BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER in Revelstoke, Oct 6-13th

On Oct 6th Darlene Cancelliere found a second rare warbler in her yard, a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. The bird was relocated in her yard on Oct 7th-13th. Her lucky streak did not end there; in addition to the continuing male Hooded Warbler she also found a Harris's Sparrow that turned up on Oct 6th.

This location is not open to the public.

The bird has not been seen since October 13th.

Female Black-throated Blue Warbler in Revelstoke - Photo: Darlene Cancelliere

HOODED WARBLER in Revelstoke, Oct. 4-31st

On Oct 4th while sitting out in her yard Darlene Cancelliere saw an adult male Hooded Warbler fly into her  backyard. The bird flew in at 2:30 pm. Local birders have viewed the bird, and it has been photographed. The bird returned on Oct 5th-31st and came to a bird bath and bird feeder.

This location is not open to the public.

The bird has not been seen since October 31st.

This is the 9th record for BC.

Male Hooded Warbler in Revelstoke - Photo: Peter Candido

                                           

BLACK-THROATED SPARROW in Sooke - Sept 29-Oct 13th

On September 29th at 4 pm, Kim and Roger Beardmore found a juvenile Black-throated Sparrow at Whiffen Spit in Sooke.

Searches throughout the day on September 30th failed to locate the bird, until ~6 pm when the bird was relocated near the parking lot. It remained in the area for multiple birders to see.

It has most frequently been observed in the area between the parking lot and the outer beach. The sparrow has been described as being very tame and approachable, and actively feeding throughout the day. It was also heard vocalizing.

The bird was last seen on October 13th. 

Photo: Donna Ross

ORCHARD ORIOLE on Balaklava Island - Sept 28-30th

British Columbia has a bit of a history with good birds being turned up by lighthouse keepers.  We are fortunate to have a relatively new recruit to the birding community in Ivan Dubinsky, who is stationed at the Scarlett Point Lighthouse on Balaklava Island.  The island sits 18 kilometres northwest of Port Hardy near the north end of Vancouver Island, and naturally this makes it an interesting spot with solid potential for rarities.

Ivan's first good score was a Tropical Kingbird last year.  Today (September 28), he upped the ante with a fantastic bird: an Orchard Oriole!  This species has been documented more frequently over the past 10 years, but overall there are still fewer than 10 records for the province.

The bird was still present on September 30th, the 3rd day in a row it was seen.

The bird has not been seen since Sept 30th.

The bright lemon yellow underparts and slightly-decurved, shorter bill point to Orchard Oriole (Photo: Ivan Dubinsky)

RUFF in Delta, Sept 25th

On Sept 25 at 3:00pm, Kevin Louth found a juvenile male Ruff at the wood pilings East of 96th St on the dyke at Boundary Bay in Delta. The bird was later relocated by multiple observers at the foot of 96th St. The bird was best viewed by a scope and came no closer than 80 metres from the dyke. The bird was in a Black-bellied Plover flock with one Marbled, Bar-tailed and Hudsonian Godwit therin.

The flock took off just before 7pm and was not relocated.

Photo credit: Peter Candido (Ruff is bird in the grass to the left)

Photo credit: Peter Candido (Ruff is unbanded and in flight)

WHITE-FACED IBIS in Revelstoke

A Plegadis ibis was found on September 24th at the airport ponds in Revelstoke by Dusty Veideman, and later seen and photographed by additional people an hour or so later. Immature/winter plumages of White-faced Ibis can be challenging to differentiate from Glossy Ibis (which has not yet been recorded in the province).

A White-faced Ibis was recorded from this same general area on May 17th, 2015 (see the May archives for details).

Photo: Dusty Veideman

FERRUGINOUS HAWK in Creston, Sep. 20

On September 20th a Ferruginous Hawk was found in Creston by Jim Lawrence. The bird was seen off of Kootenay River Road, where it was perched on a fence post in the distance. It eventually flew closer to the road, and was seen for at least 2 hours, beginning at 10:30 am.

Photo: Jim Lawrence

Chestnut-sided Warbler in Castlegar, September 17

On September 17th a Chestnut-sided Warbler was found at Twin Rivers Park in Castlegar by Craig Sandvig. It was first seen at 11 am and present at least through the early afternoon that day. There have been no reports on subsequent dates.

The bird was at the beginning of the Millennium Walkway Trail that starts at the end of 3rd St. It was in the shrubby/forested section at the start of this trail, but did not go past the bench overlooking the river.

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

Photo: Craig Sandvig

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER in Hope, September 7

An immature male Blackburnian Warbler was found September 7 at approximately 3 pm in Hope by Rick Toochin. The bird was found in the trees along the far north edge of the property at 62180 Delair Rd.

This property is apparently open to the public. 

Update: Two observers could not relocate the bird on September 8th, and it may have migrated out of the area. 

Brown Booby In Knight Inlet - Aug 28th

A Brown Booby was photographed by Derek Kyostia in Knight Inlet on August 28.  The bird was at 126 06.694 W, 50 39.854 N.

Photo: Derek Kyostia

BC FIRST: BLUE GROSBEAK, Metchosin - Aug. 25

A Blue Grosbeak was found the morning of August 25th at Rocky Point, Metchosin, by Ann Nightingale. The bird was seen for several minutes where it perched in the cattails at the edge of a pond after flying in from a grassy field. The bird was calling repeatedly during the several minute observation.

Important note: Rocky Point is on Department of National Defense land. There is no public visitation of this site.

This is the first confirmed photographed record for the province of British Columbia.

Words defy me. Blue Grosbeak, Metchosin. Photo: Ann Nightingale

Additional photos and an audio/visual clip can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/28936564@N08/with/20859677126/

Little Stint in Ladner!

Kevin Louth found a Juvenile Little Stint between 104th and 112th at Boundary Bay at 3:30pm on August 8th. The bird flew in on its own calling and was last seen flying East.

More details will be posted here as they come in.

Apparent LITTLE STINT at Pantage Lake near Quesnel

August 2 - Rod Sargent photographed this small shorebird at Pantage Lake that most agree looks like an adult Little Stint in fading alternate plumage. Pantage Lake (NW of Quesnel in central BC) is continuing to turn up some fantastic birds thanks to regular coverage by Rod and fellow Quesnel birder Adrian Leather. Past highlights from this site include recording 20+ Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at one time, 2 Ruffs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and presumed nesting Arctic Tern. *Unfortunately, access to the site is very difficult as it is mostly surrounded by private land and the lake is fringed with expansive marshy vegetation so requires several hours of tough kayaking/canoeing even if you know where to go. As far as I know, the bird has not been re-sighted.

Features suggestive of Little Stint include bight orange tones to the face, colour, wing-coverts, and especially the tertials (Red-necked Stints tent to have dull tertials), pale throat, and overall structure. Peep identification, particularly in molt can be a tricky task so please comment if you have reason to believe this is NOT a Little Stint (Photo: Rod Sargent).

White-tailed Kite in Lower Mainland, August 4 and 14

Peter Candido spotted a White-tailed Kite at 9:30 am on August 4th at the Iona Island sewage ponds. The bird was originally located over the SW corner of the SW inner pond, where it was interacting and calling with a juvenile Peregrine Falcon. The bird was last seen flying off as it flew towards the Fraser River. Another observer reportedly heard a bird that sounded like a White-tailed Kite early in the morning of August 5th, but further searches throughout the day could not locate the bird.

On Aug 14th at 12pm, Joshua Brown and his father relocated what they believe to be a White-tailed Kite at Hoskins and Westover Rds (near Lynn Canyon) in North Vancouver (as it flew over them). Josh described what they say: "It had a very noticeabley long, thin tail, and broad, tapered wings. I would say its wingspan was about a metre. The head didn't project far beyond the wings. It looked quite greyish from below. It flew with a couple flaps, then a long glide. It continued that flight pattern the whole time I saw it."

Whooping Crane(s) summering in BC?

On June 14 two Whooping Cranes were seen flying north near Fintry (west side of Okanagan Lake) (P. Blokker). A second late-report of a single Whooping Crane just came in, this time from Scout Island at Williams Lake. On the evening of July 23rd a single Whooping Crane was observed flying out of the marsh and heading southeast, potentially to some roost site (J. Heal). 

These two sight-records and the time of year allude to possible summering of Whooping Cranes in the province. Such an event is not unprecedented, with two Whooping Cranes having spent June 30th to August 28th, 2003 being seen sporadically between Prince George and McBride.