I have to admit that this week has felt a little like bowling.   Going after the remaining “known” birds in the area is like trying to get a spare with a split facing you down the alley. You know what the targets are, and where they are, but you keep going right down the middle, missing everything!

My target birds on Wednesday were a couple of reliables–at least before Christmas. Northern Shrikes and Tundra Swans were on my day lists the last week of December, but we haven’t been getting together in the new year.  Was it something I said?

I also made a trip to Island View Beach to try to get Brant.  I was able to talk to a few people there about the CRD plans for the park. The next meeting/presentation is going to be on Thursday, February 5, and if you have an interest in the natural values of this spectacular location, I highly recommend that you check it out.  You’ll hear some great information about the natural history of the park and have an opportunity to tell the folks in charge what you think of their plans.  Here’s a link.

One  good thing about getting out birding  and not getting the bird is that it still includes getting out birding. I am enjoying the chase, albeit probably not as much as I would if I was actually finding the birds!

After missing Brant, I looked for a Northern Shrike on McIntyre Rd where one had been very cooperative on Christmas day.  Both the lines and the shrubs were empty–no shrike or anything else, for that matter.  But there were plenty of swans on Martindale Flats on Wednesday, close enough to pick through with a scope.  No luck with the large flock, but there were two on the south side of Martindale all by themselves. Hmmmmm…..
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Sadly, no luck with this pair.  But then I remembered hearing three Tundra Swans heading towards the sod farm on Blenkinsop a month ago,  Maybe they’d still be hanging out there!  AND I knew there had been a Northern Shrike in the area.  I could get both birds!

Yeah, right!  As usual, my schedule once again got in the way.  I think the Tundras have all left the area for now, and I had to leave before I could find the shrike.   I’m definitely making plans to not make so many plans. I want to just spend as much time as I’d like to search for the birds.  Maybe tomorrow…..

 

As the number of winter regulars on my list dwindles, more and more trips will fail to turn up new birds.  The lure of the computer or other “must-do” tasks will often have me torn between being production or getting outside.  I am attempting to go birding every day, even if it’s just for a short time.   On Monday, I started the day by taking my sister to the airport before dawn, then heading to Saanichton Spit and Martindale Flats in hopes of spotting a Barn  or Short-eared Owl.  No cooperation! A side trip to Island View Beach  to look for Brant came up empty as well. As has happened several times this year, the fog rolled in, so I rolled home.

I have several projects with deadlines this week, so I relunctantly sat down at the computer and started to work.  I made some good progress until… the phone rang. Mike McGrenere was doing a coastal bird survey at Cordova Bay and had spotted Eared Grebes.  This species used to occur here in fairly large numbers, but in recent years, only small numbers at best.  The work would wait!  A quick drive to Cordova Bay and expert guiding via cell phone from a couple of kilometers away, and Eared Grebes were mine!  We saw at least four among Horned Grebes, Buffleheads, and other waterfowl. Thanks to Mike, I was able to add a bird to my year list bringing it to 130.  Photo opportunities were not good; the birds were well offshore.

Although seeing new birds is the number one priority for this year,  I have built in a few other goals to inspire me to keep getting out birding.  For years I have been primarily using other people’s photos in my slide shows, but this year I am  going to build a library of my own photos for future use.  Here are a couple to celebrate the grebe chase.  (Clicking on the photos will usually give you an enlarged view.)

On Tuesday, I took a break from the computer to head to Swan Lake.  While I was away, at least six species I haven’t seen yet this year were reported by Ian Cruickshank while I was away.  I’ve since picked up a couple, and today’s quest was specifically for American Bittern, White-throated Sparrow, and Nothern Shrike.  No, no and no.  However, I did get the pleasure of showing lighthouse keeper Ivan Dubinsky one of Victoria’s best birding areas. Ivan works on Balaklava Island west of Port Hardy.  He’s a new birder, but making great strides.  I’m hoping he might find a wandering vagrant or two for me to chase at the north end of the island this year.

We didn’t pick up any of my target species, but it was an excellent day for birderwatching.  We ran into Kim and Roger Beardmore, Marie O’Shaugnessy, and Chris Saunders.  Chris found a Barred Owl near Tuesday pond, a lifer for Ivan, among many less showy species.

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American Coots, Ring-necked Ducks and a good look at a Pied-billed Grebe kept us entertained.

Since we were in the mood for flashy birds, and Ivan had never seen a Wood Duck, we headed to King’s Pond for a few minutes.  There must have been at least 20 Wood Duck drakes there, and courtship was definitely underway!

Migration is just around the corner–reports of vulture and raptor movement are already coming in.  I can hardly wait!

The GPS tracking system was deployed today and followed me to several birding stops and just about as many Tim Hortons for refueling.  First birding stop of the day was–you guessed it–Southgate and Quadra for yet another Common Redpoll quest.   I started later this morning, in fact, pretty close to noon.  There were bird at the feeder, but as expected, no redpoll.  In a matter of minutes, though, there was a flock of American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins in the tree overhead, and while my sister dutifully kept an eye on the feeder, I scanned them.  The light was bad, so I asked Esther to please get the scope from the car.  Before she even reached it, I saw the flash I’d been waiting for.  The redpoll was trying to land on the feeder, but was bullied away by the goldfinches!  Finally, after about 12 hours of watching that feeder, I had my tick, albeit not a very satisfying one.  Given the fuss I’ve been making about this bird, I had to at least try for an evidence shot.  Thankfully, the bird did return to the feeder and I managed to snap a few.

Celebrations ensued when who should we spot but Cathy Reader, Warren Lee and their daughters Emma and Rebecca.  Cathy had seen the bird on a prior visit, but the others hadn’t yet.  Esther and I were heading out when they took over the vigil.  They also saw the bird today, as did Rob Gowan.  I’m thinking that this redpoll does not particularly like the rain!

The next birding stop was Panama Flats were a few uncommon birds have been hanging out.  White-throated Sparrows are not as numerous this winter as last, but Jeremy Gatten saw two near Hyacinth Park on Saturday.  People have been setting out grain for the sparrows, and while there were good numbers on the ground, no White-throated while I was looking.  An Orange-crowned Warbler put on the briefest of shows.  We were again joined by Cathy, Rebecca and Emma, and after scanning the sparrows for a while moved farther along the trail.  Rebecca thought she might have seen a White-throated, but we couldn’t relocate it.

Steven Roias alerted me to a Ruddy Duck that had been seen on the flats and as Cathy and her daughters  went along the path, Cathy spotted not one, but a pair of the ducks.  Esther and I were a couple of blocks away, but we high-tailed it back in time to see the male drifting across the pond.

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I didn’t find any target birds at the pier, and we soon headed to our final spot of the day, Island View Beach, in hopes of finding a Brant or two.  By the time that we left the beach, it was starting to get a little darker, but not so dark that I didn’t notice the flyers on the windshields of the cars in the parking lot.  CRD Parks is conducting a review and revising the management plan for the park.  You can read more about it here.  The plan includes setting aside a significant portion of the park for wildlife, and that isn’t sitting well with everyone. The flyers accuse the CRD for saying that there are more species at risk in the park than are actually there, but it incorrectly indicates that several species on the list are strictly marine.  The Friends of Island View Beach are pushing for more active recreational use of the park (including sports fields) and limitation of natural areas.  If you want to have a say  in the future of this park, check out the CRD website, attend one of the public meetings (Jan 29 and Feb 5) and/or write your CRD rep.

By the way, the Reader-Lees eventually DID relocate the White-throated Sparrow.  Patience paid off!

 

I haven’t been arrested for loitering–yet.  Despite a light drizzle, I decided to go for the Common Redpoll again this morning.  I figured that if I arrived before it got light, the hungry birds would come in and I could add another bird to the list. By 8 am, I was in place, with my binoculars, camera, umbrella and a cup of tea.  About fifteen minutes later the birds started to arrive and the now well photographed feeder.  I could hear goldfinches directly over my head, although it wasn’t quite light enough to see them.  As each bird took its turn at the feeder, my hopes were dashed again and again.  Oregon Juncos, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, American Goldfinches and many others visited the feeders over the next two hours, but there was no sign of the redpoll. The rain ebbed and flowed, and I learned just how difficult it is to balance binoculars and an umbrella.  I’m glad that no one was taking a video, but suffice it to say that I was pretty wet within an hour of watching.  Rob Gowan showed up to help with the vigil about 9:45, which was great, as I had to take my sister (who I’d left with her knitting in my car) to a friend’s place.

When I returned about half an hour later, Mike and Barb McGrenere had replaced Rob, but there was still no sign of the redpoll.  It was fantastic to have more eyes looking for the bird.  When I was there on my own, I struggled to figure out whether to keep my eyes on the feeder or to occasionally scan the trees.   Barb and Mike left shortly after 11, but I stuck it out for another  hour. There were times when more than a dozen birds descended on the favoured feeder, but none bore that characteristic red poll. Over the course of the morning, I had 21 species at this spot.  A Cooper’s Hawk flew through and cleared the area, giving me a good opening for my departure.  Much to my chagrin, the Common Redpoll did put in an appearance–about 20 minutes after I left.  David and Geoffrey Newell found it among a mixed flock in the trees near the feeders I’d watched all morning.

Before leaving the area to meet up with my sister, I went on a duck hunt. A controversial American Black Duck has been reliable in Beacon Hill Park for several months.  Well, reliable if you know where to look for it.  The word was out that the duck prefers Fountain Lake.  Not this lake with a fountain in it:

Nor this one:

Not even this one:

But rather, this one:

Yes, that’s right–the one without a working fountain!  In any case, the duck was very obliging and came in for some close-ups.
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While the identification of this bird is not really in question, it remains somewhat controversial with regard to whether it is truly a “wild” American Black Duck or not.  This is true of several species I may encounter on the island, including Ring-necked Pheasant, Common Peafowl, and other free-ranging descendants of human-released birds.  I will be relying on local records or checklist committees for the final say on whether these birds are countable for the area. In the meantime, this individual duck leaves each spring, returning for the winter, and is felt by many excellent birders in the Victoria area to be a legitimate Black Duck.  For now, it’s on my list.

After retrieving my sister, we checked out a few more Victoria hotspots, including Queens Park for Greater Yellowlegs, bringing my year list to 125 today.

 

We went by Cattle Point where there were no new species to add, but a small murder of Northwestern Crows provided an interesting diversion. Quick, what is the probably age of the crow flying on the right of this picture?

You may have to enlarge the photo, but if you look carefully, you’ll see this bird has a light band near the end of the tail.  The light marks are an indication  weak spots, most likely caused by a day or two of malnourishment when these feathers were growing in.  Normally, we’d only expect all of the tail feathers to be growing in at the same time when the bird was in the nest.  During later molts, the feathers are shed and regrown in pairs. This bird was likely hatched in 2014, and since every bird has its birthday on January 1, this bird would be aged as  second year, with a caveat.  If the crow had lost its tail for some other reason (predator being the most likely), it could also show this pattern.

Today was a good example of how many of my days will go this year.  You’d need a tracking device to figure out where I might be.  Good news!  I have one.  For safety purposes, I have purchased a device and subscribed to a  service that will let you know where I am (sometimes) at the click of a mouse.  There is a new page on this blog site called “Where’s Ann?”  When I am out birding, even around town, I will try to remember to turn this device on.  This will create a map similar to the one below.   You can click on the “pins” to see when I was at a particular site.  The pins are dropped about every ten minutes in real time, so it is possible that you can find me if you want to come birding.

Maybe you’ll see me get that Common Redpoll tomorrow!

In my introduction to my Vancouver Island Big Year, I noted that life happens.  I knew I would be leaving the island several times this year and that there were several other commitments that would keep me from focussing entirely on the bird chases.

As you know from my last post, I attended the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival last week, putting my big year on hold for about 10 days.  The drive between BC and California was long but fun, shared with my friend and  mega-birder Shawneen Finnegan.    We spent time looking for rarities, sorting through masses of wintering waterfowl and visiting family members along the way.  The festival itself was great, including a Big Day field trip with 2009 RPBO bander-in-charge, Ron Melcer. We had a total of 114 species on the Friday trip. Such is a winter day in California!  I’m deliberately avoiding naming bird names here so that no one thinks that I saw them on Vancouver Island.

During my absence, a few new chaseable birds showed up on the island, including the first Harris’s Sparrow report at the Nanaimo River Estuary.  I may be heading there in the next few days to try to find it.  Nothing though, that had me tearing my hair out–except, perhaps that I might be one of the last people to see a Common Redpoll in Victoria in 2015.  I have visited the feeder on Southgate three times now for a total of about 8 hours and come up empty. Barring heavy rain, I will be there early Saturday morning.  Oh, yeah. Of course, the Great Gray Owl was seen again on Quadra Island just before and during my trip, but no reports since I have returned.

One of the commitments I alluded to in my blog introduction was the care of my mother, Maxine John.  She has been incapacitated for more than six years, and except when I have been out of town, I normally visited her five times a week.  I realize that may seem excessive, but there was a good reason. In addition to age-related decline, my mother had Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism.  For her, routine was extremely important, and my absences over the last few years have been especially difficult for her.  I struggled to figure out how I would accommodate her needs this year,  knowing that my trips away would be more frequent and less predictable.  I had settled on spending more time with her when I was in town, even though it might be on fewer days a week.  As of last Wednesday morning, this is no longer an issue.  I received a call from the doctor on Tuesday night advising me that my mother had contracted pneumonia and probably had less than 72 hours to live.  I hastened my return, and my sister, Esther, got on the first available plane, but my mom passed away while we were en route. Needless to say, this is a huge loss to us, but a merciful one.  The life that she led recently was not even a shadow of one that she would want.  We are greatly relieved that her suffering is now over. Rest in peace, Mom!

On my return, I saw a post from Agnes Lynn about a mystery sparrow in the Ten-Mile Point area.  The bird had been photographed by the homeowner and appeared to be a Chipping Sparrow, but I was provided an opportunity to go for a closer look.  Unlike a certain redpoll, the mystery sparrow put in an appearance shortly after my arrival and I was also able to get some photos.   While Chipping Sparrow would have been added to my list later in the year, it was a great pleasure to have a chance to chase this bird and firm up its identity.  There was always the chance it might have been something rarer.  The bird had some strange molt issues, which may have contributed to its presence at this time of year.  Thanks go to the hosts, Wendy and Jeff, for letting me come for a look!
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Friday mornings, a small but growing group of birders have been conducting a survey at Maber Flats. Today, one of the first birds we heard was a Swamp Sparrow, new for my year. It was still to dark to make it out, although I did see its silhouette crossing the trail.   I will be counting heard only birds for my big year.  If they are expected birds on the island, I won’t be making a special note of this, but I will be specific when it comes to rarities.   My species total as of 1/23  is 123.  Coincidence?

Tomorrow, I will post about the continuing saga of the Common Redpoll and a new feature for finding me out birding.

As I noted in my introduction to my Vancouver Island Big Year, if I waited to have a commitment-free year, I’d never even start this adventure.  I am currently en route to the Morro Bay Bird Festival, an event I’ve wanted to attend for several years.

This morning, I left Victoria with high hopes of adding maybe three species to my list as I travelled on the ferry between Swartz Bay and Active Pass.  Here was the view just as the bird activity should have been picking up.

Needless to say, my list remains at 121 species for the year, and will do so until I return to the “zone” next week.

In the meantime, I will be making the trek southward with Shawneen Finnegan, and I couldn’t be happier.  Shawneen will be a keynote speaker at the festival, is an amazing artist, one of the top birders around and just an all-round good person.  We will be stopping for birds and people along the way there and back. This will be an excellent week!

Adding these food items to your meals will benefit in sildenafil 10mg the best possible way. 4. This cheap tadalafil no prescription innovative treatment therapy was produced by the immense efforts by the joint manufacturers Eli Lilly pharmaceutical house and ICOS biotechnology firm. Female best viagra prices unica-web.com the active ingredient Sildenafil Citrate. Such elements as indicated phone number, fax, juridical address, verify that drug http://unica-web.com/ENGLISH/2013/pres-to-ga2013-2.html online cialis prescription store is a reputable company. As for what I might be missing at home, Ian Cruickshank posted his day list at Swan Lake with 6(!) species I don’t have on my year list yet. I’m not worried–if I can’t track down those species when I get back, I probably shouldn’t be attempting a big year.  If some rarities come and go while I’m away, I’ll just have to try that much harder for others as they arrive.  There is a short list of winter regulars left for me to add, but I’ll even have a second chance for these if necessary when things turn cold again next fall.  There are still more than 80 species that I am confident will be added to the list, although most of them won’t be around for at least a few months. While waiting for the migrants, I will soon be able to slow down the pace and spend more time thoroughly investigating places rather than running around after specific birds on the list, maybe even finding some unusual birds in usual or new places.  Of course, more sightings of a particular owl could have me running again!

I won’t update this blog with birds that I see over the next week or so, but I will do periodic updates if there are any special birds that I hear that I am missing, just to get them on record.  When I return to Vancouver Island, I’ll also be launching a new page on this blog which will allow you to see where I’m birding in real time, and invite you to join me if you wish.  That could be fun, and will definitely keep me motivated to get out there a lot!

Good birding!

 

 

It might seem odd to be writing on this topic a mere 12 days into my quest, but as I learn things along the way, I will share them with you. Those who know me know that I’m not normally a lister.  Since eBird came along, I’m trying to be better about submitting trip lists, but I’m really a more casual, “let’s just enjoy what’s out there” kind of birder. My Vancouver Island Big Year is a stretch for me, and I expect to learn a lot along the way.

Although there have already been some fabulous misses (some which I intend to remedy), that’s not what’s been driving me a little nuts.  I’ve been chasing a lot of “regular” birds this week and they have been surprisingly challenging. They are there, I think.  The problem has been that on too many occasions, I’ve had to be somewhere else.  That has meant that I couldn’t commit the time to wait for the bittern to appear or to check the second spot where the Marbled Godwit was seen (it was there).  I’m still very much in rush, rush, rush, mode.   In fact, I’m writing this as the minutes tick down before I leave for the ferry.

This is really the story of my life.  There are so many things that I want to do, and even more that I should do,  and I operate under the foolish assumption that I can do them all. If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely try to clear my calendar more, especially for the first couple of months of the year.  Lesson learned, I will make an effort to do so for the last couple of months, but I know I have already made several commitments for November and December.

I have been out birding the last couple of days, going for some known birds in known locations.  The list is getting smaller, though, so this meant some really targetted birding.  Ruddy Ducks are not common near Victoria, but there are a few good spots .  Going on a tip from Michael Simmons, I decided to check out the Retriever Ponds at Beaver Lake Park.  There were a couple of ducks on the pond, but nothing I could count.

Despite trying several spots for the Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe and Brant, I went hope Saturday with no new birds.  I did add to the Capital Region checklist by visiting King’s Pond on the Cedar Hill Golf Course.  A day can’t be all bad if it has Wood Ducks in it.

Moreover, individuals viagra pfizer suisse should not treat the medication as an aphrodisiac. All of the info regarding Niche Profit Classroom 3 along tadalafil cheapest with Niche Profit Classroom 3, Adam Short! Adam Short is actually one of the creators of this successful Niche Profit Classroom, however it was not generally like that when he began out online. If you have problems in moving the limbs and there is pain in most of the joints the kind of therapy can viagra online france indeed take the best care of the condition. The Universe cannot say NO to you when you only say YES to viagra buy on line amerikabulteni.com it. As dusk fell, I went to the Blenkinsop Lake tresle, where I heard the duet of a pair of Great Horned Owls. Through the slits in the railing, I saw a shocking sight: an alligator!  Okay, I know there are no alligators in Blenkinsop Lake, but in the shadows, the tail tip and snout  of a large floating animal triggered that response in my brain.  It, as you may have suspected, turned out to be a river otter. There were three cavorting along the edges of the lake.  Walking out in the dark, I watched carefully for owls, without luck.  Then Daniel Donnecke appeared beside me.  He was riding his bike home from nearby Outerbridge Park.

Outerbridge Park was the opening destination for Sunday morning.  JoAnn Outerbridge built this sanctuary and garden in Saanich a couple of decades ago. It’s a very interesting story that you will undoubtedly hear as the year goes on. JoAnn passed away last year, and her estate has been very generous to Rocky Point Bird Observatory.  We have committed to leading a monthly bird walk in the park on the second Sunday of the month, and this was the first.  Daniel and his son Leo took the lead.  We tallied 25 species in the hour or so that we were there.  Then I was off to Swan Lake to finally get that Pied-billed Grebe.  Not.  However, in the parking lot, two birders reported that the American Bittern had been flying around.  That would be a sweet addition!  Joining a few more birders on the boardwalk, we spent about half an hour scouring the reeds for the bird. One of them had seen it land “just over there”, but there was no sign of it.  I was the first person to see the last person who saw the bird, a phrase I am reluctantly using a lot these days!

I was definitely starting to feel the need to get some additions for the list.  On Saturday, the Victoria Natural History Society’s field trip to Esquimalt Lagoon had turned up more than 70 species, including four that were not yet on my list.  A quick trip added three for me: Western Grebe, Western Gull and, finally, Pied-billed Grebe.

I did take the time to pick through the grebes looking for a Clark’s, but most of the birds had their heads down.  Species count as of January 11 – 121.

In a few minutes, I’ll be heading to the ferry for the first leg of the trip to the Morro Bay Birding Festival.  I normally would take the first ferry of the day, but by taking the 9 am, I just might pick up a few more birds within my big year envelope!

Maber Flats is a seasonally flooded, privately owned agricultural property in Central Saanich.  Electrical transmission lines and road rights-of-ways cross the property, providing public access. Every Friday morning for just over a year, a small group of birders has assembled there to build a database of the birds in hopes of a brighter future for this wetland.   Currently, the municipality is considering purchasing part of the property for floodwater control and the Nature Conservancy of Canada is interested in the balance as a conservation area.

Most birders in Victoria became aware of Maber Flats a couple of years ago when two pairs of Black-necked Stilts chose to nest there, the first time this species has bred in the area. Any time of year, though, can turn up an interesting array of birds.  In the winter, hundreds of ducks, geese and swans dominate the habitat, but other birds are present as well. Sparrows, wrens, thrushes, kinglets and finches are among the birds that can be found in the grasses and the hedgerows.  Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers patrol the flats.  Rick spotted a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers (a new species for my big year list) along the main road but when we got our scopes on a badly backlit individual, it turned out to be a much more welcome find, a Palm Warbler! Palm Warblers occur most winters in Victoria, but are not reliable in any locations, so it was a great find for my list and a life bird for Kim Beardmore and Christian Engelstoft.  The swans were putting on a great show for us, providing opportunities for photos.

We came up with 33 species for our 90 minute survey.

There were still some “easy” birds to be picked up in the neighbourhood, so we headed out to one of the last fields known to have Sky Larks.  This introduced species once was spread out around the peninsula and beyond, numbering up to around 1000 individuals.  We now estimate fewer than 100,  possibly fewer than 50 remaining. There is a good chance that there will be none left on Vancouver Island in five to ten years.  We were able to see about five in the field on Central Saanich Rd.

With a few hours of light left, and my trip to California coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to try to get a few more “ticks” for the day if I could. American Kestrel is not a common bird here, but there has been a male hanging out  about a mile from my house. Although I’d driven by  his spot frequently this week, I hadn’t seen him. This afternoon, though, I checked a block over and found him nicely perched on a wire.  Four new species for the year, and still time for more!

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A surprisingly elusive bird this week has been American Coot. They are here in decent numbers in the winter, but poor weather and even worse timing had caused me to dip on them several times.  On a tip from Cathy Reader, I stopped at Tod Flats, and finally claimed this species.  While I was checking for a couple of others, Marie O’Shaughnessy pulled in.  One of the best parts of being out birding so much lately is that I’m getting to see a lot of other local birders as well! Marie had just photographed a Snow Goose at Martindale Flats.  We shared tips on what other birds were around and then headed on our separate missions.

I was headed to WildARC, our local wildlife rehab facility to band a Northern Saw-whet Owl they had in care, which put me on the right side of town to check for American Dipper and Golden Eagle.   At Goldstream Park, I was delighted to find two dippers chatting and even singing to each other just south of the Finlayson Arm Bridge.

The favourite Golden Eagle viewing site in town just happens to be a nearby Tim Hortons with a great outlook on a ridge across the highway.  The lighting was perfect, and the conditions seemed good, but all I managed to get at that stop was a cup of tea.  (I was okay with that!) Guess I’ll have to go back and hang out another day.

As the light started to fade, I made my way to WildARC and banded the Northern Saw-whet Owl.  A probable collision with a car landed him a stay at the centre, but he’ll be returned to his neighbourhood soon.

In eight hours, I had managed to increase my year list by 6 species, now standing at 118. I may be able to squeeze a few more in before I head south, but weather and obligations may get in the way. We’ll see!

And so I went!  Leaving Victoria at 6 am would get me to the ferry by 10 am, in time to make the short trip to Quadra Island on the 10:25 sailing–unless I stopped for something else along the way.  I considered looking for Short-eared Owls at the Nanaimo Estuary or the Marbled Godwit in Courtenay, but thinking strategically, those species should be available at other times and places during the year; the Great Gray Owl would likely not be.

Driving north on the island, radio stations fade away and others come in as you approach their towers.  As I arrived in Campbell River, the announcer stated that the hazardous cargo that normally is transported to Quadra on Tuesday had not gone due to ferry cancellations, and would instead be going on Wednesday, so passengers might face delays.  Yep, you guessed it. The 10:25 sailing was for dangerous cargo only.  I could have tried for the godwit!

No problem though, as this gave me a bit of a chance to bird the channel from the “big island” . I posted a Facebook message stating so and within minutes, I was surprised when former co-worker from Royal Roads University (and current Facebook friend), Steve Budgeon popped down to the dock to say “hi” and catch up.  Gotta love modern technology!

Once I reached Quadra Island, I started a text conversation with Carla Duffey  (of Lime Soda Photography), who was tracking the owl’s movements for me. She had come across it the previous day at 1:30 pm and a resident on the same street had seen it later Tuesday night.  I was feeling pretty optimistic about finding this bird!  I headed to an area where most of the streets are named after  trees and started searching the area on foot.  After four hours of walking paved and unpaved stretches, some of them knee-deep in rainwater, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be an easy tick.  Again.   The area was absolutely filled with suitable habitat for a Great Gray Owl:  Logged and replanted plots interspersed with forest and many residences with chickens or ducks in open pens.   It was eerily quiet in the woods with far fewer birds of any type than I would have expected.

The owl has been spotted many times out in the open, but just as frequently deep on private property.  I was going to have to have a lot of luck.  And it was going to have to be good!  Somehow, that wasn’t in the cards.  There was light fog on the island when I arrived and about 4 pm, it really started rolling in.  I had come a long way.  Should I head home empty-handed, or try through the night. It is an owl, after all!  Lunacy prevailed, and I made the decision to try searching for the owl during the night.

After a stop for food, I drove pretty much every road on southern Quadra Island, searching the edges for any sign of the Great Gray.  Fog prevented me from using my high beams, though, so my visual field was severely limited.  Eventually, I had another decision to make: find a hotel, or  stay out for the night.  The hotel would have been more comfortable, and would have had Internet, but no chance of finding the owl.  Sleeping in my car would be decidedly less comfortable, but there would be a small chance of detecting the owl.  Hmmmm….

The funny thing is that I bought a camper van about a year ago so that I wouldn’t have to sleep in my car anymore, but I didn’t bring it on this trip.  On balance, it’s only financially worthwhile to bring if I’m going to be away more than one night.  It uses about three times as much gas as my car.  I did, however, bring a pillow and a sleeping bag.  I headed back to the area where the owl had last been reported and got set up for the night, leaving the window open in hopes of hearing either  the owl or a kerfuffle if it went after a chicken.  I also had another trick up my sleeve.  As a volunteer for Rocky Point Bird Observatory, I often use audio lures to attract Northern Saw-whet Owls for banding.   I have other calls, but didn’t want to subject the neighbourhood to the loud hoots of an electronic Great Gray. I opted instead for the quiet squeaks of voles, which I played for about two hours without the slightest interest from any owls in the area.  I slept on and off through the night. At one point, I thought I could hear a Saw-whet, but it was so far away, I couldn’t be certain.

At 7am, I headed out on foot again, still optimistic that this bird could be found.  As the sun came up, the silhouettes of Varied Thrushes could be made out along the road edges, and then a larger bird–not an owl, but something interesting! There are two species of grouse known on Vancouver Island: Ruffed and Sooty. I would like to propose a third: Foggy Grouse. In the daylight, there is often confusion over what species you might be seeing.  In the dim light of a foggy dawn, even more so!  I started taking (bad) pictures in the hope that I would be able to confirm the ID later.  The low elevation  and the bold barring on the flanks had me favouring Ruffed, and indeed once the fieldmarks were all considered, Ruffed it was.  This would be the only new bird for my list in two days.

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I walked another four hours adding a few species for the county list, but no owl or new birds for the master list.  At one point a short cut that looked like a trail on the satellite image took me through a gauntlet of face-slapping Alder saplings into an impassible bog.  I think I made the right decision to backtrack before I got soaked, even though it meant another round of Alder-attacks.

Just as I was preparing to head to the 11:55 ferry, I got another text from Carla.  One of her neighbours had seen the owl in her yard for several days at the end of December and beginning of January, including the day that Jim Danzenbaker and I were  on the island searching.  We had passed with a half-block of the owl! The neighbourhood was an area I hadn’t searched.  I decided to stay another hour to check out the area and the adjacent golf course. Within minutes of my arrival, however, the fog rolled in thick and heavy.  Curses, foiled again!  I headed to the 12:55 ferry, where Carla met me and presented me with a 2-dimensional version of the Great Gray, a beautiful photo that she had taken last month.

 

I learned several things about Great Gray Owls while I was making my search. Carla had one in her yard four years ago as well as in the last months.  Another resident said he’d seen them in his yard three out of the last four years.   The owl has been taking residents’ chickens and ducks, a habit that won’t help its longevity. The bird that is there now has been seen in a variety of spots since November.  Could this be a single bird that is returning year after year, or is there something special about Quadra Island that is attracting this species?   Might there even be a family of them? Carla doesn’t think this year’s bird and the one from four years ago are the same bird based on appearances. Regardless, it means my quest for the Great Gray Owl is likely not over yet!

Having used up an extra hour on the owl search, I only had time for one brief stop on the way home.  The Marbled Godwit in Courtenay was the obvious choice.  This is another overwintering bird, and like the owl, has been moving around quite a bit.  The latest posted sighting had been from Mansfield Rd, so that was my destination.  The highway was fog-free, but the turn to the coast took me back into the soup.  When I arrived, I could hear ducks but couldn’t see any!

Thankfully, the fog lifted enough to reveal hundreds, if not thousands of ducks.  Trumpeter Swans flew by, Bald Eagles sat on the beach, but no godwit was in sight.  With time ticking away, I had to get back on the road, but this site really deserves more than a quick stop.  I plan to be back for a full day or two in early February.  Between now and then, I’ll be birding closer to Victoria over the weekend, and then it’s off to California for the Morro Bay Bird Festival.  On my return, the chases will resume!

In some ways, the last two days have been a bit disappointing, but at the same time, I spent the better part of those days walking around a new place.  My big year is about the birds, but it’s also about exploring and discovering interesting places on and around Vancouver Island.  There is no doubt that I did that this week!

 

There were two things on my to-do list that I was planning on getting done before I headed out in near-perfect weather to go birding today.  But then…..  A post on the BCVIBIRDS Yahoo Group that a (not-so) Common Redpoll had been photographed near downtown Victoria on Monday.  A vagrant, and definitely a bird I would want to get for my big year list!  I have a “ready” bag that would allow me a quick escape to other parts of the island, but it wasn’t much help today.  This evening, I was slated to be the guest speaker for the Camosun Gyro monthly dinner meeting.  Not a problem in that the bird and the meeting were in the same town, but one of those things I was going to do was prepare the presentation (yes, I know, but it’s how my life goes!)  So instead of packing warm clothes an other overnight necessities, I had to repack with clothes suitable for a semi-formal dinner (including cruel shoes) and gather up all of my tech gear for the still-to-be-assembled presentation.  Then I was out the door!

Upon arrival and the intersection that had been mentioned in the post, I found myself searching balconies for the tube feeder that had been described.  Rather than waste too much time, I called Ted Ardley, who had not taken the photo, but had relayed the information from ogopogocheryl on Flickr.   He was able to provide the most important clue–a string of blue Christmas lights–and I was soon at the feeder. In fact, the edge of this apartment block’s property was festooned with feeders, including the one where the redpoll had been seen the previous day.  I was feeling good!

I am grateful to the owner of the feeders for providing such a wonderful banquet for the birds.  So beneficial to my mission! However, she seemed to have a mission of her own today, and went in and out of her door, past the feeders, no less than 10 times in the first 20 minutes that I was there.   When she finally left (whew!), her roommate, dressed in a bright yellow shirt decided that the front window needed a REALLY good cleaning, giving the feeders the “Snowy Owl” treatment (lots of movement with a white cloth) for the next 10 minutes.  Did I mention that part of my plan for my big  year was to develop patience?  I really got to work on that today.

The next hour provided several new birds for my year list: Bushtit, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker and House Finch, but no redpoll.  Eventually, I had to move my car, so I took a short trip to Clover Point to see what I could find there.   Surfbirds and Black Turnstones were in good supply, and there was an assortment of gulls as well as most of the expected seabirds.  I came across Matt and Court Cameron working on their own Big Half-day list, and told them about the redpoll.  We met again at the feeders a little while later.

A Common Redpoll would be a lifer for Court and Matt, but they sadly couldn’t stay too long.   I watched a Cooper’s Hawk stir things up at the feeders three times today.  But still no redpoll.  After another hour or so (I’m not used to sitting in one place for so long), I went on another short trip and managed to find Eurasian Wigeon at one of the duck ponds in nearby Beacon Hill Park.   Then back to the feeders.  I was thinking I might call it a day by about 3 pm and return first thing Wednesday morning.  Then it happened.
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An email from Quadra Island.  The Great Gray Owl had been relocated.   Argh!  Two chaseable birds about 4 hours of driving apart.  Now  I REALLY wanted that redpoll to show up!  Two more birders, Mary Robichaud and Cathy Reader arrived to  provide reinforcements for the search, and I stuck it out  until a little after 3:30.  I decided to try to pick up a couple quick ticks  and be on my way.  Oh, yeah.  Did I mention that I had a presentation to prepare for a 6:30 meeting?  Nevermind!  Snow Goose and Greater White-fronted Goose visible from the street at the Victoria Golf Course.  Yes!

I grabbed a tea to go as I passed a Tim Hortons, and headed off to another near-daily commitment, a visit with my mom.  My mother has been in extended care for more than five years now, and I typically visit her five days a week.  I won’t go into the details at this point, but my visits are very important to her.  My big year is definitely going to throw our routine out of whack, so I will make an effort to spend more time with her when I am in town.  But today, I had an extra motive–I really had to get somewhere where I could work on that presentation!

Fortunately, I have a bit of a library of prepared presentations, and since the Gyro only wanted a 20-minute slideshow, I knew that I could cut an existing show down to size.  With an hour to spare,  I changed into appropriate dinner apparel (the muddy jeans would definitely not have worked) and visited with my mom.  The presentation went smoothly, and I’m hoping that most of these men will look at birds a little differently now.  Dinner was good, too!

So, Common Redpoll, a vagrant that has been showing up in Victoria more frequently, or Great Gray Owl?  The choice is obvious!  I’m heading back to Quadra Island in a few hours.

Species as of January 6: 111