Decisions, decisions, decisions.  I had the opportunity to get up Monday morning and kayak with Andy Murray on the chance of finding a Red Knot on Stubbs Island.  Problem was I had a couple of immovable commitments in Victoria on Monday night, so if I did that, I might be late.  Reluctantly, I declined Andy’s offer in order to leave some leeway in timing for my trip home.

I had a few minutes before I left the Long Beach Lodge to check out the beach for birds, but nothing out of the ordinary was running around.  Time to hit the road!    It turns out that Monday morning isn’t a bad time to leave Tofino as I didn’t have too many cars following me on the stretch back to Tim Hortons, er, I mean Port Alberni.  I took most of the tight turns at the recommended speed limits on the yellow signs and with fairly good weather had a much easier time than the trip in.  I heard, though, that the rain started coming down a couple of hours later, so my timing was good.

The road between Port Alberni and Parksville seemed much less twisty than it did just a few days earlier. I think that the curves of the Pacific Rim Highway made the Alberni Highway feel like a walk in the park.

While I had been up-island a LOT of birds had turned up in Victoria.  Some, like a breeding plumaged Lapland Longspur, stayed for days, while others, like the flock of American White Pelicans, were just fly-bys.  More migrants had arrived, and I knew I had a lot of catching up to do.  There would be no time for that on Monday, though.  Or at least not until I was ready to go for the evening.  I was doing a presentation with Ann Scarfe for some Girl Guides at 6:15, and then at 7:30, I was doing a different presentation just down the block for the Gordon Head Garden Club.  I had some last minute edits to do and then made a quick trip to Panama Flats to start to do some catching up.

My first new species since coming home was a Blue-Winged Teal.  In his company was a Bonaparte’s Gull and Long-billed Dowitcher, both new “county” birds, but not new for my year.

Whew!  I felt like I was on the road to recovery!

Tuesday morning started on Mt. Tolmie, with the faint hope that a Western Kingbird might be around, and a good chance at Western Tanager and Olive-sided Flycatcher.  The tanager was waiting for me, but not the others.  However, Rick Schortinghuis, David and Geoffrey Newell could all be checked off if I was keeping a birder list! Next stop, Witty’s Lagoon with Kim Beardmore. Access to the beach has changed with the closure of the stairs off Witty Beach Rd, but the view is worth the walk!

Witty’s Lagoon is one of the top spots in Victoria to see shorebirds, but the difference in the numbers here versus the Tofino area is just startling. We did pick up a new bird for my list, though, a Warbling Vireo.

My next destination was Mt. Matheson, a site I hadn’t visited in more than a decade.  At the summit, there is a trail down to Matheson Lake.  Of course, the problem with any trail down is that you also have to come back up, so I avoided that!  I decided to bird around the neighbourhood instead.  On nearby Ambience Place, I found an unmarked viewpoint on municipal property. There is a water storage tank, some outbuildings and this:

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Click on the picture for a better look.  This is facing towards Sooke Basin.  Although the hill has a lot of houses on it, the lots are large and there is still quite a bit of habitat.  There might even still be grouse in the area.

Eventually, I had to leave the hill and head back to town to prepare for yet another presentation, this time for the residents at the Lodge at Broadmead.

Wednesday morning, another hill, but this time I’d be on foot, along with Rick Schortinghuis, to check out the Observatory grounds.  We weren’t far up the road when we heard an Olive-sided Flycatcher, another tick for my list.  Near the summit, we ran into Glenn Bartley and a couple of visitors checking out the Garry Oak Meadow.

I had the rare opportunity to go home and get a few things done, so I took it.  However, it didn’t last long, as the Newells found a Lazuli Bunting in Uplands Park.  Back into the car to the other side of town.

I didn’t find the bunting, but I found Mary Robichaud, so we joined forces.  We wondered if the bird might have headed to higher ground so headed to Mt. Tolmie where we met Daniel Donnecke.  While looking for the bunting, Mary told Daniel about a banded Western Sandpiper she had seen earlier.  Daniel has been photographing bands and matching them up with the original bander,  providing valuable information on the movement of many species of birds.  We went to Loon Bay to see if the bird was still there, and sure enough, it was!  Daniel got some shots which allowed him to connect with the bander. This little shorebird had been banded near Nome, Alaska in 2012!

By Wednesday evening, I had added 7 species since arriving home and was now at 212.  I had one more presentation to do Wednesday evening, this time for the Friends of Mt. Doug Park, making it five in four days.

During my presentation, I mentioned how the road closure in the park has negatively affected many people in the birding community.  They are aware that there are some who can’t  or don’t have the time to hike to the top.  There may be something in the works to improve access at least one day a week.  At least they are thinking about it!

 

 

Last weekend, Tofino hosted its 18th annual shorebird festival.  It was the first time I attended, and I think that was true for many of the participants.  Word is getting out about this fun event!

On Friday, before the official start of the festival, Karen Ferguson and I spent most of the day checking out as many of the local “hot spots” as we could.  We were stunned by the number of shorebirds, including hundreds of Semipalmated Plovers.  You have to understand that we normally get excited just seeing a few of these minature plovers.  To see dozens to hundreds scurrying around on the sand of Long Beach was amazing. We spent a bit of time near Incinerator Rock where mussels clung to the rocks and Velella were stranded on the beach (like everywhere on the coast it seems.)

The Velella bloom must have been going on for some time as high on the beach, mounds of sails have accumulated.

A visit to the airport gave us an American Kestrel and a few passerines, but the focus was definitely on the shorebirds.

Clouds of peeps darted through the skies over every available patch of mud.

Mark Yunker, Daniel and Leo Donnecke arrived late in the afternoon and after a few quick birding stops we headed for the festival’s opening event, a presentation by John Reynolds on the sex lives of shorebirds.   They are far more complex than you might imagine, but I think the highlight for everyone was video of a Pectoral Sandpiper’s courtship flight. Who knew that shorebirds could give grouse a run for their money?

Several birders from Victoria were at the event, including Michael Simmons who cajoled Andy Murray of Tofino Sea Kayaking to add a Saturday trip.  I jumped at the chance to go out to the birds!  Unfortunately for a number of the participants, the Saturday pelagic trip had to be cancelled due to rough weather, and as of Friday night, the Sunday trip was in doubt as well. Jamie’s Whaling put on a second Cleland Island trip so that the pelagic folks could at least get out on the water.  We all signed up just in case, but were told that we could cancel early Saturday morning if the pelagic on Sunday was a go.

Daniel, Leo, Michael and I joined Andy on Saturday morning for what would be about a 7.5 nautical mile kayak to Stubbs island, Meares Island, the Browning Channel and points in between.

It was a perfect day for paddling, and although I was definitely the weakest link (the others all have their own boats and kayak frequently), I didn’t feel like I was holding anyone back.  I had the good fortune to be the second seat in Andy’s boat, and can tell you that he’s an expert guide on both the kayaking and the history of the area.  We got to get very close to a lot of shorebirds for excellent looks and photo opportunities.

 

Shorebirds weren’t the only sights to see.  Gulls and terns loafed on the sandbars, and loons and ducks were numerous in the bay.

There was still a bit of time to visit the Sharp Road lookout and Grice Bay, where we picked up a Semipalmated Sandpiper for my list.

I attended John Neville’s slide show that evening before heading to Ucluelet for the night in preparation for the next day’s pelagic trip.  The weather had calmed down a bit, and the trip was going to go!

Bright and early Sunday morning, twelve of us were all set to go on the Michelle Diane, captained by Brian Gisbourne, with Mark Maftei leading the trip.  The plan was to head out to the continental shelf, some 35 nautical miles offshore.  Although the weather was much better than it had been two days earlier, it wasn’t exactly calm.

Brian’s boat was fast, but it was still a two to three hour trip out to our destination.   En route, the pelagic birds started to appear.  First, Sooty Shearwater, then Cassin’s Auklet, Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed Shearwater, Northern Fulmar and Fork-tailed Storm Petrel.   We followed a fishing boat for a while, where Black-footed Albatross were just hanging around hoping for snacks.

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A pleasant surprise was the appearance of several Black-Legged Kittiwakes, a species that wasn’t a “given” for my year list.

The real show began, though, when we entered the krill zone.  In places, krill was so thick that it coated the surface of the water in a layer more than three inches deep.

Dogfish were feeding at the surface and pilchard were attacking from below. Velella drifted helplessly by.

The bird spectacle came in the form of a massive flock of more than 4000 Sabine’s Gulls, picking away at this floating smorgasboard.  Several youngsters were in the flock, is apparently quite unusual.

 

As if adding seven new species to my year list was not enough, we also had fantastic mammal displays.  Humpback whales, Risso’s Dolphins, Dahl’s Porpoises, and Northern Fur Seals kept us entranced.

It was a long trip, ultimately taking us 47 nautical miles offshore.

UPDATE: Neil Boyle provided this track of our route.

Depending on the waves, I’m usually okay for the first four or five hours, and today was one of those days, despite a couple of days of self-medication prior to the trip.  I succumbed to the motion of the ocean and spent a couple of segments of the trip looking very far over the edge of the boat.  To add insult, the wake of the boat caused waves to come up and hit me upside the head while I was in the most vulnerable position.  Thankfully, the waterboarding was brief and infrequent, but it was good to be back on solid ground shortly after 4 pm.  Liam Singh summed it up best when his dad asked where he’d rate the trip on a scale of 1-10.  His answer: 12!

Birders do crazy things sometimes, and one of the craziest I think I have ever done is go on a full-day pelagic on a day when I am giving a presentation a short time later. I had the chance to book a room at the Long Beach Lodge Resort, thanks to their generosity, so I had an opportunity to clean up and regroup before the evening event.

Some of us ended the evening with a movie viewing.  A fitting end to a great weekend.  I’m only sorry it took me so long to find out about this growing festival.  There were 150 participants in 2015.  I bet there will be more in 2016!

By the end of the festival, my year list stood at 205 species.  Not bad for just a little over four months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday morning, I revisited Hardy Bay, this time on a rising tide. While this is the ideal situation for shorebirding, I gave the bay a quick scan before turning to the sandbars and mudflats.  Much to my surprise, one of the first birds I saw was a Yellow-billed Loon, a very  much wanted, but not expected bird for this trip.  Some years, they are around in good numbers.  This year, none had been reported to eBird or the BCVIBIRDS list.  The bird was on the other side of the bay, but through the scope, I had great looks at it.  The best I could muster with my camera, though, was an “evidence” shot.

I had tea and scones with Kristina Kezes, Shea Wyatt and their new baby Maya before heading towards Tofino via Port McNeill.  Guy Monty had advised a stop at the Port McNeill mudflats if I had the time, so that’s exactly what I did.  It was a good thing, too, as a Long-billed Dowitcher flew in, giving a few loud “peek” calls to confirm its identity.  There were three Short-billed Dowitchers and several other peeps there as well, but by then the tide was going out and so were they!

While in Port Hardy, I had received several bird messages of interest.  I had been without email for a couple of days, and was inundated by sightings from Victoria (of course).  Thankfully, most were of species that I will likely get, and those that were rarer (like American White Pelicans and Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch) were not really chaseable birds.  Still, it was a little frustrating to see so many reports all at once.  There was an interesting report from Campbell River, though.  A Yellow-headed Blackbird had been seen in a protected area on Spit Road.  I arrived fairly late in the day, but the spot looked like it had a lot of potential.  And there was an RV park right down the road, so I decided to stay the night so I could continue my search in the morning.

The Thunderbird RV Park was a long way from Winter Harbour, but it had one thing in common–no people.  The park was almost full, but the office closed at 6 pm. Thankfully, there was a sign on the door saying to choose an empty spot and settle up in the morning.  I may have mentioned that my van feels like a tank to me as I usually drive a Honda Fit, but it was teeny in comparison to pretty much everything else at the park.

I saw very few people in the first few hours I was there, and by the time that I made a trip to the washroom, there didn’t seem to be anyone else still awake.  That was only a concern as the washrooms needed a code, and I didn’t have it!  I had the same problem with internet access.  Good thing the view was good!  The park is right on Tyee Spit, right across from the deepwater dock. Unfortunately, there was a ship in port which ran its engines 24 hours a day.  There was an audible hum throughout the night.

In the morning,  I checked out the estuary and waterfront.

 

There were huge flocks of Bonaparte’s gulls, as well as Pacific Loons and Horned Grebes in breeding plumage.

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Eurasian Starlings had an active nest in the tail of a parked airplane.  Somehow, I don’t think they knew the implications, but it looked like this one might have been parked there for a while.

It reminds me of a story that Dave Fraser once told of Tree Swallows (if I remember correctly) nesting in a piece of heavy equipment at an industrial site.  The parents would follow the truck around all day, feeding their young.  If this plane was sky-worthy, I don’t think the starlings would stand a chance!

The Yellow-headed Blackbird did not put in a repeat appearance, however.   Overall, the area was easy enough to bird before 8 am, but as soon as the businesses started to open, the noise level made by-ear birding next to impossible.  It was time to leave town!

When I stopped for lunch and to post my last blog in Courtenay, I got a text from Jilllian Johnston with a tip about another Yellow-headed Blackbird sighting nearby.  I tried that spot as well, but still no blackbird love.  With that it was time to make the trek towards Tofino.

I was anxious about the Alberni Highway, especially since it had started to rain and the roads were wet.  It went reasonably smoothly though, and I was greatly relieved to be past the twisting and turning when I reached Port Alberni.  I was in for a big surprise on the next leg of the journey.  Between tight turns and slick roads, it was something of a harrowing experience. The van definitely doesn’t drive like the FIt!  En route, near Wally Creek if I read the signs correctly, there was a section of chain link fence at one of the viewpoints.  It looked like several locks were attached to it.  I inquired about that when I was at the Shorebird Festival, but no one seemed to know about it.  Turns out there is a trend to festoon fences and other structures with “love locks” sometimes to the point of causing failure of the structure!

I was relieved to finally get to the Wya Point Campground and meet up with Karen Ferguson who was also in town for the festival.  We hit the beach to get some new birds for my eBird county list, including a couple of Whimbrel.  As on Grant Bay, Velella was washed up all over the beach. Then it started to get drizzly.  It was nice to be able to make and drink a cup of tea in the van.  I enjoy staying in it much more than driving it!