Sandpiper, that is.  More on that in a bit.

As expected, Sunday night was a little uncomfortable, and even five days later shifting positions reminds me a lot of my trek up Jocelyn Hill.  The good news is that walking and standing are pretty much unaffected.

Monday was another attempt at the Harris’s Sparrow in Nanaimo.  It was last reported about 10 days ago, but since it was the only one reported on the island this winter, and there was nothing else chaseable on the radar, it seemed like a good plan.  Daniel Donnecke accompanied me from Victoria, but our luck wasn’t any better this time around than on previous trips.  We did find a flock that included Golden-crowned Sparrows along Raines Rd, but couldn’t find any oddities in the group.  I did manage to get a fly-by Violet-green Swallow at the estuary viewing platform to bring my total to 152, though. Time for exploring!

As you may recall, part of my plan this year is to see places I haven’t seen.  I don’t have to go too far to reach this goal.  After a refreshment break at you-know-where, we decided to take a random route starting at Cranberry Rd.  Eventually, this led us to Nanaimo River Rd and a very positive sign:  The Trans-Canada Trail sign.

This section of the trail has just recently been finished–sort of.  There is still no bridge across the river, which is a pretty significant obstacle to through travellers.  The trail is approximately 200 km on Vancovuer Island, from Victoria to Nanaimo, but still with some pretty large incomplete sections. 

Following the Pipeline Trail down to the Nanaimo River, we saw and heard very few birds, but we still enoyed the beautiful views and  a bit of fun.

My family on my father’s side lived in Nanaimo, working in the coal mines and running a general store in this area.  I couldn’t help but wonder if my ancestors has played on the same riverbanks.

From there we headed home, but the timing seemed right to check for the Short-eared Owl at Cowichan Bay.  We missed the owl, but were treated to 204 swans and a spectacular sunset.

 

 

Tuesday was the planned day for a return to Jocelyn Hill in an attempt to find my missing glasses. I was almost at the critical point when a text arrived on my phone.  Mary Robichaud and the Tuesday Birders had found  a Rock Sandpiper at Cattle Point-45 minutes of walking and 45 minutes of driving away. Unfortunately my course was set for the time being.

Through skills acquired during a stint in Saanich Search and Rescue, I was able to find my “skid marks” (yes, I said skid marks– are we all 10 year olds at heart?), but I was not able to find my glasses.
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Perhaps they just shifted at this point, and fell off on another section of the trail.  Maybe someone found them and picked them up. Or… Could they have fallen off during some other event on my walk, such as a little trip into the bushes–at the summit.  Ergh!  So for the second time in three days, I headed to the top of Jocelyn Hill.  Eyeglasses, it turns out, are at least as difficult to find as Solitaires. Jocelyn Hill: 2; Solitaires and eyeglasses: 0.

Now, I was behind schedule again and had a blood donation appointment ahead. With just enough time for a quick stop at Tim’s for a tea and pre-donation snack, I headed back to town.  I am a strong supporter of the Canadian Blood Services and try to be a regular contributor (this was my 90th donation), but man, they need to make things a little faster for the donors.  They’ve reduced the number of chairs, so unless the place is empty, donations will take a long time.  I was there an hour before I even got into a chair, and 90 minutes by the time it was all over, including the cookies.  Didn’t they know there was a Rock Sandpiper in the area?

As I left, another text message, this time from Nathan Hentze.  He wanted to make sure I knew about the bird.  I am really appreciating all of the tips and support from the birding community on the island. This big year would be little without everyone’s participation and help!  I assured him I was on my way.

On arrival at Cattle Point, I was a little discouraged.  The tide was WAAAY in, and there were a lot of people and their pets.  What were the odds in these circumstances?  I got out and scanned the area with my bins, finding one Black Turnstone directly ahead and off to my left, two Killdeer and what looked like three sleeping shorebirds on a distant rock.  Hmmm… Scope time!

Confirming that they were indeed birds, I went for a closer look. They were near the tip off  the vernal pond enclosure, and when I got a better angle on them, I could see that (besides the Killdeer on the left), there were three Surfbirds.  But, was that another head I could now see?  Look just to the left of the Surfbirds, just above the rock crest.Yes!  When they started moving around, I could see that despite the odds, I had found the Rock Sandpiper (153)!

 

This species is much less common in Victoria than it used to be.  It can still be found pretty regularly on the off-shore islands, but it was not a “given” for my big year.  I am very happy to have that one on the list.

Looking around, I was not the only one to see this bird. Marie O’Shaugnessy was on the point as well, and over then next hour or so, visiting birders from Point Pelee, Jacques Sirois, Daniel Donnecke, Barb and Mike McGrenere, and Bill Katz all managed to catch a glimpse of the bird. It joined up with about half a dozen Black Turnstones, and moved around the area, but stayed close enough for good views by everyone, in addition to putting on a show for the Tuesday group in the morning.  Very cooperative for a Rock Sandpiper!