RBA: CURLEW SANDPIPER in Point Roberts and Delta - Sept 10-17th

At 11:30am on Sept 10th - 2017, Mary Taitt, Hank Tseng, Anne Murray and Julian Skes found and photographed an adult Curlew Sandpiper. The bird was in the SW end of the West Field at Reifel Bird Sanctuary and was viewed by multiple observers. It was associating with a flock of Western Sandpipers. The flock with the bird in it was soon flushed after 15 mins of viewing by a Peregrine Falcon and was not relocated that day. This bird is most likely tidal driven, so plan your visits around high tide.

Reifel is located at 5191 Robertson Rd in Delta and is open from 9am-4pm. The admission cost for adults is 5$. 

Map to Reifel HERE 

Map to where bird was seen in the park HERE.

The bird was not relocated in BC from Sept 11-16th.

At 5:30pm on Sept 16-2017, Mario Lam relocated the adult Curlew Sandpiper at Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, WA. 

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 Washington Bird Records Committee has been notified. This is the 12th record for Washington State.

The bird was with a flock of Sanderlings on the beach, half way between the light beacon and the end of the park boundary (where the private beach and homes begin). He viewed the bird for 30 mins, photographed it and left it roosting there on the beach at 6pm.

Map to exact location of where bird was found HERE.

A valid passport/enhanced driver's license is required to enter the United States.

Lighthouse Marine Park is located at 811 Marine Drive in Point Roberts, WA.

Map to parking lot HERE.

At 5:30pm on Sept 17th, the Curlew Sandpiper was relocated by multiple observers at the foot of 96th St at Boundary Bay in Delta, BC - Canada. The bird was with a flock of Western Sandpipers and flew at 6:19pm and could not be relocated.

Map to where bird last seen on Sept 17th HERE.

This is the 12th record for the province of BC. The last Curlew Sandpiper was found at Sandspit in 2013 in Haida Gwaii.

The bird was not relocated on Sept 18th.

This adult Curlew Sandpiper was relocated in Point Roberts before it flew back to Canada - Photos: Mario Lam

Adult Curlew Sandpiper in flight showing its distinctive white rump in Delta - Photos: Devon Yu

RBA: WHITE-WINGED DOVE in Maple Ridge - Sept 12-15th

There is another White-winged Dove in BC, this time in Maple Ridge! The bird in Richmond is continuing to be seen as well, in the same location as of Sept 15th, see HERE

Sharon Talson has been watching a White-winged Dove that has been coming to her feeder several times a day at her home in Maple Ridge. The bird is associating with Eurasian Collared Doves and is very aggressive at the feeder. This bird was photographed at the same time as the other White-winged Dove that is being seen in Richmond; confirming two separate individuals.

The bird has been present every day in Maple Ridge, since Sept 12th and continues on Sept 15th.

This is the 19th record for the province of BC.

This home is not open to the public and the bird has not been seen since the 15th of Sept.

A second White-winged Dove is in Maple Ridge at the same time as another in Richmond - Photos: Sharon Talson

RBA: RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS in Revelstoke - Sept 10th

At 8 am on Sept 10th-2017, Darlene and Daryl Cancelliere et al. found an adult Red-headed Woodpecker in Greely, which is 12km East of Revelstoke. The bird was hawking insects from telephone poles near to a forested area beside the railroad tracks and an abandoned farm.

Directions: Turn off Hwy 1, 12 Km E of Revelstoke and follow Greely Road, and you will cross the bridge over the river until you see the railroad tracks by the abandoned farm.

The Red-headed Woodpecker was seen at 7pm in the same location.

This is the sixth record for the province of BC.

Map to the location where the birds were seen HERE

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

Red-headed Woodpecke in Revelstoke - Photos: Darlene Cancelliere

RBA: WHITE-WINGED DOVE in Richmond - Sept 10-17th

At 7:45am on Sept 10th-2017, during the monthly Terra Nova Rural Park bird survey, a White-winged Dove was spotted by Steffany Walker and subsequently seen by all four other members of the survey group. The bird was with a flock of Rock Pigeons that frequents the parking lot next to the Terra Nova Adventure Playground at the far end of River Road where it meets the dyke.

The address is 2340 River Rd in Richmond.

The bird was viewed until 6:30pm in the same location near the playground and multiple observers are looking at it.

Map to location of where bird was seen HERE

This is the 18th record for the province of BC. This is the second record for the Metro Vancouver area and coincidentally both records were in Richmond.

As of Sept 17th - the bird is still present in a pine tree, beside the parking lot near the heritage building (just to the east of the playground).

The bird has not been relocated since Sept 17th.

Map to tree where bird has roosted past two days HERE

There is another White-winged Dove being seen in the province of BC as of Sept 15th in Maple Ridge as well, see HERE.

Richmond's 2nd White-winged Dove - Photo: Liron Gertsman

White-winged Dove in Richmond - Photo: Peter Candido

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.

RBA: ACORN WOODPECKER in Victoria - June 17-Aug 26th

At 4:30pm on June 17-2017, Ted Ardley found a female Acorn Woodpecker at a feeder at his home near Aldersmith Park off Burnside Rd W and Meadow Park Lane near the Eagle View Elementary school.

The bird was viewed by multiple observers as of 6:05pm.

Directions: Park along Meadow Park Lane and walk to the end where you see a small round about and communal mail box. This is one of the entrances to Aldersmith Park. Go to the right on the trail along a chain link fence and just a few yards in look over the fence at some feeders there in a stand of Garry oaks behind the trailer.

Map to where to park HERE

Please be respectful of private residences and do not walk on private driveways.

The bird continues in the same location as of August 26th but was not relocated on August 27th.

This is the 10th record for BC.

Female Acorn Woodpecker in Victoria - Photos: Ted Ardley

RBA: CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR north of Golden - June 8-9th

At 6:15am on June 8-2017, Emily Williams and Emily Smith found a male Chestnut-collared Longspur, 2.5 hours north of Golden. The bird was on the east side of the Bush Arm causeway off the Bush River FSR near the south end of Kinbasket Lake. The bird was calling and foraging in the grassy area near black peat moss and driftwood. It flew across to the west side of the causeway but returned back to the east side. They observed the bird or over 20 minutes. Emily Williams relocated it and photographed it there at 9:15 am, the following day (June 9th).

The bird was not seen on June 10th.

Male Chestnut-collared Longspur - Photo: Emily Williams

RBA: CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER in Richmond - June 11th

At 8:30 am on June 11-2017, Hugh Griffith, Margaret Butschler and Steffany Walker found a male Chestnut-sided Warbler at Terra Nova Park in Richmond during the monthly bird survey for the Parks Department for the City of Richmond. The bird was singing his "pleased pleased pleased to meet you" song and moving 10 m up through the line of Douglas Fir Trees between the playground with the climbing tower and the slough which is east of the playground. The bird later landed 10 metres away at eye level on a conspicuous perch allowing for great clear views for about 10 seconds. Hugh described the bird as having a bright white underside, bright yellow cap and a black moustache. He said it also had a bold chestnut stripe along both sides of its body. He nor anyone else was carrying a camera with them and therefore did not photograph the bird. The Terra Nova Adventure Playground is located at the end of River Rd before the dyke.

The bird was relocated by Cole Gaerber in the conifers in the south east corner of the big pond at 7:15pm. It was last heard singing in the deciduous trees at the SW corner of the big pond.

The bird was not relocated on June 12th, despite multiple observers looking.


Map to location HERE

This is the 66th record for the province of BC. 

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler in Richmond - Photo: Cole Gaerber

RBA: ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER in Sechelt - June 10-11th

On June 10th, 2017, Marie Revoy found and photographed an Ash-throated Flycatcher at Wilson Creek Estuary off Field Rd in Sechelt.

On the morning of June 11th, Arnold Skei relocated the bird at the same location. The bird was seen in small alders near the boat trailers. There are 2 man made ponds on the west side inside of a gated area. It was later seen in alder trees on the right side of the first pond with the most water.  It was silent the whole time he was present.

The bird was last seen in the same location as of 2:35pm on June 11th. It has not been relocated since.

Map to location HERE

Photo: Marie Revoy

RBA: SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS off Tofino - June 1st

At 12:30pm on June 1-2017, Lev Frid spotted an immature Short-tailed Albatross during a pelagic run from the Whale Centre out of Tofino. The bird was 35 nautical miles SSW of Tofino in a flock of Black-footed Alabatrosses. Captain John Forde was able to obtain a photo of the bird, as it sat on the water. Multiple observers, who were part of an Eagle-Eye birding tour, were able to observe the bird until 1:15pm when it flew by the boat and disappeared.

Immature Short-tailed Albatross - Photo: Lev Frid

Short-tailed Albatross - Photo: John Forde

The FIRST record of a HOUSE SWIFT in the Americas was found in Delta, BC!

First House Swift in the Americas & First for the ABA, found in Delta, BC.
  Photo: Derek Tan

"UBC zoologists have documented the first record of a House Swift in the Americas—and begun to unravel the mystery of how the tiny bird got from its south-east Asia breeding grounds to Ladner, BC.“These birds are amazing fliers and can stay airborne for months at a time, but there wouldn’t have been enough insect prey to sustain him properly over the mid-Pacific. The mystery is what sent him so far off course.”

The bird’s well preserved but near-emaciated carcass was discovered in May 2012 near the Deltaport container terminal, just 40 metres from the Pacific Ocean.“Like some marathon runners, I think this fellow finally saw land and just crashed, exhausted, at the finish line,” says Ildiko Szabo, a curator at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and forensic ornithologist who led the identification of the specimen.
“These birds are amazing fliers and can stay airborne for months at a time, but there wouldn’t have been enough insect prey to sustain him properly over the mid-Pacific. The mystery is what sent him so far off course.”

In a paper published today in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Szabo and co-authors, including UBC researcher Darren Irwin, propose that either a storm set the bird off course, or even more likely, his internal navigation ’compass’ malfunctioned.“Our initial reaction was skepticism that this would be such an unusual species,” says Irwin, who studies how new bird species arise. “But by combining a review of the bird’s characteristics with DNA testing, we were able to confirm that this was indeed a House Swift from Asia, making this an exceptional case of vagrancy.”

The prospect of the bird hitching a ride by ship or plane is unlikely, say the authors. Swifts don’t typically roost on ships, and the bird would have needed to be airborne to feed over at least portions of the journey. The near perfect condition of the swift’s feathers also indicates it wasn’t trapped in a plane’s wheel well.There were no indications of trauma, parasites, disease or oiling. But the 13-centimetre swift was very underweight, and had entirely depleted its fat stores.

House swifts (Apus nipalensis) range west to Bhutan, and as far east as Honshu Island, Japan. And until now, this species had never been found in the Americas. Other swift species from Asia have reached the Alaskan islands, and European swifts have occasionally successfully completed Atlantic crossings.The discovery is likely to excite birdwatchers and cause a cascade of bird list updates—the species needs to be added to the Greater Vancouver Area, British Columbia, Canadian and American Birders Association Area bird lists.

The specimen is currently on display at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Vancouver’s natural history museum.

 - Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia

Not only is this the first record of this species in the Americas, it is also of course, the first ABA and BC record.

You can watch a video below of Beaty Biodiversity Museum curator and forensic ornithologist Ildiko Szabo as she discusses the House Swift that ranged across the Pacific from Asia to Ladner, BC.

RBA: RED-THROATED PIPIT in Victoria - May 26th

At 7:30am on May 26-2017, while conducting a seawatch at the Victoria Golf Course, Geoffrey Newell heard a Red-throated Pipit call 6 times as it flew North past Gonzales Point in Victoria.

The bird has not been relocated as of posting time.

RBA: 2 SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSSES off Tofino - MAY 13th

At 4:20pm on May 13-2017, while working on the FV Nordic Pearl, Lindsay Dealy found and photographed two immature Short-tailed albatross. She had the birds in view for 15 mins.

An exact GPS location of where the birds were was 48°50'22.0"N 126°18'56.6"W and is pinned on a map HERE. The birds were in a flock of Black-footed Albatrosses that were following the vessel.

One of 2 immature Short-tailed Albatrosses seen off Tofino - Photo: Lindsay Dealy

2 immature Short-tailed Albatrosses off Tofino: Photo - Lindsay Dealy