along Hwy 3 in Osoyoos.

They unfortunately were unable to photograph it despite trying to relocate it for half an hour after it flew off.

This is the 94th record for the province of BC.

RBA: COMMON RINGED PLOVER in Tsawwassen - July 14-16th

At 7:30pm on July 14-2019, Ilya Povalyaev, Melissa Hafting, Mike Toochin, Sharon Toochin and Richard Swanston found a SY male Common Ringed Plover in breeding plumage at Beach Grove lagoon at Boundary Bay Regional Park.

The bird flew in on the mudflats at high tide and joined a small flock of Western Sandpipers. The bird was present for 30 minutes at a distance of 20m. The bird was photographed and then flew off and was not relocated before dark.

Multiple observers saw and photographed the bird on July 15th.

Map to exact location of bird HERE

Map to parking lot HERE

This is the second record for the province of BC.

***The bird was last seen in the same location on July 16th at 10:15 am. It was not seen on the evening of the 16th despite multiple observers looking.***

The bird was reported seen by a single observer with no photo on the morning of July 17th but not seen by others that day despite multiple observers looking.

*At 10:30am on July 20th there was a probable sighting of the bird off 96th St at Boundary Bay in Delta HERE (not confirmed) *

Common Ringed Plover in Delta - Photo: Melissa Hafting

Common Ringed Plover in Delta  - Photo: Peter Candido

Diagnostic lack of webbing between toes unlike in SEPL - Photo: Melissa Hafting

RBA: INDIGO BUNTING near Jesmond - July 13th

On July 13, 2019 - Conor McCune found a male Indigo Bunting HERE on Big Bar Ferry Rd in Big Bar Creek near Jesmond.

He was able to photograph the bird.

RBA: BLACK PHOEBE in Coquitlam - July 9-10th

At 11:40am on July 9-2019, Hank Tseng found and photographed an immature Black Phoebe at Colony Farm. The bird was west of the duck pond by the intersection of the Wilson Farm Dyke Trail and Pumphouse trail.

Map to location HERE

This is the 26th record for the province of BC.

The bird was last seen in the same location on July 10th and was viewed by multiple observers.

The bird was not relocated on July 11th, despite multiple observers looking.

Black Phoebe in Coquitlam - Photos: Hank Tseng

Two new breeding species for BC!

Two new species have been added to the list of breeding birds in BC this year!

Finally a long overdue and suspected species was confirmed - The Lesser Goldfinch!

On July 5-2019, David Bell (the original finder of the species at this location), photographed an adult female Lesser Goldfinch feeding a barely fledged fledgling. The young bird still couldn’t fly. No nest has ever been found but this is enough to confirm breeding. The birds were 100m uphill from the Kruger Mountain/Old Richter Pass Rd intersection in Osoyoos.

This is also the first breeding record for all of Canada.

You can see the photos below:

Lesser Goldfinch fledgling with adult female - Photos: David Bell

You can read more about these Lesser Goldfinches HERE

Since breeding is now confirmed I will no longer be featuring them on the main page of the bird alert as a provincial rarity.

The other new BC breeding species this year was Whimbrel. On June 20-2019, Syd Cannings, Jean-François Jetté and Logan McLeod discovered and photographed a nest with 4 eggs at the Haines Summit, near the Yukon border. They were found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park while looking for Hudsonian Godwits during a bird survey.

You can see the photos below:

Whimbrel nest with 4 eggs in Haines Summit, BC - Photo: Jean-François Jetté 

Whimbrel in Haines Summit, BC - Photo: Syd Cannings

Here is a write up that Syd generously wrote up on their discovery:

Whimbrel nesting in the Haines Triangle—a new breeding species to British Columbia

Syd Cannings, Jean-François Jetté, and Logan McLeod
Canadian Wildlife Service, Whitehorse

“On 20 June 2019, we were doing bird surveys along the British Columbia portion of the Haines Highway in the far northwestern corner of the province. Despite being a bit weary after our early morning work, we were all eager to stroll through the big fens west of the highway (in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park) to search for Hudsonian Godwits. These magnificent shorebirds have been occasionally recorded as breeding in the region as far back as the 1960s, but we wanted to update that information since the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) had recently assessed the species as Threatened.

Off we went through the thick willows and birch scrub, killing mosquitoes as we went. Except for the mountains and the nearby forests, the landscape was reminiscent of the wetlands we had surveyed for godwits on the northwestern corner of the Mackenzie Delta in 2018. There, Whimbrels swirled noisily overhead as the lone Hudsonian Godwit sat quietly below. So as we battled our way through the bushes, I (Syd) said “Wouldn’t it be really cool if we found Whimbrels here?” To my shock, as we entered the large fen and spread out on our godwit search, loud curlew-like calls rang out and J.-F. shouted, “Whimbrels!” A pair of the birds, obviously upset with us, were soon joined by another pair to the south. J.-F. walked around a small copse of White Spruce and came across a nest with four eggs! We didn’twant to disturb them further so kept going through the fen complex to the south, obviously passing through the territory of the second pair. We saw no godwits, although we recalled the advice of a shorebird expert who that they prefer to nest amongWhimbrels and Mew Gulls. The gulls were present here, too, although not in large numbers.

There is one summer record for the region: a single bird was seen at Mosquito Flats on 17 June 1980 (see account in Birds of British Columbia, vol. 3); but this is the first documented breeding record for the province. 

The Haines Highway corridor is well known to biologists as a place where arctic and subarctic species have small, disjunct populations. Birds such as Smith’s Longspur and Hudsonian Godwit immediately come to mind, but there are also mammals such as the Tundra Shrew in the region. A special place indeed!The valley of the headwaters of the Tatshenshini River, and the Mosquito Flats area contain extensive peatlands that appear to be great habitat for Whimbrels and Hudsonian Godwits, so there are plenty of opportunities for more discoveries.”

- Syd Cannings

This is definitely exciting news for British Columbia.

RBA: ACORN WOODPECKER in Saanich - July 4th

At 4 pm on July 4-2019, Robert Fraser found a female Acorn Woodpecker at Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. He watched the bird for 30 mins as it foraged in some Garry Oaks where the path forks about 150 m north of the north end of Rainbow St. The bird was still present when he left.

Map to where he last saw the bird HERE

This is the 11th record for BC.

Female Acorn Woodpecker in Saanich - Photos: Robert Fraser

RBA: NORTHERN PARULA in Port Hardy - June 29- July 1st

On the evening of June 29-2019, Charles Francis found a male Northern Parula. He first identified the bird by song but didn't see or photograph it. The bird was singing and located 320m from the foot bridge along the Estuary Trail near the mouth of the Quatsesee River. At 2:30pm on July 1-2019, he returned to the same location and relocated the bird singing in the trees in front of him. He was able to photograph the bird as it gave good views for 5 mins, before it flew off. He was unable to determine which way it flew.

He returned on the evening of July 2nd to look for the bird but could not relocate it.

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

 

Male Northern Parula in Port Hardy - Photos: Charles Francis

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

RBA: LESSER GOLDFINCH in Kelowna - June 24th

At 3:30pm on June 24-2019, Chris Charlesworth found a male Lesser Goldfinch singing at Rose Valley Regional Park. The bird was along Mcdougal Road, which is a trail at the end of Rosewood Rd. He was 200 meters along the trail from the end of Rosewood Rd. in West Kelowna.

Map to location of bird HERE

This is the 27th record for the province of BC

RBA: SEDGE WREN near Fort St. John - June 16-19th

At 11pm on June 16-2019, Ilya Povalyaev found a singing Sedge Wren near Watson Slough. Watson Slough is about 30 minutes from Fort St. John on Highway 29 towards Hudson's Hope. The bird is singing from the north side of Watson Rd right at the intersection with Hwy 29. It is behind a fence on private land so viewing the bird could be difficult. Please do not trespass.

A recording of the Sedge Wren can be found HERE

Exact map to location of Sedge Wren HERE

On June 19-2019, Ilya returned to the same location and the bird was still singing in the same spot. Multiple observers saw the bird on June 19th as well.

This is the 5th record for the province of BC.

RBA: LESSER GOLDFINCH in Agassiz - June 14-July 30th

On June 14th-2019, Kevin Jones photographed a male Lesser Goldfinch at a sock feeder at his private home in Agassiz. He believes the bird has been present for a week but was only able to photograph the bird today.  There are still Lesser Goldfinches present in Osoyoos as well; who may possibly be breeding there.

Male Lesser Goldfinch in Agassiz - Photo: Kevin Jones

The bird continues at the same location on July 31st.

This is the 26th record for the province of BC.

RBA: LARK BUNTING in Sparwood - June 14th

At 6:15 am on June 14-2019, Connor Charchuk found a male Lark Bunting while doing a point count. The bird was singing and he had good views of it but did not have his camera. The observer is extremely experienced with this species. He will return tomorrow to try and obtain a photo or recording.

Exact location of the bird HERE.

This area is not publicly accessible as it is an active mine.

This is the 39th record for BC.

RBA: ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER in Sechelt - June 13th

At 9:30 am on June 13-2019, John Hodges found an Ash-throated Flycatcher at Wilson Creek Estuary. The bird was in the most easterly man-made pond. John viewed it until 11 am when he and his fellow birder Jim McFarland left.The bird was very active moving around constantly when they left there. This is the second Ash-throated Flycatcher found today in BC. The first being in North Vancouver.

Map to where bird was seen HERE

The bird was not relocated on June 14th.

Ash-throated Flycatcher in Sechelt - Photo: John Hodges

RBA: ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER in North Vancouver - June 13-14th

At 6 am on June. 13-2019, Guy Monty and David Baird found an Ash-throated Flycatcher while inside the helipad area near Cleveland Dam.

This area is not accessible to the public but the bird should be viewable by looking through the fence from the NE corner of Cleveland Dam into the water treatment facility. The bird was perched in alders behind the building with green shipping containers.

Area to stand to view the bird is HERE

The bird was seen by one other observer in the same location at 11:30am on June 13th. 

**On June 14th, the Ash-throated Flycatcher showed up in a private yard from 8 am until 3:30 pm in North Vancouver. The bird was also photographed but the home is currently not open to the public.**

Ash-throated Flycatcher in North Vancouver - Photos: David Baird

RBA: CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER in Revelstoke - June 5th

At 1:05 pm on June 5-2019, Dusty Veideman found a male Chestnut-sided Warbler at his home. It was taking a bath in his bird bath at the time. The bird also returned to the bird bath at 5 pm.

If the bird returns tomorrow, the home will be open to the public for viewing. I will post details on where to go if this occurs.

**The bird never returned on June 6th.**

This is the 72nd record for the province of BC.

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler in Revelstoke - Photo: Dusty Veideman

RBA: BLACK PHOEBE near Anahim Lake - May 30th

At 4pm on May 30-2019, Steve Juhasz found a Black Phoebe flycatching from a water tank on a private ranch near Anahim Lake. He returned to his cabin to get his camera but when he returned, he was not able to relocate and photograph the bird. The bird was described well and the observer has seen many of this distinctive species.

The bird was located HERE.

This is the 25th record for the province of BC.

RBA: ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER in Kelowna - May 25th

At 4:45pm on May 25-2019, Michael Force found an Ash-throated Flycatcher at the Okanagan Rail Trail in Kelowna. The bird was mostly in saskatoon berry bushes and rose thickets.

Location of bird HERE

Directions: Park in the gravel parking lot on the north side of “Majestic Mattress”, 2720 Hwy 97 N. Walk south along the rail trail and the bird was on the uphill slope between telephone poles 50L103 and 50L104.

The bird was last seen at 6:30pm and was viewed by multiple observers.

The bird was not relocated on May 26th.

Ash-throated Flycatcher in Kelowna - Photos: Logan Lalonde

Ash-throated Flycatcher showing its diagnostic tail in Kelowna - Photo: Mike Force

RBA: WHITE-WINGED DOVE in Revelstoke - May 23rd

At 4 pm on May 23-2019, Eric Tompkins found a White-winged Dove sitting on a fence post in his garden on his farm HERE on Lennard Drive.

The bird flew off a couple minutes after Eric was able to photograph of it and has not been relocated by other birders.

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

White-winged Dove in Revelstoke - Photo: Eric Tompkins

RBA: COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD in Halfmoon Bay - May 19-22nd

At 12:20pm on May 19-2019, John Hodges spotted a male Costa’s Hummingbird at a feeder at a private home on Redrooffs Rd. As a few local birders were over having lunch they too were able to see the bird.

The home is not open to the general public and the feeder cannot be viewed from the public road.

The bird continues in the same location as of May 22nd.

This is the 30th record for the province of BC.

Male Costa's Hummingbird in Halfmoon Bay - Photo: Rand Rudland

RBA: GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL in Kelowna - May 13-17th

On May 13-2019, Ryan Tomlinson found what he thought to be a Western Gull but didn’t have binoculars at the time. On May 15th he put the word out to local birders who went out and saw the bird. They got some photos, including flight shots which helped confirm the sighting as an adult Great Black-backed Gull.

The bird is on sandbars at the mouth of Mission Creek.

Directions: Go to the end of Capozzi Road. There is limited parking. Water levels on the creek are high so be extremely careful walking along the edge of the creek. You then have to cross over a small dock and you will see the sandbars where the gull is through the willow trees. This is not for anyone with mobility issues.

Map to location HERE

***The gull can take long absences of 3-5 hours between sightings. Patience is key with this bird!***

The bird was last seen in the same location at 10:25 am on May 17th. 

The bird was not relocated on May 18th despite multiple observers looking.

This is the second record for the province of BC

Great Black-backed Gull in Kelowna - Photo: Melissa Hafting

Great Black-backed Gull in Kelowna - Photo: Nathan Earley

RBA: SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER in Campbell River - May 13th

At 3 pm on May 13-2019, Beth Rand found and photographed a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. The bird was photographed along The Salmon Point Trail at Woodhus Slough. The bird was just past the Salmon Point Lighthouse near the small ponds. Beth watched the bird for 15 mins and then continued on her walk. An hour later when she returned, he was still there flycatching.

On May 14th she and a few birders went to look for the bird but did not relocate it. The bird was also not relocated on May 15th.

Map to where the bird was last seen along the trail HERE.

This is the 37th record for the province of BC.

A stunning Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Campbell River - Photos: Beth Rand

RBA: BROWN THRASHER in Creston - May 11th

At 10:15 am on May 11-2019, Lyle Grisedale found a Brown Thrasher at Rykerts Lake near the US-Idaho border. The bird was perched on a leafless branch HERE along Porthill Rd. By the time he got out his camera it had flown south down the lake. He followed it but lost the bird in thick bushes.

He returned with other birders on May 12th but could not relocate the bird. The bird was well described and this is the second Brown Thrasher he has seen in BC.

This is the 42nd record for the province of BC.

RBA: LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE in Squamish - May 6th

At 9:00 am on May 6-2019, Chris Dale and Christoper Di Corrado found a Loggerhead Shrike HERE at the Squamish River Estuary. The bird was at the end of 3rd Ave. They last saw the bird way out HERE in the East Marsh (where the road to the Squamish Terminals and Rail line meet).

The bird was last seen in the east marsh at 6pm on May 6th but not since.

Chris Dale was able to obtain nice photos of the bird and a video that can be viewed HERE

This is the 93rd record for BC.

Loggerhead Shrike in Squamish - Photos: Chris Dale

RBA: INDIGO BUNTING in Nakusp - April 29 - May 3rd

An adult male Indigo Bunting is visiting a feeder at Bev Sinclair and Andy Moffat's home at 928 - 5th St. in Nakusp. The bird was first present on April 29-2019, but was first thought to be a bluebird until Julia Flesaker found and identified it correctly on May 2-2019.

The home is open to the public and birders are allowed and welcome to enter the yard to view the bird. The homeowner has generously put out chairs for birders to use. There is a sign on the front lawn welcoming birders into the yard.  Please do not walk under the feeders and walk on the upper driveway to the rear deck to view the feeder.

Please respect private property and residences in the area while viewing and do not block driveways.

The bird was last seen in the same location on May 3rd and has been viewed by multiple observers.

The bird was not seen at all on May 4th.

Male Indigo Bunting in Nakusp - Photos: Julia Flesaker

RBA: 2 LESSER GOLDFINCHES in Princeton - May 1-7th

Edward Lahaie found a Lesser Goldfinch at a nyjer feeder at his home at 460 Auburn Crescent in Princeton. This is the 5th year, that he has had a Lesser Goldfinch in his yard.

This is the 25th record for the province of BC. 

Lesser Goldfinches are most likely breeding now in the province in the city of Osoyoos with up to 15 birds still present. However, no nests have been found yet to confirm this.

On May 7th a second bird (a male with a darker cap) turned up at the property that looked very different than the original bird.

The public is more than welcome to come view these birds but please knock on the front door first before going in to view the bird. Please be respectful of private property and other residences in the area.

The birds continue in the same location as of May 7th.

Male Lesser Goldfinch in Princeton on May 3rd - Photo: Edward Lahaie

Second Male Lesser Goldfinch with darker cap in Princeton - Photo: Edward Lahaie 

RBA: 3 MOTTLED AND 4 MURPHY'S PETRELS off Vancouver Island - April 30th

At 7 am on April 30-2019, Paul Lehman spotted 3 Mottled Petrels and 4 Murphy's Petrels off the northbound "Star Princess" cruise ship that was SSW of the Brooks Peninsula on Vancouver Island. All in his tour group were able to see the bird. The Mottled Petrels were the first Paul had ever seen in BC waters.

Photos of one of the Mottled Petrels at (48.954000, -128.746000) was obtained by Bruce Rideout.

The Murphy's Petrels were located: 2 birds were 172 km SW of Estevan Point HERE and 1 HERE and 1 HERE

The Motted Petrels were located: 1 bird 160 km SSW of the Brooks Peninsula HERE and 1 HERE and 1 HERE

Mottled Petrel in BC - Photos: Bruce Rideout

RBA: TUFTED DUCK in Point Roberts - April 24 - May 11th

At 12pm on April 24-2019, Damion Ruthven found and photographed a male Tufted Duck on Edwards Drive pond HERE in Point Roberts, WA. The bird is sticking close to a female Greater Scaup.

Point Roberts is 5 mins from Tsawwassen, BC and accessed through Canada. It is birded primarily by British Columbians, hence why I am posting about it here.

The bird was last seen in the same location on May 11th but has not been seen since.

Male Tufted Duck in Point Roberts, WA - Photo: Eric Ellingson