A quick almost end of the year update to bring everyone who is following up to speed!

Sunday was the Sooke Christmas Bird Count, the final of my big year.  My attention is split between two zones due to security clearance requirements.  The morning was spent with John Costello at Rocky Point Ammunition Depot.  While en route, I spotted a Barred Owl along the power lines for my first bird of the count.  It was a lot darker than it appears in this photo, so I felt lucky to catch this one!

 

The weather was less than perfect–the only CBC this month where we started out in wind and rain.  So much so that the boat at Race Rocks was unable to launch to pick up Jim Danzenbaker and Garry Fletcher. Alex Fletcher did his count from his staion on the rocks, and Garry augmented it using the web cams.

At Rocky Point, John and I checked the fields and shores, turning up the expected subjects, but as most people commented, in lower numbers than usual. A notable miss was Red-breasted Nuthatch, a normally common and vocal resident. When we were about half done, I looked at my watch and realized we only had 30 minutes before we were supposed to rendezvous with Jim for the afternoon component of the count.  We quickly headed to the Rocky Point Bird Observatory sites at Edye Point and the pond to tally up as many birds as we could, and we were on our way.  Next year, I hope to add a couple more people with RP security clearance to give better coverage to this site.

When we got to the Metchosin Cafe, many of the counters from the WIlliam Head Road group were already there warming up.  They had news of a good count bird: Black-legged Kittiwake!  While I had this bird already for the year, I did not have it for the Victoria Checklist area.  If I could refind it, it would tie me with Chris Saunders for the checklist year high total. Jim had spotted two at a great distance from Weir’s Beach. The birds were headed towards William Head prison.

There are advantages to having someone from the “inside” to gain access to high security areas.  John worked for many years at the William Head Instititute and has managed to gain access for us for the last three years to do the Christmas Bird Count.  There are other ways to gain access to prison, but they don’t all include the freedom to leave at the end of the day!

When we arrived, we headed straight to the bay where the kittiwakes had been heading. Nothing. We went to the point.  Nothing. At this point, I was working on Plan B for the next day.  We’d been counting birds for about 45 minutes when Jim looked through his scope across the water to Edye Point (yes, the same Edye Point that John and I had been at earlier in the day) and said “I’ve got one!”

I looked through his scope and got a not-great look at several gull-like birds at a great distance, but between the height of the scope and the tiny images, I couldn’t honestly say that I’d seen one. Sigh. Jim lowered the scope (ahh, the trials of being height-challenged) and was trying to refind the birds–which, of course, had moved farther away–when I said, “Nevermind.  I’ll count this one!”  A Black-legged Kittiwake passed just about 40 feet in front of us.  Success!  I was now tied with Chris at 251 species for the checklist area!  Then we saw another kittiwake.  And another.  And a young one, for a total of three adults and one immature, feeding, whorling, and zooming right in front of us.  Flying birds are difficult to photograph, but I was snapping away. I’d brought my older, higher zoom, lower resolution camera this time, but managed to get a few in-focus shots.

Notice the solid black “ink-tipped” look on the wings. I had my evidence shots, so of course, now the birds could relax and come closer.  And they did!  Two perched on a nearby outcrop for a couple of easier shots.

These were easily the best birds of my day and several other CBC teams also added this species to their lists.

Monday was Jim’s trip home, and again I joined him on the ferry for a chance look at a Brown Pelican, Red Phalarope or any other new bird for my list.   The trip would have been entirerly uneventful except that we ran into Ron Melcer and Rachel Gardiner on board.
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As Jim headed home from Port Angeles, I walked the new pathway west along the shore.  And then it happened–a list bird on the wrong side of the border!  I’m not printing the species here as I have avoided posting the names of birds that I’ve seen outside my count region, but let’s just say that two very large brown, huge-billed birds were perched on top of one of the pilings in the Port Angeles harbour.  Ergh!  The only good thing about this is that means they have come this far into the strait and I just might find one in my final days of the year.

There were even fewer birds on the way home and certainly none to add to the list.  At dusk, I had tea with Megan Lyden, who had been visiting Victoria over Christmas.  It seems I only socialize after dark these days.  🙂

On Tuesday, I signed up for a whale watching trip for another chance at those errant seabirds, but it was cancelled for low registration.   I headed north to take the Thetis Island ferry for the first time in my life and with hopes of finding a Black Scoter for the checklist area.  The ferry travels quickly, but you can use a scope while it is underway.  There were lots of seabirds in this waterway, including a good density of loons.  I picked up several species for my “county” list, but nothing new for the checklist.  There was one scoter that looked like a Black Scoter through my scope, but close examination of the distant photos showed a slightly lighter patch on the back of the head–just another deceptive immature male Surf Scoter.

There was still a bit of light left when we landed, so I headed up to Ladysmith and Yellow-Point Lodge, arriving just as the sun was setting.  There were a few birds on the water, but not the elusive Black Scoter.  This species used to be regular to common along the east coast of Vancouver Island, but is difficult to find south of Parksville these days.

Last night, we had a 4.8 earthquake, centred about 8 km from where I live.  Let’s hope that it didn’t chase away the Redwing, but shook the other birds up a little. I’ll be making another attempt on the water today, and unless something new is spotted, tomorrow, the last day of the year,  will be a checklist area blitz from dawn to dusk.  My last new species was on December 19 (Redwing).  Will I end the year with 268?

Or maybe you can help me to 269.  While looking at the kittiwake photos, I came across a picture I took on Sarita Lake on December 13.  It was a VERY long way away, and not identifiable through the scope.  We couldn’t find a closer access point, so the bird was put out of our minds.  Any suggestions?